"All That the Eye Beholds"

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.¹

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.

1Lecture III: On Baptism, para. 11. NPNF2:7.16-17