15 March 2020
Text: Luke 11:14-28 (Ex 8:16-24,
Eph 5:1-9)
In the name of +
Jesus. Amen.
Jesus
casts out a demon, and He is accused by His enemies of being demonic. Our Lord points out that this makes no
sense. He asks rhetorically, “If Satan
also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?”
He
then points out He is actually casting out demons “by the finger of God” and
that “the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Jesus
casts our demons by His command. In a very
real way, the Word of Jesus is the finger of God. The finger of God is His Word. He points to the demons and they scatter. For Jesus is God and He commands all things –
even the demons. The Word of God is all
powerful – even in times of plagues and fear.
The
“finger of God” was how Pharaoh’s magicians explained the plagues of Egypt. For they could not replicate them. And this was offensive to Pharaoh, who considered
himself to be a god. The true “finger of
God” was calling Pharaoh to repent, and commanding him to let the Israelites
leave. And the “finger of God” provided
protection for God’s people – even in a time of these plagues, when fear and
chaos reigned supreme. It is in such
times that we need to remind ourselves who actually reigns supreme, as well as
to put our trust in the finger of God, that is, His Word!
When
our Lord cast our demons and was accused of being in league with the devil, He
proved through plain logic that this could not be so.
He
also warns of the necessity of remaining on guard even after a demon has been
cast out. For they can indeed come back,
and come back worse than the first time, as it “goes and brings seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse
than the first.”
Jesus
is warning us to put away all evil, to repent, and to put our houses in order,
swept clean. But it is important to
remain vigilant, to keep the house clean, so that evil doesn’t return with a
vengeance.
How
are we to do this, dear friends? Our Lord
tells us at the end of this account, as a well-intentioned woman gave praise to
our Lord’s mother. And it is
well-deserved praise, she is indeed blessed, and confessed as much in the Scriptures
for “all generations.” But our Lord
responds by saying, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep
it.”
An
even greater blessing – even than the blessing of having carried the baby God
in her womb, having nursed Him and raised Him – is in hearing the Word of God
and keeping it.
It
is the Word of God that casts out demons.
It is the Word of God that protects us in trying times. It is the Word of God that comforts us even
in the face of death. It is the Word of God
that forgives our sins. It is the Word
of God that defeats the devil. It is the
Word of God that transforms us by God’s grace and love.
It
is the Word of God that empowers us in times of trial.
And
this is why we need the Word of God now more than ever. We hear the Word proclaimed, and we eat and
drink the Word of God in the Sacrament of the Altar. And while the world around us is in a state
of panic, we Christians can be calm, having heard the Word of God, knowing that
the finger of God protects us, and having partaken of the Medicine of Immortality:
the body and blood of Jesus.
But
what does it mean to hear the Word of God “and keep it”? One translation of the Bible translates “keep”
as “obey.” And yes, we should obey the Word
of God, we should obey the Law. But the Scriptures
are more than just the Law, and the word “keep” is not the same as the word “obey.” This word “keep” is the same Greek word as
the word used a few verses before: “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his
own palace, his goods are safe.” The
same word is used for “guard” and for “keep.”
For our treasure is the Word of God, His promises, the Law and the Gospel
from the Holy Scriptures. Our treasure
is our reflection and meditation on the Word of God. And we “guard” our treasure by “keeping” the Word,
that is by guarding it in our hearts, by meditating on it, by believing it.
“Faith
comes by hearing,” says St. Paul, “and hearing by the Word of Christ.” The Word of Christ is the finger of God. It is God’s Word that we turn to in times of
trial. It is God’s Word that we look to
for protection. It is God’s Word that
casts out demons. It is God’s Word that
delivers assurance and faith to us.
And
indeed it is good to act prudently when there is sickness. But panic never helps anything. According to God’s Word, we can indeed remain
calm and take reasonable measures to protect the vulnerable from sickness. And at the same time, we, the Church, continue
to gather. The Word of God is still
proclaimed and preached to everyone who is able to assemble. We Christians continue to gather around the
altar and partake of our Lord Jesus, who promises to be with us even unto
eternity. And for those who are unable
to gather with us, the Word and the Sacrament will go to them.
In
times of trial, we are reminded that we live in a fallen world, a world of
diseases and mortality. We are reminded
of the fallen nature of humanity, as we see shameful behavior in the world as
people fear for their lives. We see
displays of self-preservation at the expense of love.
But
we Christians are also given opportunities to love and serve our neighbors. We are given the opportunity to set an example
of calm to the world, because we trust in God. We act wisely, but without panic. For the finger of God is upon us, even as we
were baptized and born again as His people – like His people that were spared
the plagues in Egypt, and who were led to the Promised Land.
We
do not have to kowtow to demons or Pharaohs. We do not have to remain trapped in sin. We do not have to live as if death has mastery
over us. Yes, we live in the fallen
world, but we know that a better world is to come. We walk in danger, but we walk with Jesus.
As
we boldly sing in the hymn:
I walk with Jesus all the
way,
His guidance never fails me;
Within His wounds I find a
stay
When Satan’s pow’r assails
me;
And by His footsteps led,
My path I safely tread.
No evil leads my soul
astray;
I walk with Jesus all the
way.
Amen.
In the name of the Father
and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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