A LAMB GOES UNCOMPLAINING FORTH
March 12, 2006 - LENT 2 - Luke 13:31-35
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Dear Fellow-Redeemed and Saints of the Lord:
On this second Sunday in Lent we continue the journey to Jerusalem with Jesus. Jesus (along with the will of his heavenly Father) is determined that we will end up in Jerusalem on the cross being crucified for the sins of the world. When we look at Jesus and his earthly life, we mostly remember one thing--his humiliation. When Jesus lived here on earth he was not very often respected, but more often rejected. Jesus lived here, as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed, in a state of humiliation. It began at the time of conception when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and suffered under Pontius Pilate. Jesus gave up everything and he knew that. In spite of all this, when Jesus walked and talked and preached among them, mankind did not appreciate his presence with them. This is nothing new. Isaiah had predicted the same things hundreds of years ago. Isaiah wrote: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). We sang in our hymn, A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth. This is a good thought for us to hold on as we look at what God has to say to us this morning.
A LAMB GOES UNCOMPLAINING FORTH We learn again that:
I. Jesus is forsaken by mankind; but, thankfully,
II. Jesus does not forsake sinners
I. JESUS IS FORSAKEN BY MANKIND
In this portion of Jesus’ life he is in the region of Galilee. This is known as his Galilean ministry. From this region of Galilee Jesus will make the last few days’ journey into Jerusalem. In Galilee Jesus has lots of success. The people are happy to hear what Jesus has to say, and they are anxious to see some of his miracles. It is in this setting that our text begins: "At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ’Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.’" You know the Pharisees were really aren’t friends of Jesus. They were always trying to find some way to agitate the crowd so that they might be against Jesus. On the day before Jesus’ crucifixion, they stirred up the crowd so that they would say, "Crucify him." So what does it seem they are really doing by seemingly warning Jesus about Herod? Jesus is in Galilee, a place where he is liked and the people were coming to hear him. The Pharisees are saying that Jesus should leave Galilee and go somewhere else. They really wanted Jesus to go to Jerusalem, because in Jerusalem the Pharisees have more power and control. In Galilee the Pharisees couldn’t do anything against Jesus.
But Jesus knows their thoughts and intentions. Jesus replied to them in the next verse: "Go tell that fox;" … and Jesus lists what he is going to do next. Jesus tells the Pharisees, "Sure, you want me to leave because Herod is going to kill me. You go back to report to Herod." Jesus knew they came not necessarily on behalf of Herod but on their own behalf knowing that in the end they would hand him over to Herod. The Roman government would put Jesus to death. The Roman government forsook Jesus. The Pharisees who were the leaders of the church forsook him. Yet, Jesus was going to go to Jerusalem according to his will. It was going to be a timeline of Jesus and not a timeline of the Herod or the Pharisees or not even Judas. They would all play a part in Jesus’ timeline. Jesus explains in our text. "In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day. He mentions a definite starting time and lists today, tomorrow and the next day. Earlier Jesus said the third day--a definite stopping point. For Jesus knew what was going to happen, didn’t he? Jesus adds, "For surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!" Jesus did die outside of the city walls of Jerusalem, but still in the area of Jerusalem. Jesus was now not very close to Jerusalem. He was in the region of Galilee. Jesus had to journey to Jerusalem to be put to death.
Then we see the sadness of Jesus not just for mankind, but also for his people. Not only was Jesus forsaken by the Roman government and by the leaders of the church, but by his own people. Jesus says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you." How sad! The history of the Israelites, the ones who were called God’s chosen people, his children, over and over again they were delivered from their enemies. We study this fact this morning in our Bible study today in the book of Numbers. God delivers them from the Egyptians, and they complain about the manna in the wilderness and complain against Moses and Aaron, their leaders. Later on Isaiah the prophet was raised up by God to bring God’s people back. They did not like him or Jeremiah, or any of the prophets. They grumble and complain, and now guess what? Jesus the prophet, sent to God’s people by God himself, is also put to death because he is forsaken and forgotten by mankind. The Roman government, the church government and even the people in the church forsake Jesus. Many rejected Jesus because they wanted him to be a powerful earthly king who would destroy the Roman government and put Herod in his place and put Pontius Pilate in his place and lead God’s people into a great earthly victory. Yet, that was not the purpose of Jesus.
