Seeing does not equal believing

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Passage: John 20:24-29 (EHV)

Pastor Souksamay

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come. – Rev. 1:4

Dear fellow believers as we continue in the Easter season,

The world has done a big disservice to Thomas. What I mean is this. When you think of the apostle Thomas, what is the first thing you remember? Probably this account from John, and the nickname that Thomas now has: “Doubting Thomas.” We even use that name for anybody who refuses to believe anything to be true unless they see it for themselves. But there is more to Thomas’ life and even more to this account than just the doubting. Now we can’t justify everything that Thomas did here, but the one thing that I want us to take away from this gospel account today is this: seeing does not equal believing.

I.

Where we are in Scripture is the evening of that very first Easter evening. The apostles were behind locked doors that evening. They had seen the Jewish leaders kill their leader on the cross, just three days ago. They were probably afraid that they would be the next to die. But also that whole day, they had heard rumors and accounts from other followers of Jesus. These reports told the apostles that Jesus was alive and had even appeared to some other believers. But the apostles did not believe them. In fact, when some of the women, who had gone to the tomb and had seen Jesus, reported what they saw, we are told this about the apostles, “Yet these words seemed to them like nonsense, and they did not believe them.” (Lk 24:11) But then Jesus appeared to the apostles personally, and they did believe. But we are told that one of the apostles was not there: Thomas (v.24) Thomas means “twin” so most people assume he was a twin. 

But in any case, since he was not there, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” (v.25a) Can you imagine their excitement?! The entire emotional roller coaster they had been on since the previous Thursday when Jesus had been arrested and they had all fled. Think about all those events. Jesus dying on the cross. Them fearing for their own lives. All the rumors and reports of his resurrection. Then Jesus appears to them too. Everything was alright again. They tell that to Thomas, to help him through his own emotional roller coaster and what does he say? “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (v.25b) Can you imagine the let down the other apostles had at this reaction? 

But then we are told that one week has passed. Maybe during that whole time, the other apostles kept telling Thomas it was true: Jesus had arisen. Maybe Thomas kept insisting he wanted personal proof. But anyways, a week later, they are all together again, including Thomas. (v.26a) And again, although the doors were locked, Jesus again entered the place where they were at. (v.26b) And he says, “Peace be with you!” (v.26c) The common way of saying “hello” among the Jewish people, and also what Jesus gave to his apostles because of his death and resurrection: peace between God and us.

But the thing that Jesus says next is even more shocking than him entering a room through locked doors. For Jesus then turns to Thomas and says, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.” (v.27) Why is that shocking? Jesus was not in the room when Thomas said similar words one week earlier. But Jesus still knew what Thomas had asked for and he actually tells Thomas to do what he asked. He wants Thomas to place his finger into Jesus’ side, see the nail marks on his hands. Jesus wants to have Thomas stop doubting that he has actually arisen and … believe. 

But my counting this would be the 3rd miracle that Jesus performed that evening. First he entered through locked doors. Second, he appears before all of them again, showing he had risen from the dead. And third, he talks to Thomas and knows exactly what he had said and wanted to do, even before Thomas says it again. With all of those miracles, Jesus was again showing Thomas and the other disciples who he is. 

That is why Thomas then makes that glorious confession, “My Lord and my God!” (v.28) He saw the proof. He saw all he needed to see. He calls Jesus who he actually is: the only Lord and God. His only Lord and God. He calls Jesus the two most common names for the true God in the Bible: the Lord, reminding us that he is faithful; and God, reminding us that he is powerful.

And then Jesus has the last word, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (v.29) He has a subtle rebuke of Thomas’ doubting, but I also always loved this one verse because it is one where Jesus is actually and directly talking about you and me. We are the ones who have not seen him and yet have believed. Unlike Thomas: seeing does not equal believing for you and me.

