Learn to See with your Ears
1 John 3:1-3
Novmber 4, 2018 – Redeemer
“You must learn to see with your ears.” (Pastor John Kleinig) That is one of the great mysteries to being a Christian. This is what Saint John tells us in today’s Epistle, “See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are.” See God’s love, not with your eyes, but with your ears. He has called you His children.
If you would use your eyes, the love of God would appear to you as fickle as the Viking’s chances of getting into the Super Bowl. One week the sun is shining on your life, work is pleasing and steady, your children are behaving themselves. The next week the weather is dismal, work is frantic, the boss is stressed, and your children seemed possessed by the Devil or plagued by his demons. How do you see the Father’s love when your daughter calls you in tears because she miscarried or your doctor says there’s some abnormal proteins in your blood work which means you have cancer? How do you see the Father’s love when you don’t even love yourself, when you know you haven’t been the husband or father you should have been?
You don’t see it with your eyes. If you judge the love of God by your eyes you will conclude that God has his favorites and you’re not one of them. God favors that church over there because they are growing. He favors that family down the block because he’s handsome, she’s beautiful, and their perfect 2.7 children are on the honor roll, and winning state tournaments, and every time you see them they’re all smiling.
You do not see God’s love with your eyes. Neither do you see the Holy Christian church by its apparent holiness, nor do you see what you yourself are with your eyes. God’s Kingdom is not yet a Kingdom of sight where we can see the love and presence of God. Until Christ returns, His Kingdom is a Kingdom of the Word, where we hear the Word of God, and see His love by faith (which comes from hearing). That is how we see His love even in suffering, even when our eyes see nothing but sin and death.
Saint John teaches the same mystery as Jesus in the Gospel reading. Jesus is beginning His great “Sermon on the Mount” where for the first time He teaches His followers what being a disciple, a believer in Christ means.
The first word out of His mouth is “Blessed.” Oh, that’s what we want to hear from God. We want His blessings – bless my children with good spouses, bless my company with success, bless my shed with many toys, bless me with good health. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” The world assumes that someone who is blessed by God would have visible blessings. If you are blessed you should be able to number and name and give a good record of how God has blessed you. However, the very first words in Jesus’ most important sermon, teach that God’s blessing is for those who don’t see anything good or rich in their own lives.
Blessed are the poor in spirit. The word poor is the same word as beggar. Would you consider those people standing on the street corners around Saint Cloud with cardboard signs, tattered clothes, and everything they own in a shopping cart or backpack, blessed? Their only hope (if indeed they are poor) is that someone rolls down his window and gives them a gift.
The world preaches that everyone deserves everything. Jesus teaches that not one of us deserves anything. The blessing of God’s Kingdom comes to those who aren’t happy with themselves, who know their spirituality is poor and weak. Blessed are those who look in the mirror of God’s Law and see themselves in the filthy rags of their own sins. Blessed are those who hands and hearts are empty, for then there is room for Jesus. Blessed are those who know they are sinners, for only sinners desire forgiveness. Blessed are those who are beggars before God, because only beggars will accept a handout.
In the incarnation of Jesus, God rolled down the window of heaven to have mercy on us beggars. He opened the gate of heaven and Christ Himself came out. He stood on the beggar’s corner with us. At the cross He didn’t just look like us – stripped naked, not a cent to His name, but He was one with us – every one of our filthy sins on His shoulders, in His flesh. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV)
We see God’s love in Christ with our ears, but that doesn’t mean our faith is based on a story. The first disciples, especially the twelve, not only heard Jesus with their own ears. They saw Him accomplish our salvation with their own eyes. They saw Jesus of Nazareth richly forgive and heal and cast out demons. They saw Him spread the wealth of His Kingedom wherever He went. They saw Him become poor in spirit. They saw Him die for the sin of the world. Three days later they witnessed His resurrection. They received from Him the certainty that heavens’ treasure house is now open for the beggars of the world – forgiveness that cancels out every sin, life that overcomes death, resurrection that opens graves.
The Word of God which you hear is not some made up myth or meditation that if you often enough will help you feel better. The Word you hear is God’s living and active Word based on facts which were seen and written down.
You are loved. You are blessed. You are holy. You are a saint. But I don’t feel it. I don’t experience it. I don’t see it. Neither does the world – your neighbors and friends do not see your holiness or your blessedness. They don’t see that you are living forever. They don’t see the Holy Christian Church spread across time and eternity when every other earthly kingdom has fallen. Why not? Wouldn’t that be a great evangelism tool? Why doesn’t God let us see it? He did let us some see it – Saint Matthew was one. Saint John was another. But God didn’t want to save just Matthew and John or the 500 people that saw Jesus live, die and live again. He desires all to be saved. He desires Adam and Eve to be saved (and they never saw Jesus). He desires Martin and Katie Luther to be saved and they never saw Jesus. He desires you to be saved. The way He loves you, blesses you, and makes you holy, is not through your eyes, but with your ears. You are forgiven, when all you see is sin and failure. You are blessed, no matter what you’re suffering. You are loved, even when you feel unlovable. This is what God calls you, whenever you hear and believe in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
November 3, 2018 anno Domini