The Lutheran Hour
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"A Fine Sacrifice"
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Text: John 1:35-36
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The Lamb of God has been sacrificed so sinful souls might be saved. Today, in power and strength, the risen Redeemer stands before you, welcomes you, and says, believe and be saved. Grant this Lord unto us all. Amen.
True story. Years ago there was a professional football player who had made quite a reputation for himself. Even so, his head didn’t swell, and he never forgot his alma mater and the help he had received in getting him to where he was. That’s why, when his old college coach came and asked him to help with some recruiting, he was more than glad to do what he could. Looking for some guidelines, the football player asked, “Can you tell me, Coach, exactly what kind of player are you looking for?” The coach thought for just a second and then he replied, “There are all kinds of football players. You’ve met most of them. For example, you’ve see the guy that when he’s hit hard, he stays down.” The professional player interrupted and said, “I’m pretty sure we don’t want that guy, do we, Coach?” “Nope, we don’t want that guy.”
“Then there’s the player that when you knock him down, he gets up but when you knock him down a second time, he stays down.” “We don’t want that guy either do we, Coach?” “Nope, we don’t want him, either.” The Coach continued. “Then there’s the fellow who, when you knock him down, he gets up; and you knock him down again, and he gets up; and every time he’s knocked down he keeps getting up.” “And that’s the kind of player we’re looking for to play on the team, isn’t it, Coach?” This time there was no hesitation in the Coach’s response, he said: “No, we don’t want that fellow either. I want you to find the player who’s knocking everyone down. The guy who knocks down all the others, that’s the guy we want.”
Now, if I did a poll of The Lutheran Hour listeners, and if I asked them, “Who is Jesus in that story,” and if they answered honestly, I’d get some interesting replies. For example, there are some folks who would say, “Jesus is the fellow who, when you knock Him down, He stays down.” Indeed, there are more than a fair number of folks who believe that Jesus ought to do exactly what they tell Him to do. If they say they want something, He had better give it to them. If they want money, He’d better cough up the cash. If they want a promotion, love, a new car – anything, everything – He’d better get them what they ask for and do it fast. They want a Jesus who knows how to take orders; who doesn’t rock their boat; who stays on the shelf until He’s called for, and then does what He’s told.
Of course, there are many other people who realize Jesus isn’t the kind of guy who can be pushed around so easily. These people know Jesus, along with His saving Gospel, have been on the scene for a few thousand years and it’s going to take a number of solid hits before the Savior is going to go down, stay down, and get taken out of the game. If you’re wondering who would believe such a thing, all you have to do is turn on your television. An evening spent in front of the tube will bring into your home armies of authors and legions of actors who are dedicated to undermining the Savior and His story of salvation. If there’s a pastor or priest in the story, you can be pretty sure he’s going to be a pervert, or prejudiced, or prurient, or all three.
The truth that there are tens of thousands of Christian clergy using God’s pulpits to make a powerful witness to the grace of God which comes to us through the crucified and risen Lord, is a fact that is conveniently forgotten. Hollywood, the home of infidelity, drug abuse, and scandal, remains dedicated to hitting Jesus again and again and again. They will continue to hit Jesus because they quite wrongly believe that if you hit the Lord hard enough and often enough, He’s going to go down and stay down.
Of course, Hollywood is not alone in having these feelings. Pick up the course offerings of almost any large, state-run college and you will find classes being offered which try to reduce the Savior to an ancient myth, an inconsequential legend, a leftover from ages darkened by ignorance and superstition. Monitor some of those classes and you will see professors who are entrusted with answering the questions of young minds, who are doing all they can to put questions into the souls of their students. With sneers and cynicism Jesus is denounced; with snickers and skepticism those who acknowledge the Christ as their Savior are dismissed. In far too many such institutions of lower learning, readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmatic have been replaced by doubtin’, discouragin’, and deridin’.
And I have not begun to touch upon the comic who has the common sense to stay away from using the “N” word, but who has no problem using Christ’s name in his act. I have not spoken about authors who refrain from writing about the founder of Islam, but have no reservations about trying to shove the risen Christ back into His tomb. I have not spoken of the courts who, in the name of the 1st Amendment, provide shelter for all manner of vulgarity, profanity, and immorality, but who refuse the same protection to Christianity. Yes, there are a lot of people who are dedicated to hitting Jesus hard enough and often enough that He will go down and He will stay down.
