In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
All
that the mortal eye beholds
Is
water as we pour it.
Before
the eye of faith unfolds
The
pow'r of Jesus' merit.
For
here it sees the crimson flood
To
all our ills bring healing;
The
wonders of His precious blood
The
love of God revealing,
Assuring
His own pardon (LSB 406.7).
How
well Luther unfolds the tension between what we see and what we
receive in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism! The eye sees one thing, and
yet the soul receives something quite different, quite a bit better.
And what a joy it is for us to have this precious grace simply wash
over us, purely out of God's grace.
But
in order to enjoy the cleansing and regenerating Bath, you must see
it for what it is. All that the mortal eye beholds is water being
poured. All that the world sees is someone spouting a few pious
platitudes and walking away with a wet head. Foolishness of the
highest degree, the world says, to think that a bit of damp on your
head could do anything more than muss up your hair.
Even
other Christians scoff to think that one might hold to Baptism as
much more than a sign of obedience or an act of one's personal
confession. John Calvin taught that Baptism is simply a token or
proof of one's initiation into the Church.
Many
so-called evangelicals today consider Baptism merely an outward sign.
Man does the work, and so it must be a human work. Human works do not
save; therefore Baptism does not save. It is necessary because Jesus
commanded it, but it is only a sign of one's personal dedication to
Christ. As such, one must not receive Baptism until one is of
sufficient maturity to articulate what this act signifies. “All
that the mortal eye beholds is water as we pour it.”
And
this is not the only thing which the mortal eye beholds. Who is it
that the eye beholds in today's Gospel lesson? John the Baptist. The
Jews come out to him at the Jordan, and they cannot figure him out.
He preaches as one having authority, but who gave it to him? Who is
this man, and from where has he come? They see a crazy man, but they
hear the voice of God. When they question him, his answer: “The
voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the
Lord!'” John seems to be a lunatic, a bruised reed shaking in the
wind, a clanging cymbal or a gonging drum.
And
who is this who comes out to meet him? Another mere man. Jesus
Bar-Joseph, the only son of the Nazarene carpenter. We know you, the
Jews will taunt Him – we know your brothers and your father and
where you grew up. What have you to do with us? What is so special
about you that we should esteem you?
John
knows who this Man is, but yet has his thinking mixed up. Jesus comes
to John to be baptized, and John knows that this is the One greater
than him. Jesus is the one whose sandals John is unworthy to untie,
and He wants John to baptize Him. “I need to be baptized
by you, and do you come to me?”
This is not what this scene should look like, to the mortal eye.
Of
course, when one looks upon Jesus, all that the mortal eye beholds is
human flesh and blood, the son of Mary and Joseph. He is a human
being, possessed of body and soul, eyes, ears, and all His members,
His reason and all His senses. He hungers and thirsts, laughs and
cries.
So
it is likewise no surprise that when the mortal eye beholds His
Sacrament of the Altar, it beholds merely bread and wine. All that
the mortal eye beholds is a bit of food, to be piously munched, then
treated by the body as any other food. It may be called a memorial of
the Lord's work for us, but it is merely bread and wine. All that the
mortal eye beholds is wine as we pour.
Perhaps
one very important place where “all that the mortal eye beholds”
is not all that is there is when you see a person who is suffering.
Mental, physical, emotional, financial – it makes no difference
what sort of suffering the person is enduring. In your life, you have
and will continue to encounter people who are suffering in one way or
another. It might be the widow in the pew across from you grieving
the loss of her husband. It might be the person on the next street
who is suffering the effects of addiction. It might be the child who
suffers the effects of instability and dysfunction in the home.
Perhaps
the person suffering in your life is unknown to you. It may be
someone you see regularly, speak with often. And she wants her
suffering to go away, her longing for peace to be fulfilled, her
guilt to be turned to joy. But the Lord permits her to suffer. Why?
All
that the mortal eye beholds is someone suffering. Suffering is awful
– no one likes to suffer, for any reason. It is all the more
distressing when it seems like there is no reason, when the suffering
simply piles on the head of one person over and over. And so the
mortal eye sees someone with a problem in need of a solution. To make
the person better/happier, the suffering must be taken away.
So
if the goal is to alleviate suffering, any means necessary justify
the end. Whether it be destroying another human life in the quest for
happiness. Whether it be granting the so-called “right to die” to
a person in pain. Whether it be shoving the sufferer off to the
fringes and making her someone else's problem.
But
these are all evidences that what the mortal eye beholds is not the
whole story. What is the whole story? John asks Jesus, “I
need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
John knows that he is sinful. He knows that he has been angry, that
he has despised his opponents instead of loving them, that he has
been lustful and prideful and lazy. He knows all this, because he
knows the Law. And he knows the One who has come to fulfill the Law.
