Misericordias Domini Monday - Devotion in Exile

Daily Lection for Misericordias Domini
Exodus 33:1-23    Luke 7:1-17

Jesus went to Nain with a great crowd and his disciples.  As they drew near to the gate another crowd was coming out of the city.  You can well imagine that there were some of those with Jesus who were hoping to see some great miracle, for it often seems that many of the people who followed Him were doing so because they were looking for next great sign or miracle.

You might say that on that day, death was coming out of the city and life was walking in.  A dead man was being carried out of the city as the Author of life, hidden in the garb of human flesh, was walking in.  Sorrow was heading to the burial ground and excited anticipation was coming into the city.

It was at the gates of the city that the two parties met.

How often had those following Jesus asked for healing?  How often had they begged for His mercy?  How many times did they want the miraculous from Him?  On this day, nothing was said.  What could anybody do, the man was dead.  There was no healing for this man, he was beyond the need for that.  And mercy would constrain all to pray for the mother, but those prayers would be deep in hidden thoughts, that she might be comforted in her grief.  As for the miraculous, raising the dead was something reserved for only the great prophets or God Himself.

The consequences of sin were evident to both parties as they met at the gate, and it was obvious to everybody that nobody escapes sin’s ultimate consequence, for death comes upon all men, for that all have sinned.  Who wouldn’t weep for this mother who had lost her son?  We all know that children are supposed to outlive their parents – that’s the way it is supposed to go, isn’t it?  And yet, when it comes right down to it, which person deserves to live another single day – which person is without sin and deserving of life?  No one – no son, no daughter, no grandchild, no mother, no father, no grandparent – is deserving of another day of life.

Sin’s consequences are being carried out on a bier, a man bearing in his own flesh the wages of sin – death.

Seeing her, Jesus has compassion, “Do not weep!”

How cold Jesus is to this woman.  How dare He tell her, “Do not weep!”?  That is cold and heartless.  She is heading out to bury her son and Jesus tells her not to cry?  What inconsiderate words to come out His mouth, to not understand her grief.

But what’s this?  He goes up to bier and tells the dead man, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

Our text says, “Fear seized them all.”  Fear seized them.  They were terrified, scared out of their wits.  They all glorified God, but there was still some confusion.  Some thought Jesus a great prophet, others thought that God had visited His people.

So, how could Jesus give life back to this young man?  It must be that as the creator of all that exists, he can give life back, even as He gives life the first time?

Sorry, that is the wrong answer.  God is a just God, a perfectly just God.  That means that even He will not break the law which says, the soul that sins shall die.  Death needs to happen as a consequence of sin.

If that is true, then God cannot arbitrarily give life back to those who sin.  To do so would mean He is capricious – that He does things willy-nilly and haphazard – according to some standard that He hasn’t revealed to the rest of us.

But that isn’t how God works.  God gives life, only as Christ takes on death.  God gave His only begotten Son to be sin for us, so that in Him we might have life.  Jesus takes up arms and does combat with sin, the cross becomes the battle ground, where in His own flesh, He accepts all the world’s sin – of every age.  Jesus dies in order to give life.

I know, that doesn’t seem to do much for you today.  For most of us, death is a far off, distant thing.  But all you need to do is pick up a daily newspaper and you will find the obituary section with at least one death in it every day.  Even the little Shawano paper has a death a day in it, sometimes even more.  And if we watch closely, it isn’t always those “old folks” who are “ready for death” that we find listed there.

And now we have COVID-19, and death seems to be a daily terror that is creeping behind the next sneeze of the person six feet behind us in line at Walmart, and we are praying the germs do not travel to us because we forgot to wear our mask.

Death still scares us.  What will it feel like?  How long will it take?  We don’t want to die, life is pretty good right now. Maybe that’s the reason we don’t like to talk about sin.  We know sin is something that is a part of our life today and every day.  It is something which will ultimately bring with it – death – and death isn’t a nice thing.  It is so… final!

So, Jesus comes into Nain in our text.  He does so for a reason.  It isn’t just to give this young man back to his mother alive, but to give you comfort and peace today and every day.  Jesus gives life in the face of death, He shows His power over sin that you and might live each day without fear.

Do not weep – Young man, I say to you, your sins are gone.

Do not weep – Young man, I say to you, your sins are forgiven.

Do not weep – Young man, I say to you, that which brings death, I have power over, arise.

Today, life and death meet at those entry doors.  Life and death contend in this very sanctuary, and the victory remains with life – with Christ.  Christ has power over death, for He has power over sin, and that struggle is played out every time we gather together in this place.

Christ gives life into your ear in the proclamation of forgiveness, His power over death.

Power over death is given you when you eat and drink at the Lord’s Table, for Christ’s life is hidden under the forms of bread and wine in the forgiveness of sins you receive.

Jesus does this miracle today to proclaim boldly and loudly, I have power over sin and therefore over death and it’s eternal consequences.  I give life, and give it eternally – to you and to all who believe.  Amen.