✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
Acts 12,1-11 4912
16. Sonntag nach Trinitatis. 061
Linus, disciple of St. Paul, Bishop of Rome in 67. † 79.
Thecla, disciple of St. Paul, Virgin, Martyr, 1st c. mentioned in the Acts of Paul and Thecla
23. September 2012
1. O Dear Lord, we suffer, like the apostles, and are tormented night and day by the foes of Your precious Church. Jesus Himself told us: as they have treated Me, so will they treat you. Too many times we are ignorant of the Christians who are persecuted and martyred around the world, downplay it or excuse it because it is too grievous a thing for us to ponder and bear. With Paul, Jesus has shown us that we do not even need to fear suffering, death and the grave, for Christ is the lord of life who promises to bear us up in every tribulation and escort us to everlasting life. Strengthen our faith so that we do not doubt Christ and His words, but that we rely on His good promise to be our strength, our resurrection and our life. Amen.
2. About that time King Herod laid violent hands on some who belonged to the Church. He killed James bar-Zebedee, the brother of John, with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread (of Passover). And when he had seized Peter, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying: „Get up quickly.“ And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him: „Dress yourself and put on your sandals.“ And he did so. And he said to him: „Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.“ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said: „Now I am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.“
3. The King Herod in our sermon text is Herod Agrippa I (10 BC – AD 44; ruled from 37-44); he was the grandson of Herod the Great and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. His territory comprised most of traditional Israel, including Iudaea, Galilee, Batanaea and Perea. From Galilee his territory extended east to Trachonitis. Emperor Claudius named him king, the first to bear the title and the territory since his grandfather. Herod martyred the first apostle, James bar Zebedee, one of the three of Jesus’ closest apostles, by beheading him with a sword. Herod desired to next martyr Peter. In quick succession, Herod could have dealt a devastating blow to the apostolic band and the Church.
4. Luke the Evangelist reminds us of the cost of following Jesus: it is not always happy, peaceful times for Christians. Often we are persecuted, tormented or martyred for the Name of Jesus and His gospel. Herod, by the account of contemporary historians, was a fair and just king. What accounts for his acts of violence against the fledgling New Testament Church? Luke lays out the cause: many Jews and an increasing number of Gentiles are becoming Christians. Herod wants to preserve the Jewish faith with its Mosaic covenant. He takes the action that we have seen so many rulers take throughout history: persecute and kill your opposition so as to force them into irrelevance.
5. The Church is tempted to acquiesce and yield to her foes with the hope that by doing so she may be granted a reprieve and survive. The Church in the 21. century is pressed upon on many sides. We are asked to water down the gospel and our doctrine for the sake of not offending others who believe differently. We are implored to loosen our morals and virtues so we can be more relevant to the popular culture. We are told not to speak unfavorably about politicians and their policies, or else .... Nothing has changed since the time of King Herod.
6. Fear and uncertainty begin to grip the Church. If they can kill one apostle and arrest another, then they will have no qualms rounding up the average rank and file Christian. The Church, however, does not give into fear and despair. She prays, and Jesus responds: Peter is miraculously freed from jail! Jesus ensures that His Church will continue to thrive in spite of, and on account of, persecution. The 2. century Church Father Tertullian commented on this phenomena: the more you mow us down, the thicker we rise: the seed is the blood of Christians (Tertullian 50,13).
7. This world and its tyrants still rage, and Christians bear the brunt of their wrath. Coptic Christians suffer and are persecuted in Egypt. Palestinian Christians are harassed when they try to worship in their churches. Attempts are made to stifle the free speech of Christians in America. Two days ago, Sarhadi Lutheran Church was burned to the ground in Mardan, Pakistan.
8. Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul encourages us with these words: »God has not given us a spirit of fear, for He gives us a spirit of power, love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling on account of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel« (2. Timothy 1,7-10).
9. Jesus, you see, makes all the difference. Christians throughout the ages have endured persecution by the providence of Jesus. His death and resurrection makes all the difference. This world can do what it will to us, for the the end is already settled. We are justified. We are forgiven. We are saved. Christ has done all this for us. The world cannot change this. Suffering and martyrdom cannot remove it from us. Jesus has secured our everlasting life with Him in heaven, therefore we can endure everything the world and her tyrants throw at us in this earthly life. We will be vindicated on the last day by Jesus Himself.
10. This great gospel promise prompted Martin Luther to write:
Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us.
We tremble not, we fear no ill,
They shall not overpower us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none,
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him (656,3).
11. When her brother had died, Jesus promised Martha: »I Am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet he will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die« (John 11,25-26). Jesus is your Resurrection, and He is your Life. Jesus is the very Word of God made flesh. Though you suffer, though you are persecuted, though you may be martyred, yet you will live! Jesus has said it, and His word is certain and true. Amen.
12. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Your Name is Holy and Awesome, keep our faith always and only on You so that we cling to the redemption You give to Your people and look forward to the resurrection of our bodies and souls for You truly are the Resurrection and the Life, the very Mighty Fortress who shields us from our evil foes. Amen.
To God alone be the Glory
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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern.
Luther, Martin. „A Mighty Fortress is Our God“. Lutheran Service Book. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
Tertullian. Apologeticus pro Christianis.
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