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Posted At: 1:14am by Brent Kuhlman
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The Third Sunday after the Epiphany Trinity Lutheran Church
22 January 2006 Murdock, NE
+ Jesu Juva +
Mark 1:14-20
We’ve been anxiously waiting to see what Jesus will do when He gets His ministry really cranked up. Not much has happened during the first thirty years of His life. Now at the robust age of thirty he’s been ordained in the Jordan River. Time to get to work. He’s just come off a forty-day fast and endured three saucy temptations from Satan. Satan fled. John the Baptist’s in prison. And now Jesus comes to Galilee. “Time to crank up some ministry Jesus!” Can you just imagine what He’ll be up to?
Whatever it is, it’s got to be huge, right? You know, Gandalf Lord of the Rings stuff. A Luke Skywalker – Sith lord type showdown. Time for Jesus to do some monumental world changing ministry. To do some big time life changing work. Isn’t that right? Sure. And the first thing He should do is to pull a Bruce Willis “Die Hard” and blast John out of prison. Man! This is going to be good. Let’s watch the bad guys take a hit and see what happens next.
But there’s no Bruce Willis-ing for Jesus. He lets John rot away in prison. Pays him no attention. Then He does the most anti Bruce Willis-ing. He steps up into the pulpit to do the Pastor thing.
“Oh no! Not a sermon! We want a guns-a-blazin’ jail break, a bloody overthrow of the Romans, and then an Alexander the Great-like world takeover! But please, we’re begging you Jesus, not a sermon! We’ve heard enough of them to last us a lifetime! Anything but one of those!”
Now, before you start to head for the door and request to have your name removed from the roster, maybe you should listen to this sermon. After all, it’s the Lord Himself who’s the preacher. And besides, it’s His inaugural sermon. Surely you’re willing to hear what the Lord says? Especially if it’s His first crack at it? It might be quite revealing. Epiphany-like revealing. Right? “I guess Reverend.”
OK. Here goes. The first sermon Jesus ever preached and still preaches to this day is: “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”
“Not bad Jesus. Short and to the point. We like that. But my life hasn’t changed a bit. Still have the same old problems, same old rotten people to deal with, same old sins and same old death knocking on the door. West Virginia coal miners are still perishing! Children are still being preyed upon by predators! Where’s the monumental world-changing ministry Jesus? Where’s the ministry that brings victorious living my life? You sure haven’t done anything for John. We’ve heard rumors that he’s in deep trouble! You need to do something Jesus! ASAP! John might lose his head or something! Will you abandon us too? What good are you?”
“Didn’t you just hear what I preached?” Jesus asks. “The time is fulfilled!”
“Pardon us for asking Jesus. But what time are you talking about?”
“Why, nothing less than all of history! In fact, the high point of all history! The most important days of the world’s existence have arrived in Me. In My doing a Bethlehem. My doing a Baptism in the Jordan. My doing a Good Friday and an Easter Sunday.”
“You want monumental events?" Jesus asks. "Nothing more monumental and life changing than ME and what I do! You want victory? You want change? It’s staring you in the face! Don’t look any farther than me! Listen to me! I am the kingdom of God in person! I’m right here doing a kingdom of God. And it all peaks when I’m reining dead on the Cross.”
“My death changes everything! The world is different because of Good Friday. The world and all it’s rot and gunk are redeemed. I’ve answered for all sin. Death has been put to death. I am the Head of a new humanity. You are baptized into My death. You are a new creation. Raised to new life. I haven’t abandoned John. I haven’t abandoned you. John, you, coal miners, little children and the world are all safe. You’re all safe with me in my death on the Cross.”
“All that you see and experience must now be viewed from what happened to Me on that very Good Friday. This is the lens by which all things are to be viewed, including your life and death.”
Preacher Jesus goes on: “I’ve got Good News for you. To turn you around. To get you to think differently about yourselves and your relationship with my Father.”
“There’s no need for you to hang on to your sins or the sins of others who’ve sinned against you. No need to try and answer for them yourselves. I have. And I forgive you. I forgive those who’ve sinned against you. No need to try and find an antidote to escape death. I Am the Resurrection and the Life. You live forever in Me.”
“Maybe you’d like some references? Go have a chat with the Ninevites and their king. They’ll tell you. They heard a kingdom of God sermon too. None other than from preacher Jonah who was as good as dead in the belly of the whale for three days and nights and then vomited out of that watery grave alive. Sound familiar? And that kingdom of God gospel sermon from a dead and risen preacher changed their lives. From unbelief to faith. From death and damnation to life and heaven. After all, God is a God who raises the dead. Who justifies the ungodly.”
Wow. Jesus preached quite a bit longer today didn't He? Quite revealing though. It really is momentous. Seeing everything now through the lens of His Very Good Friday. His death has changed everything for you. You’ve been fished through the apostolic preaching of the Gospel. Washed and reborn in Holy Baptism. Little fishes swimming with Big Fish Jesus who says: “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”
Happy repenting and believing only in Jesus. In the Name of Jesus.
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