In contrast to the many who think Jesus is an easy pushover who ought to be taken out of the game, I’d like you to hear John the Baptist. The camel-clad forerunner of the Christ saw Jesus as the indispensable individual you want to have on your team. John looked upon Jesus as the one person who can control the game and knock out the competition. John, describing the unique Savior said: “Behold the Lamb of God.” Now, I know you wouldn’t be surprised if John had said: “Behold the Lion of God,” the “Grizzly Bear of God” or the “Tiger of God.” But John didn’t say that; nor did he say Jesus was the “Eagle of God” or the “Great White Shark of God.” We wouldn’t be surprised if he had used those names – those names sound tough – those are the kind of animal names of which a sports team can be proud. But I don’t know of a single team which is called the “mighty lambs.”
It would be pretty hard to take such a team seriously. You can understand why. Most of us live in locations which don’t have many sheep or shepherds. When we think of lambs, if we think of them at all, we recall the kind of pet that Mary had; you know, the lamb with fleece as white as snow. When we think of lambs, we conjure up images of cute, cuddly, carefree white beasties, their tails wagging a million miles a minute, frolicking and cavorting through gloriously green springtime fields. Lambs appeal to us; they’re not threatening, they don’t cause problems, they live in the moment, seemingly without a care in the world.
Which, quite frankly, is the way many people see Jesus. When I lead Bible classes, I often ask people to give me one word which describes how they visualize Jesus. No matter the size, age, or mix of the group, the words which come back are pretty much standard. People almost always say Jesus was kind, loving, gentle, caring, compassionate, and forgiving. You will agree those are very lamb-like qualities, qualities which Jesus most certainly had.
But John probably didn’t see Jesus as being helpless the day he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Being a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, John would have recalled how, 1500 years before, God had recruited Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian slavery. Not wishing to lose his country’s valuable property, Pharaoh resisted, and God sent 10 plagues upon the Egyptians. Pharaoh remained adamant until the coming of the 10th plague, when God dispatched the Angel of Death to destroy all the first born in the land of Egypt. The only people who were spared, who were “passed over,” were those who sacrificed an unblemished lamb and spread its blood around the doorways of their homes. Confronted by a country in which every home had a dead lamb, or a dead child, Pharaoh gave in and freed the Children of Israel. The lamb, and the freedom from slavery its death had won, was annually celebrated by the Jewish people in their ritual Passover remembrance.
That, at least in part, was what John had in mind when he identified Jesus. In the carpenter’s son from Nazareth, John didn’t see a pleasant pet, he saw the Savior’s passion; John wasn’t thinking of a lamb with wool white as snow, he was seeing the Savior whose blood would be shed in sacrifice to save humanity. John wasn’t commenting on a lamb without care or concern; he was envisioning the crucifixion of the Christ. Most of all, John was thinking of the Son of God who would suffer and be sacrificed, once, and for all, so you and I might be forgiven of the curse and damnation of the Divine laws we have broken; so we might be granted freedom from the shackles of sin and the slavery of Satan. John saw how, in Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, all who believe in the Christ as their Savior would be blessed and have the angel of eternal death pass over them.
Oh, and one other thing John saw; John saw Jesus as the fellow who was so powerful that when He hit His opponents, opponents like sin, Satan, and death, they went down and they stayed down. A powerful, all-atoning sacrifice, that’s what Jesus would be according to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. Hundreds of years before Jesus had ever been born, the seer promised: Jesus will be oppressed, and He will be afflicted, yet He will not open His mouth. He will be like a lamb who is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent before his shearers, so Jesus will not open His mouth. The prophet continued: He will be despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, a man acquainted with grief. He will be wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and chastised so we might have peace. Ultimately, and finally, because of the stripes Jesus suffered for us, all who believe on Him will be healed. And so it was. Jesus, God’s Lamb, fulfilled all those prophetic words. So successful was He in doing so that another John, the apostle John, could declare, “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Jesus, through His perfect life; by His innocent suffering and death; through His glorious resurrection from the dead; has won a great and eternal victory for us. That’s what John saw when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” John was bearing absolute witness to gentle Jesus, meek and mild, but he was also pointing to the conquering Christ, strong and mighty.
