“THE RISEN ONE RAISED YOU NOW AND FOREVER”
Saint Matthew 9: 1-8
19th Sunday after Trinity: 23 October Anno Domini 2022
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
There is a ship—THE Ship—The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church—and Jesus is in it. That ship, that Church, is where Christ is for His people, in Word and Sacrament. If one, and I don’t care how important that person may be to you, if one is not in that Church (I mean in it—not just musing about it) then that person stands in danger of self-damnation.
Thank The Lord for “they.” For Saint Matthew, a trusty eye-witness, records: “And behold, THEY brought to Him a sick man of the palsy, lying on a bed.”
Why are there cripples, paraplegics and quadriplegics, and palsied people? Why are so many “lying on beds” of sickness and disease? Well, you won’t like the answer because it involves you looking into the mirror. If the wages of sin is death as writes The Holy Ghost by St. Paul, then so too the wages of sin is first illness, weakness, disease, body-breakdown, old age infirmities, and chronic sickness unto death. No, you don’t have COPD or lupus, or…palsy…because you did any one specific thing, SIN, in thought, word, or deed, but because rather you are a sinner. All your neighbors are sinners. Everyone is a sinner. All of that foul, black, rebellious stench is a poisonous and toxic gas that sooner or later “gets everyone.” Some sooner than others and many for much longer periods of suffering.
Blame Adam. Blame Eve. Blame the man in the looking glass. But don’t blame God.
Jesus entered His Church, His Ship, and passed over (left heaven yes, but Passed Over your sin as He once did on a dark and bloody night in Egypt because of the blood sign on each believers’ congregation door). He has come again this happy morn to His own city. Here, right here, it is called Augsburg!
“Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Wow! Just Wow! Good cheer…is close to Good News, in fact, yes, be “Gospelled” your sins have been absolved. That is the Gospel!
You know the Reformer’s words in the blessed Small Catechism: “where there is forgiveness of sins there is life and salvation.” And conversely, where there is forgiveness of sins there is no longer any death or sickness or depression or sorrow; and no damnation!
This short pericope from Saint Matthew gives you incredible joy and hope this morning, and every morning. The Spirit has gifted you the faith to believe, teach, and confess, this pure merciful evangel. You trust in Jesus and you trust all of His words and works. You trust His + washing of you into death and resurrected newness of life. You rely on His Supper wherein you actually eat and drink Light and Life; Way, Truth, Everlasting Peace and Joy.
A broken bone can be healed by an orthopedic surgeon. A painful neck can be mollified by a gifted chiropractor. A horrible blood disease can be put into remission by chemicals and pills. Okay, then what? Then the pagan dies and goes to hell.
The gospel, The Christ, your God, does not take you out of the world but rather overcomes the world. The Faith does not insulate you from disease and heartbreak but rather strengthens and preserves you—listen again at the Communion rail to the words of dismissal—you are being dismissed with God in you!
I know, you know, we all know, that miracles are fantastically wonderful. We all know that the healings and signs of Jesus in the New Testament do not occur now that way they did then. I’m sorry. I can’t heal a man with the palsy. But I can, in the stead and by the command of my Lord, heal unto eternity a little tiny baby of sin at the Holy Font—The Womb of The Church. Saint Ephrem, like all of his fellow saints gathered here, has died in Christ’s death for him, for you, the only death that matters. He now with his assembled brothers and sisters merely waits in faith; in works of service and devotion to God and neighbor, for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Jesus spoke to him and all of you at the time of your Holy Baptisms “arise, take up thy bed and go unto thine house.” Hallelujah. He says it now to you communicants “arise, and go unto thine house of My altar to eat and drink forgiveness and strength.” He will say it soon, very, very, soon when He pulls you up out of the grave “arise, come into my everlasting kingdom.”
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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