Trinity 19

Matthew 9:1-8 - Trinity XIX - October 6, 2013

How Can Faith Do Such Great Thing?

Baptism saves.  That little girl just received the forgiveness of all her sins.  In that font right there she was forgiven the original sin, which she inherited through me, her earthly father;   at the same time she was forgiven whatever other sin she might have committed since the moment she was conceived.  Now, of course, only God could possibly be a witness to these things—either to her sinful nature or any actual sins.  She’s just a baby.  She’s a sinner for sure – yeah – but certainly I haven’t seen it.  We know it’s true, however, not because we see it, but because God says it.  For now it remains an article of faith that such a sweet little child made of sugar and spice could in reality be a poor wretched sinner in need of God’s mercy.

But, you know, in good time it will hardly take faith to admit it.  Before we know it, she’ll be acting like her older sisters, who, although very sweet, from time to time blatantly disobey us and exhibit a selfishness that is unmistakably sin.  Before the eyes of her parents and those around her, maybe even before you, she will prove her need for what she already needs and what each one of us continues to need today: it is the need for a Savior.  And in Baptism, that’s what we get.  Right there, God delivered little Sophia Dorothy from real enemies – from our enemies – from death and from the power of the devil – by washing her sin away.  To her, and to all who believe this, God gives eternal salvation through water and the word.  How do we know this?  Well how do we know anything?  God says it.  The word and promises of God declare it: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16).  Baptism saves. 

Baptism meets our greatest and most urgent need.  And to think that we would have been completely oblivious to this need of hers had God’s word not informed us of it.  In order to see what we ought to see – whether it be in a child or in ourselves – we need to listen to what God says.  Faith depends not on what we understand, but on God’s word.  The God who teaches us our need for the forgiveness of our sins is the very same God who grants us forgiveness.  That’s why we take it so seriously when Jesus welcomes little children to himself by commanding us to baptize them.  He exposes their need in the same place that he fills their need. 

Some people won’t baptize babies.  By refusing to do so, not only do they deny the child’s need for what Baptism gives, but they also deny the power of God’s word to give it.  By denying these 2 things, they seriously misunderstand the nature of Christian faith.  And yet it is in their misdirected effort to defend the principle of “faith alone” that they fall into this terrible error.  What a sad irony. 

“How can water do such great things?” they say. “It is faith that saves, not water.”   How do we even respond to this?  Well, we learn from the Catechism how to give a thoroughly biblical answer:

How can water do such great things?

Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water, does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water.  For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism.  But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.

The power of Baptism is in the word of Jesus.  Baptism doesn’t save us apart from the faith that holds onto Jesus’ promise.   It saves us because it has Jesus’ promise.  Baptism is not an addition to the gospel.  It is the gospel.  Baptism is God’s work.  It saves because Jesus saves.  Babies need to be saved.  They need faith in Jesus.  Faith saves, not because it is so noble or courageous a work, but because it trusts the word that Jesus speaks. 

Of course we believe that we are saved by faith alone.  That’s why we love Baptism so much!  It creates the very faith it requires.  In Baptism, God gives our faith something certain to hold onto – something outside of us – something untainted by our best efforts and worst failures – something that remains pure even when we have sinned – something that purifies even the most defiled sinner.  The promise is not far away.  It is not for someone else.  It is for you.  It is in your Baptism.  You cannot pit faith and Baptism against each other, because faith receives what Baptism gives, and Baptism gives what our faith needs.  That’s why Jesus instituted it. 

He knows what we need better than we do.  And this is not simply because he can see our thoughts (although he can), but because he took these thoughts, and even the deeds that follow, into himself as our Substitute under the law.  Who could know your need for mercy more intimately than him who made your sin his own?  The almighty God sent forth his eternal Word, by whom he made all things, in order also to redeem all things to himself.  The Son of God took on human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, in order to become the first truly innocent baby and the first truly righteous man.  His holy life he lived for us; his bitter death he died for us; and by his resurrection he destroyed our sin and death forever.  It is this Jesus who gave us Baptism.  And it is to this death and resurrection that his Baptism unites us. 

Our Baptism defines our life.  Like physical birth, it is a one-time event.  But it has lifelong significance.  We confess in the Small Catechism,

[Baptism] indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever, as St. Paul says in Romans chapter 6, “We were therefore buried with Christ through Baptism into death, so that just Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” 

Baptism indicates a life of constant repentance – a constant turning away from sin, and turning toward God who washes our sin away for Jesus’ sake.  That’s what Baptism indicates.  But Baptism doesn’t just indicate or symbolize something without giving it.  No.  The life we need, the life that we are called to live, was made ours when we were first clothed in the righteous obedience of Jesus. 

