Jesus answered them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32 (Read Luke 5:27-32)

It was not those who thought themselves to be righteous who came to Jesus, but the tax collectors and sinners — those who knew of their utter sinfulness and need for a Savior.

Though the scribes and Pharisees faulted Jesus for associating with such sinners, Jesus associated with them because He “came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15), and “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10; cf. v. 1-10).

It is as Jesus said to them: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

How comforting this is to us sinners! Jesus is our friend! He came into this world to save us! He shed His holy and precious blood upon the cross to make atonement for sinners like you and like me! “In Him [through faith in His name] we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7; cf. 1 John 2:1-2).

Were the scribes and Pharisees sinners? Yes, they were (cf. Rom. 3:10ff.)! But they thought they were righteous and acceptable to God by their own works. They misunderstood God’s Word and saw no need of repentance or for a Savior to make atonement for their sins. And, sadly, many do the same in our own day. They fail to see their own utter sinfulness and their need of the Savior and they are unwilling to believe the Gospel.

Jesus came to call us to repentance and to give us life eternal through faith in Him.

And, following the example of our Lord Jesus, we too can reach out to and associate with sinners, not to join in their evil ways, but to call them to repentance and to share with them the comforting news that Jesus is the friend of sinners — that He died for their sins, too, and that He reaches out to them and offers to them forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in His name!

O dearest Jesus, we thank You for being the friend of sinners — for shedding Your holy and precious blood to redeem us, and for calling us to repent and trust in You for forgiveness and life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

We hear a lot these days about the separation of church and state, especially from those who do not wish for Christians to impose their moral values on others via civil government. And there are some who would use the powers of civil governments to force ministers and churches to say nothing against the commonly accepted morals and values held by society. Here, we look at what God says regarding the proper roles of church and state.

Both the church and the state are ordained of God — the church for the eternal salvation of men, and the state for the maintenance of external righteousness and order among men in this world.

When Jesus asked the disciples who they believed Him to be, Peter replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16); and Jesus said that, upon this truth which the Father had revealed to Peter, Jesus would build His church; and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (v. 17-18). Jesus also said: “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31-32).

On the other hand, the Scriptures say of the government: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil works. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from him, for he is the servant of God for your good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him who practices evil” (Rom. 13:1-4); and, “Submit yourselves to every human authority for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and to praise those who do right” (1 Pet. 2:13-14).

While the state — civil government — bears the sword to maintain order, punish evildoers and wage just wars, the church uses and is ruled by the Word of God.

The Bible says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16); and, “But continue in the things that you have learned and have been assured of, knowing those from whom you have learned them, and that since childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith that is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:14-17).

In order that men might be saved, the church has been commanded to preach the Word of God and proclaim Jesus Christ crucified as the Savior of mankind. Jesus commanded His disciples to “go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned ” (Mark 16:15-16; cf. Rom. 1:16-17; 10:15,17).

To maintain civil order and righteousness in this world, civil governments have been given power and responsibility to enact just laws, punish evildoers (including the use of the death penalty), and to wage just wars (1 Pet. 2:13-14; Psalm 82:1-4; Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:3-4).

As Christians, we reject as contrary to the Holy Scriptures attempts to confuse the powers of the church and the state, such as using the power of the sword in an attempt to force people to accept the teaching of God’s Word or using laws and threats of punishment to restrict the faithful preaching and teaching of the Bible (cf. John 18:11,36-37; 2 Cor. 10:4-6; Eph. 6:10-18). Rather, civil governments are to use the power of the sword to promote what is good and right and to punish evildoers, and the church is to use the Word of God to proclaim God’s truth, call sinners to repentance and to offer and give to penitent sinners the promises of the Gospel, namely, the forgiveness of sins and life eternal through faith in Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 24:46-47; John 5:25; 6:63; Rom. 1:16-17; 10:17; Isa. 55:10-11).

When civil governments depart from their God-given duties and forbid what God commands or command what God forbids, Christians must obey God rather than men even if they must suffer the earthly consequences (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29; Luke 12:4-5).

And we have ample examples of a Christian response when governments require what God forbids or forbid what God requires. In Daniel 3, the king commanded that people fall down and worship the golden image he had made. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to disobey God’s commandments (Ex. 20:3-6) and chose to obey God rather than men even if it meant death in a fiery furnace. In Daniel 6, when the king foolishly issued a decree that forbade prayer to the true God, Daniel continued to pray even though it meant being cast into a den of lions. In Acts 4 and 5, when the apostles of Jesus were commanded to no longer speak in Jesus’ name, they chose to suffer a beating and to risk death rather than disobey their call to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how do we apply these principles in regard to our duties as citizens of the kingdom of God and in regard to our duties as citizens of the United States of America?

