The sermon for January 5 was on Matthew 2:13-23         

Grace and peace to you . . .  

For a while after His birth, it looked as though life might not be too bad for the Christ Child. There was the glory of the Lord shining round about the shepherds in the field and the angel with his message of good tidings and great joy.  There was the multitude of the heavenly hosts, singing: “Glory to God;” and the shepherds coming to adore the Christ Child. There was the aged Simeon taking Him up in his arms and saying those wonderful words concerning Him: “My eyes have seen Your salvation.” [Lk 2:30] And, as you will hear at tomorrow evening’s Epiphany service, there was the miraculous star that appeared to the Wise Men in the East, leading them to the Christ Child to worship Him and to present their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  O how wonderful all this was!  

But then suddenly a great change takes place.  In a dream by night, the angel of the Lord tells Joseph to take the Child and His mother and flee into Egypt because bloody King Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him.  And immediately Joseph and Mary are on the way, in the darkness of the night, to carry the Christ Child into Egypt to escape from Herod’s sword.  

The living God flees before a miserable man!  The long-expected Messiah, having come, leaves His inheritance and flees into a heathen country.  Human reason asks, “Why this flight?  Couldn’t God protect His Son in the land of Israel ?”  

One could do all kinds of guessing and give all kinds of reasons and explanations for this flight.  But all of them would be mere human speculation and worthless.  All speculation is ended and all doubt removed by the Word: “That [the Scripture] might be fulfilled.”  Through the mouth of His prophet Hosea [11:1] God had said: “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”  That prophecy had to be fulfilled. And so, God’s Son goes to Egypt .  

If Jesus had not gone to Egypt , then He would not be the promised Messiah.  But since this prophecy and all others were fulfilled in Him, you have divine certainty that He is the Messiah.  Furthermore, by going to Egypt , the heathen country, He shows from the beginning of His life on earth that He came not only for the Israelites, but also for the Gentiles, which means He came also for you.  Such is the light the fulfillment of Scripture sheds on that dark flight into Egypt .  

From His earliest days, Christ’s life was marked by suffering and strife. God had come to the world of men, and many men felt threatened by this and reacted violently. “Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” [Mt 2:16]   

Human reason asks: “Why did God permit this slaughter of all these innocent little children?”  Again one might speculate and find all kinds of answers.  Away with speculation!  The answer is: “That the Scripture might be fulfilled.”  St. Matthew writes, “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they were no more.’” [2:17-18]   

Those children did not die at the mere whim of wicked Herod.  When Job’s 10 children died in the tornado which struck the house where they were celebrating, Job said: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.” [Job 1:21 ]  The same thing applies to these children; the Lord had taken them away.  Had they lived longer they might have cried with the rabble in Jerusalem : “His blood be on us and on our children.” [Mt 27:25]  And then they may have gone to hell.  As it was, they died as children of God, made His through circumcision, and entered into glory.  Moreover, the fulfillment of that prophecy could have opened the eyes of those weeping mothers, to see in the Child Jesus the promised Messiah, so that they, too, would be saved and finally join their little ones in glory.  

When Herod was dead the angel of the Lord again appeared to Joseph and told him to return into the land of Israel .  But when Joseph heard that Archelaus, the son of Herod, now ruled in Judea , he was afraid to go there.  Then, being warned by God, he bypassed Jerusalem and went to Galilee and settled down in Nazareth .  

Again reason asks: “Why Nazareth in Galilee ?  Why should the King of the Jews grow up in Galilee ?  Why should the Ruler of heaven and earth live in little, despised Nazareth ?  Was it on account of Archelaus’ revenge?”  No, not revenge, but, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” [Mt 2:23]  “Nezer,” the root word of Nazarene, means a little shoot or branch.  Isaiah had prophesied, in speaking of the Messiah, “In that day there shall be a [Nezer] of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His rest shall be glorious.” [Isa 11:10]  As a Nazarene the Jews despised Jesus, saying: “Can anything good come out of  Nazareth ?” [Jn 1:46] As Jesus of Nazareth they rejected and crucified Him.  And as Jesus of Nazareth the whole Christian Church worships Him.  At Christmas the Church still welcomes Him, singing: “Behold a Nezer (a branch) is growing,” as foretold by Isaiah.  “That the Scripture might be fulfilled” is the reason for His dwelling in Nazareth .  

Now, what does all this have to do with you? Jesus was nearly killed by Herod; Jesus fled to Egypt ; Jesus grew up in Nazareth . How do these details in Christ’s life pertain to you? In the same way the Word: “That the Scripture might be fulfilled,” gives reason to the details of Christ’s life, so also it gives reason to what you are going through. Fiery trials are nothing “strange” happening to the Church, as St. Peter puts it in the Epistle, but the Scripture must be fulfilled which says: “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” [Jn 16:2]  Christian suffering fulfills Scripture. When you suffer because you faithfully confess Christ, remember also the promise of Scripture must be fulfilled which said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against [Christ’s Church].” [Mt 16:18]  

Even when there is no outward persecution, false prophets arise disturbing the Church from within.  These culminate in the Pope with his denial of the chief teaching of Christianity: justification by grace through faith in Christ, alone.  The Scripture must be fulfilled which says, “False christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” [Mt 24:24]   

That Scripture is still being fulfilled today, as every true Christian knows only too well.  With a show of great wisdom the most horrible heresies are being shouted from the housetops.  But the promise of Scripture is also being fulfilled: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [Jn 8:31-32]  The truth, not lies, shall make you free from error, free from sin, and free from the power of the devil and hell.  True doctrine, not false, will make you free, a beloved child of your Father in heaven.  

Surely Bethany will fare no better than the Church as a whole.  She, too, must pass through suffering.  There is the continual battle against the world, the devil and false brethren.  When such struggles and battles arise, some are apt to take offense, stay away from divine service and finally withdraw entirely.  That is wrong.  The word of Scripture must also be fulfilled at Bethany , which the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “There must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.” [1 Cor 11:19 ]   

Let no one think that Bethany can enjoy undisturbed peace.  The devil will not permit it.  Yet God uses all such struggles and strife to test, to refine and strengthen His own, in order to fulfill in them another promise of Scripture: “Because you have treasured My word of perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” [ Rev 3:10 ]  

Finally, every individual Christian must suffer persecution.  At the very least, your own sinful flesh must be crucified and drowned in Holy Baptism. Thus, as long as you are Christian, your flesh will struggle against you. Christ says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [Mt 16:24]  If anyone will not take up the cross, he cannot be Christ’s disciple.  For St. Paul preached to all Christians: “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God .” [Acts 14:22 ]  Through suffering to glory; there is no other way.  

          To sustain you in these trials, God gives you the certain promises of His Word. You see in this Gospel that Jesus fulfills these promises. Moreover, God gives you Baptism, where He makes you His son, where He drowns your sinful flesh, and where He joins you to Christ, the fulfillment of the Scriptures. When the struggles of temptation are too much for you and you suffer from sin, God gives you pastoral Absolution, where He forgives you and strengthens you for your renewed battle against the devil, the world, and your flesh. When you suffer and are made weak by the trials you face, God gives you His own Body and Blood, where He forgives you, feeds you, strengthens you, and keeps you steadfast in the one, true faith unto life everlasting in spite of all the trials, all the suffering, and all the sin you face in this life. Will you suffer as a Christian? Yes, for even Baby Jesus suffered. Will God sustain you when you suffer? Yes, indeed! For God keeps all the promises of His Word, that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, “When [Christ’s] glory is revealed, you also will be glad with exceeding joy.” [1 Pet 4:13]  Amen.

Last Updated: 7/15/2008