St John 19
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
A thief to the left of Him, a thief to His right, and thieves all around. For to Christ all are thieves. The elders of the people had robbed Him of His title, Messiah. The disciples had robed Him of comfort and consolation and companionship. Judas, who betrayed Him, had been pilfering the purse all along. The soldiers robbed Him of His clothing and dignity. Pontus Pilate would soon rob Him of His life.
Thieves to the left of Him, thieves to the right, and thieves all around.
And the thievery continues to this day. Modern science has robbed Jesus of the title Creator. Perverse and sinful people rob Him of the obedience that should be His. Authorities rob Him of gathering His Christians together for Holy Week by limiting attendance. Abortionists rob Him of little worshippers, and rob the rest of us of sacred lives, joys of friends and family. Indeed, thieves all around.
But don’t be too smug. You have joined in the thievery. Your complaint that your life should have turned out better than it has, that it just isn’t fair, has robbed your God of the titles Father and Provider. Your fear that there will not be enough has called into question the truthfulness of His promises, and has left you selfish, failing to help others as you ought. Your angry, lusting, and self-pitying thoughts have robbed Him of His sovereignty over you. By your self-justification, your lame excuses, your blaming others, you have robbed Him of the title, the One Who Alone Justifies the World.
Thieves to the left of Him thieves to the right, and thieves all around.
But here is the great, grand surprise, my friends. Here is the “Ah, ha!” from heaven, the great, divine comedy of it all. Thieves to the left and thieves to the right and thieves all around, but the greatest Thief is the on the Center Cross. He is the Prince of Thieves and the King of the Jews.
Didn’t our Lord Jesus say that He would come to judge the world like a thief in the night?
Didn’t the little Lord Jesus slip into our time and space in the deep of night?
Didn’t the sky go dark and the sun hide it’s light when our Lord Jesus was lifted up from the earth?
Didn’t Jesus say that when a strong man guards his house his goods are safe, but when One stronger than he comes He breaks in and plunders all his goods?
Yes! The strong man kidnapped us and took us into his house, but unlike other kidnappings, we went willingly. Like our father Adam, we snatched up the glittering trash that that the Tempter holds out. He’s a liar, but we love his lies. We love the lie that our lives should be better. We want to believe the lie that there is no need for contention in the Church, no need for confession of the truth, no need for taking a stand, obeying God even while you submit to the authorities, no need for martyrs anymore.
We love the lie that our sins are small compared to others, that we are not as bad as most and better than some. We believed the lie that his prison house was actually a mansion and the place where we could find true happiness.
But Jesus would not leave us in the prison of delusion. The Valiant One came to release us. He broke into the prison house of Satan to set us free. He took the one thing that Satan could hold against us, keeping us in everlasting bondage. He took our sin. He who knew no sin became Sin for us. He took our sin and the death that comes with it. He didn’t stay away. He didn’t shelter in place in His heavenly home. He took on the form of a servant, a slave. He came into contact with the sick, the dying, the dead, the unclean. And He took it all into Him, all that sin, and the death that comes with it, and then shed His holy, precious Blood for the remission of the world’s sin. And our’s as well. He slew death.
Through that Blood you have been cleansed in Holy Baptism. Under the cover of that Blood you are given admission into the Supper of the Lamb and His Bride. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:16). For here is the holiest of suppers, which we celebrated this day and this weekend, with the saints above, and with all the saints here below, even those who are not able to be with us.
Into that Great Banquet, our dying Lord was about to admit an unexpecting thief. This poor, miserable man, who did not sleep a wink all night for the horrifying thought of the hell he fully expected and deserved. He heard the unimaginable and completely unexpected words, Today, you with be with me in paradise (Lk 23:43).
We know him as the repentant thief. And he was. His brief Christian life was spent in defending his Master, praying to Him, and believing His promises. Yet in once sense he remained a thief. And what do thieves do? They frustrate us, for after working hard for the things we own, they creep in and in an instant take what we labored for so long to achieve.
And so, while our Lord was working to death for your salvation and the salvation of the poor thief, that miserable thief found the treasury of Jesus mercy and grace wide open. By God’s grace He found where salvation is freely given. By God’s grace, so have you.
But the Lord always has the last laugh. For as that poor thief was thinking he was snatching grace and mercy, the Grand Thief, the Prince of Thieves, was snatching him away clean forever. Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.