Based on these principles, we recognize that our first and primary duty is to God, for He created us and gave us life, He redeemed us with the precious blood of His own dear Son, He brought us to faith through Word and Sacrament and gave to us life and salvation in His Son, and He, through the Son, will judge us on the last day. We apply the words of our Lord Jesus to ourselves: “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. But I will warn you whom you shall fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear Him” (Luke 12:4-5). Thus, we seek to obey God and live in accord with His Word in all things.

We also apply to ourselves Jesus’ words in Mark 8:34-38: “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever would lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Whoever therefore is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

First of all, we pray for our government and our rulers. Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 2:1-4): “Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Secondly, we obey our civil rulers whenever and wherever we can without sin and acknowledge that their authority is from God, for the Bible tells us in Romans 13:1-7: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil works. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from him, for he is the servant of God for your good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him who practices evil. So it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are God’s servants, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes are due, respect to whom respect is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.” And we read in 1 Pet. 2:13-14: “Submit yourselves to every human authority for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and to praise those who do right.”

Thirdly, we disobey civil authorities when they command what God forbids or forbid what God commands for “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and the apostles, this is not done in disrespect for civil rulers but in faithfulness to our God — they did not seek to overthrow their rulers but obeyed God and willingly suffered the consequences as a testimony to the truth.

Fourthly, we testify to the truth revealed in God’s Word, calling sin — including the sins of governments and rulers — sin and meriting God’s wrath and eternal punishment. The Bible plainly tells us in Jeremiah 23:28: “He who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.” Therefore, we call abortion murder and contrary to God’s commandments and we make it clear that all who partake of this sin or support and promote it also share in its guilt and punishment. The same is true in regard to perversions of God’s institution of marriage (Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 5:27-32; 19:3-9; Lev. 18-19; Rom. 1:18ff.) or any other sin against God’s revealed Word.

Fifthly, when rulers repent of their errors, we proclaim to them the Gospel of Christ and announce to them the forgiveness and life offered them through faith in Christ Jesus (cf. Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:18-20; John 20:23).

Sixthly, as citizens of the United States, we seek to be responsible citizens and use the privileges granted to us by our government in order to promote good government — government which punishes evildoers and promotes what is good and right “that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty” and proclaim the saving Word of God (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Thus, we exercise our rights to vote for good and honest candidates, we consider serving in government offices, and we do all in our power to preserve and promote a government and rulers which use their God-given authority rightly.

Finally, as citizens, we seek to legitimately remove from office rulers who fail to do their duties, abuse their authority, or promote what is evil and ungodly, and to nullify laws (or court rulings) that command and promote what God forbids or that forbid what God requires.

This is, perhaps, the most difficult to rightly apply. And, adding to this difficulty is the question of what to do when government rulers do not follow the laws of the land or when they pass or enforce laws that contradict the very foundation of our government, the Constitution and its Bill of Rights. Then the question may arise in regard to which document we obey, an act of Congress, an executive order, or the Constitution itself. And Christians often disagree on the appropriate response because we get into the area of human opinion in regard to the application of the above principles.

Below I offer my opinions and some points to remember in our response to a government that has become corrupt and evil.

The Christian’s duty is to advance the Kingdom of God and that can only be done through the faithful preaching of God’s Word and the right administration of the Sacraments. Winning political or military battles will make no one a Christian and will bring no one into the kingdom of God, though it could possibly promote peace and safety in this world.

I would also add the note that winning a political or military victory will not necessarily change the views of the people, meaning a new government would likely be no better than the old and could even be worse.

To what extent do we take the writing of the founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence? Do these writings give us the right or duty to seek to overthrow our present government and establish another? We must weigh our answers in light of the Scriptures cited above and be careful not to put these documents on par with or above the Word of God.

In dealing with those who practice or promote what is evil, we have God’s command to testify to the truth but would be hard-pressed to find a command of God to take up arms against them.

In my opinion, it would be better to pursue a path of objecting to and refusing to obey laws that run contrary to God’s Word and willingly suffering the consequences (we have Biblical examples of this). We have in God’s commandments the right to defend ourselves and others against evildoers who would take life and property from us, but I don’t see any authorization in the Bible for us as individuals to take the law into our own hands and use force to punish evildoers or overthrow rulers.

Also, in my opinion, should one legitimate government entity separate itself from another or be attacked by another, or should a new government be established and replace another, Christians may take up arms in service of a legitimate government in defense thereof.

