Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

When one reads through the accounts of Jesus, they will find numerous instances where we see Jesus teaching, either to the crowds or to the disciples. They will find several instances where Jesus is at a meal with a person or group of persons, again, often teaching. They will find numerous accounts of Jesus performing some sort of miracle. With most of His miracles comes some sort of teaching by Jesus, often through the miraculous act. As we read today’s account of Jesus and the leper, the theme is no different. We see Jesus perform a miracle and we also see teaching of Jesus.

Mark begins by telling us that a leper came to Jesus. You have to wonder how this leper made it this close to Jesus. By being a leper, he was ceremonially unclean and therefore banished from the city or town’s population until he became clean again. The Levitical law demanded that whenever they came near people, they had to cry out, “Unclean, unclean!” Should they ever experience healing, they were required to show themselves to the priests to determine whether they were actually healed or not.

The man who approached Jesus did not cry out, “Unclean,” and we can understand why. In his great distress, he did not want anyone to stop him from coming to the one he had recognized as being able to do what no one else could do, namely, heal him. Falling on his knees before Jesus, expressing his faith that Jesus had divine power and authority to heal and also expressing his own dire need, he cried out, “If you will, you can make me clean.” He acknowledged Christ’s power to heal but did not demand this gift from Him. Instead, he cast himself entirely on Christ’s mercy.

This leper is the complete opposite of us when it comes to Jesus. He leaves it up to Jesus to heal him. For us, we demand of God to provide for us. We look to God and Jesus as our personal dispenser of everything, granting to us whatever we want, whenever we want it. That is not how God works. Yes, “He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life,” as Luther says. But why does He do this? Luther continues, “All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.” What did Luther not say? He didn’t say that God does this because you up and demanded it from Him. He didn’t say that God does this because you asked in a nice tone of voice. Luther says that God does this apart from you, out of His “fatherly, divine goodness and mercy.” You don’t even enter into that equation. This is all about God.

For the leper going to Jesus, he doesn’t ask Jesus to cleanse him. He doesn’t demand that Jesus cleanse him. He doesn’t bank on his past and speak of all that he has done for God. He doesn’t make promises about the future, promising to devote his life to Jesus. He merely states that Jesus has the power and authority to do so and waited for the mercy of Christ to be shown.

Jesus has mercy on those who are outcast and considered unclean. Throughout the Scriptures, we see Jesus come to the aid of those rejected by others. Jesus feeds the multitudes the disciples would have sent away. Jesus sits with sinners and eats with them. Jesus takes little children into His arms and blesses them, though they are considered a bother. Jesus comes to the home of Zacchaeus the tax collector, one who is greatly despised because of who he is and what he does, and still chooses to dine with him.

Jesus is willing to defile Himself for the sake of those He came to save. Jesus looks with mercy on the man with leprosy and with indignation on those who are complacent and judgmental. Jesus reached out beyond the climate of the society and touched the man with leprosy, even though this would have made Jesus ceremonially unclean. Jesus was not concerned for His own well-being or what others would think of Him. He brought His Word and often times His healing to the people, regardless of the consequences. Mark tells us, “And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.” The cleansing process was not gradual. The disease fled as the words left Jesus’ lips.

In the same way that Jesus touches and heals the man with leprosy, Jesus touches and heals you immediately. You have been shown the mercy of Christ. Jesus touches us on the cross of Calvary, where He takes our sin and every disease upon Himself, where He defiles Himself for us, and where He becomes the outcast of God for our sake. Jesus touches you and shows you His mercy when God called you to be His own child in the waters of Holy Baptism. You were shown that mercy when you hear that your sins have been forgiven you. You were shown that mercy when our Lord gives to you His very body and blood for you to eat and drink which gives to you forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. You were shown that mercy when our Lord went to the cross in order to redeem you, “a lost and condemned person, purchased and won [you] from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.”

By birth we share a common moral uncleanness. We were helpless to avoid the sin that separated us from the saved people of God. Daily we rebel against our Maker. Our sins are as real as the shiny white spots on the leper’s skin. We must cry out to God and the world that we are unclean, as did the lepers of old. The gracious mystery of the Christ is that He did not come to condemn us. Instead, He touched us. And with His Word and His Sacraments, He healed us and brought us back into communion with the Father and God’s people.

In stark contrast to a society and culture that separates itself from those they judge to be “unclean,” Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, steps out of heaven and into the lives of those in need and who are shunned by others. Jesus looks on those He came to save with mercy and compassion. He reaches out beyond the social norms, even at His own risk. Jesus dirties Himself – He defiles Himself – and He touches you. He heals you. He takes away your sin and blemish, presenting you to His Father and declaring you “clean.” In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Epistle, which was read earlier.

