Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10 | James 5:7-11 | Matthew 11:2-15
Text: Matthew 11:2-15
The theme for this Sunday is JOY – Historically the first word heard was “Gaudete!” (Latin for Rejoice) – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)
But in the Gospel we have a picture of persecution and uncertainty. John is in prison for preaching the Law to Herod about his brother’s wife. John knew that he was the one crying in the wilderness, but had he prepared the right way of the Lord? Was there another whose coming would be seemingly more successful?
Where is the joy at the coming of the Lord? It’s there, but it’s hidden from the world in signs that only faith can acknowledge—“the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” The world and the people of the world cannot bear this, even though it’s such joyous news. For them it is a threat. The Kingdom of heaven is invading their territory. They would rather hold onto the signs that their kingdom has come—sexual immorality, debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, factions, envy, and drunkenness.[1] But the Kingdom of heaven comes and threatens to end all of that—to dethrone Satan and us and lords and let God once again rule.
Even during Jesus’ ministry this war of Kingdoms led to persecution for the faithful. We too live in a time of persecution. Faithful Christians are being edged out of society and government by a world that would rather throw us in prison than hear us preach against their lawless deeds. Church membership is on the decline as love grows cold and the hunger for God and His Word are filled with earthly amusements and pleasure. Where’s the joy?
Because this is what our eyes see, doubts arise for us just as they did for John and his disciples. There are so many religious “options” out there. So many varieties of Christianity that don’t seem so hardline—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”[2]
Many Christians in America are encouraged—even emboldened—by news of revivals and of people turning back to God. Turning Point USA had a noticeable impact, and the murder of Charlie Kirk had an impact on how seriously people took their belonging to Christ and what a conscientious faith may look like in the civil realm. News of different groups of people coming to church in droves is exciting news. But we ought to be careful to not let this news make us disregard the reality of the Church militant, the Body of Christ living in a sin-filled world.
The joy of Christ’s coming is there, no matter what societal trends do. The joy of the Lord is there, even when the world wars against believers. The joy isn’t in the persecutions & doubts, but it exists in spite of them. The joy of Christ’s Advent is in the works which only Christ can do, just as it was in the time of John the Baptist. The Kingdom of heaven continues to come in signs that only the faithful—those who have ears to hear—can recognize. “In this Christian Church, the Holy Spirit richly and daily forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day, He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”[3]
Even though this is such earth-shattering good news to us who believe, the world will have none of it. They call us stupid for following ancient writings and a Man we’ve haven’t met face to face. They call us haters for believing that human sexuality is defined by our Creator. They say we’re hypocrites, uneducated, and misled by corrupt leaders. Where is our joy? It’s in our Savior who has given us eyes to see Him and ears to hear and receive His Word.
The sinful heart cannot endure this. But where is the world’s joy at the end of life? Is their joy to be had in personal annihilation? Where is joy when Christ comes again in glory? Will not those same scoffers cry out for mercy, but find none? On that Great Day, their kingdom and their fleeting joy will vanish. All the power and influence, the praise of men and rich feasts, all the hope of a limitless future will melt away. The winter festivals, comfort in consumerism, and fleeting satisfaction with food and drink will all vanish in a moment.
But for all who are in the Kingdom of heaven, our joy will never cease! At our Lord’s second Advent, our Kingdom will not just be for spiritual hearts to see. When our Redeemer stands on the earth, we shall see God in our flesh and our eyes shall behold Him.[4] All the sorrow that now stifles and chokes our joy will be erased—sin will be no more, the devil will be condemned eternally, and death—that terrible foe who constantly robs us of our family and friends and fills our nights with weeping—will give up all whom it has taken.
Such transformation we cannot now imagine, but we hope in the faithful Word of our God, who said through Isaiah:
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes...
10 the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
This is your hope, and it will be our joy—together with all the saints—when our Lord returns in glory. Until then, know that He has not forgotten us, even as He did not forget John. He gives us these visible, tangible assurances that He is truly with us always, even until the Great Day of His return!’
In the Name + of Jesus.
[1] A selection from Galatians 5:19-21
[2] 1 John 2:15
[3] Small Catechism, Creed, 3rd Article
[4] Job 19:25-26
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