Author: Brent Keller

Dear saints, this morning we remember and thank God for His servant John the Baptizer. He was the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ. He boldly proclaimed God’s Holy Law and called on everyone who heard him to repent of their sins. This preaching of repentance was directed towards everyone: the common people, the Pharisees, Roman soldiers, and even the ruling authorities like Herod. The boldness of John, like the other Old Testament prophets before him, landed him in hot water. In fact, it landed him in prison. A couple of weeks ago, we heard that the saints are to be remembered so that we may strengthen our faith when we see how they experienced grace and how they were helped by faith (AC XXI). Let us, then, consider the final Old Testament prophet this morning: John the Baptist.

Our Gospel lesson begins after John’s death. Herod began hearing what Jesus was doing and reasoned that John had been raised from the dead. He felt guilt about John’s death, but why? St. Mark tells us: Herod had seized John and put him into prison. He then threw a party for himself. It was a party that no respectable person, male or female, would dare attend. At the party, a young woman performed a crude dance for the guests. The performance wowed and pleased the guests and Herod. Herod then does something extremely unwise: he makes a vow to her saying, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

The young woman goes to her mother for advice. Should she ask for money? Land? The pick of men for a husband? Her mother responds, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.” Wow. That is evil. But this daughter is not innocent. She ratchets up the request. She immediately went back to Herod and not only asked for John’s head but that it be delivered on a platter.

Herod is gutted. And I am sure he is fearful at the request. But he is also a coward. Instead of breaking his foolish vow and calling out the girl for her evil request, he decides it is better to keep the vow and deliver the head. And so, John lost his head. It was put on a platter and delivered to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

As we remember and thank God for John this morning, we consider this morning’s collect. There we asked that the Lord would grant us daily repentance for our sin, that we would patiently suffer for the sake of the truth, and that we would fearlessly bear witness to His victory over death.

John was a preacher of repentance. That meant he called sin what it is: sin. And it did not matter your standing in the community. Slave or royalty, sin has the same result. And it has the same solution: repentance and absolution only through Jesus. John preached the Law to the people. The same Law we find ourselves wanting to keep, but constantly failing to keep. If John was standing where I am today, he would tell you to flee from the coming wrath of God. To bear fruits in keeping with repentance. I hope that this is what you hear from me, even if I am not as fiery in my speech as John was. Perhaps I should take a lesson from him for the future….

John landed in prison because he called out the sin of Herod. Herod had married Herodias, his brother’s wife. This illicit and sinful marriage needed to be repented of. And John was willing to say it. Herodias was furious and wanted John dead. But Herod, wretched as he was, realized that John was righteous and holy. He feared John, and so he protected him. He did not understand John’s preaching, but he was always willing to hear it.

In prison, he patiently suffered for the sake of the truth. And as John once said that he must decrease and Christ must increase, he may have also thought his time on earth was short. After all, he is a prophet. And we know what regularly happens to faithful prophets in the Old Testament.

And so, in time, Herod throws this banquet. The girl who danced and whet the sexual appetites of all the men there was Herodias’ daughter. She was Herod’s stepdaughter. The depravity deepens the more you hear what went on that night. And at the depravity’s height, St. John’s head is placed on a platter. Because he fearlessly bore witness of Christ, he was martyred.

John is one of those coming out of the great tribulation who have had their robes washed not in their own righteousness but in the blood of Christ. You have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism and were clothed in that same righteousness. As you were united with Him in a death like His, you shall also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. You are raised and made able to walk in the newness of life. To walk in righteousness rather than sin.

This is, again, not your doing. It is the work of God. And it is because of Him that you shall take refuge and not be put to shame. It is why we pray the Lord’s Prayer and commit ourselves to His hands.

It is why we are not only bold to ask Him to grant that we daily repent of our sins, patiently suffer for the sake of the truth, and fearlessly bear witness to His victory over death, but why we are confident that he will grant us this request. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Dear saints, as you near Sioux Falls on 115, there is a sign on the west side of the road you may have noticed. It reads something like, “Pray for us immaculate heart of Mary.” It is sponsored by a Roman Catholic organization, but I do not recall which one. It is a pious request, but it is, at best, misguided. First, the heart of St. Mary was not immaculate. It was stained by sin, just like yours and mine. And second, she is not a mediator for us. She is the mother of our Mediator. Consider what the Augsburg Confession says:

Concerning the cult of the saints our people teach that the saints are to be remembered so that we may strengthen our faith when we see how they experienced grace and how they were helped by faith. Moreover, it is taught that each person, according to his or her calling, should take the saints’ good works as an example … However, it cannot be demonstrated from Scripture that a person should call upon the saints or seek help from them. “For there is only one single reconciler and mediator set up between God and humanity, Jesus Christ.” He is the only savior, the only high priest, the mercy seat, and intercessor before God. He alone has promised to hear our prayers. According to Scripture, in all our needs and concerns it is the highest worship to seek and call upon this same Jesus Christ with our whole heart. (AC XXI)

It is one thing for a governor or president to consider the good example of King David as they rule. It is another for them to ask him to intercede or help them. Similarly, it is good for a pastor to consider the words and recorded actions of Sts. Paul or Peter, yet it would not be good for them to ask them to reveal anything through direct mediation and extra-biblical sources.

With this in mind, we consider this morning St. Mary, the mother of our Lord. She is a young virgin, engaged to a righteous man named Joseph. She is visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she shall bear the long-awaited Messiah. And she responds in faith: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She then travels to her relative Elizabeth’s house, whose account we heard a few moments ago.

The bulk of the lesson is Mary’s response not only to her interaction with Elizabeth but going back also to the visit from Gabriel. It comes after what may be the most important words we heard this morning, from the mouth of St. Elizabeth: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

This, dear saints, is why we remember Mary today. Not because of a supposed immaculate conception. Not because she is a co-mediator or co-redemptrix. Rather, because she believed in the promises of God and the words of Gabriel. She does not regard herself as anything special on her own account. Instead, she considers herself as a slave to the Lord. She realizes her humble estate. But she recognizes that God has looked upon her with favor and done mighty and great things for her. She recognizes that the child she carries is the promised seed we hear of in Genesis 3.

Mary, like you and me, were born under the Law. We found ourselves by nature condemned under that Law. And we needed a Savior from that Law. And in the fullness of time, that Savior is sent. God sends forth His Son, born of a woman. And that Son redeems those who under that Law. Mary. You. Me.

In Holy Baptism, He claims you as His own and adopts you as His own son. He has sent His Holy Spirit into your heart. You may now call Him your Heavenly Father. Therefore, rather than a slave to sin, you are a son. You are an heir to the Kingdom through the work of God. Because of the work of Christ, you may sing along with Mary. You may claim that He has done great things for you.

In his commentary on Luke, Dr. Arthur Just writes, “The proper honor and praise of Mary has as its cornerstone the church’s imitation of the faith of Mary.” In Mary, we see a humble servant of God. When an angel brings news that turns her world upside down, she does not despair or doubt. Instead, she accepts God’s will in wonder, for she knows it is only the power and work of God that can accomplish Gabriel’s words. She rejoices and worships God for what He has done for her.

And today, we rejoice not only with Mary but with Cody. For Cody, like you and me and Mary, is also a humble servant of God. He is also redeemed by the Blood of Christ. And this morning, in the presence of God and His Church, he confesses the True Faith as his own. We rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit in him. And we pray that he will share with us and Mary in the glory of our Father’s eternal kingdom.

Cody, may you continue to grow in faith. May you imitate the faith of Mary, confessing that you, a humble servant, have been shown mercy and redeemed. That you are a son and heir of God. And that He, through His Word and Sacrament, will sustain you in all things needed for life and salvation. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Dear saints, after his death, a small slip of paper was found in Luther’s pockets. It had two simple phrases on it: We are beggars, this is true.

As we say in the catechism, this is most certainly true. This is the essence of Christianity. The Christian faith begins, continues, and ends with you and me kneeling before God as beggars. This is because we have nothing of value to offer Him. We can only receive. Yet we are not only beggars. We are beggars upon whom our Lord has loved and shown mercy. He lifts us from our knees, and we are embraced with His steadfast and never-ending love. And while we know this from all of Scripture, it is especially evident in St. John’s Upper Room discourse in chapters 13-17. This is where we continue today, the third of five weeks in the Upper Room.

In this discourse, Jesus makes three explicit references to prayer, and the discourse ends with what we commonly call the High Priestly Prayer. In chapter 14 Jesus says, “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.” In chapter 15 we hear “if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” And in our lesson, “whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

Linking the statements together, we get something to the effect of “Ask anything of my Father in my name, and whatever it is, it is going to be done for you.” This is a gracious and unconditional promise for us to hear. We can ask of our Lord anything and know that He will answer.

 But before your imagination gets carried away, I need to spoil your dreams. Jesus has been speaking for His entire ministry in figures of speech. You see this in His parables and many of His sayings. Some examples of this are when Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” or, “My time has not yet come,” or, “on that day.” And yet today we hear, “The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. Later Jesus says, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered….”

Jesus moves from that day to the hour which is coming. This is another repeated theme in the Gospel according to St. John. In chapter two, Jesus tells His mother that His hour is not yet come. In chapter seven He is teaching in the Temple and His opponents seek to arrest Him. But they fail to do so because His hour had not yet come. After the Triumphant Entry, some Greeks desire to see Jesus. And when Phillip brings this news to our Lord, He declares, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

The hour which Jesus speaks about is his crucifixion. In that hour, Jesus tells the disciples that two things will happen. First, He will no longer speak in figures. And second, they will be scattered. Let’s take the second part first. In that hour, they will be scattered. Jesus will be alone. Jesus again references and anticipates the cross. What He says will happen does. He is abandoned by the disciples. They are scattered. And Peter denies Jesus three times. And despite Jesus saying I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace, I’d doubt there was any peace to be had that weekend. Rather, tribulation was in full force. And while they didn’t see it yet, Jesus had indeed overcome the world.

Jesus also begins speaking clearly rather than in figures of speech. And so, what is Jesus telling us? He is telling us that anything we pray in accord with our Father’s will, our prayer will be heard and answered. It will be given to you. Your Heavenly Father knows and desires what is best for you. If you ask for and fish, he will not give you a snake. And, to stay with Jesus’ figurative language in his Sermon on the Mount, if you ask for a stone, he will give you the bread you need.

Today is also known as Rogate. It means, “Ask,” or “Pray.” What Jesus is asking us to do today is to pray. Historically this Sunday has been associated with planting season. It makes sense, for we depend on God for everything that goes into us receiving our daily bread. When I think of the weather we have seen since arriving, flooding and drought, hot and bitter cold, it shows us that we really do depend on our Heavenly Father for all we need in body and soul. It is true whether we simply eat and use the fruit of the fields or if we make our living through working and reaping it. So, as a new planting season begins, what shall we do? We pray. We go to Him on your knees, like a beggar, telling Him everything that is on your mind.

Just think of the Psalms. They cover just about every prayer or petition you can think of. They contain confession, plea, desire, anger. They even recount to God what He has done for the writer, for Israel, or for the world. They remember what God has done and proclaim His goodness as requests are made that His goodness continue. It makes sense. We have a relationship with God. He wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to tell Him what is on our minds and what we are feeling.

He already knows these things. In fact, He knows what we are thinking and feeling better than we do. But like a mother who asks their child how their day was at school, He wants us to tell Him.

For this reason, Jesus invites us to “Ask.” Ask your Heavenly Father, and you will receive. Ask and your joy, like a beggar receiving a free meal or a warm place to stay, will be made full. For your Father loves to hear what his dear children have to say. He loves to answer your prayer. What a great and generous promise we have! God listens to and answers our prayer. And so, we ask that He grant our prayer: that we may think those things that are right and by His merciful guiding accomplish them. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Dear saints, we continue this morning in the Upper Room the night that Jesus is arrested. Our Lord spends chapter 16 preparing His disciples for His arrest and crucifixion. Last week, He told them of the sorrow that they will feel, but also how that sorrow will soon be replaced with joy. This morning reveals the reason sorrow will be replaced with joy.

“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” When the disciples see their Teacher arrested and flee in fear, they will be sorrowful. The sorrow will continue to increase as they see His trial, conviction, and crucifixion. Sorrow and fear continue to grow on the Sabbath as they fear the Jews may come after them next. But even when presented with the testimony and witness of the Resurrection, that fear and sorrow remain. This is evident as they are huddled in a locked room on the evening of the Resurrection.

But then our Lord is suddenly among them. Their fear and sorrow are quickly turned to joy with the phrase, “Peace be to you.” It was certainly for their advantage that Jesus went away. It was imperative that He did. For if He does not go that away, that is, if He does not die, then the disciples and every other man, woman, and child remain under the burden of their sin.