Freedom is such a wonderful gift of God that we have. We are free to choose what clothes we wear. We are free to eat what we want. We are free to have children or not have children. We are free to come and go whenever we want, within reason, of course. In short, we are a very free people with the ability to do what we want. What we must realize is that this freedom that we enjoy comes from God, our loving Father.

St. Paul emphasizes that he is free. He says, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” At first glance, it appears that Paul is very confused at what he is saying. He is free, yet he is a servant. The question needs to be asked: can you be free and still be bound?

That is what is at the heart of Paul’s message. He is indeed free. He is not free in the sense that we might think. Paul is free, not on account of his status as a Roman citizen. He is not free on account of his skin color. He is not free on account of anything of his own doing. Paul is free on account of what Jesus Christ has done for him. He is free because Jesus has granted him the freedom from sin and death by His life, death, and resurrection.

While Paul is free, he claims that he has made himself “a servant to all.” He has done this for one reason and one reason only: to preach the Gospel. He is under orders to go and preach the Gospel. God had told Ananias before he baptized Paul, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” Paul had no choice but to be an apostle, but it was something he did willingly and gladly because of what the prize was: Jesus Christ.

While Paul was free and a servant at the same time, he was not under obligation to any person except Christ. He did not need to impress anyone. He was not bound to serve anyone except Christ. He had no allegiance to anyone except Christ. He was free yet he was a slave to Christ. Everything that Paul did was for Christ and His kingdom and His Gospel. He was charged with taking the Gospel to people and that is exactly what He did. Paul and his colleagues saw themselves as the Corinthians’ slaves for Christ. Theirs was a ministry of service, and by this humble approach, Paul sought to win as many as possible for the Gospel.

It is for that reason that Paul became “all things to all people.” When Paul became a Christian, he became a free man in Christ, free from all the laws and regulations that bound God’s people in the Old Testament. However, that did not stop him from practicing those Old Testament laws and regulations. To win the Jews, he lived like the Jews under the law, even though he was no longer obligated to do so because of Christ. He kept the Sabbath laws and observed the festival days; he followed the Old Testament regulations regarding the eating of foods; he observed the rite of circumcision all in order to win the Jews to Christ and the Gospel.

For the Gentiles, those outside the law, Paul became as one outside of the law. The Gentiles did not follow any of the ceremonial laws like the Jews did. Instead, they followed the natural law or moral law. His concern for the Gentiles was to convey to them that they did not have to feel that they should become Jewish in order to become Christians. That was different than what some were teaching. There were those within the Church that taught that if you wanted to become Christian, you must become a Jew or accept all the Jewish practices. That meant you had to become circumcised. You had to abstain from the eating of certain foods. You had to observe certain Jewish festivals, all in the name of being a Christian. What was ignored was the fact that a person was free to be circumcised or not circumcised; a person was free to eat or not eat certain foods because they had been set free by Christ.

Both Jewish and Gentile Christians were under the law of Christ. Both had the mind of Christ and sought to live upright, God-pleasing lives. Both Jewish and Gentile Christians live in Christ; their will is in accord with Christ’s will. Both want to do the will of God as expressed in the Ten Commandments, but both had different ways in coming to Christ.

For Paul, becoming all things to all people was what was necessary to win them to Christ. He did this without ever compromising Christ. Paul’s example of love and service is there for all who want to win others for Christ. He showed that each and every person, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, was important to Christ. He showed that he would do whatever was necessary to bring to them the Gospel of Christ which they so desperately needed. Paul knew just exactly how much the people needed Christ because he experienced firsthand how much he needed Christ. When Christ appeared to Paul, it was a life-changing experience like no other. He realized what he was doing to Christ and His Church. He realized that he lay outside of the Church and outside of Christ and His forgiveness. When the scales fell from his eyes, Paul was literally a changed man. He saw the mercy and love of Christ firsthand and his charge as an apostle was to spread the Gospel to all people. He would do what is God’s will to reach another person for Christ. In Christ, Paul became so free that he could give up his freedom to help someone else know God’s love and forgiveness.

His message to the Corinthians was one they needed to hear, as it is a message that all Christians are to hear. There is a prize to be won. The prize is nothing short than the forgiveness of sins won for us by Jesus Christ on the cross. This prize is not like any other prize in this world. The prizes of this world pass away for they are perishable. They are here today, but gone tomorrow. The prize that Christ gives to you is the unfading glory of heaven and eternal salvation. The prize that Christ gives is forgiveness. The prize that Christ gives is Himself, for you.

This wonderful prize that Christ has to offer to you is yours for the mere price of your sins. Jesus gives to you this forgiveness in exchange for your sins. Your sins, washed away in the waters of Holy Baptism, just as was done for Olivia earlier. Your sins, forgiven you when you feast at the Lord’s Table.

It is because of Christ that you have been set free: set free from all sin and bondage to Satan. It is because of Christ that you are bound to Him: bound to Him through His life, death, and resurrection. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Why is it that I am the only one who preaches here on a regular basis? Why is that the congregation not take turns to preach? It all comes down to who has authority to preach and who doesn’t. As we look at our Gospel reading, we see Jesus entering the synagogue and begin teaching. But there is one problem with this picture: Jesus does not have the authority to teach in the synagogue because He is not one of the teachers of the Law. As far as authority goes, he has as much authority as the next Jewish male to begin teaching, which is none. As Mark records for us, “And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” What Jesus’ specific message was on this particular Sabbath, Mark does not tell us; he does tell us about the impression His preaching made on the worshipers. They were amazed, for Jesus did not teach as the teachers of the Law. They always appealed to the interpretations of past rabbis and were particularly adept at breaking down God’s Word into any number of legalistic regulations. Jesus instead always proclaimed the Gospel of God. He quoted no experts but proclaimed the good news on His own authority.

What did that say about the teaching of the scribes? What was at the heart of their teaching if it wasn’t the Gospel? Imagine the scribes when they heard Jesus teaching. What a humbling experience that must have been, or rather, should have been. Remember what was at the heart of their teaching: adherence to the Law in order to bring about salvation. Again, without knowing what Jesus said or taught, you can only imagine that it was not, “If you keep this law and that law, then you will be saved.” Rather, I imagine that the message of Jesus was all about the forgiveness that comes through the gracious mercy of God.

It is solely the authority of God that brings about salvation. It is not the authority of man. It surely was not the authority of the scribes and their strict adherence of the Law, or at least strict adherence in their own eyes. They were the ones who were trained to know what the Scriptures said. However, merely knowing what the Scriptures say and teaching what they say are two different things. One has the authority of man attached to it and the other has the authority of God.

It is no wonder that Jesus taught as one who had authority because He WAS the authority. As the very Son of God, everything that the Scriptures spoke of concerning the Messiah were fulfilled in Him. Every prophecy, every mention of salvation was the result of Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah.

Not only had the people gathered realized that Jesus had authority, so did a particular man with an unclean spirit. He called Jesus out on the spot, telling everyone who He was: “I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” For Jesus, the cat was out of the bag. His identity had been revealed to everyone who was there, whether He wanted it known or not. Jesus was just beginning His ministry. He had just begun to call His disciples as we remember from last week’s Gospel reading. Even there we see Jesus exercising His authority when all He has to say is “Come, follow me” and Simon, Andrew, James, and John immediately leave their boats and what they were doing to follow Jesus.

The time had not come and it was not right that the true identity of Jesus be revealed, and so He commands the demon, “Be silent, and come out of him.” As Mark records for us, the demon obeyed and left the man. Why did the demon leave the man so quickly? Why didn’t he try to put up a fight and retain his hold on this man? The answer was because Jesus had the authority and the demon did not. Jesus has all authority as He says in Matthew, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The words which Jesus spoke were words that commanded authority. They commanded authority because they were not His own words, but they were the words of God. They were the words of promise; they were the words of forgiveness.

Those who were gathered recognized that there was something new to the teaching of Jesus. His teaching was not the same as that of the scribes and rabbis. They recognized that what He taught had authority behind it. It wasn’t made up of fluff, of things that didn’t matter. Those people had heard the Word of God and now here they were confronted with the Word of God made flesh for them. They were amazed at the authority of His words and His work. It was teaching that was focused on the Word of God, with the authority of God behind it. Why did it have the authority of God behind it? Because Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh.

This authority that Jesus Christ asserts over the demon, the authority that He uses to teach in the synagogue, the authority that He uses in performing miracles; in short, the authority that He asserts throughout His life and ministry is the authority as the very Son of God.

As Jesus speaks, we see His authority in action. As Jesus speaks, something happens. Jesus speaks to the blind and they receive sight. Jesus speaks and the lepers are cleansed. Jesus speaks and the lame walk. Jesus speaks and the thief on the cross enters paradise. Jesus speaks, “It is finished,” and your sins are forgiven. It is that blessed Word of God that has such great power and authority.

Even today, we see that authority of God’s Word at work as Gary/Jude came to the waters of Holy Baptism and was made a child of God. What was it that made this possible and earned him that forgiveness? As Luther says, “Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word, the water is plain water and no Baptism.” It is God’s Word that gives it authority.

God’s Word is the final authority. In our case, God’s Word does not cause evil spirits to come out of us. Instead, they are words with the authority to restore. Three words, “I forgive you,” from the mouth of God, dispel all gloom and sadness and bring on joy and gladness. It is joy and gladness in knowing that we have been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, that all of our sins have been forgiven, and that we have been given life eternal with Jesus Christ. There lies true authority: authority of Jesus Christ to forgive and to make holy. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

The clock and calendar dictate much of our behavior. It’s time to eat; time for the news; time for school; time to go to work; time to start working on taxes. The new year has already lost its magic glow as our new year resolutions have already been broken. Time is the eternal taskmaster and everything must take place at the appointed time or else everything falls apart.

Jesus too follows time and follows it to the letter. Everything He does happens at exactly the right time, not a moment before or a moment after. What occurs in our text is no different. Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Did you catch the first command Jesus gives in Mark’s Gospel? First, He says the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. The time has come; not a moment too early and not a moment too late. Then comes Jesus’ command: repent. Repent is the first thing Jesus tells people to do. That word becomes the key word whenever He meets someone. It’s kind of a summary of what He taught, what He preached, what He wanted His miracles to bring about in people’s lives.

When Jesus uses the word repent, He is calling people to turn away from anything that leads away from Him and to turn instead toward Him. What difficult thing repentance is, to turn away from what is contrary to the Word of God. Just what exactly is contrary to the Word of God? In short, the world. What the world teaches and preaches often runs contrary to God’s Word. The world says it’s okay to do any number of things that the Word of God condemns. It’s is so difficult for us to abide by God’s Word when we are told by the world that what we’re doing is okay. But regardless of what the world says, God’s Word is the ultimate authority and Jesus says to repent. That’s not the only command Jesus issues. His second command is believe. Believe not just anything, but believe in Jesus. Trust Him. Turn toward Him. Hold on to Him.

Repent and believe is the heart of Jesus’ message when He speaks or does something. He says and does much more, but this is the gist, the summary, the heart of His ministry: repent and believe. Repent of sin. Believe, for He has come to remove it. And He will!

The time had been fulfilled with the coming of Jesus. Since Jesus arrived on the scene, the prophecies from the Old Testament were fulfilled in Him. All of history now hinges on what Jesus would do. And what exactly would Jesus do? He would come to live a perfect life for you because you live an imperfect life. He would come to die a sinner’s death even though He was sinless. He would rise again to eternal life in order to give you eternal life. This is what Jesus would come and do and this is what Jesus did for you. He did it, the action is already done. There is nothing to be done on your part because Christ has already done it. The only thing Jesus requires of you is to repent and believe.

Jesus calls for us to repent. He says to take responsibility for what you have done wrong. We call that confession, coming before Him with repentant hearts seeking His forgiveness. That is why we confess our sins each week, turning away from the sin in our lives and turning toward the forgiveness that Jesus gives. But we don’t just confess our sins on Sunday, as if we have only sinned that morning. We need to confess our sins daily for we sin daily. We need to turn away from our sinful lives and turn to Jesus and His forgiveness daily.

Jesus issues a third command in our text, one that He issues to Simon, Andrew, James and John: “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” There, Jesus calls them to become His disciples. That same command Jesus gave to them He gives to you as well. In your Baptism, He calls you and says, “Follow me.” We follow Jesus, not out of compulsion or a sense of righteousness on our part, but we follow Christ because of the mercy that He has shown us. We follow Christ; we become His disciples because of what Jesus has done for us. We follow Him to the cross where we see Him take our sin upon Himself, giving to us His righteousness. We follow Christ as He proclaims eternal victory over sin, death, and the devil on account of His life, death, and resurrection. We follow Christ to our heavenly Father, who sent His only begotten Son to restore His creation to what it was meant to be: holy and perfect.

This command of Jesus to follow Him is not a command that is to be taken lightly. To follow Jesus means first of all to subordinate everything to the Lord. Give yourself, your heart, mind, and soul to Jesus.

To follow the Lord also means that one will strive to simulate the Savior in all His ways, to be holy! St. Peter writes, “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ; that is, we should love and forgive unconditionally, just as St. Paul writes, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Finally, to follow Christ means to share the work of Christ. This point receives a mighty emphasis in Jesus’ statement, “I will make you become fishers of men.” The preaching of the Gospel was Jesus’ highest priority. His Gospel was more important than eating and drinking, than healing and miracles, than any personal comfort. The Gospel is this: Believe in Jesus, who suffered your hell in your place, and you will be saved. Jesus was determined to fulfill that Gospel and to proclaim that Gospel to sinners. His followers will share that commitment throughout their lives.

Today, our Lord calls to you. He calls you to “repent and believe in the gospel.” He calls you to repentance out of the love that God the Father has for you, His beloved creation. He calls you to repentance out of the love that He showed for you on the cross when He took upon Himself all of your sins. He calls you to believe with the faith granted to you in your Baptism through the work of the Holy Spirit. He calls you to believe in the promises that He has made to you and for you, promises such as, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also,” and “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Our Lord calls you to follow Him. As baptized believers, we follow Him from death to everlasting life. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.