What does this life look like? —this life of faith?  I suppose that this little girl here is about as good an image of faith as there is.  She exhibits no doubt or resistance, but lies there in the protective arms of her mother with implicit confidence in her father.  What faith!  She simply receives, and all things beneficial are hers.  How long will this last? —this picture of faith?  —this innocence? 

Well, what does your life look like?  Are you the iconic image of faith?  Do you doubt?  Do you resist God’s word?  Do you straight up disobey it or treat it as a light thing?  Do you daily “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires”?  Or does your old self keep coming back?  Do you continue to do the very things that brought you to your knees before?  Do you feed desires that you have drowned so many times already?  Are you lazy?  Do you covet?  Do you judge, hate, or gossip, thinking evil in your hearts?  Do you give opportunity to the devil?  If you do, you’d better believe that he will take that opportunity.  If you have sinned, if your life is not the image of sanctity and purity, if your innocence is not as apparent as this newborn’s, then know with certainty that the devil takes advantage.  He seeks to do you harm. 

But in your Baptism, you renounced him – all his works and all his ways.  You were born bound to his lies.  But God freed you, and gave you a new birth.  He made you his own child and clothed you in the robe of Christ’s righteousness.  God relied on no infant power to make you his, and he relies on no power of yours to keep you his.  But your powerlessness is upsetting, when by your own fault you are left without a leg to lean on.  But you don’t need a leg to lean on.  You need the word of Jesus. 

If you want to see the iconic image of faith, don’t look at the seeming innocence of that girl there.  Look to her utter helplessness. 

They brought to him a friend of theirs.  He was paralyzed – helpless.  They loved their friend.  St. Mark records for us that they lowered him through the roof because of the thickness of the crowd.  They couldn’t get through.  Certainly their friend was even more incapable.  But he needed Jesus.  That was that. 

And what did Jesus see?  He saw faith.  But what did he see?  This courage, this daring, this bold move — what was it?   It was a reliance on nothing other than the compassion of Jesus who was able to help.  Whatever power they exerted to bring their friend to Jesus earned them nothing.  But it was exerted for the sake of him who freely gave.  No different from the power exerted to bring this baby to the waters of Baptism.  Their faith – our faith – was in the power of Jesus’ word.  And Jesus helped. 

What did the man need?  Jesus mocks the wrong answer.  Does this man need to walk?  Well, no kidding.  But is that what renders him so miserable?  Or does he need peace with God?  Yes, that’s right.  Despite what any fool could conclude about the man’s paralysis, Jesus saw a deeper need – a need he sees in every child born a sinner: “Take heart, child.  Your sins are forgiven.” 

The scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy.  “He takes God’s name in vain.  Only God can forgive sins.”  By despising the power of Jesus to do what only God can do, they despised also the great need that the poor paralytic had.  In so doing, by despising these 2 things, they seriously misunderstood the nature of saving faith. 

Saving faith trusts in the word of God in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Saving faith finds this word wherever Jesus makes a promise.  We find Jesus’ word in the waters of Baptism that claim us as God’s children.  We find Jesus’ word in the absolution we hear.  But of course, the age-old skeptics echo their objection: “How can a man do such great things?” 

And how do we respond?  We give a thoroughly biblical answer: 

Certainly not just a man, but the Word of God made flesh does these things, along with the faith which trusts the word of God that Jesus speaks.  Of course I am just a man apart from the word of God just as that is mere water apart from the word of God.  But listen to the word of Jesus when he breathed on his disciples in his first appearance to them after he rose from the dead. 

“Receive the Holy Spirit.” he says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 

The One by whose authority I forgive sins is the One to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given.  He earned this authority by bearing the world’s sin on the cross.  He bore your sin. He saw your need as the world mocked him on the cross.  He saw your need when the world scoffed at the notion that a child needs forgiveness.  He sees your need today as you present to him a life soiled by sin.  Your conscience will mock you.  The devil will assail you.  You don’t deserve to be called a child of God.  Like ever did.  But Jesus speaks.  “Be of good cheer, child, your sins are forgiven.” 

And with these words, he meets your need by raising you to life.  The healing of the paralytic proves that the Man who forgives you is God himself, and that the forgiveness he provides works new life in death.  It gives strength to weakness. 

To seek absolution from your pastor is to seek what your Baptism gave you.  Jesus earned this authority to absolve you in the very death and resurrection to which your Baptism joins you.  Faith receives it. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.