For the next forty days, Jesus continues to teach, encourage, and prepare His apostles for their ministry. Part of that preparation is for His Ascension. He must leave them again. But this time that leaving will be only a physical leaving. He will remain with them in spirit and, even more, send the Helper to them. He will send the Holy Spirit. And as you know, the Holy Spirit is manifested at Pentecost in Acts 2.

Equipped with all that Jesus teaches them and with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the apostles go out and preach the Gospel in joy. And they retain their joy even when they are thrown out of the synagogues, arrested and beaten for their preaching, and martyred for being a Christian.

The reason they can do all this is that Jesus keeps His word. He goes to the Father and sends the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit guides them in all truth. He speaks what He hears Jesus speak. He declares to them what shall come. And He will glorify our Lord by declaring what is Jesus’ and declaring it to them.

 As the Spirit comes, He begins to convict the world. He begins to reprove and rebuke the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. The work of the Holy Spirit is to expose us to ourselves. God already knows us better than we do. He knows our faults, even the ones we don’t know we have. And so, the Spirit comes to enlighten us.

But notice that this convicting is of the world. We are indeed convicted of our own sin as the Spirit shows us where we have failed to keep God’s Law. And because he keeps us in the true faith, we are led to repentance. We realize we have no righteousness of our own and look to Christ for our righteousness. We rejoice and sing because we have been judged righteous because of the blood of Christ shed for us. We, by the grace of God, have faith and salvation.

But the world does not. The world believes it can dictate what is and is not sin. The world believes it is righteous based on what it does or doesn’t do, think, or say. The world thinks it is clear of any judgment because of its own righteousness. It is a ‘righteousness’ that changes with the cultural tides. This is what the Holy Spirit comes to reprove and rebuke. He comes to show the world that this is not the case.

Yet we can narrow the work of the Spirit even further regarding the conviction of the world toward sin. The specific conviction the Spirit brings against sin is that the world does not believe in Jesus. Of all the sins possible, this is the worst. It is the chief sin and trumps all others. No matter how heinous a life someone lives, no matter what evil they have done, it is unbelief that tops it off. Remember what our Lord says to Nicodemus in the night: “He who believes in him (in Jesus) is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

The purpose John has in writing his gospel account is so people would read it, hear it, and believe in Jesus as their Savior. When you or anyone else hears the Word of God, it is the Spirit who works through it. When someone believes and is convicted, it is the work of the Spirit ensuring that the Word does not return to the Lord without accomplishing what it set out to do. So also, when the Word is rejected and unbelief tragically continues, it is the Spirit who judges that unbelief and unrighteousness.

Jesus is risen and He is ascended. His righteousness is laid upon all who call upon him and trust in him as Lord and Savior. Here the world is convicted concerning righteousness because it is only Christ who is righteous. The world, persisting in sin and unbelief, is unable to possess any true righteousness, no matter what good deeds they do in the eyes of men.

Finally, the Spirit convicts the world concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. Satan is defeated. It is not that he was truly the ruler, but that he had acted as if he was, representing himself as the world’s ruler. That much of the world is under his influence shows the power he has despite his defeat. But this is the work of one already defeated and condemned. He knows he’s lost, so he’s trying to take as many as he can with him.

But you, dear Christian, are not of the world. It is why the world hates you. You are different. You are not under a judgment of condemnation but have been judged and declared righteous. You are not under sin and the penalty of unbelief but have been given the greatest gift possible: faith and life in Jesus Christ.

Know today that the Spirit of truth has come and is still here. He continues to guide us into all truth, which includes correcting us when we sin and lose our way, bringing us again to the Lord in repentance. And he does this for you because Jesus went away for a little while. After all, Jesus was crucified for you. He does this because our Lord ascended to the right hand of the Father where he rules and reigns. So, let us sing to the Lord, for he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Dear saints, when I was growing up, the part of the summer I looked forward to the most was often the yearly church camp. These camps were fun. I had a great time. I made and strengthened friendships there. And while I look back on these camps with mostly fond memories, there is a part of them that I now would rather not have taken part in. It was normal for the final night of the camp to reach an emotional climax. A “mountaintop experience.” The singing, skits, speakers, or whatever entertainment was brought in was to make you feel spiritually uplifted. Make you never want this moment to go away.

