“ALL THINGS”
Saint Luke 18: 32-44
Quinquagesima: 3 March Anno Domini 2019
Father Jay Watson SSP
The good news is not just that you are never alone but also that Jesus is never alone. Think of that. God, and more Grace-fully, The God/Man Christ is never alone. It’s always the Groom and His Bride; always Jesus and the “12,” Israel—The New Testament Church; The King and His brethren: Princes and Princesses of The Resurrection.
Now, no one minds going up to Solomon’s Jerusalem: gold, precious stones, cypress trees, ivory and apes, peacocks and beautiful edifices, a thriving economy and most of all—peace…well, at least civil and political peace. Now no one minds going up to ‘Murican Christianity, other than the majority that doesn’t believe in anything supernatural and hates all appearances of moral absolutism—right and wrong. The militant anti-theist will always hate anything with a title or a name that suggests Jesus, or The Christ. But that’s not what I meant. No, so-called American “Christian”, whether fuzzy-wuzzy charismatic, liberal main-stream protestant sectarian, or even crypto-Baptist or crypto-Calvinist Lutheran (with no deep sense or anchor in the early Church, the Church of the Councils, or the mind of true Catholic-Lutheranism) does not mind going up to the Church of the New Solomon, that is, The Church of Glory! Glory in growth, acceptance by the World, numbers, privilege, health, status, wealth and commendation. But, the “church” that becomes the country club, or the gift shop-coffee-shop—community gymnasium—Women’s empowerment group—lecture hall—or TV studio—isn’t Jesus’ Temple…nor the original King Solomon’s either for that matter. The false church today is the church of Annas and Caiaphas; it is the false church of Francis and his pederast cardinals, of Osteen and Hagee and their hucksterism, war-mongering, and Biblical illiteracy; it is the church of people, sadly sometimes even Lutherans, who want results, programs, time-tables, happiness, and all the other things Satan promised Eve.
No! Christ’s Church is The Body of Christ during all His seasons—the Seasons of His Work. The Church of pre-Lent, the Gesima Sundays, as well as The Church of Lententide, gets it right, because it is Given The Lenten Lord.
Solomon’s Kingdom, Solomon’s stone Temple, only got to be the location of peace, because of that which came before. No Solomon without David. No crown without cross, no glory without suffering, and bloody death! NO rest and peace which passes understanding, no Easter without Calvary. The Cross, which, as the Crucifix, is the symbol of Jesus and His Church, is given by way of Grace. It is Grace that it is freely given by His work, battle, seeming defeat; by His darkness, sweat, wounds, weeping, fasting, thirsting, pain; by His death.
The World, and again, sadly, most of what passes for Christianity—an ersatz, counterfeit, “snake-oil,” preaches Solomonic heights of faux-wisdom and paper mache glory. But we preach Christ Crucified.
Sick and tired of being sick and tired? Hear the Gospel in preaching and Holy Writ. Despondent over the way things always go in your life, the slippery swirling whirlpools of loss and projected future loss? Come to The Supper of your God and receive on your tongues your God.
All we do is sin. All the Lord wants us to do is to repent and believe. He does all the work. He forgives you. He clothes and feeds you. Of course, we don’t like the journey—this journey. It’s difficult and it hurts; it’s scary. Think on Him. Think on His fateful journey, for you! Why did Christ do it? Did He go to His City to demonstrate His power, His miracles, and His awesomeness? No.
The Word of The Lord: so that “all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.” Your God keeps His Word. Old Testament promise made, New Testament Kept!
Why do followers of Jesus not read His Hebrew word to them—it has been translated into English? Why do followers of Jesus not love their neighbor as their self?
Not “some” things that are written by the prophets, say: Genesis 3.15, the best parts of Isaiah, but “ALL” things. The “12” were told to hold to The Word, the Old Testament, because in so doing, they would be holding to their Master.
He told the truth. He was to be delivered into the hands of Gentiles—unclean, unbelieving. He was to mocked, spit upon, scourged, and killed. The Greeks and other pagan religious types knew all about stories like that. They had many gods and demi-gods that suffered, some even suffering for people. But only by revelation of The Holy Ghost can man believe that He would rise again on the Third Day. Paul is accepted by the sophists on Mars Hill until He preaches that: The Resurrection of Jesus in the flesh! The Bodily Resurrection is The Faith! Period. The Word became Flesh. Jesus is the second Adam—not dead to decaying dirt any longer, but Living and Glorified in the body: Flesh and Blood. The same Flesh and Blood you will eat and drink.
Thus Bartimaeus. He’s blind. There’s no cooperating in trying to see again. He’s a poor, miserable beggar. There’s no deciding to improve and actualize his life. It’s all Grace. Jesus gives him sight, sight to see the only thing that matters. The face of God in the God/Man—Word and Sacrament—Forgiveness and true Peace. And think of it. Jesus did many healings…but they were not spiritual or psychological, or emotional, or symbolic. They were all in the flesh. Think of it. God taking His fleshly forefingers, or thumbs, and touching your very eyes—sockets, lids, eyeballs. Holy Communion indeed.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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