The sermon for May 1 was based on John 14:1-13a.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." [12] That's incredible-almost impossible to believe. It sounds as though Jesus is making an exaggerated claim. Who could do anything greater than what Christ has done by dying on the cross and thereby saving the whole world? What could be greater than forgiving sins, delivering from the power of sin, death, and the devil, or giving eternal life?

The Apostles, including Saints Philip and James, to whom Jesus is here speaking would raise people from the dead and perform other miracles, but He says that all who believe in Him, not just the Apostles, shall do what He has been doing. Are you to conclude then, since you haven't raised the dead to life again, that you do not believe in Jesus?

Keep in mind Jesus' word: "Because I go to My Father." A great change was about to take place. As Jesus goes to the Father, He would begin to work in a different way than He had while walking about with the disciples. No longer do you see Him standing there beside you. Now He shall be found standing and working in the flesh of others-so much so that you can rightly say "Pastor is forgiving sins," or a mother can say to her daughter, "I gave you life," or a farmer can say "I raised a fine crop this year;" and yet they all remain works of Jesus. He works through you, and graciously credits you with doing such great deeds.

But who believes that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell and live in believers, and continue to do such great works? Most believe as though a person can snatch righteousness, the Gospel, and God's blessings right out of thin air, if only you believe strongly enough, even without the means through which God has promised to work. That is why so many people stay home on Sunday morning. The Gospel, Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper are despised. There is little interest in using these divine gifts of Christ, since so few believe that Christ works such great miracles through such ordinary means.

It all boils down to the fact that people are like Philip-you don't believe what you have in Jesus unless you see it with your eyes. Like Philip you think: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." [8] You want just one look at heaven, one glimpse of the glory that awaits you, one peek at your heavenly Father-that's all it would take. Just have Jesus show you the Father smiling on you, embracing you, even once, and that would be sufficient to sustain your faith and get you through all the pain and suffering of this earthly life!

But you have seen the Father! True, the skies haven't parted over you, revealing a heavenly scene with the heavenly Father surrounded by angels, archangels, watchers and holy ones, and all the saints arrayed in white. But you have seen the Father because you have seen Jesus. Yet, because He has gone to His Father, you have not seen Jesus with your eyeballs, but you have seen His works. And it is His works to which Jesus directs your vision, just as He directed Philip and James and the other Apostles.

"Believe Me," Christ says, "for the sake of the works themselves." [11] The Apostles became believers by seeing what Jesus worked. They saw Him condemn sin in the Pharisees, forgive the repentant, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, calm the stormy sea, raise the dead, teach, preach "as One who had authority" from the Father. They came to know that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Savior, because of the works He did through His appointed means, because of the Word He spoke to still the storm, the Word He spoke to raise the dead, the Word He spoke to forgive the sinner, the Word He spoke to cast out the devil, the Word He spoke to condemned the Pharisees, the Word He spoke from the cross.

Jesus has spoken this same Word to you also. Jesus' Word quiets your troubled soul, stilling many an anxious moment. In the midst of your troubles, Jesus says to you, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." [1] Though you weep through bitter years, Jesus has promised you, "All things work together for good to those who love God." [Rom. 8:28] Jesus has already said to you, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," and at that moment, you were raised from the death of sin, the devil, your grim foe, was cast away from you, and you became a child of the Father. Just this morning, Jesus said to you, "I forgive you all your sins." He spoke His Word to you, a sinner, and you are forgiven, not just by the Son but also by our Father in heaven.

The Father and the Son continue these and many other works, even through you. The Father created and sustains the whole world through the Son "through [Whom] all things were made, and without [Whom] nothing was made that was made." [Jn. 1:3] The Son now creates and sustains through father and mother, through employers and governments. The Father forgives through the Son, and the Son now forgives through His Pastors. The Father heals through the Son and the Son now heals through doctors, nurses, and hospitals in ways never even imagined in Jesus' day. Yet through them all it is, as it always has been, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit doing the works.

For the sake of the works themselves-because of Baptism, the preaching and teaching of the Gospel, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper-you believe in Jesus. This means you have the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, heaven, and the entire kingdom of God, even though you now wrestle with temptation and endure many trials and sufferings; even though you still have many needs, and lack much. And yet you lack nothing. As Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." [6] In Him you have everything, even though you have nothing, and apart from Him you have nothing, even though you have all things. God's dear Son Himself has prepared a place for you in the Father's house, as He suffered and died for you, promising "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." He has come again to you in Baptism, Word, and Supper; and He has taken you to Himself, so that you might always be with Him where He is.

Today Jesus is here in this place where His Word is preached and taught, where His voice is heard and He works His greater works. You who believe in Him are here where He is. Here you see the Father, smiling on you, embracing you, a sinner, blessing you with forgiveness, life, and every blessing. Jesus Himself says to you through your Pastor, "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace." By this Word you know that the holy, triune God receives you. You know that the Father is glad to receive you into His house, because Jesus gladly gives Himself to you-Body, Blood, and all! Thus Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, will show you the Father, face to face, and bring you to paradise the blest where you will stand with Philip, and James, and all the saints. Amen.

The Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Last Updated: 5/27/2009