It should not be surprising to us that human governments would oppose God and His Word and persecute the faithful (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12-13; John 15:18ff.; Matt. 5:10-12; Psalm 2; Rev. 11).

In all this, it is wise to remember where your true home is, where Jesus is even now preparing a place for you that He might come again and take you to Himself (cf. John 14:1-6).

In closing, I think of the words of a hymn by Thomas R. Taylor, written in the early 1800s, “I’m But a Stranger Here, Heav’n is My Home,” LSB # 748:

1 I’m but a stranger here, Heav’n is my home;
Earth is a desert drear, Heav’n is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand Round me on ev’ry hand;
Heav’n is my fatherland, Heav’n is my home.

2 What though the tempest rage, Heav’n is my home;
Short is my pilgrimage, Heav’n is my home;
And time’s wild wintry blast Soon shall be overpast;
I shall reach home at last, Heav’n is my home.

3 Therefore I murmur not, Heav’n is my home;
Whate’er my earthly lot, Heav’n is my home;
And I shall surely stand There at my Lord’s right hand;
Heav’n is my fatherland, Heav’n is my home.

Thomas R. Taylor, 1807–35, Public domain

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.]

Taking the twelve, He said, “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished, for He will be handed over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and put Him to death, and on the third day He will rise again.” They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what was spoken. Luke 18:31-34

If Jesus had not died for our sins and risen again, you and I could not be saved. It is as the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth (1 Cor. 15:17-19): “If Christ is not raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then they also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

Though Jesus told His disciples this, they did not understand. In fact, even after Jesus had died on the cross and risen again, they failed to understand; so, “He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and accordingly it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:44-47).

And many remain blind to this truth today, as well. They imagine that the cross was unnecessary and think that they can merit their own salvation by following the examples left for us by Jesus. For them, it really doesn’t matter if Jesus died on the cross and rose again bodily on the third day — His death was only an unfortunate end of Jesus’ life. They believe Christ lives on if we carry His love and concern for the poor and downtrodden into our age by following His example of meeting the physical needs of the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the blind.

Though Christ had perfect love for His neighbor and indeed met the physical needs of those who came to Him, that’s not the most important reason for His coming. He came into this world to save sinners (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15); and, to save sinners, it was necessary for Him to be mocked, scourged, beaten, crucified, and buried, and then to rise again from the dead on the third day. This is what the prophets had said He would do, and this is what was necessary to redeem us from our sin and the death we so deserve.

And this is what the Scriptures promised. He was the Seed of the woman who crushed the head of the serpent but was bruised in His heel (Gen. 3:15). He is the promised Son of David who would redeem Israel from all his iniquities (Ps. 130:7-8). He is the Lord God Himself in human flesh and blood that He might take our place under the law and fulfill it perfectly for us and then suffer and die upon the cross to bear our iniquities (Isa. 53; Ps. 22).

“His visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isa. 52:14). “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way, but the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6). Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “In Him we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; He has put him to grief. If he made himself as an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, and the good pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the anguish of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge My righteous servant shall justify the many, for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:10-11).

It was necessary for the promised Messiah, the Christ, to suffer and die for the sins of the world and to rise again on the third day; and it is necessary “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations” that we might place our faith in Him and be saved!

We thank You, O Christ, for going to the cross, bearing our sins, and redeeming us to God. Open our eyes to see and believe that we may take comfort in You and the redemption You have provided for us with Your shed blood. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.]

Jesus, I will ponder now

1 Jesus, I will ponder now
On Your holy passion;
With Your Spirit me endow
For such meditation.
Grant that I in love and faith
May the image cherish
Of Your suff’ring, pain, and death
That I may not perish.

2 Make me see Your great distress,
Anguish, and affliction,
Bonds and stripes and wretchedness
And Your crucifixion;
Make me see how scourge and rod,
Spear and nails did wound You,
How for them You died, O God,
Who with thorns had crowned You.

3 Yet, O Lord, not thus alone
Make me see Your passion,
But its cause to me make known
And its termination.
Ah! I also and my sin
Wrought Your deep affliction;
This indeed the cause has been
Of Your crucifixion.

4 Grant that I Your passion view
With repentant grieving.
Let me not bring shame to You
By unholy living.
How could I refuse to shun
Ev’ry sinful pleasure
Since for me God’s only Son
Suffered without measure?

5 If my sins give me alarm
And my conscience grieve me,
Let Your cross my fear disarm;
Peace of conscience give me.
Help me see forgiveness won
By Your holy passion.
If for me He slays His Son,
God must have compassion!

6 Graciously my faith renew;
Help me bear my crosses,
Learning humbleness from You,
Peace mid pain and losses.
May I give You love for love!
Hear me, O my Savior,
That I may in heav’n above
Sing Your praise forever.

