Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 44:21-45:13; Revelation 12:1-17
Christmas Eve Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 1:18-25
”The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)
That's Moses talking, Moses of Mt. Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai) and the Ten Commandments. Yikes! Maybe Sunday's Old Testament lesson is telling us that tonight isn't such good news, after all. If Jesus is just another Moses, repeating what God said at Mt. Horeb, what good is He to sinners condemned by the law?
Ah, did you not pay attention to yesterday's Old Testament lesson? Moses said that This Prophet, Whom God Himself would raise from our midst, Who would be born as one of us, from our own flesh and blood, would speak to us all that which we desired from God when He spoke to us at Mt. Horeb. Well, what did we desire then? That He would not speak to us so frighteningly (Exodus 20:18-19)! His law was severe, hard, demanding, and thus utterly condemning. Whoever touched that mount on which God spoke His law, covered as it was with smoke, lightning and thunder, perished. At Mt. Horeb, we all perish. That is, under the law, we all perish.
But, tonight, no one perishes! For tonight, we are given the gospel. Tonight, we are left with: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Hear the angels say tonight, “Fear not!”
Dear sinner, if the law causes us so much doubt, worry and fear, can it really save us (Galatians 3:19-27)? The law can only save if we love it, welcome it with open arms, cherish every last bit of it, and therefore keep it perfectly, with all our hearts. Alas, when God spoke His Law to us, He had to use a mediator to speak it: His servant Moses. Far from welcoming it, we fear it.
And so we should. The law shows us our sin. It shows you what your parents show you when they make commands. They command you, “Clean your room!” Why? Because it's a mess. They command you, “Do your homework!” Why? Because you need to. They command you, “Play nice with others!” Why? Because you aren't. In every command is the accusation: I'm telling you this because I don't see it in you. So it is with God's commands at Mt. Horeb — they accuse and condemn everyone: “I don't see it in you” (Romans 3:20). Scary stuff!
What a different doctrine the gospel is! There are no commands tonight. That is why no mediator is necessary. The Son of God, born of Mary, is Himself the Mediator, now. God Himself comes to you and says: Fear not. You can touch this mount, even My Body and Blood tonight, and not perish! For with the gospel you get what you desire: God's salvation.