II.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I think the world has done a disservice to Thomas. He is only remembered for his doubting in this gospel account, but he also has one of the best confessions of any of the apostles’ or any other believer in the Bible. He says to Jesus: My Lord and my God. Those words of his, recorded for the rest of time, in God’s Word, tell us exactly who Jesus is: the true Lord and God. What a legacy for this apostle!

The world has also done Thomas a disservice by nicknaming him: “Doubting Thomas.” Remember Thomas was not the only doubter. At first, the other apostles doubted that Jesus was alive when the women told them. They only stopped doubting when Jesus appeared to them, and they saw him personally. Same with Thomas. 

But even those apostles are not the only doubters when it comes to Jesus. So were all of us. I mean just think about it logically for a moment. What would it take for you to believe something is true, anything? What would it have taken for us to believe that Jesus was actually alive, if we had seen him die on a cross? What does it take today for people to believe that Jesus is the true Lord and God? What did it take for you?

If it was left to us, why would any of us believe that Jesus is the true Lord and God? What did it take for you to believe that the Bible’s account of the world is true and not the Big Bang Theory? What did it take for you to believe that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world and no other reason? What did it take for you to believe that God destroyed the world with a worldwide Flood and not believe the world that denies a worldwide flood? What did it take for you to believe that God himself was born in a manger in Bethlehem 2000 years ago and not just another baby? What did it take for you to believe that Jesus lived a perfect life for you and not just for himself? What did it take for you to believe that Jesus actually died on a cross and didn’t just faint or something like that? What did it take for you to believe that his death was for our sins and for no other reason? What did it take for you to believe that Jesus actually rose again from the dead, no matter what the world thinks or says? What did all of this take for you to believe all of it?

It took the only true Lord and God to create that faith in you, that belief that he is who he says he is. That just goes to show you the truth of Jesus’ words in the last verse today. None of us have ever seen Jesus, but we still believe. That just goes to show you that Jesus is the only true Lord and God. He is our Lord and God too. For who else could overcome our doubts and make us his believers!? Who else could make us believers, indeed, people who have not seen, but yet have believed!? 

Jesus overcame Thomas’ doubts and he continued to be a faithful disciple of the only true Lord and God. And if tradition is correct, he even carried the message of Jesus all the way to India and died there for his faith in his Lord. What a way for a man to live his confession that he made here. What a way for Jesus to still use this former doubter in his kingdom. Just like Jesus does with all his believers, with you and me as well. AMEN.

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. AMEN.

It is Hidden Even in the Savior’s Triumph

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Date: April 20, 2025

Passage: Matthew 28:1-10

Pastor Horton

CHRIST IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!  Listen to the angelic report, see Jesus alive through the gospel, and let your hearts be filled with joy!  A few verses from Matthew: “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.”  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them.  “Greetings,” he said.  They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.”

Could there be a more glorious day than this?  What could compare?  Maybe that first day of creation, when God simply spoke and created time and space and all matter out of nothing?  Or, maybe the fourth day was more glorious, that day on which God, just by his Word, created the sun, the moon, and the stars and flung them into the vast universe with their positions and courses that they hold to this very day?  Was that day more glorious?  Well, no!  A thousand times no!  For as glorious as that was, such actions for God were as easy as you taking off an Easter coat on this chilly morning and throwing it down on the pew!  Ah, but this day!  This day will shine forever and ever in its glory and in its importance.  Now wait, what about the Last Day, the day when Christ will come again with all the saints and angels, the day on which all will rise from the dead and face the judgment seat of God?  Is that day more glorious than this one?  Oh, no!  Again, a thousand times no!  For if not for this day, that future day would not be glorious to us at all.  If not for Jesus’ resurrection, that Last Day would only be filled with horror and terror unimaginable as we stood before God’s proclamation of condemnation.  No, this day, the day of Christ’s resurrection, is by far the most glorious day in all of time and in all of eternity.

May you grow to love and treasure this day as the greatest day – a day more glorious than your birthday, your wedding day, the day of your child’s birth, and even than that of your own entrance into heavenly glory.  All through Lent we have been looking for the glory hidden on the cross.  And now on this day, that glory reaches a pinnacle! 

And yet, even on this most glorious of days, the glory of Christ remains hidden.  Did you catch it?  Who appears as glorious in the gospel lesson?  It isn’t Jesus!  It’s an angel.  The angel descends from heaven, knocks open the grave, and sits on the stone.  Where is Jesus?  He has already done his great works hidden from sight!  On Easter Sunday his body and soul were reunited in the grave.  No one saw it.  On Easter Sunday, as St. Peter reports in his epistle, the risen Christ descended into hell and proclaimed there his great victory over sin, death, and Satan.  No one on earth heard the shrieks of rage and the vain howlings of the devils that day.  That glory was hidden.

The only one that appears glorious in Matthew’s gospel is the angel who rolled away the stone.  His appearance was like lightning, and his face, white as snow.  And the glory of the angel made an impression!  Those tough soldiers who knew how to stare death in the face were no match for the glory of the angel.  Stunned and terrified, they fell to the ground like dead men.  When the women arrive at the tomb, the soldiers have apparently recovered and run into the city to report to the chief priests.  The angel is still there, but it is his message that is far more glorious than his appearance. “Go in and look,” he tells them. “See, he is not here in the house of the dead.  He has risen, just as he said he would.  Go and tell the disciples.”

Now, truth be told, in all of this great excitement, maybe we might feel a tinge of disappointment?  Don’t we want to see Jesus front and center on this day of days?  Don’t we want to see him shining brighter than the angel?  Trouncing the powers of hell before us and making those Romans run?  Don’t we kinda want to see him looking the way he will look on the Last Day and as John saw him in the opening chapter of the book of Revelation with blazing eyes and roaring voice?

No!  Instead we see his glory from the vantagepoint of the women at the tomb.  Jesus appears to them – yet with his glory hidden!  And thanks God for that, if the sight of angel caused soldiers to fall down like dead men, what, then, would become of us if we would see Jesus in all his resurrection glory?  Freeze in terror?  Die of fright right on the spot?  But no.  This is a day for gladness.  Unlike mere mortals, Jesus has no need to make sure that everyone is impressed by his might and his majesty.  This day is a day of joy for our Savior to comfort our souls.  The women have no dread, no fear, no terror.  They run to him, not away from him.  They fall down before him in worship and adoration.  Their joy cannot be contained.  How they must have drenched the ground with their tears of gladness!  And yet there will be a day where he arrives in full glory, but not this day.  On Easter he hides it. 

The glory is hidden in his words.  He tells the women, “Do not be afraid.  Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”  Do not be afraid!  Even with Adam and Eve falling in the garden where we were separated from God by our sin.  And death became our lot in this life, and hell became our future in the next.  Do not be afraid, for Jesus died and has risen.  He did exactly what he said he would do already in the Garden of Eden.  He went into battle for us on the cross.  And he won.  Easter Sunday is proof of it.  Do not be afraid; he paid for our sin.  Do not be afraid; he conquered hell.  Do not be afraid; he has triumphed over the grave.

But how can I, sitting here in the pew this morning, know that he did that for me?  If you’re like me, my conscience still condemns, temptations still nag, and the thought of death still makes me uneasy.  Today we also listen to Jesus who says: “Go and tell my brothers!”  What an astonishing thing!  He calls the disciples his brothers!  Now if you remember, all they did was sleep in the Garden of Gethsemane after he warned them and told them to watch and pray.  All they did was both fight and flight, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus.  All they did was disappear, deny, and double-cross. 

And he calls them “brothers?”  That’s exactly the point.  That’s exactly the glory of Lent and of Easter.  The disciples don’t deserve that gracious name, and neither do we.  We are no better than they.  But we are no worse either.  Their sins are gone, and our sins are gone.  They are buried in Jesus’ grave when we were baptized.  And now with our sins handled and hidden away, Jesus looks at you and calls you brother or sister with a smile.  “Don’t be afraid!”  For behold the glory of Easter, now as God’s own children!

What a message!  See your risen Savior.  Appreciate how gentle, kind, and considerate, he is with us!  He does not scare us to death or terrify us sinners.  He hides his glory in his Word.  That’s where we will find Jesus emphasizing the point of Easter.  Jesus promised that he would rise.  And he has the women “go and tell.”  He does not appear to the disciples right away – He wants them to depend on the Word.  Soon enough his visible presence will ascend into heaven on the 40th day.  But his real and abiding presence he will not take away.  He will be with them, and us, until the end of time, just as he promised: in his Word and sacraments.

Do you want to find the glory of Easter?  You’ve come to the right place!  Here is where his Word is proclaimed.  The Word declares sin forgiven.  The Word drives away fears.  “Don’t be afraid.”  Tomorrow you will still have problems and temptations.  But “Don’t be afraid.  I have died, and see, I am alive.  I will not leave you or forsake you.” Ah, but Jesus, the grave – my grave – still lies ahead.  “Don’t be afraid.  I conquered it all in my death and resurrection.  Because I live, you will live also.  Death, the last enemy, has been defeated, and the grave is now the portal to life eternal.”

Go ahead then.  Go with Jesus.  Go and depart in peace.  And remember that he always gives more than he promises—so you too will see him in splendor in heaven.  Yes, and you will even share in his glory.  For you are his brothers, his sisters.  He will hold nothing back from you.  And every step of the way, whenever you can, come to his Word and return to his sacraments, so that through the whole journey you may taste and see the glory that is hidden on the cross, the glory that is his resurrection and the promise of your own.  FOR CHRIST IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!  HALLELUJAH!  Amen.

Praise God for Palm Sunday!

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Passage: Luke 19:28-40

Pastor Horton

Date: April 13, 2025-Palm Sunday

What a day!  Maybe you are wondering what I mean by that.  For you, the day is just beginning.  In fact, it is not even 8:30 in the morning.  But in my homeland on the other side of the world, the sun is about an hour away from setting over the Judean hillside.  The day is almost over for me, but it is a day that I will never forget.

This Sunday began like many others.  I woke up after the Sabbath with many things to do.  I had to take care of some business in the village.  I had to take care of my animals in the yard.  And like you with your holiday rush, I had to make final preparations for the Passover that was now only a few days away.

At least I had it easier than many of my countrymen.  Some God-fearing Jews had to travel over a hundred miles to reach Jerusalem in time for the Feast.  My house was only a few miles away.  And especially at this time of year it was common to see a steady stream of pilgrims passing by on their travel into the Holy City.      

But this particular day was different.  There was an excitement in the air, something I could sense but not explain, something I could feel but not fully understand.  Maybe it was because the crowds were larger than usual.  Maybe it was because the buzz was louder than usual.  I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but my life was about to change forever.  What I am about to share with you is everything that happened to me today, a day when the prophecies of the Old Testament came to life, a day when I saw the Messiah with my own eyes, a day that shares its name with the branches the people were waving in the air.  And at the end of the day, I want you to share in my joy.  I want you to be at peace.  I want you to raise your voices with me and…PRAISE GOD FOR PALM SUNDAY.

As the sun peaked over the horizon, I loaded up my donkey to go into the village.  There was a chance that I would be taking home more than what one pack animal could carry, so I brought along her colt just in case.  This foal was not ready to be ridden, at least not yet, but it was strong enough to carry a few things in its saddle bags.