People loved by God, this thief on the cross found hope in the mercy of Christ. Thanks be to God you have found the same. For in climbing into the watery and bloody side, you are safe and secure in the Body of Christ, who has snatched you from the jaws of hell and the thieving clutches of Satan.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
A thief to the left of Him, a thief to His right, and thieves all around. For to Christ all are thieves. The elders of the people had robbed Him of His title, Messiah. The disciples had robed Him of comfort and consolation and companionship. Judas, who betrayed Him, had been pilfering the purse all along. The soldiers robbed Him of His clothing and dignity. Pontus Pilate would soon rob Him of His life.
Thieves to the left of Him, thieves to the right, and thieves all around.
And the thievery continues to this day. Modern science has robbed Jesus of the title Creator. Perverse and sinful people rob Him of the obedience that should be His. Authorities rob Him of gathering His Christians together for Holy Week by limiting attendance. Abortionists rob Him of little worshippers, and rob the rest of us of sacred lives, joys of friends and family. Indeed, thieves all around.
But don’t be too smug. You have joined in the thievery. Your complaint that your life should have turned out better than it has, that it just isn’t fair, has robbed your God of the titles Father and Provider. Your fear that there will not be enough has called into question the truthfulness of His promises, and has left you selfish, failing to help others as you ought. Your angry, lusting, and self-pitying thoughts have robbed Him of His sovereignty over you. By your self-justification, your lame excuses, your blaming others, you have robbed Him of the title, the One Who Alone Justifies the World.
Thieves to the left of Him thieves to the right, and thieves all around.
But here is the great, grand surprise, my friends. Here is the “Ah, ha!” from heaven, the great, divine comedy of it all. Thieves to the left and thieves to the right and thieves all around, but the greatest Thief is the on the Center Cross. He is the Prince of Thieves and the King of the Jews.
Didn’t our Lord Jesus say that He would come to judge the world like a thief in the night?
Didn’t the little Lord Jesus slip into our time and space in the deep of night?
Didn’t the sky go dark and the sun hide it’s light when our Lord Jesus was lifted up from the earth?
Didn’t Jesus say that when a strong man guards his house his goods are safe, but when One stronger than he comes He breaks in and plunders all his goods?
Yes! The strong man kidnapped us and took us into his house, but unlike other kidnappings, we went willingly. Like our father Adam, we snatched up the glittering trash that that the Tempter holds out. He’s a liar, but we love his lies. We love the lie that our lives should be better. We want to believe the lie that there is no need for contention in the Church, no need for confession of the truth, no need for taking a stand, obeying God even while you submit to the authorities, no need for martyrs anymore.
We love the lie that our sins are small compared to others, that we are not as bad as most and better than some. We believed the lie that his prison house was actually a mansion and the place where we could find true happiness.
But Jesus would not leave us in the prison of delusion. The Valiant One came to release us. He broke into the prison house of Satan to set us free. He took the one thing that Satan could hold against us, keeping us in everlasting bondage. He took our sin. He who knew no sin became Sin for us. He took our sin and the death that comes with it. He didn’t stay away. He didn’t shelter in place in His heavenly home. He took on the form of a servant, a slave. He came into contact with the sick, the dying, the dead, the unclean. And He took it all into Him, all that sin, and the death that comes with it, and then shed His holy, precious Blood for the remission of the world’s sin. And our’s as well. He slew death.
Through that Blood you have been cleansed in Holy Baptism. Under the cover of that Blood you are given admission into the Supper of the Lamb and His Bride. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:16). For here is the holiest of suppers, which we celebrated this day and this weekend, with the saints above, and with all the saints here below, even those who are not able to be with us.
Into that Great Banquet, our dying Lord was about to admit an unexpecting thief. This poor, miserable man, who did not sleep a wink all night for the horrifying thought of the hell he fully expected and deserved. He heard the unimaginable and completely unexpected words, Today, you with be with me in paradise (Lk 23:43).
We know him as the repentant thief. And he was. His brief Christian life was spent in defending his Master, praying to Him, and believing His promises. Yet in once sense he remained a thief. And what do thieves do? They frustrate us, for after working hard for the things we own, they creep in and in an instant take what we labored for so long to achieve.
And so, while our Lord was working to death for your salvation and the salvation of the poor thief, that miserable thief found the treasury of Jesus mercy and grace wide open. By God’s grace He found where salvation is freely given. By God’s grace, so have you.
But the Lord always has the last laugh. For as that poor thief was thinking he was snatching grace and mercy, the Grand Thief, the Prince of Thieves, was snatching him away clean forever. Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.
People loved by God, this thief on the cross found hope in the mercy of Christ. Thanks be to God you have found the same. For in climbing into the watery and bloody side, you are safe and secure in the Body of Christ, who has snatched you from the jaws of hell and the thieving clutches of Satan.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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