"And it happened as He approached to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging." (Luke 8:35)
Please read the full Gospel text: St. Luke 18:31-43
Please read the full Gospel text: St. Luke 18:31-43
In the name of Jesus. Amen. On Quinquagesima Sunday, we find ourselves exactly fifty days from Easter Sunday. Does that mean that our Lord Jesus has only Easter on His mind?
No, Jesus has Jerusalem on His mind. Before Easter, He is going up to Jerusalem, completing all things written by the prophets about the Son of Man. He will be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, insulted, and spit upon. Then, they will beat Him with a whip and murder Him.
On the third day after the Cross, there is Easter. But without the Cross -- without Jesus dying for you and me -- Easter does us no good. Everything depends on the Cross, on Jesus dying in Jerusalem for sinners. When Jesus dies on Good Friday, He wins salvation for you and me, and rescues us from everything that might ever harm us.
The problem is that I don’t believe His Word. Instead, I worry about how I will stand before God. I wonder how I can fix the things I’ve done: evil things, dreadful thoughts, and terrible deeds. I have good days when I feel closer to God, and bad days where I look around and wonder where He is. You know what I mean, don’t you? You have the same thoughts and the same days.
What makes matters worse is that we still decide to get better. We resolve to start doing this or that, maybe even to give up this or that for Lent. We’ll do anything to get ourselves out of the bad situation we are in with God.
Dr. Luther once said that the Lord gives only into empty hands. Lent is the season in which Jesus clears away all the things that we cling to besides Him. Lent isn't a self-improvement season, it's the season where our Lord empties our hands so that He can fill them with His gifts. He gives us His forgiveness for our sins, His eternal life for our death, His righteousness for our unrighteousness.
The Lord showed His love for a blind beggar today by opening his eyes. That’s what Jesus does, He saves. He takes all that He won for us on the Cross and He makes it ours in the waters of our Baptism. Faith receives the Word of God, the promise of the Gospel in the water, and we are saved. Faith is receiving gifts from Jesus.
Christ loves the beggar and He loves us, and so we also love the ones He puts in our way. We don’t love them to earn love from Him, but because we are loved by God, we love those He has given us – mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, neighbor, and co-worker. As He showed His love for us on the Cross, so we too give ourselves for those He has given us.
Remember Jesus headed for Jerusalem as the Lord empties your hands in preparation for Lent. He’s going to the Cross to die for us. Then, in fifty days, we will rejoice in His resurrection. But first for Jesus, there is the Cross for you and for me. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Be Thou my strong Rock; for an house of defense to save me. Thou art my Rock and my Fortress; therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Thy righteousness. (Ps. 31:1-3 – Introit for Quinquagesima)
Other readings this week
Isaiah 35:3-7
1 Corinthians 13
St. Luke 18:31-43
Higher Things Reflections are written by Rev. George F. Borghardt III, Assistant Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX.