“THE SAVIOR SEEN IN HIS SAVING SUPPER”
Saint John 16: 16-23
Jubilate: 12 May Anno Domini 2019
Father Jay Watson SSP
In a little while, you will not “see” Christ The God/Man. You will get up from the SounDoctrine class walk to your automobiles and drive home. If you are, sadly, like most people, especially most over-indulgent, satiated, mammon gorged Americans, you not only won’t “see” God you won’t think about Him much for a few days. This is sin. This is desiring glory and not resting—by exercising in—The Word.
But now, here this morning, you will see Christ, because He is with The Father. The God/Man is at the right hand of majesty. But that’s not how you will behold The Son. The Blessed Trinity is omnipresent to be sure, but The Lord in His Kingdom of Power is not Gospel in its purest benefit to you. Yes, you can behold the invisible things, The Creator, by your vision and appreciation and thanksgiving of the visible things of creation. The natural knowledge of God exists—but not the Cross of Him Crucified for the forgiveness of your sins.
No. You will see Him where He promised you that you would “see” Him—“Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them” is not mere sentimental reminiscing. Jesus is saying that in The Holy Mass, The Eucharistic Meal of Mercy, The Communion which truly is “THE” Sacrament, He is Immanuel: God with you. This IS My Body. This IS My Blood. When you come forward to the rail for His Supper you are The Emmaus Disciples: “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.” [Lk. 24. 30-31] God, for you, is only known in God given and shed for you. Yes, that Gospel preached from Holy writ, but even more so, that Gospel, That Jesus, placed on your tongue and given you to drink. There—HERE you “see Him,” have Him, as He has you IN HIM as well.
Even the “12,” did not understand their Lord or His Words. This happened on multiple occasions. Even you do not “understand” Christ on multiple occasions. Your “old Adam” either struggles to pull you towards Calvin’s “spiritualizing” or just lets your own entropy and de-accelerating inertia numb you to the realities of WHAT The Supper truly is. Beware. Presumption and callousness and bored familiarity can become faithlessness and doubt.
The pre-incarnate Logos was seen by Adam and his mate. They tried to kill Him and make themselves Gods. Sin. They ran. They hid. They would see Him no more as they had. They were banished to the broken desert which you call home.
The Lord was seen by Jacob for a nights-long wrestling match of prayer, and then seen no more.
The reoccurring Theophanies in Hebrew Scripture were powerful, Grace-filled, but brief…and non-incarnate. From Joshua to Samson’s parents, to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…God in His hiddenness was “seen” sort of…and then seen no more.
Jesus told His students and friends Who were soon to be His Royal Ambassadors, that They would seen Him for a little while—6 hours suffering and dying on the cross—for their sins and the sins of the world. And then they would see Him no more. The three days of His sanctifying rest in the grave. Then they would see Him again. They not only saw Him they touched Him, talked with Him, and ate with Him. And then, they would see Him no more as He ascended out of their vision—out of the vision of all humanity, for a little while. He will come again on the clouds as He went: “behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him.” [Rev. 1.7] The “12” and all of you will behold Jesus in the clouds together with all the Saints as Paul Gospels in 1st Thessalonians. But the rejectors and deniers and still blind and deaf enemies of Truth will then see Him in only the Glory of damning judgment.
Hopefully you read and mediated and prayed with Holy Scripture these past six days of your “work” week. If so, you truly did “see” and behold your Christ in His Word of Peace. He was present with The Holy Ghost strengthening you. He was Incarnate though invisible and incorporeal. You will see Him no more as He wishes to be seen if you fail to be in The Word. Christ is nature is a fierce and dangerous double-edged sword. But in His Word, His answers to you are always Yes! Yes, My beloved.
You will “see” Him in Sacramental Realness, a Mystery beyond understanding but a Mystery believed, held, and yes, “seen” with the eyes of faith. The Forgiveness, The Strength, the Peace, is all for you in His Yes! Yes! This is My Body and My Blood. Peace.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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