Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Matthew 8,5-13. Epiphany III

Matthew 8,5-13 1022

3. Sunday after Epiphany 17

Emerentiana, Virgin, Martyr in Rome 304

23. Januar 2022

1. ℣ Worship Him, all ye His angels: Zion heard and was glad. (Psalm 97,7b-8)

℟ The daughters of Zion rejoiced: because of Thy judgments, O Yahweh.

O Lord God, Thou art abundant in mercy; pour upon us Your truth and grace, so that, always continuing in Thy salvation which You give us solely by grace, we respond by joyfully singing Hallelujah. Amen. (Lobt Gott den Herrn, ihr Heiden all elkg 295,2 2021)

2. »When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached Him, appealing to Him: „Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.“ And He said to him: „I will go and heal him.“ But the centurion replied: „Lord, I am not worthy to have You stay under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one: ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another: ‘Arrive,’ and he arrives, and to my servant:‘Do this,’ and he does it.“ When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed Him: „Truly, I tell you, I have not found such faith with anyone in Israel. I tell you, many will arrive from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the reign of heaven, while the sons of the reign will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“ And Jesus said to the centurion: „Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.“ And the servant was healed at that very moment.«

3. Jesus turning water into wine is the first miracle set before us in Epiphany; the healing of a paralyzed servant is the second miracle in Epiphany. The first miracle was performed among the Jews, and the second miracle was performed among the Gentiles. Both miracles occurred in Galilee.

4. The Gospel of Matthew describes Galilee by quoting the Prophet Isaiah (9,2; 60,1-3): »Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great Light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a Light has dawned« (Matthew 4,15-16). The Divine Light of the Messiah has shown upon the Gentiles, that is, the nations, as Jesus heals the centurion’s servant. This Light unto the nations will continue to shine upon them throughout the Gospels, and various Gentiles will be drawn to Christ Jesus throughout His public ministry.

5. While this miracle is quite astounding, the real emphasis in this pericope is faith and authority. This centurion has spent his career in the military with its order and discipline. He is under authority with orders issued to him, and he also issues orders to his subordinates. He has faith that these orders will be carried out. He knows that Jesus is also one under authority and likewise issues orders to His disciples. Jesus likewise has faith that these orders will be carried out.

6. Jesus affirmed this in the Gospel according to John: »Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life« (John 5,19-24).

7. Our sinful nature struggles to trust Jesus. Sometimes we want to trust in ourselves. The old American idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps reinforces this in us. Or perhaps we don’t want to bother Jesus with all the minutiae in our lives. Can He really be concerned about all these problems and concerns in my life? Surely He has more pressing and important matters to attend to. Faithful men and women in the Bible struggled with trusting God from time to time. Jesus’ words in John 5 and Matthew 8 bring us comfort.

8. The simple words of the centurion speak of the depth of his trust and faith in Jesus: But only say the word and my servant will be healed. The centurion’s word had power to do things and Jesus’ word had even greater power to do even greater things. God’s word spoke creation into existence, and Jesus’ word spoke healing to the slave.

9. Isaiah prophesied 700 years before the events in Matthew 8 occurred: »For thus says Yahweh: „I am Yahweh, and there is no other. And there is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other“« (45,18.21-22). Isaiah proclaims 24 times that the nations, the Gentiles, will acknowledge the Glory of Yahweh, believe in Him and be saved. Isaiah proclaims: »It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations will flow to Mt. Zion« (2,2); »I am Yahweh; I called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a Covenant for the people, a Light for the nations“« (42,6); »I will make Israel as a light for the nations, so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth« (49,6).

10. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the great mystery of the faith is God in the flesh (1. Timothy 3,16). The Roman centurion perceived that Jesus was no mere man, but someone who had the blessing of God and the power of God’s word to do mighty, miraculous deeds. Jesus is the Light for the Gentiles. By the power of His spoken word He healed the centurion’s servant. By the power of His proclaimed gospel faith is created and sustained. By the power of His words of institution His body and blood are really present in, with and under the bread and the wine. Jesus’ word has the power to forgive sin and raise the dead. Jesus’ word has the authority to open the gates of heaven so that all who receive and believe in Him may enter in and enjoy eternal salvation.

11. Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone

And rests in Him unceasing;

And by its fruits true faith is known,

With love and hope increasing.

For faith alone can justify;

Works serve our neighbor and supply

The proof that faith is living. (Salvation unto Us Has Come lsb 555,9)

11. Es ist gerecht vor Gott allein,

der diesen Glauben fasset;

der Glaub gibt einen hellen Schein,

wenn er die Werk nicht lasset;

mit Gott der Glaub ist wohl daran,

dem Nächsten wird die Lieb Guts tun,

bist du aus Gott geboren. (Es ist das Heil uns kommen her elkg 525,6 2021 P. Speratus 1523)

11. Faith clings to God alone,

and is righteous in Him unceasing;

faith brightly shines and is known,

with good works ever increasing;

Faith in God does justify,

and love will for the neighbor supply,

For you are born of God.

This is most certainly true.

12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippines 4,7). Amen.

13. Let us pray. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, as the Magi were not afraid of any hardship or danger when they were following the star, may we also put all our trust in Your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, so that we may devote our talents to the advancement of Your kingdom of grace and faith. Amen. (Veit Dietrich, Summaria christlicher lehr, 1548; Stratman 32-33).

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Matthew 8,5-13. Epiphany III

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