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Genesis 22:1-14 Hebrews 9:11-15 St. John 8:42-59 March 26, 2023 +INJ+ AMEN. In 1972, Monty Python’s Flying Circus recorded a skit called “Argument Clinic.” As it goes, a man, played by Michael Palin, is looking for an argument. So, Palin went to the office for just that thing. He pays his money and proceeds to the specialist. Palin opens the door to John Cleese and asks, “Is this the right room for an argument?” “I told you once,” Cleese replies. “No, you didn’t.” “Yes, I did.” And so on and so forth. You get the idea pretty quick. Palin and Cleese don’t actually argue. They simply go back and forth with yes-no-yes-no statements. The skit has been used by many to show precisely how not to argue. Why? Because the skit exhibits zero critical thinking skills. That’s what makes it funny. Its easy to argue when you do nothing more than say “Yes, it is,” or “No, it isn’t.” Its easy. Its funny. But its not productive. Our Gospel reading from St. John presents us with an argument between Jesus and the Jews. Its not nearly so entertaining as Monty Python, but it follows a similar path. The Jews refuse to listen to Jesus, to think critically about His miracles or message, or ultimately, to believe that He is the Son of God. As they do this, they come up with three attacks against Jesus. The first comes right before our Gospel reading. “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God” (John 8:41). They have an implicit accusation here. “We aren’t born from sexual immorality, but you, Jesus, we’re not so sure. Mary was pregnant before the wedding. Joseph was a good man, but your mom, Jesus, we’ll let you draw the conclusion.” The Jews’ first accusation calls Jesus an illegitimate child. They don’t actually listen to what He says about faith, good works, or Abraham. They just attack His family, His parentage. They also make an interesting claim: “We have one Father—even God.” Earlier in John 5:18, we’re told that certain Jews were seeking to kill Jesus because He was calling God His own Father. They do the very thing they accuse Jesus of doing. Their argument fails. Jesus’ reply to the Jews does not defend His earthly parents. Instead, Jesus turns the argument back on the Jews. They claim to be children of God, but they reject the Son of God. This is a dysfunctional family, to say the least. But its even worse than that. They aren’t rival siblings. They aren’t even from the same father. “You are of your father, the devil” (John 8:44), Jesus says. Why? Because he is a liar. Jesus speaks the truth. Jesus does miracles. Jesus demonstrates that He is the longed-for Messiah and Son of God, but the Jews only reply, “No you aren’t.” They don’t argue, they only contradict and name call. “The Jews answered him, ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’” (John 8:48). Quite the names to throw around. But who were the Samaritans? In 722 BC, the northern 10 tribes of Israel were conquered and destroyed by the Assyrians. Anyone with an education, reputation, or two cents to his name was deported, enslaved, or killed. The Samaritans were the dregs left from that society. But it gets worse. The Assyrians also imported their own people to manage that region (cf. 2 Kings 17:24-40). The Samaritans intermarried with those pagan Assyrians. This is true still today that part of marriage is your faith. Where do you go to church? How do you worship? Or who do you worship? These are all questions that must still be asked and answered by husbands and wives in the 21st century. By Jesus’ days, the Jews saw the Samaritans as intermingled, both culturally and religiously. In fact, the Jews hated the Samaritans even more than Gentiles. Why? Because they had God’s Word through Moses, but they corrupted God’s Word by their lives and teaching. For the Jews to call Jesus a Samaritan was a serious accusation. Jesus invited them to evaluate critically whether His words were truth, but they only make false accusations about His life of faith and worship. Jesus responds simply. “I do not have a demon.” Good to know. Then He says this: “I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the judge” (John 8:50). What does this have to do with the Jews’ accusation? What is Jesus’ glory? Who seeks it? The Samaritans worshipped many and various gods because of their intermingling with the Assyrians. They worshipped at a place called Mt. Gerizim. This is not where God commanded the Israelites to worshipped. God told them to worship exclusively at Mt. Zion, that is, at Jerusalem. By worship, this entails sacrifices: sacrifices for sin, sacrifices of thanksgiving, and so on. Jerusalem is where the Temple is at, so that’s where the sacrifices are at. I don’t know if the Jews fully comprehended their own accusation, let alone Jesus’ reply. They accused Jesus of being someone who worships and makes sacrifices outside of Jerusalem. Well, they were right. Jesus did make His sacrifice outside of Jerusalem. On still another mountain, Mt. Calvary, Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross. In that sacrifice, Jesus became the great and eternal High Priest. As our reading from Hebrews described, Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, the new testament. Not by the blood of goats or bulls, but by His own blood. Why? So that He may sprinkle our consciences clean. Not just our heads for the sinful things we think. Not just our hand for the sinful things we do. Not just the outwards parts of our bodies as a show. Jesus sprinkles our consciences to cover every sin of thought, word, or deed. This is Jesus’ glory: His sacrifice on the cross. He does not seek it. In fact, the night before His sacrifice, Jesus prayed that that cup would pass from Him. But God the Father did not let it pass. The Father sought Jesus’ glory. The Father put forward His only beloved Son to suffer and die for all your sins. The Father substituted Jesus for you, just like God provided a ram to substitute for Isaac. The sacrifice must happen. The death must occur. But Jesus is substituted. The first accusation of the Jews was against Jesus’ parentage. The second was against His worship. The final was against His age. What a silly thing, right? “Abraham died…the prophets died…You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (John 8:52, 53, 57), they said. These Jews could not grasp who Jesus was, or should I say, is. They only saw the man in His early thirties. They heard His words and saw His miracles, but they could not accept that this man was from God let alone divine Himself. Their final accusation against Him was one of age. Jesus replies with a resounding declaration. Jesus calls Himself God. “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Jesus doesn’t reply with His age. He doesn’t say, “Before Abraham was, I was” or somehow claim to be thousands of years old. He simply says, “I AM.” Now, if you’ve heard the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3, then you’ll know that this is the name that God gave for Himself. But the Jews were terrified to use that name. In fact, Moses was so in awe and terror that He changed God’s name immediately. From the bush God said, “I AM,” and Moses wrote down and told the people, “He is;” that’s what YHWH actually translates to: “He is.” Moses and every Jew was terrified to let such a perfect and sinless name pass their sinful lips, so they never used God’s name. But then Jesus used the name. And even more, He used it for Himself. For the Jews, this was the ultimate blasphemy. The Jews recognized Jesus’ claim and picked up stones to throw at him. They were done with contradictions. They were done throwing insults. They wanted to throw something a bit more weighty. But this argument was not the hill for Jesus to die on. There was another hill, not so far away. When Jesus finally did come to that hill, just a year after our Gospel reading, He made the final and full sacrifice. In the cross, all arguments ceased. Now, we can say with St. Paul, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Rom. 8:33). In the cross, you are justified. Satan will still whisper in your ear, “yes-no-yes-no.” But don’t listen to those accusations. Jesus has paid the price in full. Jesus has taken your place of death. He has sprinkled your head with the waters of Holy Baptism to bring you into the new covenant and to give you a clear conscience. So hear God’s Word. Rejoice with Abraham and the prophets, with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven to see the day of Jesus. And praise the Lord for His great love shown to us through His Son. +INJ+ Amen. Pastor Schultz Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

