Epiphany 4 C
What’s Better than Preaching?
31 January 2016 – Redeemer
True or False – there’s nothing greater than preaching.
Last Sunday, in Luke chapter 4, the people of Nazareth wanted to kill their preacher. They took him to the edge of the city and tried to throw him down a cliff. This week, the people of Capernaum had the same preacher and they cannot get enough of Him. He leaves Nazareth by force. He leaves Capernaum by choice. Nazareth thought their preacher arrogant with his words. Capernaum was amazed at the authority of his word. Nazareth was fed up with His claims. Capernaum was starving for His Word.
Such it is with the Kingdom of God and the Epiphany of Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. His Word divides either you from your sin or you from Jesus.
According to God’s Word Jesus didn’t do any miracles in Nazareth. He didn’t cast out any demons in Nazareth, cleanse any lepers, or make any water into wine for his cousin’s wedding. There was only one miracle in Nazareth – when his hometown folks seized Jesus and wanted to kill him He miraculously escaped and walked through the crowd.
In Capernaum it was miracle after miracle – the demon possessed man – free. Peter’s mother-in-law’s deadly fever – gone. All those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And when Jesus sought some time alone, they sought Him out, pressed Him to stay, but He had to move on because there was more preaching to be done.
Preaching is how the Kingdom of God comes to you – don’t believe me, believe the guy who rose from the dead, believe Jesus – He’s the one who said, “I must preach the goods news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, for I was sent for this purpose.” He made his twelve men into preachers before he left, telling them that repentance and the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.” Now there’s an Epiphany, a revelation, the Kingdom of God comes through preaching. No preaching – no kingdom. Lord, have mercy on us for believing that last thing we need is another sermon, for day dreaming through your Word, for being on our phones during the sermon.
What’s the difference between Nazareth and Capernaum? Same preacher. Same Jesus. Same Word. Nazareth put something in the way of God’s Word. They couldn’t get over the preacher, whom they remembered as little Jesus from down the street, Joseph and Mary’s boy, claiming to be God Himself. They didn’t need or like Jesus telling them God’s Word and claiming to be God’s own Son. There’s a little bit of Nazareth in each of us – we don’t want to be preached to – especially in particulars. We could listen to 1 Corinthians 13 all day long about love – and that passage by itself seems to indicate God’s love will tolerate anything we do. But God’s love is particular – as particular as Jesus Christ, who was born of a Virgin and who died on the cross. In Nazareth Jesus preached a particular love – a love tied to Himself, to His flesh and blood. What Word of God don’t you want to hear? What particulars of Jesus causes you to stumble? Are you great with forgiveness, but don’t want to repent and fight against sin? Are you OK with church as long as it doesn’t interfere with life? Repent. Nazareth rejected the Word of Jesus and He left them without a miracle – except for his miraculous escape.
The folks at Capernaum were astonished at His teaching, for His word possessed authority. The people in Nazareth could not believe what they heard because of what they saw – that God has chosen to work in the flesh of a man they knew from childhood.. They wanted to see something more. Funny though – even His miraculous escape didn’t impress them. Capernaum on the other hand, heard the Word, was astonished at His teaching, rejoiced in the doctrines which Jesus taught – and after they heard, they saw many, many, many miraculous signs.
Let me ask you another true or false question. This one is from a recent test in catechesis. True or False. The Holy Spirit works only in the Word and Sacrament and nowhere else. The answer is true, but most of us wouldn’t answer that way. We think the Holy Spirit should be able to work wherever He wants, but God’s Word makes it clear the Spirit has chosen only to work through the Word. Look at today’s text. It was the external Word preached that astounded the people of Capernaum. It was the Word of Jesus, “Be silent and come out of Him” that evicted the unclean spirit from that man. It was an audible word of rebuke which freed Simon’s mother-in-law from her fever. With His Word Jesus silenced the demons. And when the Capernaumites want Jesus to stay – He must leave – and His reason? There’s more preaching to be done! The Word of God’s Kingdom must go forth, and what did He do all over Judah? He preached God’s Word.
You have heard that Word this morning – I forgive you all your sins. Whose word was that? Well it wasn’t my word. Don’t think I can forgive your sins – those are the Words, the preaching of Jesus – in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins. This morning you have heard the Word of Him who bore your sin in His body. You heard the Word of Him who was forsaken by His Father to atone for your sins. This Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, died, and buried, rose from the dead having taken away the sin of the world. When He says to you, “I forgive you.” it is so because He did it – it is finished and so is your sin.
When He speaks to you, what happens in Capernaum happens to you. The whole reign and rule of Christ – the Kingdom of God comes to you. Who rules over your life now? Does your sin? No, it has been forgiven. Does Satan? No, He has been evicted. Does death? No, you died with Christ by being baptized into His death. Does sickness? No, that too is coming to an end. Who rules your life? Christ rules, at God’s right hand, in the preaching of His Word, in the giving of His Supper, in the waters of your Baptism. That’ might be a hard Epiphany to believe – but its true – Christ rules through His preaching, which means there’s nothing better for you.
Dr. Luther once used this illustration about baptism, which we might also apply to preaching. Imagine there was a doctor somewhere who understood the art of saving people from death or, even though they died, could restore them quickly to life so that they would afterward live forever. Oh, how the world would pour in money like snow and rain. No one could find access to him because of the throng of the rich! But here in Baptism there is freely brought to everyone’s door such a treasure and medicine that it utterly destroys death and preserves all people alive.1 That’s Capernaum in the text and that’s Redeemer this morning. For what else has been done this morning than that God’s Word has been preached – and by that Word Christ has said what He did and done what He said. And where does the leave you? Forgiven of your sins. Living forever. Looking beyond the grave to the resurrection. Are you still annoyed by Satan? Yes, but not overcome. Are you still saddened by the losses in the world? Yes, but joyful for the world to come. Do you still struggle with sin? Absolutely, but your old Adam’s days are numbered.
Now, tell me there’s something better in all the world than such preaching. There isn’t. For there is nothing better than hearing God’s Word proclaimed in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
30 January 2016 anno Domini