[Sermon Archive] - [Weekly Devotional Guide]

This Week's Sermon THE LAST SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR 25 November 2007 "Receiving the Absolution" Luke 23:27-43 LSB Series C Vicar Heath A. Trampe Soli Deo Gloria!

Confession and absolution happens all the time in our lives. Most people call this apologizing, which actually means to make a defense. Confessing, however, is what we do when we admit our wrongdoing. When a young boy pulls the hair of the little girl that sits in front of him in class, he may mean no harm. As earnest as his motives may have been, he'll soon be in trouble with the teacher and will have to confess what he did wrong. If the little girl chooses to forgive him, the absolution will have taken place. And it's not just kids, either. Adults make mistakes which affect others all the time, like being late for an engagement, dropping the ball on an important project, or hurting someone's feelings. To forgive others is necessary if we expect the same treatment. After all, how can we expect God to forgive us our sins if we don't forgive one another? Martin Luther records the Christian response to God's grace in his Small Catechism: "We also sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us". But we can only forgive each other imperfectly. We still remember what they've done to us and we tend to treat them differently because of these past offenses. Only God can forgive perfectly, and only with God can we be completely sure of our absolution. This was the great comfort of the sinner on the cross when Christ proclaimed to him that even today:

I. Like those who mocked Christ on the cross, I am guilty of unbelief. (vv. 27-39)
II. Like the criminal who confessed, I am absolved of my sins. (vv. 40-43)

Sitcoms and other television shows do nothing to stop this behavior, either. Most televisions shows geared for tweens and teens, including Disney shows like The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, That's So Raven, or Hannah Montana, are full of lies and deceit. A character in these shows is much more likely to develop an elaborate plan to get out of punishment than they are to simply confess their sins! And this mindset is so prevalent because people have forgotten the true meaning and purpose of confession-to receive absolution.

In today's Gospel, Jesus is being led to the cross to be crucified. His own people have turned and are shouting insults at Him as He makes His way to a slow and painful death. St. Luke records that amongst the shouts the rulers said "He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One"! These words closely match the words of Satan as he tempted Christ in the wilderness: "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3). And just as Christ calmly defeated Satan in this cosmic battle of wits, He also refrained from rising to the challenge of His executioners who claimed to believe in the One True God. In fact, His statement may be the most shocking example of grace in all of Scripture. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do".

Christians, and even more specifically Lutherans, do many things out of ignorance as well. For instance, when we are offered private confession and absolution, we cry out that this is a Roman practice and not Lutheran. In fact, the reformers held great esteem for confession and changed it so that Christ's absolution stood in the forefront instead of the endless enumeration of sins. In this way, a person might find comfort even in the face of terrible sins. Martin Luther even stated in his Large Catechism: "When I exhort you to go to confession, I am doing nothing but exhorting you to be a Christian". And it's not just private confession and absolution, either. This applies to all changes within the church that are contrary to our past experiences. Without researching the motives behind a decision or proposal, we shoot it down without a second thought.

We could even be compared to the Jews, who even though they knew the Messiah was to come and even though they saw the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the person and work of Jesus Christ, still crucified the One who came to save them. What Jesus said was outside of their realm of experience. Although they could see the wisdom and truth in what He said, they couldn't accept His teachings. They accused God of blasphemy and sentenced Him to death.

The shouts against Christ as He hangs on the cross drip with irony and stem from ignorance. The soldiers offer Him bitter wine and shout "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself"! If they had read the 22nd Psalm of David, they might know that they were fulfilling ancient prophecy in their very scorn of Christ. Even one of the criminals who hung next to Jesus fulfilled prophecy when he said "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us"! And we know all too well where this mindset comes from.

When we experience grief, we often shout out against God, accusing Him of causing our misery and hating Him for our own sinful state. When things are dark in our lives we wonder where God has gone off to. He must not be here with me, because I'm miserable. But another wonderful thing happens in the midst of our greatest adversities. Like the other thief on the cross, we come to confess our sins.

Seeking therapy is an increasing phenomenon in our society. Whether or not people want to admit it, we all wish we had a therapist to listen to us from time to time. A lot of folks think that the pastor should do that for them, but what exactly is the pastor's job? He's here to mediate between God and God's people. He preaches the Word and administers the Sacraments. Nowhere in the Bible or the Book of Concord does it say that the pastor is supposed to be a therapist. But this is not, however, a cause for despair. Most folks seek therapy to feel better about themselves. For some reason or another, people feel guilty about their lives and decisions and want someone to tell them it'll all be alright. But what if it won't "be alright?" What if the consequence of a bad decision is prison or death? Here's where the pastor steps in.

The pastor has much more to offer than a sympathetic ear and a license to hand out prescriptions. You see, the pastor can give absolution for those decisions which we feel guilt over. As the catechism says, "When the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself". When the pastor absolves us of those sins which have plagued us for so long, they are truly forgiven. This is God's forgiveness, given in the stead and by the command of Christ Himself, as St. John records in chapter 20:22-23: "He [Jesus] breathed on them [His disciples] and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld'". Any sins confessed to the pastor are never repeated, either. This confessional seal renders the pastor simply an earpiece of Christ and not a mouth to tell others of these sins. And when the pastor in God's stead forgives your sins, they are truly forgiven. No good works on your part make this happen, it's a free gift.

These basic truths can elude sinners for a lifetime, condemning them to torment not only in this life, but also in the eternal fires of hell. When Christians embrace them, however, they provide a lifetime of peace and the hope of eternal life. The second thief on the cross, the one who saw Christ's innocence and believed, also understood this. His words of faith, even as he was being crucified, show a great understanding of Christ's love. "We are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom". This is a lovely example of confession, and we can learn much from this humble statement of truth.

Our pride must not let us refuse the free gift of God as it is offered in confession and absolution. This same pride hurls insults upon Christ as He hangs on the cross for those very sins. Christ's grace is greater than our sinful shortcomings. The thief upon the cross understood this and made full confession of his sins. And how did Christ respond to this? Did He mock the sinner for his confession? Did He ignore his plea? No. He simply said to him: "Today you will be with Me in paradise".