The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Ephphatha Parish of the Deaf
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY
Tomorrow is the day the Church celebrates the birthday of John the Baptist. Actually, the feast day is today, but because nothing except a feast of the Lord himself is allowed to conflict with our Sunday worship, we will remember John the Baptist tomorrow. But today's readings and tomorrow's have some things in common, and I want to talk about these things.
Today's reading from the prophet Zechariah tells us that at the time God delivers the Jews from their oppressors, a fountain will be opened that will purify the descendents of King David and the people of Jerusalem from their sin and idolatry. Now, you and I live many hundreds of years after Zechariah spoke, so we know what he was talking about: that fountain of blood that came from Christ's body as he hung on the cross. That is the fountain of blood that we sing about in many of the old songs, the fountain of blood that washes us and makes us free from sin. John the Baptist, of course, did not know that his cousin Jesus was the Messiah, who would die in order to free people from their sin. But when he saw Jesus coming towards him, he was moved for some reason to call out, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Lambs, of course, were seen as sacrificial animals, and the blood of the animal sacrificed in the Temple was what took away the sin of those persons who offered the lamb for sacrifice. God's Spirit made John proclaim this truth that he didn't even know himself, and that proclamation
signaled the beginning of Jesus' ministry and work of salvation.
John's proclamation of Jesus as the Lamb of God is very much like Peter's proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah, which we read about in the Gospel for today. Neither John nor Peter had any way to know the truth of what they were saying, but they spoke God's own truth, put into their minds and their lips by God's own Spirit. Jesus was truly the Lamb of God, and, yes, as Zechariah says, the people later mourned over him whom they had killed. And Jesus was and is the Messiah, but Peter had no way of knowing it before the words burst out of his mouth. Both spoke truth, truth given them by God to proclaim. Both were divinely inspired to proclaim that truth.
Another person who was divinely inspired to proclaim the truth about Jesus was St. Paul, and we have read some of his proclamation in the letter to the church in Galatia today. Galatia is part of the area that used to be called Yugoslavia. The truth that Paul proclaimed is this: Before Jesus came and died to take away our sin, the only way we could get rid of our sin was by perfect obedience to God's Law. So, he says, we were slaves to the Law. But it is impossible for any human to perfectly obey the Law that God gave Moses and that was handed down to the Jewish people. Sometime when you have a week or so with nothing planned, sit down with your Bible and a notebook and pen, and copy out every law that you read in the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. Then read them over and ponder if YOU could keep every one of those laws perfectly, with no omissions and no failures, for your entire life. You will see what Paul meant when he said that we were slaves to the Law!
But now, Paul says, Jesus has come. He has died on the cross, and in dying and shedding his blood, he has been the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for all sin committed by everyone, from Adam and Eve right up tot he ending of the world. And the only way we can buy into that is by faith...by believing with all our heart that Jesus is truly the Son of God, God the Son, and that his sinless blood paid the blood price for all sin, everywhere and everywhen. Just saying the words, "I believe" won't do it. You have to REALLY believe it, and be ready and willing to act on your belief.
So now we don't need the Law to take away our sin; instead, there is Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. If we can honestly say, "I believe," our sin is taken away. And unlike the old burnt sacrifices in the Temple, this is a once-for-all sacrifice. It was necessary to bring a new sacrifice to the Temple each time a person was aware of having sinned, but we do not have to have Jesus suffer and die on the cross again and again, every time we sin. Because Jesus is God the Son, and is not bound by the limits of time or place, his sacrifice is good for everyone, everywhere, at all times...as long as they can honestly say, "I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is God the Son and that he died to pay the price for my sin."
So, Paul says, it is through faith that our sin is forgiven and that we are joined to Christ. It is through faith that we go to baptism, which makes us united to Christ, and gives us a share in the life of Jesus himself. It is faith which helps us to develop some of the characteristics of Christ: love for the Father, willingness to carry out the Father's plans for humanity, a desire to be in the Father's company through prayer and fellowship with other believers and through the Sacraments, and the compassion Jesus has for people who suffer...along with the feeling that we need in some way to be of help to those people.
Paul goes on to say that there is no difference based on any external characteristic among believers. It doesn't matter if your skin is white, yellow, brown or red....or plaid. It doesn't matter if you are male or female. It doesn't matter if you were born in Syracuse or in Jerusalem or in Hong Kong. The one thing that matters, the ONLY thing that is important, is that you believe with all your heart that Jesus is God the Son and that his death on the cross forgives all your sins, past, present and future. And then, with glad thanksgiving, how can you do anything but go and joyfully proclaim your faith, and take your part on carrying out Jesus' own ministry? Amen.
