✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:6, 2b, 22; 1–2a; Psalm 25:17-18; Psalm 25:17b–18, 1–3; Psalm 119:47–48a; Psalm 5:1b–2
✠ Lection: Exodus 24:12-18; 1 Kings 19:3b-8 ; Matthew 12:38-50
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. It is evil and adulterous because of how it questions the trustworthiness of the heavenly Bridegroom by demanding that He prove Himself more than He already has, does, and promises to. A demand for a sign from God outside the bounds of what He has given reveals not a lack on His part, but on ours; a lack of fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. It reveals a desire to treat Him as we do the idols of this world: lifeless superstitions that we credit for the good times or despise for the hard. To measure God’s disposition toward us by anything other than His sending forth His only begotten Son to die and rise again for our salvation, is evil. He need not prove the small, temporal matters when He’s definitively settled the great, eternal one. Let us not get caught up in living upside down by doubting the Eternal One because of mere temporal circumstance. To believe on one hand that He gives His Holy Spirit to take up residence in hearts that were once playgrounds of demons only to believe that we must then receive more signs from Him in order that we may be sure that He is excellent as the Scriptures declare, is to seek good in places other than in Him alone, which is evil. For something to be evil, it doesn’t have to be drastic, world-wide known acts of tyranny, oppression, or mass murder. Those things are evil, yet evil is truly anything that opposes God and His will, including the contrary desires existing in our own hearts and minds, desires for more than what God has graciously given.
Seeking a sign above the one of Jonah, even if it is a display of something good, is what our dear Lord equates to spiritual adultery, for Jonah’s life points to Christ’s: a descent, a return to life, and a call to repentance that life may be grasped by all. Which means that a sign of egg prices dropping, inflation slowing down, illness or age not having such a difficult effect, or even a sign of more people coming to our small congregation are all things that we are tempted to put to Jesus as ways that He could give us signs, ways that He could give us proof that He came to do good; to give us abundant life. But, the flesh, the heart of man, only understands abundant in worldly ways. Prove it, we say, that You, God, have come to give me life and to give it abundantly. Where is my abundance? Where is my share? Where is my bounty? Where is my ease? I desire to see a sign of abundance from you. We, born as adulterous harlots seeking the embrace of all others except that of our true and faithful Bridegroom all for the sake of stuff, have been mercifully rescued from the slavery of all such signs in hope that we realize that we need none of them, which we do well to notice is opposite of what all the noise on the screens tries and tries to make us believe. The less screentime the better for the mind, body, and soul.
The trustworthy, instituted signs of Jesus, just like Himself, have always remained faithful and always will. He is the true and faithful One, giving Himself for His bride, the Church, by descending into death just as Jonah entered the deep darkness of the sea in the belly of the great fish. At the Lord’s command, death did not hold Him. On the third day, Christ rose again from the dead, sanctifying and cleansing you, His bride, with the washing of water by the word, that He might present you to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that you should be holy and without blemish and in no need of further proof. If you have Christ, you have everything. There is no greater sign. None other is needed. Only doubting flesh believes it has not already received enough from the Savior.
But, what about Moses our hearts may say? Didn’t he get to see great signs as the Lord came down in glory in cloud and fire at Mount Sinai, before, and beyond? Yes, he did. And what about Elijah? Didn’t the Angel of the Lord Himself come to the prophet when he was in distress under the broom tree in the wilderness? Again, yes, but such great signs weren’t given so that you would have the same in the same way, for those signs are given to you just as they were intended; written testaments in the Holy Scriptures so that you may see how you have Jesus, about Whom they are all written and by Whom you see the heart of God Whose loving thought attends you in all your ways yesterday, today, and however many tomorrows He deems still to give you. The sign of Christ is for you to see that He has swept you clean within and made room for the Holy Spirit, Who cannot be overcome by evil horde that desires to overtake you nor may temporal circumstance snatch you from His hand. Your strength is found only in Christ and in His truth. No matter what situation comes in temporal measure; no matter how expensive or cheap life becomes, no matter how painful the ridicule or oppression for proclaiming, “Jesus is Lord,” the fact that He is Lord is the sign sufficient for you. He is abundant for you. No other sign ever need try.
He Who upheld Moses for forty days and nights on Mount Sinai, as the prophet tended to the more important things of mediating and delivering unto us Word from God, that same Lord is able to provide for all your needs of body and soul. Let us rely upon Him and one another more and more, realizing that it is He Who gives daily bread to everyone, every crumb, and to receive that daily bread with thanksgiving. If hard times come upon you, let your brother and sister and mother in the household of Faith know so that we can fulfill the good and gracious will of God in each other’s lives and make use of the treasures and abilities He has given to us for one another’s provision and edification. Do not isolate yourself or let suffering be a sign of your proud independence when the Lord desires to use others to aid you, to His great delight and theirs. Let us not be too busy to love and help one another. God need not miraculously feed you like Elijah if He has already surrounded you with fellow believers through whom He has been preparing your help for years and lifetimes before your needs ever arose. He is Almighty. He is good and gracious.
As the Lord seeks to remove our dependence upon, our love of, our longing and asking for, the pleasures and riches of this life, which our evil and adulterous hearts seek as a sign though being the lesser things, let us instead value God’s words of repentance, responding to His call with trust and humility. In each challenge that comes upon us, including that from within, let us consider how our omnipotent and gracious Father in heaven is seeking to guide us into repentance, which will only ever do us good, so that we seek not any sign but that which He has given us in His Son, His Word, and His all-sufficient heavenly gifts.
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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