Jesus’ purpose is to come and save mankind from their sins. In spite of that fact, many still look to Jesus for the wrong reason. The Pharisees had evil in their heart and wickedness. They say to Jesus one thing and they mean another. This same attitude almost fits our society to a tee today. We hear many tell us one thing, and in their hearts they believe another. We know how easy it is ourselves to be pleasant to people to their face but not so pleasant behind their backs. This is a part of society. We also live in this society and can easily get caught up in people bashing. The Lord warns us. God says he knows what is in our hearts and he looks at what is in our heart. Even though we might fool men or those around us, we are not going to fool God. The Pharisees or Herod didn’t fool Jesus. The Lord warns us: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction" (Galatians 6:7,8a). Sadly, many in our day and age sow to please their sinful nature, and at times we even do that. We don’t always put God and his kingdom first in our lives. In the end for those who continue that way, there is only going to be destruction eternally.
All of this began a long time ago, didn’t it? We think of the creation of the world where Adam and Eve were in a perfect world; and yet, they sinned. In the next generation, Cain kills Abel and murder is in the world already. A few generations down the road, the world is so wicked and evil that a divine flood destroys man and nature. Only eight people out of millions in the world are believers. God’s church was very small. Why was that? What was in man’s heart? It was sin. God’s word reminds us today: "The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Genesis 6:5). The King James says: "The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth." The Lord says that inside of our heart, at the core of our very being, begins wickedness and evil thoughts and sin. The evil heart inside each of us from birth is our sinful nature that forsakes God and forgets him.
During our day-to-day living, in the middle of the day or afternoon, we mightily need to remind ourselves of God. We must think that we should seek God first and his kingdom. We know how it is. We go about our daily lives planning out what we want to do thinking that is what should be done. We don’t have in mind the things of God, but of men. Our Gospel lesson (Mark 8:31-38) pointed that out. When Jesus told his disciples what was going to happen, they didn’t want that to happen. We probably would be the same. We wouldn’t have wanted Jesus to go to Jerusalem and be put to death and be made fun of. Not our master and teacher. Yet, it was still God’s will that that would happen. We have Peter’s reactions to Jesus’ words. Here is the response of Jesus to Peter. "But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ’Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ’You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men’" (Mark 8:33). Sometimes we might hear that ringing in our ears from Jesus himself, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." We can also use that can’t we? We can say to Satan, "It is written. Get behind me. You do not have in mind the things of God."
All this wickedness and evil, which is produced from our hearts and is revealed in our lives is the reason that this Lamb goes uncomplaining forth. This is not just a lamb, but it is God’s Lamb. Jesus is our Lamb. Even though Jesus is rejected, forsaken and forgotten by mankind, Jesus does not forsake or forget sinners.
II. JESUS DOES NOT FORSAKE SINNERS
Remember the setting--Jesus is in Galilee having success in preaching and teaching the people. As Jesus is in Galilee, he is doing what he can for the people who have been left on their own. False teachers were leading them in wrong directions. The Pharisees come to say that Jesus needs to go away. Jesus replies, "I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal." Jesus uses those definite times--today and tomorrow. He will keep doing these things. On the third day when it is the correct time, he says, "I will go to Jerusalem." Until that time, what does Jesus do? Jesus continues to drive out demons and heal the sick. Jesus also explains God’s will for himself and for God’s people. Jesus explains to his disciples and to those who are willing to listen that he does have to go to Jerusalem. The leaders of the church will mock him and finally crucify him. Jesus also says that on the third day he would rise again from the dead.