After the short trip into town, I tied the animals to a post and left.  It was a good thing my business didn’t take long because when I came back I found two men untying them.  At first I thought they were trying to steal the animals, but these men were not acting like thieves.   They were working slowly and deliberately, as if they were the rightful owners.  As I approached, I didn’t really know what to do so I said: “Why are you untying the colt” (Lk 19:33)?  They weren’t startled.  They weren’t surprised.  It was as if they knew my question before I even asked it.  They simply replied: “The Lord needs them”, and they gave me their word that they would return the animals shortly (see Mk 11:3). 

Even though these men were complete strangers to me, even though I didn’t know where they had come from or where they were going, even though losing these animals would set me back quite a bit of money, I let them go.  But I decided to follow at a distance, partly to make sure that my animals were safe, partly because I wanted to catch a glimpse of this “Lord” who needed them.  The two men led the donkey and her colt to a larger group.  Some put their cloaks on the animals, and then one of them sat on the colt, the colt that had never been ridden before.  That was strange, I thought to myself.  He did it with such ease.  He sat on that colt like he was its own, like he was in charge of much more than this animal.  It reminded me of a Bible passage I had learned as a boy, taken from the great prophet Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (9:9).  As the group made its way on the road leading to Jerusalem, I wondered out loud: “Is this some kind of great coincidence, or am I in the presence of the Messiah himself?”

Now, I had work to do back at home, especially with the Passover only a few days away, but I couldn’t let this man out of my sight.  I decided to keep following at a distance, not knowing exactly what to expect.  And because there were many others on the road heading in the same direction, I was able to blend right in.

That was until one of the travelers almost ran me over.  He grabbed onto me to keep me from falling and exclaimed: “Oh, it’s good to see you!”  Since I had never met this man before, I had no idea what he was talking about.  “My name is Bartimaeus,” he said as he brushed himself off.  “I am from the city of Jericho, and until just a few days ago I was blind – I was sitting by the roadside begging for money one day when I heard this noise.  I was told, “it’s Jesus (as he pointed to the guy who just went past on the donkey).  I had even heard that he had the power to perform miracles, and hey, I had nothing to lose, so I shouted at the top of my lungs: ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’ (Mk 10:47).”  “Some people were embarrassed by me.  Others tried to silence me.  But Jesus listened to me.  I’ll never forget those precious words: ‘Go.  Your faith has healed you’ (Mk 10:52).  Immediately my eyes were opened, and I have been following Jesus ever since.”

The man then disappeared into the crowds as quickly as he had appeared.  I didn’t know if I should believe him, but I knew that I couldn’t turn back.  I needed to keep following this man, wherever he was going.  I needed to learn more, so I stopped to ask a woman standing on the side of the road: “Do you know this man, the one they call Jesus?”  And she said with a smile: “Well, yes, I actually do.”

Her name was Martha, and Jesus had been staying with her and her sister Mary in Bethany.  She told me that she also had a brother named Lazarus who had died.  I was beginning to express my sympathy for her loss when she stopped me.  And I could tell by the look in her eyes that there was more to this story.  Martha told me that Jesus reassured her that he was the Son of God, the “resurrection and the life.”  Even though Lazarus had been dead for four days,” Martha told me, “Jesus called: ‘Lazarus, come out’ (Jn 10:43)!  And he did, linen strips, burial cloth and all.  Lazarus walked out of the tomb alive.”  That helped to explain the absolute excitement of the people who had come from all over to celebrate the Passover.  They had heard other amazing stories about Jesus, but now they had proof.   Lazarus was a living, breathing illustration of this man’s power.  Jesus was different.  Jesus was special.  And he was on his way to Jerusalem.

My unplanned journey brought me to the edge of the Mount of Olives overlooking the Holy City.  As Jesus began his final descent into the valley, the crowds grew larger and louder.  They treated this man like a king.  They threw their cloaks on the road.  They waved palm branches in the air.  And they declared: “Hosanna to the Son of David (Mt 21:9)!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Mk 11:9)!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Lk 19:38)!  Maybe it was the power of the moment.  Maybe it was the testimony of Bartimaeus and Martha.  Maybe it was a combination of things, but before I knew it I was a part of this grand procession.  Once inside the gates of the city, the people were overjoyed.  Children were singing about him.  Pilgrims were praising him. 