Genesis 22:1-14

Hebrews 9:11-15
St. John 8:42-59

March 26, 2023

+INJ+
AMEN.

In 1972, Monty Python’s Flying Circus recorded a skit called “Argument Clinic.” As it goes, a man, played by Michael Palin, is looking for an argument. So, Palin went to the office for just that thing. He pays his money and proceeds to the specialist. Palin opens the door to John Cleese and asks, “Is this the right room for an argument?” “I told you once,” Cleese replies. “No, you didn’t.” “Yes, I did.” And so on and so forth. You get the idea pretty quick. Palin and Cleese don’t actually argue. They simply go back and forth with yes-no-yes-no statements. The skit has been used by many to show precisely how not to argue. Why? Because the skit exhibits zero critical thinking skills. That’s what makes it funny. Its easy to argue when you do nothing more than say “Yes, it is,” or “No, it isn’t.” Its easy. Its funny. But its not productive.

Our Gospel reading from St. John presents us with an argument between Jesus and the Jews. Its not nearly so entertaining as Monty Python, but it follows a similar path. The Jews refuse to listen to Jesus, to think critically about His miracles or message, or ultimately, to believe that He is the Son of God. As they do this, they come up with three attacks against Jesus.

The first comes right before our Gospel reading. “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God” (John 8:41). They have an implicit accusation here. “We aren’t born from sexual immorality, but you, Jesus, we’re not so sure. Mary was pregnant before the wedding. Joseph was a good man, but your mom, Jesus, we’ll let you draw the conclusion.” The Jews’ first accusation calls Jesus an illegitimate child. They don’t actually listen to what He says about faith, good works, or Abraham. They just attack His family, His parentage. They also make an interesting claim: “We have one Father—even God.” Earlier in John 5:18, we’re told that certain Jews were seeking to kill Jesus because He was calling God His own Father. They do the very thing they accuse Jesus of doing. Their argument fails.

Jesus’ reply to the Jews does not defend His earthly parents. Instead, Jesus turns the argument back on the Jews. They claim to be children of God, but they reject the Son of God. This is a dysfunctional family, to say the least. But its even worse than that. They aren’t rival siblings. They aren’t even from the same father. “You are of your father, the devil” (John 8:44), Jesus says. Why? Because he is a liar. Jesus speaks the truth. Jesus does miracles. Jesus demonstrates that He is the longed-for Messiah and Son of God, but the Jews only reply, “No you aren’t.” They don’t argue, they only contradict and name call.

“The Jews answered him, ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’” (John 8:48). Quite the names to throw around. But who were the Samaritans? In 722 BC, the northern 10 tribes of Israel were conquered and destroyed by the Assyrians. Anyone with an education, reputation, or two cents to his name was deported, enslaved, or killed. The Samaritans were the dregs left from that society. But it gets worse. The Assyrians also imported their own people to manage that region (cf. 2 Kings 17:24-40). The Samaritans intermarried with those pagan Assyrians. This is true still today that part of marriage is your faith. Where do you go to church? How do you worship? Or who do you worship? These are all questions that must still be asked and answered by husbands and wives in the 21st century. By Jesus’ days, the Jews saw the Samaritans as intermingled, both culturally and religiously. In fact, the Jews hated the Samaritans even more than Gentiles. Why? Because they had God’s Word through Moses, but they corrupted God’s Word by their lives and teaching.

For the Jews to call Jesus a Samaritan was a serious accusation. Jesus invited them to evaluate critically whether His words were truth, but they only make false accusations about His life of faith and worship.

Jesus responds simply. “I do not have a demon.” Good to know. Then He says this: “I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the judge” (John 8:50). What does this have to do with the Jews’ accusation? What is Jesus’ glory? Who seeks it?

The Samaritans worshipped many and various gods because of their intermingling with the Assyrians. They worshipped at a place called Mt. Gerizim. This is not where God commanded the Israelites to worshipped. God told them to worship exclusively at Mt. Zion, that is, at Jerusalem. By worship, this entails sacrifices: sacrifices for sin, sacrifices of thanksgiving, and so on. Jerusalem is where the Temple is at, so that’s where the sacrifices are at.

I don’t know if the Jews fully comprehended their own accusation, let alone Jesus’ reply. They accused Jesus of being someone who worships and makes sacrifices outside of Jerusalem. Well, they were right. Jesus did make His sacrifice outside of Jerusalem. On still another mountain, Mt. Calvary, Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross. In that sacrifice, Jesus became the great and eternal High Priest. As our reading from Hebrews described, Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, the new testament. Not by the blood of goats or bulls, but by His own blood. Why? So that He may sprinkle our consciences clean. Not just our heads for the sinful things we think. Not just our hand for the sinful things we do. Not just the outwards parts of our bodies as a show. Jesus sprinkles our consciences to cover every sin of thought, word, or deed.

This is Jesus’ glory: His sacrifice on the cross. He does not seek it. In fact, the night before His sacrifice, Jesus prayed that that cup would pass from Him. But God the Father did not let it pass. The Father sought Jesus’ glory. The Father put forward His only beloved Son to suffer and die for all your sins. The Father substituted Jesus for you, just like God provided a ram to substitute for Isaac. The sacrifice must happen. The death must occur. But Jesus is substituted.

The first accusation of the Jews was against Jesus’ parentage. The second was against His worship. The final was against His age. What a silly thing, right? “Abraham died…the prophets died…You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (John 8:52, 53, 57), they said. These Jews could not grasp who Jesus was, or should I say, is. They only saw the man in His early thirties. They heard His words and saw His miracles, but they could not accept that this man was from God let alone divine Himself. Their final accusation against Him was one of age.

Jesus replies with a resounding declaration. Jesus calls Himself God. “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Jesus doesn’t reply with His age. He doesn’t say, “Before Abraham was, I was” or somehow claim to be thousands of years old. He simply says, “I AM.” Now, if you’ve heard the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3, then you’ll know that this is the name that God gave for Himself. But the Jews were terrified to use that name. In fact, Moses was so in awe and terror that He changed God’s name immediately. From the bush God said, “I AM,” and Moses wrote down and told the people, “He is;” that’s what YHWH actually translates to: “He is.” Moses and every Jew was terrified to let such a perfect and sinless name pass their sinful lips, so they never used God’s name. But then Jesus used the name. And even more, He used it for Himself. For the Jews, this was the ultimate blasphemy.

The Jews recognized Jesus’ claim and picked up stones to throw at him. They were done with contradictions. They were done throwing insults. They wanted to throw something a bit more weighty. But this argument was not the hill for Jesus to die on. There was another hill, not so far away. When Jesus finally did come to that hill, just a year after our Gospel reading, He made the final and full sacrifice. In the cross, all arguments ceased.

Now, we can say with St. Paul, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Rom. 8:33). In the cross, you are justified. Satan will still whisper in your ear, “yes-no-yes-no.” But don’t listen to those accusations. Jesus has paid the price in full. Jesus has taken your place of death. He has sprinkled your head with the waters of Holy Baptism to bring you into the new covenant and to give you a clear conscience. So hear God’s Word. Rejoice with Abraham and the prophets, with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven to see the day of Jesus. And praise the Lord for His great love shown to us through His Son.

+INJ+

Amen.

Pastor Schultz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office

Pastor Schultz Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas

Pastor Schultz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas