THEY WERE SENT IN THE STEAD AND BY THE COMMAND OF CHRIST.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Everything the Lord Jesus Christ did in his life and ministry was intentional. He was intent of observing all the Commandments of God. He obeyed intentionally because Jesus found it a joy to do what is good and right. But he also did it out of a sense of duty—to provide an obedience that we have not given. He fulfilled the Law for us. Jesus also intentionally went to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Nothing was coincidental. He was betrayed, tried, and sentenced to death on a cross. And he knew it was coming. He went anyway—on purpose—despite the pain and the shame of crucifixion. He willingly did it out of love for his heavenly Father who had sent him to do it, and he did it out of love for all people even though all people have earned that cursed death.
Jesus was also intentional in choosing his
disciples. He was intentional in his
teaching and training of them. They
watched Jesus interact with people as they came to him for healing and for
hope. Jesus taught about the kingdom of
God, which is found in him. But Jesus’
time on earth as our flesh-and-blood Savior would not last long. He would ascend to the right hand of the
Father where he dwells to intercede for us and prepare a place for us. But what would happen to the kingdom and the
preaching and the people after his ascension?
This is what he called and trained his disciples for.
Jesus’ intention was that his apostles
would be his witnesses to the world. The
word was entrusted to them. They were to
proclaim what had been given to them.
But Jesus did not wait for the day of his ascension to send them
out. “He called the
twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the
unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7). Jesus commissioned them to preach his
word. They were sent in the stead and by
the command of Christ.
To preach in the stead of Christ means
that they preached Jesus’ word. To go by
the command of Christ means that they went with the authority of Jesus. “So they went out
and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were
sick and healed them” (Mark 6:7). They spoke the words of Jesus, and they did the works of Jesus.
Perhaps you are struck most by their authority over unclean
spirits. That’s understandable. The demons are stronger than we are. We continually fight against their
temptations, but we do not overcome. The
demons more crafty than we are. Their
deceptions sound reasonable. How often
do we adopt demonic rationale to defend our sins? “Yes, I was rude and insulting to
her. She deserves it!” So, we claim that rudeness and insults
are good. “I didn’t exactly tell the
whole truth about that, because I am not going to pay for it!” So, we claim that lying and fraud are
good. Repent. For, this is what the Lord says: “Woe to those who call evil good and
good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).
The disciples were sent
to speak and act in the stead and by the command of Christ. Therefore, Jesus gave them authority over
unclean spirits. There were many in
Jesus’ day who were not merely captive to sin; they were physically possessed
by demons. If the disciples were to act
in Jesus’ stead, they would do the works Jesus did. If they were sent out at Jesus’ command, they
had the authority of Jesus himself. So,
when they encountered people who were demon-possessed, the disciples cast the
demons out. They spoke the word of God,
and the word of God held power over the devil and all his hordes.
It still does. Demon possession is rare in our day, although
not unheard of. Demon oppression,
however, is common. The demons stir up
guilt and shame. They produce anxiety
and apprehension. They convince you that
everyone else’s life is fun and exciting while yours is hard and boring. How can it be otherwise? Just check Instagram! The demons draw you into false assumptions,
provoke envy, and spread misery. This is
how they oppress you. When King Saul was
tormented by an unclean spirit, he found relief when David came and played
music for him. I have to believe that
David did more than harp-plucking. He
must have done psalm singing, too. This
drove the demons away. This is why it is
so important to give your ears to God’s word, to meditate on it, to pray out loud,
and to sing solid hymns. The demons
cannot stand against God’s word. The
unclean spirits want to oppress you and lead you to despair. God’s word grants you peace and relief.
It is unlikely that people outside the
kingdom of God are possessed by the devil, but they are claimed by him. Only the message of Jesus sets people free
from the shame of their sins, from the power of death, and from the claims of
Satan. Jesus shows himself to be the
one—the only one—who soothes broken hearts and relieves burdened
consciences. The devil will taunt you
over your sins; Jesus will pardon you of them.
He assures you that any and all guilt has been absorbed by him. Jesus suffered the judgment sinners should
receive. Since the judgment has been
received by Jesus, there is no condemnation for you. He lives to forgive sins.
Jesus sends out his ministers to speak in
his stead and by his command. This
brings you such great comfort because you do not have to wrestle with your own
thoughts about whether or not you are forgiven.
Forgiveness does not come from inside you; it is bestowed upon you from
outside—just like holy baptism and holy communion. The benefits of God’s grace are put upon you
from the Lord Jesus. Therefore, Jesus
sends ministers who speak and act in his stead and by his command. When a pastor absolves people of their sins, it
is Christ who speaks through him: “I forgive you in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And God’s people respond, “Amen,” as in,
“Yes, it is true.”
Pastors are sometimes asked, “What gives
you the right to say, ‘I forgive you’?” Jesus gives us the answer. On the night after Jesus’ resurrection, he
appeared to his disciples in an upper room and said to them, “‘As the Father has
sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the
Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of
any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is
withheld’” (John 20:21-23). It
would be wonderful if Jesus came and personally assured you of your
forgiveness. But he does not do
that. He calls ministers to go in his
name, to act with his authority, and to proclaim his word. So, forgiveness is proclaimed in the stead
and by the command of Jesus. The voice
may be a pastor’s, but the word and the authority are Jesus’. Be of good cheer, your sins are
forgiven.
When
Jesus sent the disciples out two by two, it must have surprised them to hear
Jesus’ restrictions: “He charged them to take nothing
for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—but
to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.
And he said to them, ‘Whenever you enter a house, stay
there until you depart from there’” (Mark 6:8-10).
This was intentional. Jesus was training his disciples to trust in
God’s provision and protection. They
were not promised success, but they were promised that God the Father takes
care of his own people.
That continues to this day. The
provision of God’s ministers does not come through miracles, but from the
faithful who take God’s word to heart.
Jesus implied that there would be godly people who would receive the
disciples into their homes. They, in
turn, were to be content with the support that God’s people would provide.
This is how it works today. Some
may think that a congregation pays the pastor to preach. And in some places, that is true. But if the support of the pastor hinges on
what he preaches, then the congregation can fire the pastor if he tells them
what they don’t want to hear. But a
faithful prophet of God does not cater to the whims of mankind. The man who is sent in the stead and by the
command of Jesus is first and foremost a servant of Jesus. He is under orders from Jesus and answerable
to him. He is not in it for money or
popularity. Just as Jesus gives all his gifts
for free, the pastor does too. He preaches
for free. He administers the sacraments
for free. He teaches classes for free. He visits people for free. The congregation supports the pastor not so
that they can control him or his message, but so that the pastor can give his
full time to serving God’s people.
The disciples were sent out in pairs.
They were sent in the stead and by the command of Christ. “They went out
and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons
and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13).
Those who were sent by Jesus did the works of Jesus. So, why aren’t these miraculous powers at
work among pastors today? If pastors
claim to speak in the stead and by the command of Christ, why aren’t they doing
the miracles that Christ did?
St. Mark provides the answer for
us. At the conclusion of his Gospel, St.
Mark noted, “They
went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and
confirmed the message by accompanying signs: (Mark 16:20).
Since the Gospels had not yet been written, how was anyone to know if
the words of the apostles were the words of Jesus? The answer: Jesus confirmed the message with
miraculous signs. The apostles
proclaimed the words of Jesus. This was
confirmed by the works of Jesus. But you
and I have the message confirmed for us in writing. The word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit,
written by the apostles, and confirmed by Jesus’ authority, is given to us for
our salvation.
Although we have been focusing on the
ministers of Christ, the word of God has the same authority no matter who is
speaking it. If you tell others about
the forgiveness won by Jesus, you have the authority of Jesus backing you
up. If you warn a sinner of his foolish
ways and call him to repent, you have the authority of Jesus upholding your
words of warning. You speak in the stead
of Christ because you are of Christ. You
speak by the command of Christ because he has entrusted you with his word to confess
it and to proclaim it.
This is what Jesus intended for his Church, and he intends it to serve for your temporal and eternal good.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Due to recurring spam, all comments will now be moderated. Please be patient.