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| By Norma Boeckler |
The Twelfth Sunday after
Trinity. 2012
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn #462 I Love Thy Kingdom 4:21
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon
Hymn #123 O God Our Help 4:3
Hearing and Speaking Plainly
The Communion
Hymn # 304 An Awful Mystery 4:6
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 376 Rock of Ages 4:47
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 376 Rock of Ages 4:47
KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And
such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of
ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of
God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the
letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face
of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done
away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For
if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made
glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which
remaineth is glorious.
KJV Mark 7:31 And again,
departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee,
through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one
that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put
his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his
fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up
to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And
straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and
he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the
more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he
maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Twelfth Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting
God, who hast created all things: We thank Thee that Thou hast given us sound
bodies, and hast graciously preserved our tongues and other members from the
power of the adversary: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy grace, that we may
rightly use our ears and tongues; help us to hear Thy word diligently and
devoutly, and with our tongues so to praise and magnify Thy grace, that no one
shall be offended by our words, but that all may be edified thereby, through
Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and
the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Hearing and Speaking Plainly
Lenski:
“Again” means
that Jesus started once more; this time “out from the borders of Tyre.” In v.
24 we see that the boundaries are referred to. Up to this time Jesus had not
been on foreign soil, but now Mark states positively that “he went through
Sidon,” which lies five miles north of Tyre. But Jesus is only on a journey, we
hear of no teaching or miracles. It seems that he remained unknown, and that he
himself sought to remain so, and that he devoted his time to the instruction of
his disciples, which was the main occupation of Jesus during the last part of
his ministry.
Mark alone tells about Jesus’
passing through Sidon. What other points Jesus touched we do not know. Matthew as
well as Mark report as the destination the Sea of Galilee, its eastern side.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing
House, 1961, S. 308
KJV Mark 7:31 And again,
departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee,
through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
In this passage there is an
emphasis upon Jesus keeping away from the opponents and giving time, we assume,
to His disciples, to teach them. The Twelve were tutored for three years. The
crowds were attracted to the gracious presence of Jesus and His powerful
preaching. They also trusted in Him to heal their sick.
It is a testimony to His
power that people sought Him out wherever He went, especially since Jesus was traveling
away from those areas where He would be best known and recognized.
Luther often gave Scripture
passages an allegorical and spiritual meaning, which seems to be a stretch at
first. Upon reading Luther’s commentary, we can see where his grasp of the
entire Bible informed him so well.
There is a vast gulf between
this miracle as seen by the rationalists and the real lesson of the healing.
We can see how the
rationalists can take our initial reaction and make hay with it. This miracle
seems crude and magic-like at first. But the details teach all we need to know.
32 And they bring unto
him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech
him to put his hand upon him.
First we see faith and love.
The crowd brought a deaf-mute to Jesus to heal. They knew of His reputation and
had compassion for their friend and relative. We often call him a mute, but his
poor hearing probably gave him very poor speech, since he did not receive the
immediate sounds we know and take for granted. We sold our New Ulm to a man
with similar problems. His son had to interpret for him. The father heard us
with difficulty and spoke so we barely understood a word. That is a difficult
situation, where every common situation is fraught with communication problems.
In love, they begged Jesus
to lay His divine hands upon their friend. This reminds us that Jesus answered
every single request put before Him.
33 And he took him aside
from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched
his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him,
Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
Lenski:
This preliminary
action (hence expressed by a participle) is both wise and significant for the
man. He is alone with Jesus, removed from the excitement and the distraction of
the crowd. His eyes watch Jesus, and he understands that Jesus is about to do
something for him, for taking him away must have been done for some special
purpose. Thus the man’s attention is riveted upon Jesus alone.
In the same way the next actions
of Jesus speak to the deaf-mute. Jesus uses sign language that is simple and
plain so the deaf-mute cannot help but understand. He thrusts his fingers into
the man’s ears. Here was the seat of one of his ailments—those ears were deaf.
But why do those two fingers (why do some interpreters say thumbs?) draw
attention to the deafness of the ears? The thought is conveyed to the man that
Jesus intends to do something about this deafness. We now have a finite verb,
this is one of the main actions. Let us note in connection with it that the
eyes of Jesus undoubtedly spoke to the eyes of the man.