Is that the complete picture you have of Jesus? Many don’t. Far too many don’t. Too many men have bought into the idea that Jesus has nothing to offer a “real” man. Too many have come to the conclusion that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the complete and total opposite of what a real “man” ought to be. Too many have forgotten the fact that, physically the Savior had been apprenticed in His stepfather’s carpenter’s shop where skill and muscle took the place of power tools. Weak and wimpy? Look at the stories of His life: Jesus had the wind, the voice power, to speak for hours to thousands who had come to hear Him; He had the backbone to wield a whip and clear the temple of the men who had made His Father’s house into a den of thieves; He had the courage to step between His disciples and the guards who had come to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Similarly, many of our young listeners have been convinced that Jesus was uninspiring, unexciting, dull, dreary, disappointing, and depressing. They have bought into the common conception which says the Savior had no fire or fervor, no power or passion. To them Jesus’ ministry seems mind-numbing and monotonous because they believed He walked in slow motion, and talked in slow motion, and gestured in slow motion, and ministered in slow motion, and in everything He did was from top to bottom and tip to toe – boring. Listen, during His earthly ministry, Jesus was accused of many things. Some said He was a devil; others called Him a sinner and a wine-drinker. Some said He partied too much. Those who brought Him to trial accused Him of being a blasphemer, an insurrectionist, an enemy of the government; but no one, not friend, not enemy, ever accused Jesus of being boring. In truth, Jesus was crucified because He was considered too dangerous to let live.
Don’t be confused by the world’s out-of-focus descriptions of the Savior. God’s Son, our Lord, was never a mere meek, mild lamb who suffered and died because He was feeble and frail. It was courage, not cowardice which saw Him stand in silence before His lying accusers, making no defense of His innocence. It was faithfulness, not fear, which kept Him from fighting back when He was struck, spit upon, and crowned with thorns. Look at Him: His back was slashed and split by a Roman whip, but He did not wither the hand of the wielder; He did not speak the word which would have immediately silenced the crowd who called for His crucifixion; He did not strike down the man who hammered those great, square-headed Roman nails into His hands and feet.
Like a lamb Jesus was sacrificed, but unlike a lamb who doesn’t know what is coming, Jesus knew exactly how His life would end. Unlike the lamb who has no power to escape his fate, Jesus had complete and total command of the situation. Motivated by a consuming commitment to redeem you, He carried every one of your sins; with strength He endured all that the Law and His Father asked of Him. And if you think being motivated by love and grace are feeble and frail qualities, you should think again. It wasn’t the nails, but His dedication to saving our sinful souls from the damnation of hell that kept Him upon His cross. Do you doubt it, then listen to what Jesus said about His death: “I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18). That’s power unlike anything we have ever known, that we have ever seen.
In power Jesus died for you; in power Jesus rose for you. In power He sends His Holy Spirit out into the world to pull sinners from the brink of hell and through Word and Sacrament forgives them of their sins and carries them through the gates of heaven. In power God sends His people out to share the story of salvation. But there’s more. That same power which knocked down sin, Satan, and death is also the power God gives to His people as He encourages them to do what they can to make this world a better place. And If I hear you laughing at that idea, if I hear you challenging: “What have Christians ever done to make this world better?” I can only say, look at history. Some of the greatest scientists in the history of the world, people like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Pascal, Harvey, Faraday, Kelvin, Pasteur, and Mendel tried to reflect the love of the Savior in their work. Look at the universities, many of which were founded by Christians to explore the orderly universe they believe an orderly God had created. What have Christians done? In England and her Commonwealth Countries, in America, it was Christian pulpits which thundered against the evils of slavery. Look to the U.S. Declaration of Independence where it says “all men are created equal.” This document says this truth is “self-evident,” but equality is not so self-evident in lands where Christ has not shaped morals or values.
Today I present to you Jesus, the Lamb of God, who is the one and only Individual this world has ever seen or produced who can hit opponents like sin, death, and Satan so hard they go down and they stay down. If He can do that, He can take out any evil enemies which beset you. God’s Lamb is that good; He is that powerful. If you doubt me, let me share this: In 1961, the powerful and anti-Christian Communist world constructed a wall to divide Germany. The wall became a symbol of separation and denial of the Savior. On November 9, 1989, that wall was torn down and, for the first time in many years, the Savior’s story was shared in freedom. In thanksgiving, some of the people of Eastern Germany wrote on the wall: “The Lamb wins!” In 1989, the Lamb of God won in Germany; today I pray the all-powerful Lamb of God may knock down any walls which remain in your heart. May He knock them down and may they stay down. To that end, if we can help you, please call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 20, 2008
TOPIC: How Do I Know?ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Here’s a question that came in to our Response Center recently: “How do we know all the rules and regulations that we hear about in church actually come from God and are not just based on human opinions? And, if what we are hearing is supposed to be from God Himself, how come one church differs from another?”
