READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:
1 Kings 19:1-8
Ephesians 3:1-12
Grace to you and peace. (1 Thess 1)
Jesus speaks to you on this evening from His book of 1 Kings heard, saying:
Last week we saw the Malakh YHWH take on an unexpected role.
We do not expect anger or destruction from God what with all His promised mercy
and peace. When He is pushed to this role by sin, death, and the devil we call
it God’s “alien” work.
It is alien, foreign, utterly outside God’s desires to
destroy and cause sadness, so we call it such. And we can call it alien,
because in Christ Jesus we see the true will of God revealed, that sinners turn
from their wicked ways and live, which we call His “proper” work. A holy,
sinless God is hostile in the face of sin. Sin wants God’s place and God is not
giving it up.
This evening, we are not back to God “playing nice”, for
tonight we are witnesses of, not alien work, but complete and utter role
reversal. With Gideon and Samson’s parents, the Malakh YHWH was accepting meals
as offerings. With King David, He was dishing out punishment. But with Elijah,
the Lord is now the One handing out the holy meals and covering iniquities.
This, the Lord’s “proper” work, is sacrificing Himself in
service to His creation. We approach this distinction between “alien” and
“proper” by believing this: 1) although the works of man always seem attractive
and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins, and 2) although the
works of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless
really eternal merits.
Concerning “the works of man always seem attractive and
good, but are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins”: human works appear
attractive outwardly, but within they are filthy, as Christ says in Matt. 23:27.
For they appear to the doer and others as good and beautiful, yet God does not
judge according to appearances but searches “the minds and hearts” (Ps. 7:9).
For without grace and faith it is impossible to have a pure heart. Acts 15:9: “He
cleansed their hearts by faith.”
If the works of righteous men are sins, this is much more
the case concerning the works of those who are not righteous. But the just
speak in behalf of their works in the following way: “Do not enter into
judgment with thy servant, Lord, for no man living is righteous before thee”
(Ps. 143:2).
Likewise in Gal. 3:10, “All who rely on the works of the
law are under the curse.” But the works of men are the works of the law,
therefore they are mortal sins. In the third place, Rom. 2:21 states, “You
who teach others not to steal, do you steal?” This means that men are
thieves according to their guilty consciences, even if they publicly judge or
reprimand other thieves.
Concerning, “the works of God are always unattractive and
appear evil, but are nevertheless really eternal merits”, this is clear from
what is said in Isa. 53:2, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at
him”, and in 1 Sam. 2:6, “The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings
down to Sheol and raises up.” This is understood to mean that the Lord
humbles and frightens us by means of the law and the sight of our sins so that
we seem in the eyes of men, as in our own, as nothing, foolish, and wicked, for
that is what we are.
We acknowledge and confess this: that there is “no form or
beauty” in us, but our life is hidden in God. In ourselves we find nothing but
sin, foolishness, death, and hell, according to 2 Cor. 6:9-10, “As
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as dying, and behold we live.”
That is exactly which Isa. 28:21 calls the “alien work”
of God “that he may do his work” (that is, He humbles us thoroughly,
making us despair, so that He may exalt us in his mercy, giving us hope), just
as Hab. 3:2 states, “In wrath remember mercy.” Thus we are displeased
with all our works; we see no beauty, but only our depravity. Indeed, we also
do those things which appear foolish and disgusting to others, in Christ.
This depravity, however, comes into being in us either when
God punishes us or when we accuse ourselves, as 1 Cor. 11:31 says, “If we
judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged by the Lord”. Deut. 32:36
also states, “The Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his
servants.” In this way, consequently, the unattractive works which God does
in us, that is, those which are humble and devout, are really eternal, for
humility and fear of God are our entire merit. (Heidelberg Disputation)
Jesus is the God Who serves. As the Malakh YHWH takes the
lowest seat tonight, He serves. St. Matthew 20:28 says, “just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many” and St. Luke 22:27, “But I am among you as the one who serves.”
According to the Law of God, according to our sin, we
struggle with God. Not because we don’t understand Him, His thoughts and ways,
but because we want to be our own god. We want to gain military victory, we
want to grant life to others, we want to be serving the Most High and despise
Jesus for doing those things.
According to the Gospel, Jesus does those things, not for
His own sake, fame, or glory, but for you. He gains victory, gives life in His
meal, and serves God perfectly all so that He can give you the credit for doing
those things, even though you have not.
Elijah marvels at this meal from the Malakh YHWH and the
strength it gives. The crowds in St. Matthew 9 also marvel at God’s giving.
Jesus has just finished forgiving the sins of a paralytic and proving He can do
so by healing him. Because Jesus is a man, the crowds marvel and glorify the
God Who Gives such authority to forgive sins to men (v.8).
Such forgiveness that gives a seat at the Lord’s Meal. Such
forgiveness which gives eternal life after seeing God face to face. Such
forgiveness that gives the full mystery of Christ into the hands of sinners.
As our second reading for the evening says, the mystery is
not that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, from v. 6. The mystery is the access to
Christ which we have, from v. 12. Access to the God-man Who is terrible towards
sin, death, and the devil, and yet offers Himself in complete submission to
sinners; suffering, dying, and rising again in order that they would eat what
He gives and live in that strength for 40 eternities.
Jesus speaks to you on this evening from His book of 1 Kings heard, saying:
“And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched
him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he
arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and
forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.”
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