But it always did. You left the venue that night, went back to your cabins full of emotional happiness, perhaps even joy. But the reality quickly sets in that you now need to pack. You still must try to sleep that night. You still must go home tomorrow. You tried to keep this fleeting and emotional high going, but you couldn’t. You would get home and, despite your desire to be more dedicated and more studious of your Bible, things just went back to normal.

Now, normal isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our Gospel lesson this morning finds the disciples near the climax of their week. Indeed, near the climax of their time of following Jesus before his crucifixion. We’ve briefly discussed it in the past few weeks: the disciples have witnessed the Triumphal Entry. They’ve seen Jesus clear the Temple. Heard Him boldly preach. And now they find themselves in the Upper Room. In fact, chapters 13 through 17 of the Gospel according to St. John takes place during the time Jesus institutes his Holy Supper. This is where we are in this morning’s text. We will stay here for the rest of the Easter season.

Jesus has or is about to take the Passover meal and show the disciples exactly what it was pointing to. They are on the pinnacle of the mountain top experience. But Jesus knows what is about to happen. He knows that this joy will soon be replaced not with normal life, but with great fear and trepidation. And so, he continues to prepare them: “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”

Understandably, the disciples want this and other things said in the Upper Room explained. But they don’t ask Jesus to do it. They talk amongst themselves. And so, Jesus interjects. “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

Jesus continues to speak and explain, but in my mind’s eye I can see and faces of the disciples drop and be covered with confusion and fear. Despite having been told multiple times that Jesus would die on the cross, this still surprises them. Despite hearing about the glory of the Son of Man coming, it never connects with them what exactly that means. Our Lord knows that he is about to be “lifted up from the earth” and “will draw all people” to himself.

And in doing so, he will also die. In a little while, Jesus will be put into a tomb. The disciples will not see him. They will weep and lament. While they do, the world will rejoice. Yet after a little while, they will see Jesus again. Then their sorrow will turn to joy. Of course, this is exactly what happens.

We have seen this through the first half of our Easter season. So far, with the disciples, we have rejoiced in Christ’s resurrection. Have heard the peace that He brings. Heard what it means for Jesus to be our Good Shepherd. The disciples have revived their mountaintop experience. Jesus is risen. He comes to be among them. But the words of Jesus in this morning’s text are still applicable. For in a little while, they will see Jesus no more. At least, not in the way they are accustomed to seeing Him.

The church is in the midst of its own mountaintop experience. Congregations that have the resources really go all out this time of year. Big choirs. Brass, percussion, wind, and stringed instruments alongside the organ. More complex hymns with beautiful descants from large and loud pipe organs. It is beautiful and glorious. Ear candy, if you will. But I’ll admit that as much as I love all of it, it starts to wear on me before it is over. Where the Easter acclimation is said many times a service, this is about the time the enthusiastic response begins to get a little softer and a little less enthusiastic.

Yes, we are still full of joy. We are still in awe of what our Lord did for us. But like that new toy you get as a child, even your favorite new toy, it doesn’t stay new for long. Subconsciously and perhaps even unwillingly, you find yourself returning to the way it was. And I suppose this shouldn’t surprise us. There are the forty days of Lent with six or seven extra services. We’re about twenty days into Easter, and in some places that comes even more extra services. And for some, the three weeks of pre-Lent preparation makes for a long season. Let’s face it: we’re kinda tired. And we’re gearing up for the second half of the church year. Waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend at Pentecost.

Yet there are still things to occur before we get there. “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” Jesus was speaking about his crucifixion. Yet he is also speaking of what comes after. He does not stay with the disciples in his exalted form. He still will return to his Father in heaven. Indeed, he must. If he does not, the promised Helper will not come!

So, we turn our attention the next few weeks to the coming Ascension of our Lord and the approaching Day of Pentecost. And as we do, we journey further from the mountain top. We see things going ‘back to normal.’ At least as normal can be these days. We also see what it means to weep and lament. For trial and tribulation will soon descend upon Christ’s church. We read about it in the book of Acts. We hear the testimony of the early Church. It continues through the Middle Ages and Reformation. Even today the church weeps, laments, and is sorrowful. And through it, the world rejoices.

Churches all over the world are attacked. They are deemed ‘unessential’ and have their services shut down by police even while they are taking place. Bills travel through government to classify our Biblical believes, given to us by the Word made flesh Himself, as bigoted and discriminatory. We continually weep at the disregard for human life and how many people, born and unborn, are cruelly killed or maimed in the name of love or equality. And we mourn for those claiming to be Christian who rejoice and celebrate these activities.