First the deaf ears, next the mute
tongue. The sign language continues. First a minor action which is again
expressed by a participle: Jesus “having spit.” Some commentators say that
Jesus spit upon the man’s tongue, or, finding this too coarse, that he spit
upon his fingers and conveyed the spittle to the man’s tongue; and then notes
are appended about the supposed healing powers of human spittle. Where does
Mark say or intimate any of these things? Jesus spit and then touched the man’s
tongue, of course, with a finger. Both actions tell the man that Jesus wants
him to centre his attention on his mouth and on his tongue. That mouth and that
tongue are speechless, Jesus must be intending to do something about this
ailment. The actions are symbolic. To talk about the spittle as a medium for
conveying the power of Jesus is not justified by the text; nor is the laying on
of his hand in other cases a medium. The miracles are wrought by the will of
the Lord, sometimes by that will alone, often by that will expressed in an
almighty word even as in this instance. Touching with the hand is only
symbolical.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing
House, 1961, S. 309.
This part strikes people as
crude, so the skeptics jump on their reaction and say this was borrowed from
old miracle stories. Step by step, the real story is quite different, as Lenski
explained.
First, Jesus took the man
away from the multitude. Nothing would be more confusing for the deaf man than
to hear the din of the crowd and see their gestures. Perhaps no one is really
100% deaf. If so, that person can still feel the vibrations of noise generated
by the crowed. So if the man had a little hearing, the crowd noise and movement
would have been frightening.
Jesus put His fingers in the
ears of the man, showing He would heal them. He spit and touched the man’s
tongue, the other healing. Now that the healing and speech were being restored,
Jesus sighed and said, “Be opened.”
Lenski:
The man understood the sign language of Jesus. It is
impossible to assume the contrary,
i. e., that Jesus had failed in his effort to have the
deaf-mute understand these signs. We may say that this language of Jesus was
intended to arouse faith in the man. But it would be unwarranted to make the
miracle that now followed dependent on the man’s faith. It depended wholly on
the will of Jesus. Jesus sometimes tries to instil faith before the
miracle, he sometimes lets faith follow after the miracle. It all
depends on the case. The deaf-mute may well have received a spark of faith
before the almighty word was spoken; but it was not his faith that enabled
Jesus to heal him, it was solely the power and the will of Jesus.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing
House, 1961, S. 311.
Luther:
11. He addresses here particularly two organs of
the body, the ear and the tongue; for you know the Kingdom of Christ is founded
upon the Word, which cannot be apprehended or understood except by these two
organs, the ear and the tongue, and he rules in the hearts of men alone by the
Word and by faith. The ears apprehend the Word, the heart believes it; the
tongue, however, speaks or confesses that which the heart believes. Hence,
barring the tongue and ears, there is no perceptible difference between the
Kingdom of Christ and that of the world.
12. For in regard to the outward life a Christian has duties like an unbeliever; he tills the ground, works his fields, and plows just like others, and he undertakes no peculiar work or deed, either in eating, drinking, working, sleeping, or anything else. But these two organs of the body make a difference between a Christian and an unbeliever; a Christian speaks and hears differently; he has a tongue which praises the grace of God and preaches Christ the Lord as being the only Savior, etc. This the world does not do; it speaks of avarice and other vices, preaches and praises its own glory.
12. For in regard to the outward life a Christian has duties like an unbeliever; he tills the ground, works his fields, and plows just like others, and he undertakes no peculiar work or deed, either in eating, drinking, working, sleeping, or anything else. But these two organs of the body make a difference between a Christian and an unbeliever; a Christian speaks and hears differently; he has a tongue which praises the grace of God and preaches Christ the Lord as being the only Savior, etc. This the world does not do; it speaks of avarice and other vices, preaches and praises its own glory.
35 And straightway his
ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
The man understood the
gestures, and the crowd saw the actions. Watching, they heard the Word of God –
Be opened!
Immediately the deaf man heard
and he spoke plainly. The binding of the tongue might have been physical or
directly related to the hearing problem. Either way we look at it, the healing
was complete and immediate, proven by the clear speaking of the former
deaf-mute.
36 And he charged them
that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a
great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished,
saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the
dumb to speak.
This news was so great that
the crowds could not stop talking about it. With some miracles, the healed
person testified or followed along as proof (as Lazarus did). This response was
more like the “whole world” testifying about Jesus. Of course, it was not the
whole world, but when a small community is rocked by a great event, it does
seem like that, whether the news is good or bad.
Lenski:
A multitude was present as Mark also reports in connection
with the healing of the deaf-mute. The command not to report the latter miracle
must thus be extended to include also the many others. Since Mark himself
records no reason for this command of Jesus, we are left to figure this out
ourselves. Various opinions are naturally held. The best, we judge, is that
which takes into account the time in the ministry of Jesus. He has only a few
months left, and he does not want the excitement to spread far and wide about
his being the Messiah. The people generally connected earthly, political ideas
with that title, the very ideas which Jesus combated. So he did what he could
to keep his miracles quiet at this time. But, as in this instance, he did not
succeed.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing
House, 1961, S. 312.
Among
the modern Biblical scholars, much is made of the “Messianic secret.” Why did
Jesus tell so many people to stay quiet about what He did?
Some
wise guys thought Jesus did that just to get them to talk more about Him.
Others turn into various fantasies, which are great for filling in the void
where faith is absent.
The
best solution is the most obvious. The timetable was set and described in the
Old Testament books. The normal reaction of the crowd was to rush the process
and anoint Jesus as the King (Messiah, Son of David). To do that would have
meant more hardship for the innocent, with Rome’s reprisals.
But
the real message is – the Gospel could not be contained. The divine power of
Jesus was so great that the population took over the task of being heralds of
His coming.
The
most powerful miracle of all, for the population, was coming – the raising of a
prominent and wealthy leader – Lazarus. That is clearly the event that tipped
the scale for the triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Hearing and Speaking Plainly
Many people have said to me,
“I never knew this to be true about Lutheran doctrine.”
They apologize for not
knowing much more, long ago. But that feeling is true for most of us. Luther
had a Medieval papal-centered education. He was shocked to his core by the
corruption in Rome, by the selling of forgiveness. He also had years of study
of the Scriptures, which informed him through the Holy Spirit instead of
through the papacy.
As one secular motto said,
“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.”
The world is run by deception
and greed, deception aimed at hiding the greed. Luther said that, and it is
still true. Honest speaking is rare. People learn to deceive and they often
deceive with double-talk. They deliberately say things so the point can be one thing
or the other, exactly the opposite.
There are the deliberate
deceivers and those who do not know better. Combining the two messages, we can often
get confused.
The deliberate deceivers do
not believe in anything except their own good. Therefore, it is in their interest
to let everyone “wander in error’s maze confounded” as Luther wrote in his great
hymn – O Lord, Look Down from Heaven Behold.
I was pleased to see that
one of the most popular blog posts has been Luther’s statement about being taught
by the Holy Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit teaches man better than all
the books; He teaches him to understand the Scriptures better than he can
understand them from the teaching of any other; and of his own accord he does
everything God wills he should, so the Law dare make no demands upon him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 280. Pentecost Sunday John 14:23-31.
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 280. Pentecost Sunday John 14:23-31.
When error and deception jolt
us, we hunger for wisdom from the Holy Spirit. That comes directly from the
Scriptures. That is the purest form of God’s Word, an unchanging standard.
Man may make mistakes and
deceive, but the Bible never does, as Luther said in the Large Catechism.
The Word of God is our
measuring rod, and we share insights with each other.
After teaching about justification
by faith for years, I received the best summary from Brett Meyer linking a sermon
from Luther and quoting. Simply put – believing in Christ is forgiveness.
There are so many complications
that only a PhD in Pietism could follow, but Luther’s words are simple and
plain.
Likewise, another Lutheran did
research on the connections with Pietism and Calvinism.
And another searches the
Book of Concord for good quotations to share.
Hearing the truth plainly
means we can speak the truth plainly. That means everything in a confused world
of babbling.
Decades ago, we could count on
a society where the basics of the Bible were known and understood, even if they
were not followed.
Now there is great ignorance
and indifference. The norms are not accepted from the past. The norms are the
opposite of the recent past. That is why we need to speak the truth plainly.
The struggle continues. The
reward for the truth is the cross. But the reward for the “dear, holy cross” as
Luther called it is – is fruitfulness, a blessing in knowledge, and an eagerness
to hear the truth.
Each week I look forward to
looking up the lesson and copying Luther’s sermon onto the blog front page for
people to read.