Why is Jesus going to go through all of this? Jesus is not doing this for his sake, but for sinners. Jesus is doing all this for those who put him to death--Pontius Pilate; the scribes and Pharisees who would be the ones in charge of getting Jesus to the Roman government to have the sentence passed for crucifixion. Jesus is doing all this for the people who cry "Crucify him." We see Jesus’ concern, his sorrow over Jerusalem. Jesus says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." What a beautiful picture. Jesus uses lots of them as simple teachings for simple mankind. Jesus states that just as a hen gathers the chicks under her wings, he wanted to gather the children of Israel under his protection. Little chicks, off by themselves, are easily attacked by predators. When they gather together under the hen, they are protected from predators and the elements. They are safe. Jesus says he wanted to do the same for Jerusalem, for the people that are there, God’s chosen.
The saddest words of our text: "But you were not willing!" Remember the fact that Jesus came here casting out demons and healing the sick and doing miracles. Even though Jesus came telling them that the kingdom of God was near, they still rejected him, forsook him and forgot him. Was Jesus going to forget them? No! The Savior Jesus still wanted them to be saved.
But because of their rejection, there is a consequence. Jesus tells them: "Your house is left to you desolate." The original has "empty" or "destroyed." These words would ring true in the near future. In 70 AD Jerusalem is completely destroyed by their enemies. At this time it is about 33 AD. Less than a generation later Jesus’ words come true. There is also hope at the end of this text when Jesus says to believers -- those who the Holy Spirit has worked faith in their hearts: "I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ’Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’" There would be those who after Jesus rose again from the dead would recognize him and say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." We think of the disciples on the way to Emmaus. It took awhile, but they finally recognized Jesus.
There are going to be those on the Last Day who will say the same thing, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Their eyes will be opened. They will see that the one who was forsaken by mankind has not forsaken them. I pray today that we see that blessed truth every day in our lives. For those times when we feel forsaken or forgotten or neglected, may we remember that we our Savior is close to each one of us. Maybe the earth is going on and leaving us behind. So what? God does not leave us behind or forget about us. Our loving Lord does not forsake us and he certainly never, ever forgets us. Listen to this from the Psalm writer: "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:17,18).
There may be times when we feel crushed in spirit. Sometimes our physical sicknesses can make us feel crushed in spirit. We are so sick and wonder if we will ever get better. Our spirit begins to feel crushed. The Lord saves us and delivers us. Even more importantly the Lord is faithful to his promises. We think back to Adam and Eve again, and their life in a perfect world. After they sinned and ruined God’s perfect creation, the first thing God did was to promise them (and mankind) a Savior. Then Adam and Eve were cut off from the Garden of Eden. The Savior is promised, and the Savior was delivered about 5,000 years later. God kept that promise. Jesus says he will return again. Jesus will keep that promise, because our gracious God is faithful and does not forsake us. From Timothy we are reminded: "Here is a trustworthy saying: ’If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself’" (2 Timothy 2:11-13). He says to stand firm in the faith. Just because mankind might reject or some might become faithless, God is still faithful.
God is still faithful to his promise that he wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. God is so faithful to his promise that he sent his Son into the world so that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life. God is faithful to the promise that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and as John pointed out, this Lamb takes away the sin of the world. What a miraculous feat that was. Jesus had called his first disciples and they followed him. John the Baptist who had prepared the way for Jesus saw him walking near the shore of Lake Galilee. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ’Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’" (John 1:29). When these people heard "the Lamb of God" in those days, they thought of the lamb that was brought to the temple to take away sins. When they saw Jesus as the Lamb of God, what a revelation that was. What a miracle to see now the promise of God fulfilled in the flesh. God had not forsaken, forgotten or neglected them.
The Lamb goes uncomplaining forth. Our Lamb in our behalf goes uncomplaining forth. God’s Lamb goes uncomplaining forth: the perfect price for our life of wickedness, sin and rebellion. God reminds us: "God has said, ’Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’" (Hebrews 13:5b,6). He quotes this from the Old Testament where the children of Israel are ready to inherit the Promised Land. They were going to be outnumbered by physical enemies. Today we face spiritual enemies. Our Lord is with us. Our Lamb goes uncomplaining forth in our behalf. Mankind and sometimes ourselves may forget or neglect or forsake our Savior. It is our Savior, our uncomplaining Lamb, who does not forsake or forget us, but instead forgives us. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
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LENT 2 Readings: GENESIS 28:10-17; ROMANS 5:1-11; MARK 8:31-38