As we look around and see darkness becoming more and more powerful, we weep and have sorrow. We hurt when we see people we know and love being swept up into false doctrine and even unbelief. We lament at the actions the world takes to harm and destroy one another in the name of love and choice. The world cheers and calls Christians all sorts of vile names and attempts to dehumanize us just as they dehumanize others whom they don’t deem worthy of life or protection.

Yet every day we are closer to the day that our sorrow will turn to joy. Every day we get closer to the day when we will see Jesus face to face. So, we can look around and take heart. Yes, churches are firebombed. Yes, Christians are targeted for death. Targeted to have their livelihoods destroyed. Yet even when steeples crumble and fall around us, we can look at the smoke and ruins and declare with the prophet Jeremiah, who looks around at the destroyed city of Jerusalem and says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Our Psalm this morning declares, “Shout for joy to God, all the earth. Sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!” and, “Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.”

Even with all the horrible things going on around us, we proclaim that the Lord’s steadfast love does not cease. His mercy never comes to an end. It is because, though he is not visibly present with us in body, he is present with us even now. He has sent the Holy Ghost to dwell within us. We have sung, and will again sing, of the gifts he gives us in our baptism. About how he is present with us physically in his Holy Supper. The Supper where he gives us the Food that we need. And how He is with us even now in His Word.

With these gifts, He sustains us while we wait for Him to keep His promise that we will see Him in a little while. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

As a result of the Fall, a woman goes through a tremendous amount of pain and sorrow to give birth. But when she receives her newborn baby in her arms, seeing the face of her healthy, beautiful, and probably screaming baby, all the pain and struggle is forgotten. She no longer cares about all that. She doesn’t worry about the pain and the physical danger she was in. For her child is born and is with her. She rejoices despite the pain and trouble.

Likewise, no matter what trials and tribulations we go through, no matter how much we suffer, it will all be forgotten. Even what we willingly bring upon ourselves. This is a season of pure joy. And even though our Gospel is dripping with sorrow and impending separation, this will all be turned to joy. Remember that the disciples witness Jesus’ Ascension and return in joy. Joy that is also yours. Joy because, though we do not see our Lord during our pilgrimage, we know when we will see Him: At the end of our pilgrimage. At our blessed death. When all sorrow will be forgotten, and eternal joy will reign for before us will stand our Savior. In a little while, He shall be seen. Praise be to Christ. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Part 5: Jesus’ Burial and a Guard Posted (Matthew 27:57–66)

The Law required that Jesus be buried before the start of the Sabbath Day. So, Joseph takes his body and quickly prepares it for burial, but he does not have time to fully prepare the body. This is why the women were taking spices to the tomb early on Easter morning. They were going to complete what could not be done on Friday.

But remember what the chief priests and Pharisees do on the Sabbath. They go to Pilate and ask for a guard. They know full well what Jesus said and want to make sure there are no shenanigans. At least, none that aren’t their own doing. It seems the disciples have forgotten, but these men remember that Jesus said that no sign will be given but the sign of Jonah. They remember that He said He would be raised on the third day. So, they ask Pilate to station guards at the tomb to make sure the disciples don’t steal the body of Jesus. 

Soldiers are stationed at the tomb. It is made secure by sealing the stone. No one will be getting by these soldiers to steal the body of Jesus. If the tomb is to be made empty, the only way it will happen is if Jesus really is who He said to be.

 The chief priests, the elders, and the Pharisees act like they do to prevent a faked resurrection. How ironic that this act of unbelief is what will provide strong and compelling evidence of the actual and factual resurrection of Jesus Christ!

As for Jesus? He is resting. He is taking his Sabbath. He is waiting for the morning and His resurrection, His victory march through hell, and His revealing to his disciples. He has completed all that He came to do. And rest assured that His work is totally sufficient to save even you from your sins. Do not doubt but believe. Do not fear, but with boldness and confidence await the glorious resurrection of your Lord. It is coming. He has promised He would rise. And your God does not lie.

This Holy Week, we have traveled with our Lord. In your churches, you have celebrated the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday. You have read again His passion, and tomorrow we celebrate again His glorious Resurrection. We shall rejoice that through His work – His suffering and death – you are freed from all your sin. No longer are you a slave to sin. In your baptism, you are made a child of God, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and stand justified before the Father. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Part 4: The Death of Jesus (Matthew 27:45–56)

We are all used to darkness falling at the end of each day over the earth, but we aren’t used to it happening at noon. Yet this is exactly what occurred. From noon to 3 pm there was darkness over the land. According to the prophets, darkness was a sign of judgment and of sorrow. And to be sure, judgment is taking place in this darkness. Your sin is being judged right here in this text. And it is taking a toll on the One who is suffering it. Finally, about three in the afternoon, the Man cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus, in His agony, cries out the beginning of the 22^nd Psalm. Near the middle of the Psalm, the Psalmist writes: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” It is not hard to imagine how this fits Jesus. He is thirsty. He is beaten. His is zapped of all his energy. He is near death.

Upon hearing His cry and thinking Jesus is calling Elijah, He is given some sour wine to drink. Then the people wait. They want to see if Elijah will save Jesus. Of course, he won’t because Jesus isn’t crying out to Elijah. He is crying out to God. His very Father. Jesus cries out once more and gives up His Spirit.

             To those there watching, it would seem that’s all there was to it. Until the earth starts shaking. And rocks break apart. Even more, a short distance away something even more dramatic was taking place: In the Temple, the curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place is ripped from top to bottom! It was no longer necessary. Our sins have been atoned for once and for all. No more blood of bulls and goats need to be shed. The blood of Jesus has been poured out for you. It is what we read in Hebrews 9: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest…he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

In this dark hour, at the death of our Lord, we may rejoice. For your sins are atoned for. Your guilt is washed away. You are redeemed.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Part 3: Jesus Mocked and Crucified (Matthew 27:27–44)

After his Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem a few days ago, our King is now made ready to take his throne. He is given a scarlet robe, a crown, and a scepter. He is hailed as King! But hold on, for details matter.

Our King is delivered to be crucified into the hands of the masters of cruelty that were Roman soldiers. After they whip Him, these soldiers strip Jesus and put a scarlet robe on Him. Scarlet is the color of royalty. They place a crown upon His head, but it is no jeweled piece of metal, but rather thorns twisted together. And I doubt seriously that any care was taken to place it carefully. A symbol of power is given to Jesus: a reed that was to resemble a scepter. And then the King is mocked. Spiting on Jesus, these scoundrels bow and proclaim, possibly with laughter and scorn in their voices, “Hail, King of the Jews.”

After they have their fun, they lead Him away to be crucified. They force another man to carry the cross, and finally, at long last, they arrive at the throne room. But hardly anyone noticed. Interestingly, Jesus is crucified at Golgotha, the Place of a Skull. A hill that was shaped and looked like a skull is under the feet of Jesus when he is killed. And just before they crucify Jesus, they offer Him gall, a bitter drink of herbs mixed with wine. But He did not take it. No, Jesus was there to suffer for the sins of the world. To suffer hell in your place. He would not have this drink null His senses or numb his pain.

Finally, Jesus is crucified. The sign of His sentence is put over His head: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. The King has taken His throne, but even still, the mocking does not end. Now it is the turn of the passersby and the robbers crucified with Him.

Listen to their blasphemy against Him! Hear the devil tempting Him even here at the cross! “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross” Alas, for Jesus to rebuild the temple in three days, He first had to be destroyed. And notice their assumption that He would be seeking self-preservation. They think that surely if this man were the Son of God, He would use his power to save Himself!

The chief priests and elders take their turn in mocking Him: “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.” The reality is they don’t believe He saved others. If they did, they would already believe in Him. And since many of them still refused to believe after the Resurrection, then they are lying about what they would believe if He came down off His cross. Here the teachers of the Law understand so little of what they were experts in, they do not see that the fact that Jesus is God and it is precisely because He is the Son of God that He doesn’t come down off the cross! In order to save you, He cannot save Himself.

God would have been just to zap every one of these blasphemers. But in His mercy, on the cross and listening to them do it, He is winning forgiveness for them. For all who have and all who will sin against Him. They may not trust in Him for this salvation, but from Judas to Pilate to the people here mocking, the battle is being waged on their, and our, behalf.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Part 2: Pilate Sentences Jesus (Matthew 27:15–26)

I feel for Pilate. He’s in a tough spot. He knows that Jesus is before him out of spite. But at every attempt to free our Lord, the chief priests and elders would rile up the crowd. Even up to risking a riot erupting before him!

