Saturday in Week 9 of Pentecost
Daily Readings
Joshua 6:1-14 Romans 13:1-7 Matthew 26:26-35Morning and Evening Psalms
64-65 66-68Romans 13. If only the Holy Spirit had left that out of the bible then we could rebel against the government with nary a qualm! But it is there, and it demands obediance to the governing authorities. Still, it does not say we ought to
be the governing authorities. Worse, it does not at all define what a legitimate authority is! I still wonder, at what point did the United States government go from an illegitimate rebellion violating Romans 13 to a legitimate government to be obeyed by Christians? The same question can be asked of any overthrow of government throughout history. As far as I can tell legitimacy is little more than having enough guns to enforce your authority and nothing much else is needed. Because of this I don't have a problem with obeying authority, ie. anyone with a bunch of guns pointed at me, but I do have a problem with joining those gangs, God appointed for the sake of order though they be.
Matthew 26 is the institution of the Lord's Supper.
"Take, eat; this is my body." Unless you want to get Clintonesque,
is means
is.
Higher Things Reflection:“For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.” (Psalm 54:7)
Who are your enemies? Your true enemies? Are you thinking of infamous villains like Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? Or are you contemplating that vicious geometry teacher or Latin professor? Perhaps you even slip into thinking about the dean of students or your dad who grounded you for breaking curfew last week.
In tomorrow morning’s introit, we hear Jesus pray: “For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.” As our dear Savior stood, bound and beaten before the high priest and (later that morning) Pontius Pilate, these would not have been easy words to recall. When you face danger and potential suffering at the hands of others, these words escape you.
But there is a word of sweet Gospel for you! Our Redeemer has endured the wrath of His enemies for you! He has undergone the whip, the nails, and the cross for you! He has submitted Himself to the fury of His greatest enemies: sin, death, and the devil – for you!
And in enduring these enemies, the Heavenly Father delivered Jesus from His enemies. He permitted Him to look death in the face and breathe His last. However, even more monumental is the fact that He raised Christ Jesus from the dead – that Jesus could “look in triumph on His enemies!” Because He endured our enemies we might walk in newness of life!
So what about bin Laden, Hussein, your teachers, and others in authority? Instead of such trivial “enemies,” consider the most dangerous enemies to your eternal life. We join Christ’s prayer in Psalm 54, contemplating our victory, in Him, over the most dangerous enemies of faith.
Rejoice, dear delivered brothers and sisters! In Holy Baptism, our dear Father in heaven has delivered you from that unholy trinity of sin, death, and the devil. In this precious, Sacred Bath, you, too, are bound to Jesus’ delivery from and victory over these enemies. Now, Jesus leads you to look in Easter triumph over these enemies!