Sigismund von Birken, 1626–81; tr. August Crull, 1845–1923, alt. Public domain
JESU KREUZ, LEIDEN UND PEIN 76 76 D Is. 53:3–6 ; John 3:16 ; Rom. 12:1–2 ; 1 John 4:19
Concordia Publishing House. Lutheran Service Book: Text Edition (Kindle Locations 17203-17212). Kindle Edition.

“You have taken Him, who was handed over to you by the ordained counsel and foreknowledge of God, and by lawless hands have crucified and killed Him.” Acts 2:23

Who killed Jesus? Who is responsible for His crucifixion and death?

Was it the chief priests and scribes who plotted Jesus’ arrest and handed Him over, demanding He be crucified? Was it Judas who betrayed Jesus? Was it Peter and the disciples who denied and forsook Him? Was it Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers who condemned Jesus and carried out His execution on the cross?

The Scriptures tells us: “You have taken Him, who was handed over to you by the ordained counsel and foreknowledge of God, and by lawless hands have crucified and killed Him.”

And so, who killed Jesus? Was it the men of Israel addressed by Peter in his Pentecost sermon? Many lay the blame on the Jews even yet to this day for rejecting their Messiah and having Him crucified.

But the Scriptures make it clear who killed Jesus. It was you! It was me! You and I are the cause of the condemnation of this just and righteous man. He was holy and without sin. Yet, we caused His condemnation and death with our sin!

As the Scriptures say, Jesus was “handed over to you by the ordained counsel and foreknowledge of God.” We read in Isaiah 53:5-6: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way, but the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The hymn verse from “Jesus, I will Ponder Now” expresses it so well: “Ah! I also and my sin wrought Thy deep affliction; this indeed the cause hath been of Thy crucifixion.”

Yes, you and I killed Jesus! He died not because of any fault of His own. He went to the cross and died to atone for your sins and for mine — for the sins of all (cf. 1 John 2:1-2)!

But the beautiful part in it all is that He paid in full for all our sins and rose victorious! Because He took our punishment and bore our condemnation, we have pardon and forgiveness from God when we repent of our sinful ways and look to Jesus in faith; and, in Jesus, we have the certain hope of life everlasting!

Dear Lord Jesus, I am guilty. It was my sin that brought about Your agony on the cross, Your condemnation, Your death. In love, You willing bore my sin and suffered my punishment that I might be pardoned, forgiven and have life everlasting through faith in Your name. Grant that I turn from my sins to You in faith and received the blessings You won for me and all by Your innocent sufferings and death. Amen.

[Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.]

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in nor steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Where is your heart? Is it in this world, or in the next? If you want to find out where your heart is, look at where your treasures are! If we live and work to amass things and riches here in this world, our hearts too are in the world.

But what does Jesus say? “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in nor steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

When our treasures are in this world, we are filled with care and concern about maintaining them, preventing loss or damage, and even insuring them against theft and destruction. Earthly treasures are temporary. Things wear out. Property is stolen. Moth and rust corrupt. When we die, we leave everything behind; and ultimately all will be destroyed by fire at Christ’s return on the Last Day.

How much wiser to have our treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust can corrupt and where thieves cannot break in and steal! Then, when this world comes to a close, we will have treasures in heaven that will never be taken away from us.

How can we do this? By using the goods of this world which the LORD God entrusts to us to do His work and bring Him glory! Why treasure what we cannot keep when we could use the temporal to gain treasures which are eternal?

Indeed, God has given us all that we have that we might use it in a way that brings Him glory and honor and which furthers the work of His eternal kingdom here in this world. It dishonors Him when we selfishly treasure up this world’s goods for ourselves and our own sinful goals and ambitions.

The Lord Jesus laid down His very life in this world that He might win for us forgiveness of sins and the everlasting joys of heaven. As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ and citizens of heaven, our faith and hope will move us to part with earthly treasures that we might have eternal treasures awaiting us when we join our Savior in the mansions of His Father’s house. In fact, if we cling tightly to the goods of this world, it is evidence that we are not clinging tightly to Christ our Savior; for He bids us walk with Him, serve the needs of our fellowman, and lay down all for His kingdom.

Dear Lord Jesus, in mercy and compassion, You gave up the goods of this world to help those in need; and You willingly laid down Your life to bear the punishment for my sins and make me Your own. Forgive me for clinging too tightly to the goods of this world instead of clinging tightly to You and following in Your steps. Lead me in the way everlasting for the sake of Your holy and precious blood shed for my salvation. Amen.

[Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.]