KLAUS: First, you shouldn’t just be hearing rules and regulations in church. I’ll tell you plainly: if rules and regulations are the only things you’re hearing, your church is missing the boat! And if all you ever hear is advice about how you can and should become a better spouse, or a better parent, or a better citizen – you name it – if that’s all you ever hear, your church is missing the main point of Christianity. Jesus once said to a group of very religious people, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. But these are the Scriptures that testify about Me” (John 5:39).
ANNOUNCER: In other words, the main purpose of the Bible is to first show us how much we need Jesus, and then to bring Him to us.
KLAUS: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came into this world to take our place. He came to fulfill God’s “rules and regulations” that we had broken. He died on the cross to pay the penalty God demands for sin. Because of His resurrection, we know that His work has been completed and accepted by God the Father. That means we are no longer under the curse of the law. We live in the resurrection life of the Gospel. The things Christians do to glorify God, they do in thanks to their Savior who lived, suffered, died, and rose to forgive them. They don’t do what they do because they have to – or because it will eventually make them acceptable to God on the basis of their merits.
ANNOUNCER: But how can our listener know that what she’s hearing in church is actually coming from God?
KLAUS: That’s the easy part of the question. There is a children’s song that goes, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
ANNOUNCER: So, she can tell from the Bible?
KLAUS: She should be checking out what she’s hearing from her pastor with what the Word of God says. Only the Bible can lay claim to being inspired and without errors.
ANNOUNCER: No minister can do that?
KLAUS: No. I once heard about a little girl who was watching her father, a pastor, writing and rewriting his sermon. She said, “Dad, does God tell you what to put in a sermon?” He said, “Absolutely.” She thought about that for a moment, and then asked, “But, if God told you what to write, how come you keep scratching things out?”
ANNOUNCER: Does that happen a lot?
KLAUS: Well, sermons often need to be rewritten and rewritten. The danger comes when pastors and churches start scratching out parts of God’s Word, saying, “this doesn’t count,” or, “this doesn’t apply to us,” or, “this never happened.”
ANNOUNCER: And I suppose there’s another danger, too… the one our listener is talking about.
KLAUS: Indeed, when pastors and churches start putting their stuff into the Bible. Listen to what Paul wrote to the church in Galatia: “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be eternally condemned” (Galatians 1:7-8).
ANNOUNCER: And the apostle John writes at the end of the book of Revelation: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
KLAUS: That’s right.
ANNOUNCER: So, finally, we need to answer the second question today, “If the churches are all supposed to be preaching the Word of God, why are all the churches saying something different?” If it’s really God’s Word, shouldn’t everybody agree?
KLAUS: They should.
ANNOUNCER: But how come they don’t?
KLAUS: There are a number of reasons for that. Sadly, not every church or pastor believes the Bible is God’s revealed and unchangeable Word. Second, because every church and every pastor, every translator, brings his own filter to his reading and interpreting of God’s Word.
ANNOUNCER: But is there a way for us to know who’s telling it straight?
KLAUS: You know, Mark, the most valuable diamond is one that is crystal clear, and reflects the light without flaws. The best preacher is one who is crystal clear, that lets God’s Word shine through him, almost as if he weren’t even there. So, listener, find a church body that requires and helps its congregations and preachers to develop a proper respect and understanding for God’s Holy Word.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC“Agnus Dei” by P. Kalinnikov, arranged by Henry Gerike. From Safe in God’s Faithfulness by Laudamus of Concordia Seminary Chorus (© 2007 Concordia Seminary Chorus)
“Allegro from Concerto in b minor” by J.G. Walther. From Richard Heschke at the Hradetzky in Red Bank by Richard Heschke (© 1993 Arkay Records)
“The Savior Calls, Let Every Ear” arranged by Chris Loemker. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC