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INJ
St Matthew 9:18-26
'The Last Victory'
Divine Service
The 24th Sunday after Trinity Sunday | November 18, 2007
Dear Saints,
You've all know people who were always together, two good friends, a husband and a wife, or two sisters, whatever. If one walks in the door, you know the other is coming. Well, in the Scriptures there are three things that are always found together; they are inseparable; where ever one is there the other two are as well. And these three are sin, death and the devil, the three great enemies of Jesus and His kingdom.
Wherever one is there are the other two, this triad of evil, this team of wickedness. Remember the Garden, the first one, in slithers the devil, then there is sin, the eating the fruit, and then the wages of their sin: death. “If you eat of it you shall surely die.” Sin, death and the devil, if one walks through the door, you know the other two are close in their shadows, and really these three mark our condition as human beings; we are born dying sinners who are under the thumb of the devil.
Well, lets see this in the Scriptures, to show you that the Bible puts these three enemies of ours side-by-side. First, sin and death: Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” Next, death and the devil: Hebrews 2:14, a verse that describes the devil as “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Last, the devil and sin: 1 John 3:8, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.”
And we must also note that there is no overcoming these enemies with our own authority, by our own resources, with our own efforts. The best that Adam and Eve could do in the Garden is fend off the attach, somehow resist the devil and avoid sin and death, and they failed. We, on the other hand, are utterly hopeless in our fight against each and all of these three great tyrants. Who has ever defeated sin, lived a perfect and holy life? Who has ever destroyed and disarmed the devil? Who has ever overcome death? “Two things are certain,” the saying goes, “Death and taxes.” Maybe there are three certain things: death, and sin, and the devil.
So we have this established this theological insight into reality, that sin, death and the devil are constant companions. Both we they come and fight against us, and also when Jesus comes to fight against them. And this, dear saints, is what Jesus comes to do, to fight sin and death and the devil.
We see it in all of His miracles. He is either casting out demons, (that's overcoming the devil), or forgiving sins (that's fighting against sin), or healing the sick and even raising the dead (that's fighting against death).
We see it in the Gospel text from Matthew 9, Jesus raising Jarius' daughter. Jarius was a ruler and supporter of the synagogue, and he comes to Jesus, “My daughter has just died.” Now think of it, this man's daughter has just died, and instead of staying there by her side, instead of joining in the crowd of mourners, instead of comforting the rest of the family, this man runs out the door looking for Jesus, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” [Matthew 9:18]
He knows that this Jesus has authority over death, and Jesus exercises this authority. He cuts through the weeping crowds and takes the girl's hand and, the text says, “the girl arose.” [Matthew 9:25] Death gives way to Jesus.
It is good for us to pause here and think about this, to consider what it means that Jesus can take the hand of a corpse and lift a person out of death. We've got these three enemies: sin, death and the devil, and Jesus is here picking them off, overcoming them, destroying them. This miracle before us is just one little victory in the war Jesus is fighting against hell.
When Jesus walks into the room it is full of weeping and wailing, full of flute playing and mourning. Why? Because this little girl had died. Death had won the day, another victory of the enemy. Death always wins. That's why we bury people, it's over. There's no waking up, death wins. But not with Jesus. Life is in the wake wherever He goes. And look, wherever Jesus overcomes death, He is also overcoming sin and the devil.
This is a good thing, for while our three enemies are bundled in their assault against us, they are also bundled together in their defeat. When one goes down, they all go down.
This all, of course, comes to a head in the Lord's passion, His bitter suffering and death. It is on the cross that Jesus is dying for our sins. He is tasting God's wrath for our transgressions, suffering our suffering that He might win for us the forgiveness of all of our sins. And He does it, Jesus wins forgiveness. “It is finished,” He cries. Sin is defeated, overcome, died for, and we know what comes next.
Remember that sin, death and the devil are bound together, and here on the cross they are bound together in a bundle of destruction. If Jesus forgives sins then we know He will rise again, destroying death, and we know that the devil will be toppled from his thrown and cast down, for where the forgiveness of sins is, there also is life and salvation. Life in the place of death, and salvation and freedom in place of the devil.
And Jesus does this for us. We too are surrounded by death. But Jesus comes to take hold of us, to forgive our sins, to set us free from the devil, and to raise us from the fear of death, knowing that when He returns He will raise us as well from the grave and grant us eternal life before His face in the new heaven and the new earth.
But, dear saints, we do not yet see His face. We walk now by faith, not by sight. We have the victory over our sins, the forgiveness of our sins by faith. We still see our sin, but by faith in the death of Jesus the Lord does not count them against us.
We still see the devil all around us, causing trouble, tempting us to unbelief, and to despair, and to other great shame and vice. But we stand against Him protected by the shield of faith which quenches all of his fiery darts.
And it's true, we still see death. I have no doubt that in the years to come, if the Lord tarries, we will see death. Either we will see our own death or the death of our loved ones and friends and our fellow saints. But by faith we know more about death than what our eyes preach to us. We know that death is simply a falling asleep, a going to be at the face of Jesus, a deliverance from evil, and rescue and a release and the culmination of all the good things Jesus has won for us and promised to us. Yes, we know, just as sure as we know that our sins are forgiven, we know that our death is a blessed event, that it is gain for us, that it is a passing from death into life.
It is this comfort that our Lord Jesus intends for us with this text, the raising of Jarius' daughter. It is this comfort that He intends when He walks out of the grace on the third day, resurrected and manifest in life eternal. And it is this comfort that our Lord intends for you now, at this His meal. Here He has His broken body and shed blood for you and for the forgiveness of all of your sins, and where there is the forgiveness of sins, there also is life and salvation. Amen.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
Hope Lutheran Church | Aurora, CO