But not everyone was happy.  The Pharisees were visibly upset.  They came up to Jesus and demanded: “Teacher, rebuke your disciples” (Lk 19:39).  Their anger caught me off guard.  I don’t know why they wanted the people to stop.  Personally, I didn’t want this day to ever come to an end.  And Jesus wasn’t ready to put an end to the celebration either.  He replied: “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Lk 19:40).

The stones didn’t have to jump into action that day but eventually the crowds dispersed and the people went home.  As I retraced the route I had walked only a few hours earlier, I was able to think about all the things I had seen and heard.  I knew that something special had happened.  About an hour later, I heard a knock at the door.  It was the two disciples returning the animals they had borrowed that morning.  I invited them in and immediately began to ask them questions.  “Who is the one you call ‘Lord’?  Who is this Jesus?  Why has he come?  What do today’s events mean?”

The disciples admitted that they didn’t have all the answers.  They had been with Jesus for three years, and they still had some questions of their own.  But one of them did share with me something Jesus had shared with them when they started out on their journey:  “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  On the third day he will be raised to life” (Mt 20:18,19)!

I didn’t witness anything like that, but then again nothing on this day was exactly as it appeared.  Jesus was hailed as a king, yet he rode on a common beast of burden.  Jesus was treated like a conquering hero, but he led no army.  Jesus accepted the praises of the adoring crowds, but he knew that those praises would not last.  And there was something else I thought about, something I could not get out of my mind.  Jesus knew exactly where my donkey was.  Jesus knew exactly what I would say.  That means he knows the future.  That means he knows what is waiting for him in Jerusalem.  And if he knows about the betrayal, if he knows about the condemnation, if he knows about the mocking and flogging and crucifixion and death, then why did he come?

I think I know why.  He did it for me.  And He did it for you.  He did it for those times when we are not so willing to part with our possessions.  He did it for those times when we are not so quick to follow him.  He did it for those times when we are content to let the stones sing his praises instead.  Jesus knew that without Palm Sunday there could be no Easter Sunday.  And so knowingly, willingly, humbly, and lovingly Jesus entered Jerusalem to complete his Father’s saving work, to suffer and die and rise again to take away my sins and your sins in full.

This is my story, but it isn’t exclusive to me.  This is your story too.  Maybe you weren’t right here alongside Bartimaeus, Martha, and myself, but you have heard about Jesus and all that he had done for you through the Word.  What a blessing God has given to you and to me!  Today Christians all over the world wave their palm branches in the air.  Today we worship our King.  Today we sing, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  Today we proclaim, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” and realize that we are the ones who are truly blessed in Jesus.  He rode on to save us from our sins.  Praise God for Palm Sunday!  Amen.        

Eagles Soar in the Bible!

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“Young men grow tired and become weary.  Even strong men stumble and fall.  But those who wait for the Lord will receive new strength.  They will lift up their wings and soar like eagles.  They will run and not become weary.  They will walk and not become tired.” 

– Isaiah 40:30-31

Eagles Soar in the Bible!

I don’t know if it still is there, but as I waited in line to ride the Wild Eagle Roller Coaster at Dollywood in Tennessee, there in giant mural form was this passage from the book of Isaiah.  Owned in part by singer Dolly Parton, she shared her faith in a unique way.  The roller coaster cars are designed to look like eagles, and with feet dangling in the air, passengers ride on the eagle’s wings.  A fun picture, but one that highlights God’s great love and providence.  

In nature, eagles are rare.  In 2017 they officially came off the endangered species list.  When we see one it is special.  They are large, swift, powerful birds of the air with wings over four feet who soar in a majestic manner.  For this reason we sometimes find them as a picture of regal capabilities.  Nebucadnezzer’s kingdom was compared to a lion with eagles’ wings in Daniel 7. 