But
he learns, as you must also, not to despise the weak nor discount the
frail and faulty evidence before your mortal eyes.
Do
not despise the blessings of the holy Font, because although the
mortal eye sees only water as we pour it, the eye of faith beholds
the blessed flood flowing from the pierced side of Christ, flowing
from His cross and passion out through the world, and into this
blessed laver, to cover you in the forgiveness of sins, wash you
clean not just of dirt but of the uncleanness of your soul, and to
bring the curse of the Law upon you to a watery end.
Do
not despise the man who stands in front of you and speaks with the
voice of the prophets and apostles. Although the mortal eye sees only
some poor fool in fancy robes spouting a bunch of pious-sounding
nonsense, the eye of faith beholds the Man of God, greatly beloved,
called and ordained for the purpose of delivering to you the faith
once given to the saints, the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins, the joys of heaven which have been promised
by our Lord Himself to come through this poor sinful man.
Do
not despise the bread and wine which stand before you on the Altar of
the Lord. Although the mortal eye sees only a crummy snack, not even
that great tasting, the eye of faith beholds the Lord of Hosts
Himself laid out for you to eat and drink, the Lamb of God sacrificed
for you, for the forgiveness of your sins, the Bread of Life and the
Cup of Blessing in which there can be no harm to those who believe
our Lord's Word.
Do
not despise those who suffer in this world. For although the mortal
eye sees only someone weak, poor, distressed, and dying, the eye of
faith beholds Christ Jesus our Lord wrapped in human flesh and blood.
“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least
of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
The mortal eye sees the face of someone in misery, but the eye of
faith sees the face of Christ, the One who needs no service, but who
commands you to love and serve this, the least of His brethren.
Do
not despise what your mortal eye sees, because you shall see with the
eye of faith that you are the weak, the insignificant, the
irrational, the unexplainable, the foolish, the sufferer. You are the
sinner. You are the one for whom Christ Jesus our Lord was born and
died. And you are the one for whom our Lord rose again, to give one
such as you eternal life and salvation.
Today,
Christ our Lord comes to the Jordan, to enter the waters and be
baptized by John, in order to fulfill all righteousness. He comes not
just to John, but He comes to you. He comes to be baptized into your
Baptism, in order that you may be baptized into Him. St. Cyril of
Jerusalem had this to say about Jesus' Baptism:
Jesus
sanctified Baptism by being Himself baptized. If the Son of God
was baptized, what godly man is he that despiseth Baptism? But
He was baptized not that He might receive remission of sins, for He
was sinless; but being sinless, He was baptized, that He might give
to them that are baptized a divine and excellent grace.
For since
the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself
likewise partook of the same,
that having been made partakers of His presence in the flesh we
might be made partakers also of His Divine grace: thus Jesus
was baptized, that thereby we again by our participation might
receive both salvation and honour. According to Job, there was
in the waters the dragon that draweth
up Jordan into his mouth.
Since, therefore, it was necessary to break the heads of the dragon
in pieces, He went down and bound the strong one in the waters, that
we might receive power to tread
upon serpents and scorpions.
The beast was great and terrible. No
fishing-vessel was able to carry one scale of his tail:
destruction ran before him,
ravaging all that met him. The Life encountered him, that the
mouth of Death might henceforth be stopped, and all we that are saved
might say, O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is drawn by Baptism.
Jesus
makes all fonts holy and blessed baths of washing and regeneration by
His having entered into the waters for you. The mortal eye sees only
water, but the eye of faith sees Christ in that water, drowning your
old sinful nature and uniting you to Himself, that just as He was
crucified and raised from the dead, so too are you dead and buried to
sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And
although this great and wondrous work is hidden from the mortal eyes
of the world, it is by no means a hidden thing. For when Christ our
Lord comes to baptize a person into Himself, He does not come alone.
No, He brings with Him the angels and archangels and all the company
of heaven. He brings with Him the prayers of all the saints in heaven
and on earth for the preservation of the faith given to the one newly
washed. He brings with Him the Holy Spirit, whom He bestows on you,
who are clothed with the white robe of Christ's righteousness and
marked with the Name of God upon you.
Baptism
is the possession of Christ, and a possession of the Church because
our Lord gives it. And so are you. You are the possession of Christ,
because you are baptized into Him, and you are likewise baptized into
His Church. You are not alone, despite what your mortal eye may see,
but the eye of faith beholds the great cloud of witnesses surrounding
you, praying for you, worshiping with you. You are God's own child!
Gladly proclaim it to the devil, the world, and whatever may tempt
you: You are baptized into Christ! It is no longer you who live, but
Christ lives in you, now and forever.
In
the Name of Jesus. Amen.
