“THE BODY IS HERE, FOR THE BODY”
Saint Luke 14: 1-11
17th Sunday after Trinity: 9 October Anno Domini 2022
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
“The House” is The House of God, it was originally a beautiful, neigh PERFECT Garden. The House was an Ark protecting a congregation floating on the waves (even smaller than Augsburg). The House was where Abraham pitched his tent, where Jacob planted the stone at the head of his sleeping place, at the concentration of the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night on the exiting of pagan Egypt. The House—Church, Ark of The Covenant—Tabernacle/Temple, The BVM—Christ Jesus the House of The Trinity
The food of the Pharisees is only Law, but not true Torah (which both Moses and later Elijah ate while fasting for 40 days from regular food and water), For the hypocrite, the “law” is rather, man’s “manageable” rules and regulations—fastidious, pecksniffian sanctimony.
But “they” did one thing true, good, and right; i.e.,
“they watched Him” Oh that all would focus on Jesus. Christ in the spot-light, front and center. The mistake, the sin, that Lutherans make, of all people, is that they prate on and on about The Lord’s “true presence” but then act like it is only correct doctrine, cognition, and verbal assent to a proposition. NO! You “Watch(ed) Him” this very morning. The Him of Christ is HERE.
Jesus was there, all the rest were there, “to eat bread” That should be the only reason you are here this morning—drawn by The Holy Ghost—to receive and eat the true Messiah Mana. Jesus is THE BREAD from Heaven. His Flesh is Life
A “certain man” – every man – every “old Adam,” all of man – had dropsy (udropikos)
The Showdown:
Lawyers (experts in Moses, i.e., The Decalogue; and Moses, the Law is God’s Word, thus still always necessary and good) and Pharisees (experts in the human additions/glosses/ and further interpretations [with exceptions, mitigations, extenuating circumstances, and plenty of frivolous filler]
VS.
The God/Man Jesus.
THE QUESTION: Is God good, is He alright with, does He permit and countenance “work” being done on the Holy Day? Was God pleased that The Christ took that functional crippled man and… “therapeuein” healed him? Can there be work on The Day of Rest? That’s a horrible sinful “law” question. Sticklers for Moses over Mercy should become Muslims.
They held their peace (lit: “they were silent”) Well, at least they were “resting” their wagging and bile-spitting tongues. Only The Evangel can “open Thou my lips!” The Law only closes coffin lids.
He Who Was THE WORD did not hold His peace, for HE, IS PEACE. Again, not just some Divine intervening 2,000-year-old happening in the hills of Judea—angels singing about the birth of the Prince of Peace. But God’s actual PEACE presence right now in bodily—Flesh and Blood and Word!
Self-justifying, works-righteous, ego men, worshipping their own understanding would have “worked” to pull their mammon/property/prized belongings out a ditch—Sabbath or no Sabbath.
But to show mercy? No—come back the next day. You’ve had dropsy for a long time, what’s so bad about some more suffering? [e.g., Wizard of Oz gate-keeper]
They were not able (they refused knowing they had been caught/convicted of hard hearts, lack of charity/love, and lack of God’s love) to answer.
Christ is the answer. And for the last time (this sermon anyway) not knowledge of Christ, or doctrine of Christ, but Present God/Man—the mystic union of head and body…it’s real…
You ass. You dumb ox. You haven’t just fallen into a pit—oops—accident—vicissitudes of life—happens to everyone. No. You jumped with your first parents head-first into the ditch. You daily grasp for mammon and worldly delights like Brer’ Rabbit plunging his greedy paw into the tar baby.
But He who left the “chief room,” heaven on high; He who descended into the womb of a Virgin, Who with His now forever Body and Blood (Human Nature brought in to His Divinity), sat down in the absolute lowest room, lowest chair. Jesus on the Cross, Jesus in the dark still tomb, but still this morning, the same Jesus placed on your tongues that you would be exalted. The Body is here for the body.
Moses…yesterday October 8th was the sabbath. My fellow little Christs, today IS The Lord’s Day, a mini-feast of The Resurrection. The Lord is here. Friends, come up higher!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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