They are also found in connection to our God, the King of kings upon his throne in heaven.  Eagles, sometimes translated as vultures, act in prophetic judgment by feeding on those who dare to mock God in more than one place in Scriptures.  The woman of Revelation 12, often thought of as a symbol for the church, was persecuted by the dragon and “two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman” so that she might escape and be safe.  We find God delivering his people from the Egyptians in Exodus 19 and protecting them in Deuteronomy 32 with the swift and decisive power of the eagle.  God says “‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”

And now in our passage from Isaiah we find the eternal God giving us life, zeal, and hope through his word.  He renews our spirits.  He restores our souls.  He has forgiven us our sins through Jesus.  He helps us live for him.  Even when we grow old or feel weak, he is strong and he can help.  Thanks to the saving gift of faith in Jesus, we are lifted up and as believers soar as if you and I were seated on the wings of eagles.  And the focus of our faith?  One day we will get to do more than fly in the sky, we will get to soar to heaven and be with our Lord forever!  Thank you Lord Jesus!  

Forget it!

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Passage: Isaiah 43:16-21

Date: April 6, 2025

Pastor: Pastor Horton

If I were to ask you to name the top ten miracles God performed in the Old Testament in order to save his people…what sort of miracles come to mind?  I dropped the question into chat gpt just to see how AI might rank such a list.  What were the first miracles that came to your mind?  What were God’s great acts done to save in the Old Testament?  Maybe you thought about the individuals who saw great deeds done for them from a God who knew them and loved them and spared them for his good purposes: David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den, Jonah saved in the great fish, and the three men in the fiery furnace all made the list.  Also, according to AI, there were acts done to save the people in the sense of sustaining them with manna in the desert.  Also on the list was delivering an enemy into their hands such as the miracle of the walls of Jericho that came tumbling down.  Topping the list was, and certainly as far as magnificent-miracles go, I found Noah and the life-saving ark during the flood.  But right after that (#2) was a miracle recalled in our reading from the prophet Isaiah. 

Listen again to the opening words: “This is what the Lord says, who makes a road through the sea and a path through mighty waters, who brings out the chariot and the horses, the army and the strong warrior.  They will all lie down together.  They will not get up.  They are extinguished.  Like a wick they go out.”  Can you guess the second overall pick by AI for God’s greatest Old Testament saving miracle?  It is the miracle of crossing the Red Sea.  Do you remember that one?  Do you remember God leading his people out of Egypt and their oppression only to find themselves with their backs to the ocean?  Do you remember how the Angel of God moved the pillar of cloud behind them to defend them from the aggressive Egyptians?  And how God had Moses raise his staff and hand as God sent wind to separate the water into walls and allow his people to be saved passing through on dry ground?  Do you remember how those heroic and fierce warriors of Egypt along with pharaoh barreled into the passageway in hot pursuit?  And how they didn’t dabble when it came to going on the attack but they all went in and none came out?  How were told that “the Lord threw the Egyptians into the middle of the sea.”  Every one of them extinguished like a wick in an instant. 

The Israelites certainly remembered God’s saving act.  They remembered the exodus by celebrating the passover each and every year.  It was a big deal before the Babylonian captivity and a big deal to bring it back upon their return to the Promised Land.  It served as a hallmark moment of God’s ability and willingness to save.

Do you remember?  Because God says today in our reading, that along with all those other miracles, “forget it.”  Wait what?  Verse 18, “Do not remember the former things.  Do not keep thinking about ancient things.”  Why would Israel and why would we forget it?  What is God talking about?  We don’t forget his great and miraculous acts to save!  But those events aren’t the best part of his grand plan of our salvation.  We are being told to not dwell on the past, because God had something even better coming in the future.  Something not even worth comparing to God’s gracious glories of the past.  Something great has been planned.  And that involves a promise fulfilled of a Savior in Christ the Lord.

