Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: John 17,1-8. Palmarum

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

John 17,1-8. Palmarum

John 17,1-8 2122

Palmarum 30

Daniel, Prophet 606-536 bc

10. April 2022

1. ℣ The chastisement of our peace was upon Him:

℟ And with His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53,5).

O Almighty Father, Eternal God, who didst allow Thy Son to suffer the agony of the cross so that Thou lightest drive from us the enemy’s power: Grant that we may so observe His Passion and give thanks for it that we may thereby obtain forgiveness of sin and redemption from death eternal. Amen. (Luther 133).

2. »When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: „Father, the hour has arrived; glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed. I have manifested Your Name to the people whom You gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You.“«

3. Jesus prayed on Maundy Thursday that »The hour has come to give eternal life.« This hour is where the 40 days of Lent lead us: to the cross. By His crucifixion, Christ gives eternal life.

4. But this hour is fraught with betrayal, shame and suffering. It is a dark hour where the shadows of evil have everything going their way. Palmarum begins with hope and optimism, but the week ends with despair and pessimism. Holy Week shows us the deadly seriousness of sin and its consequences; these cannot be overlooked or avoided, for sin must be dealt with, and that has a bloody, painful cost.

5. Jesus is willing to pay this cost with His own life. Nothing will detour Him from paying it. But in the process one apostle will betray Jesus and end his life, another apostle will deny Him and broke down in tears and all of the remaining apostles fled from Jesus in fear for their lives. We often fall prey to such shortcomings. We are lazy in prayer, shy away from reading the Scriptures and allow temptations to gain the victory over us on a daily basis. Our spirit is often willing, but our flesh is more often weak.

6. Jesus is determined in spirit and flesh to meet this hour and merit the salvation of the world. Yea, though He walked through the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus feared no evil (Psalm 23,4). He conquered sin, death and the Devil; by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53,5). During His public ministry, Jesus glorified His Father on earth, and by His crucifixion His Father glorified Jesus. The cross is where God saved the world. Everything in the Scriptures lead up to it and prepared for it; everything since then the Church has pointed back to the cross. Paul says: »We have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. And the life we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us« (Galatians 2,20). Paul says we boast in the cross of Christ (Galatians 6,14).

7. On Palmarum, Jesus entered Jerusalem to the glorious cheers of »Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of Yahweh, even the King of Israel!« (John 12,13). Then on Karfreitag, Jesus left Jesus to the goading jeer of: »Away with him, away with him, crucify him! We have no king but Caesar.« (John 19,15). Jesus was glorified both on Palmarum and Karfreitag.

8. His glory on Palmarum is easy to see, but His glory on Karfreitag is paradoxical. Of His impending crucifixion, Jesus said on the one hand: »I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is My distress until it is accomplished!« (Luke 12,50), and said on the other hand: »The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it does, then it bears much fruit; for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your Name. When I am lifted up from the earth, then I will draw all people to Myself« (John 12,23-24.27-28.32).

9. Lent has been preparing us for the hour when Jesus was glorified. Lent has led us to Palmarum, and Palmarum leads us to Karfreitag and the cross; and on the cross Jesus paid the price for us to enjoy eternal life. The hour of Christ’s glory draws nigh!

10. In the cross of Christ I glory,

Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time.

All the light of sacred story

Gathers round its head sublime. (In the Cross of Christ I Glory lsb 427,1 John Bowring 1792-1872).

This is most certainly true.

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

11. Let us pray. O Lord God, Father of all mercy, graciously look on Your poor flock for whom Your dear Son Jesus Christ did not refuse to be betrayed into the hands of sinners, and endured the shameful death of the cross. Give us Your grace so that we may follow the example of Your dear Son and bear all suffering with patience, so that You, with Your beloved Son and the Holy Spirit may be glorified always. Amen. (Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda 288.3; Stratman 35-36).

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

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

John 17,1-8. Palmarum

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