Yet there was also a custom. The governor would release a criminal to the crowd. So seemingly in a move of desperation, Pilate offers the worst of the worst for them. An insurrectionist. A man who was guilty of the very thing Jesus was being falsely accused of. His name was Barabbas. Are you aware of what the name Barabbas means? Son of a father. While Jesus usually uses the term Son of Man for himself, he is the Son of God. He is the true Son of the Father.

So, Pilate gives the Jews a choice: He can release to them the terrorist Barabbas or the actual Son of the Father. Pilate must be thinking that, given this choice and even with their leaders’ hatred of Jesus that they will ask for Jesus to be released. Surely, they wouldn’t ask for and receive a murderous rioter. But given the choice between the Son of Man and the son of a father, the crowd chooses Barabbas.

Dumfounded, Pilate asks, “Why, what evil has he done?” Notice the crowds do not answer the question because there is no evil that Jesus has done. So instead of answering, they only shriek all the more, “Let him be crucified!” Jesus has done nothing but good. And in an unenlightened, morally upside-down world, this is precisely the reason that He must be opposed, slandered, and, finally, killed.

And just as the guilty man is let go to be free among the people, the just and righteous Son of God is condemned to death. He is to die for the same people that are crying out for his blood. Pilate understands that Jesus is innocent and tries to absolve himself by washing his hands and claiming to be innocent of the blood of Jesus. But because he too is a sinner, he is just as guilty as the Jews who answer, “His blood be on us and our children.”

             On that day, Pilate didn’t want to be responsible for the injustice of condemning an innocent man to death. Meanwhile, these Jews were happy to see Christ murdered. But what does it mean for us today to have the blood of Jesus be on us and our children? Simply this: Since He is the Christ, He has taken all our sins upon Himself, even those of Judas, Pilate, the crowd, and Barabbas. And He has been crucified for them, as we will hear shortly.             

And now? You are washed clean by the blood of Christ. The holy, precious, and innocent blood of Jesus spilled because of your sin.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Part 1: Jesus before Pilate and the Death of Judas (Matthew 27:1–14)

Already at this point in the lesson, Jesus has endured some week. It began with what looked like a coronation. People meet Jesus as he comes into town and are throwing palm branches onto the ground before him. They are shouting, “Hosanna!” Shouting essentially, “Save me!” And those who witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead were still bearing witness to what Jesus had done. Could things get any better? Then again, do you remember how the Triumphant Entry reading ended? Listen again to what the Pharisees were saying to one another: “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him”

 There is also the fact that the One coming in on the donkey has repeatedly said he must die. And the Pharisees are happy to help that happen, if only they could find someone to help them. And find someone they did with Judas. For a measly 30 pieces of silver, Judas agrees to hand Jesus over to those who hate him and want him dead. And on Thursday night, he does just that. But by Friday morning, he regrets what he has done. He has changed his mind. But the Scripture doesn’t say he repented. Nonetheless, feeling the weight of what he has done, he goes to the chief priests and elders, silver in hand, and confesses his sin. And while Judas may have been looking for absolution, he finds none. These men, whose duty it was to care for the people of Israel, have no compassion for Judas. In their hatred of Christ, they dismiss this remorseful disciple. They tell him to go and deal with this himself. Judas throws the money at their feet and leaves.

 Judas, in his despair, does not seek his Lord. Perhaps he feared what would happen if he did. He sought those who hated Jesus and was treated with contempt by them. And now, instead of looking to Jesus for absolution, he takes their advice. And to make matters worse, he decides that he must be the one to pay for the curse he has put himself under by betraying innocent blood. He judges himself guilty, sentenced himself to death, put himself on a tree, and hangs himself. He knows the Law. He knows the penalty. And so, he takes it all upon himself. He condemns himself and dies for his own sin.

 In his actions, Judas committed treason against his King. But his King, who through His parables and His actions so often demonstrated the vastness of His mercy and would certainly have forgiven him of even this, is not who Judas turns to. He decided it was better to suffer himself for what he had done instead of casting his burden of guilt on the One he betrayed. The very One who had come to take the sin of all the people, even Judas’, upon his own shoulders to forgive it.

 Yet our King’s journey has a long way to go. He is carted before Pilate where He confirms his identity but refuses to defend Himself against all the accusations. Soon, his sentence if pronounced.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.