“Forget it!  Forget the past!”  Those were also comforting words for the Israelites because not all of their history with God was good or glorious.  Their diary of events in the Old Testament was often downright putrid.  Like the former time when Israel stood in blatant rebellion against Moses and therefore also against God and many of them were swallowed alive when the earth opened up.  Or the former time when they grew impatient with God’s plan and they grumbled and poisonous snakes were sent into the camp as punishment?  Or the former time when God was up on Mt. Sinai yet the people’s hearts were down below honoring a golden calf?  Those former things?  Those former sins?!  “Forget it” declares God.  “Those former sins are now gone in the righteous blood of my Anointed One, the Christ.”  Through these words God is declaring reconciliation and peace for his people.

“Forget it!  Forget the past!”  We need God to say those things to each of us as well, don’t we?  It’s not all that hard and doesn’t take all that long to begin to think back to the former things that we have done that have been sinful.  We know.  We’re embarrassed by our sin.  We think back to those moments when we have done absolutely destructive damage to someone’s reputation with our words when we couldn’t control the firestorm of hurt we ignited.  There are those former thoughts that ran unchecked through our minds – thoughts not in line with God’s will.  And there are those former actions that cause great regret – a regret that can consume us as we dare not look up to a holy God in heaven.  Maybe you know all too well what I’m taking about.  Maybe you have scars, figurative but maybe even literally of your former things – our former sins.  The devil loves to have our past sin linger.  “Forget it!” declares God.  “Forget the past!”

This Lent, we traipse around in the desolate desert of our sin’s reality.  Just like Israel had done as they traipsed around while wandering in the wilderness, or as they traipsed off into Babylonian captivity, and then traipsed back home some 70 years later.  Their sin and God’s miracles were both before their eyes.  Like them, left to ourselves, our sin would only result in us traipsing into death – death now and forever.  Like them, we needed God to forgive, forget, make our loutlook new, and put the spring back into our spiritual step.

And has he ever done that!  Our reading continues as God proclaims, “Watch, I am about to do a new thing.  Now it will spring up.  Don’t you know about it?  Indeed I will make a road in the wilderness.  In the wasteland I will make rivers.  The wild animals, the jackals and ostriches, will honor me, because I am providing water in the wilderness, rivers in a parched wasteland, water for my chosen people to drink.  This people that I formed for myself will declare my praise.”

Now, we have a new reality.  For the Israelites, God would move monarchs to create a path back home for his people.  Now God alone would act to again save and to deliver.  Just as God alone has acted to save us from sin and death and hell.  God sent his son, whom he loves, into this world.  And even though, as we were reminded in today’s gospel, the world rejected him – still Christ Jesus bore all of our sins at his cross.  God would act to give us a path home to heaven through Jesus, who alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Where only desolation and death existed for us, a new change in Jesus is welcome!  It is God who gives us a faith to believe him and God who formed for himself a people who know him and trust in him by that faith.  In a spiritual landscape where desolation, despair, and death once reigned, now God has made the life-giving water burst forth and change our reality.  Now we have a clear purpose and destination in service to our Lord.  Now we have forgiveness and a new day of grace in Jesus.  Now, through Christ, our parched souls are quenched and our lives have a newness, relief, and restoration.  Paul rejoices in writing to the Philippians: “Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Israel of old could forget their past because God had forgotten and forgiven their past.  Even with all the great miracles, God had an even better future mapped out for them.  One to bring them home.  Deliverance was theirs.  And so it is with you, dear believer!  Deliverance is yours as well!  God has done some pretty amazing miracles in your life, bringing you to faith and keeping you in the palm of his hand.  Forget the former sins of your past.  For they are forgotten in the cross of Christ.  Appreciate who you are and what you are and where you are because of Jesus today – as you have new opportunity to live and serve him.  And look forward to God’s great and gracious miracle of bringing us home to heaven.  That is where our journey is headed in Jesus.  And may we never forget that!  Amen.