1. Peter 2,21-25. Misericordias Domini

1. Peter 2,21-25            3020

Misericordias Domini 037 

Cletus, Bishop of Rome 89 

26. April 2020

1. O Jesus, the Gift of grace, let us use Your gifts properly, so that we may reap the sweetest fruits from them, our hearts be aglow with Your love and our knowledge ever increasing. Amen. (Starck 87 ¶ 2) 

2. »For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you may follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we may die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your lives.« 

3. Christ is risen! He has risen indeed. Hallelujah! Last week we heard how on the evening of Easter Sunday Jesus showed His hands and side to His disciples. Today we hear Jesus proclaim: »I am the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.« 

4. The Apostle Peter tells us in his 1. Epistle that Jesus committed no sin neither was found deceit in His mouth [Isaiah 53,9]. The apostle is quoting the Prophet Isaiah, who teaches that Messiah will have no sin. The apostle then writes a beautiful prose reflecting on Christ’s work for us:

A. Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree, 

B. so that we may die to sin and live it to righteousness, 

C. His wounds have healed us (Isaiah 53,5) and 

D. we were straying but have been returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. 

The apostle is connecting Isaiah 53 to Jesus. Hear what Isaiah says: »Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of everyone, and makes intercession for the transgressors.« (Isaiah 53,4-7.9.12). Isaiah 53 is one of the 4 Suffering Servant songs in the Prophet (42,1-4; 49,1-6; 50,4-7; 52,13-53,12). To be the Messianic Good Shepherd is to be the Suffering Servant. Jesus has the authority to lay down His life that He may take it up again. This command He had received from His Father (John 10,18). 

5. As our Good Shepherd, Jesus is also the Door (John 10,9). If anyone enters by Jesus, then they will be saved and will enter and leave and find good pasture (John 10,6). With Jesus as our Shepherd, we shall not want; He restores our soul, and leads us in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23,1.3). Even though we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for Jesus is with us; His rod and staff comfort us (Psalm 23,4). During a time of plague and pestilence, Jesus is by our side. He uses such tribulations for His good. At times such as we find ourselves in, Jesus uses it to draw people to repentance because He allows Himself to be entreated according to His mercy (Starck 380,2). We lean on Jesus even more to provide the necessities of life. We contemplate that there are spiritual matters more important to the temporal matters we attend to day after day. We see that Jesus is merciful and working through the many vocations to ease, treat and cure such pandemics.

6. We entreat Jesus to grant us His grace and life, for He is our only Mediator and Advocate. Have mercy, have mercy upon us, O God of mercy! Be gracious to us, and spare us, good Lord! Be gracious to us; help us, Jesus, our God! Have mercy upon the poor and afflicted who have been seized with this violent pestilence, who must suffer hunger and grief, who are destitute of all nursing care and forsaken by others. Lead them to the knowledge of Your grace. Aid them with Your comfort and send the Holy Spirit to witness to our spirit that we are Your Father’s children. Protect our country, and we shall say: Christ has done great things for us. Yes, you can deliver all who draw near to You (Starck 381-82,3). Draw sinners to repentance, comfort the repentant with Your absolution, restore to health those around the world who suffer and give faith to all who do not now confess You, O Christ Jesus.  

7. As the world’s Savior, Jesus will do it. He has born the redemption price for sin, died and risen again in victory. Though we stray, Jesus seeks us out and returns us to His fold. Let us follow Jesus’ example: seek to do His will and live upright lives; if need be, suffering so that our neighbor may be blessed; and trusting ourselves completely to His Providence. May the Holy Spirit work in us and through us these good fruits of faith by the power of the gospel.  Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd; we have heard Your voice in the gospel and believe in You to be our Savior, keep us always grounded in Your Word and hearing Your voice, so that we may be certain that our eternal salvation lies only in You, our crucified and risen Lord.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

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. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2019 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2020 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Starck, Johann. Starck’s Prayer Book. Copyright © 2009 Concordia Publishing House.