October 27, 2024
Faith Alone
Atonement Lutheran Church
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 25 B
Sermon on
Mark10:46–52
In the Name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Today in the Church year we celebrate Reformation. And there's no wonder why today's gospel is chosen for today’s reading, more on that later. The Roman church, at the time of Martin Luther, had the belief that you weren't saved by faith alone. That you had to cooperate with God for your salvation by doing good works: like giving alms, making holy trips, and various other acts that would give you some merit for salvation, along with God grace.
And one of the most egregious issues was the sale of Indulgences. Indulgence were slips of paper that you could buy to reduce you, or a loved one, time in purgatory – the unbiblical understanding that after death your soul is purified of their sins by suffering.
It's like a Baker who tells his assistants that they can have some of the baked cookies but first they need to get the sugar, the butter, and the other ingredients to make the cookies. While the baker had already made the cookie batter, formed the cookies, placed the cookies on the baking sheet and baked the cookies. The cookies are ready to be eaten. Why did you need to go get the ingredients if the cookies have already been made?
Like the bakers assistant who question the need to get the ingredient when the cookies have already been make. Martin Luther had an issue with indulgences and the idea that we could work for our salvation. Martin Luther understood that we are sinful beings and incapable of working, even in part, for our salvation. The Roman church taught that God grace through Jesus Christ was not enough to merit our salvation. That we need to cooperate with Jesus and do good works to earn merits for our salvation
Martin Luther once thought along those lines, but struggled on how sinful humans can ever atone for our sins. He would spend long periods of time in prayer and confessing every single sin that he could think of that he committed. It was not until after he became a professor at the University of Wittenberg, that he understood that we play not part in salvation, that God does all the work in our salvation through Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift given to us through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And when have faith in Jesus Christ, God does not see a broken, sinful being but His perfect sinless Son Jesus Christ.
Our Gospel reading for today helps us understand this. As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, to the Cross, He went through Jerico. Here Jesus does his last miracle before the His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem; and here is where He first publicly acknowledge that He is the Messiah.
Before this Jesus never publicly proclaimed that He was the Messiah. Oh, Christ alluded that He was the Messiah, and almost got stone once for it. And there were private revelations to individual and/or small groups, but Christ never publicly admitted that he was the Messiah. And it was not until the blind beggar Bartimaeus saw what everyone else was blind to. Bartimaeus cried out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” And it was this proclamation “Son of David” that Bartimaeus proclaim Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed One, the long-awaited Messiah.
And it was that plea that prayer in earnest faith that Jesus responded too and publicly acknowledge the He is the Messiah. Jesus told the man to come to him. What did that man do? Threw off his torn, stained, low quality cloak. This was probably the most important possession in his life. This cloak was what he would use to cover himself up at night. He would use it to lay his head on for soft comfort. He probably used it to collect coins thrown down at him, if people were so inclined. It was his whole livelihood. Yet when the call of Christ came, he threw it aside and ran to Jesus. Oh, that we could do such a thing. Toss aside our worldly possessions and run to Christ.
Jesus Christ asked what he could do for him. And in faith Bartimaeus prayed for his sight to be healed. Now it is good to note here that God answer our prayers in one of three ways: Yes, no, and wait. And for Bartimaeus, Jessus answered in the former, yes.
Oh, what a wonderful first sight that must have been. Opening his eyes to see the face of Jesus. How glorious, how radiant. How majestic. The savior of mankind. Be the first thing that you see. Oh, if we could be so blessed.
And we are blessed. For we have Christ, and we can go to Him in prayer. And pray like Bartimaeus, “Jesus, Son of David. Have mercy on me!” and request our desires in faith. And Jesus will respond to our faithful prayers with yes, no, or wait.
But what does this have to do with reformation? Faith. It was faith only that caused Bartimaeus to he cried out to Jesus. And it was in that faith that Jesus responded. It was by faith that Bartimaeus was healed. And was Faith that cause Jesus to go to the cross. And it was by faith that he died for us. And by faith he rose for us. And it is by faith alone in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven.
Bartimaeus shows us that. There's nothing that we need to do but to have faith. To cry out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” And run towards Christ.
It was by faith that the Holy Spirt showed Martin Luther that salvation is the work of God alone and not by merit of our works. There was no work that needed to be done on our part. For Christ did it all. Christ died on that cross for you and me, and it was Christ who rose from the dead for you and me.
May this knowledge of Faith Alone in Christ Jesus give you comfort, peace, and encouragement in your Christian faith.
Amen
