LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:14	hello today let’s talk about how Jesus
0:18	has made you
0:21	clean the text is from the gospel of St
0:23	Mark the 1 chapter veres 28-
0:27	38 but before we get get started I’d
0:31	like to tell you a
0:32	story many years ago I took my first
0:35	trip to Africa this first trip was a
0:38	pretty big
0:40	adjustment I remember uh I arrived in
0:44	Acra the capital city of Ghana West
0:46	Africa Acra is right on the ocean when
0:50	we left the city we drove along the
0:52	coastline South and West for many hours
0:56	farther and farther we traveled away
0:58	from cities and towns into the African
1:01	bush finally we reached a tiny village
1:05	that was many miles away from any
1:06	hospital or even a grocery store there
1:08	was no electricity and no potable water
1:13	ah please understand there was no
1:16	Plumbing there was no hot water no
1:18	running water and no drinking water the
1:22	water that they did have was not cleaned
1:26	that is it was not filtered or
1:28	purified so as at the end of a hot and
1:31	sweaty day in sunny West Africa your
1:33	shower was half a bucket of water and a
1:36	cup you poured the water over your head
1:39	one cup at a time it was wet but it was
1:43	not what you might have called clean
1:46	no you must not open your mouth when you
1:50	take your bucket shower you definitely
1:53	must not brush your teeth with this
1:57	water when you finish your bucket shower
2:00	you probably still felt a little unclean
2:02	on the outside but believe me if you ate
2:05	fruit and vegetables washed with this
2:07	water you could become very sick with
2:10	Amic dissenter and then you would not
2:12	only feel unclean on the outside you
2:14	would feel unclean on the inside and
2:17	believe me unclean on the inside is much
2:19	much worse than unclean on the
2:24	outside with that in mind let’s get back
2:26	to the gospel of Mark as I read the
2:28	first chapter I was struck by the
2:30	recurring theme of the unclean it seemed
2:34	that everywhere I looked I was being
2:35	confronted with people who were
2:38	unclean in the first
2:40	verses we were introduced to John the
2:43	Baptist who was calling people to repent
2:44	but why well they needed to repent
2:48	because they were spiritually
2:50	unclean they needed to be washed with
2:52	the baptism of repentance for the
2:54	Forgiveness of
2:55	sins by verse n Jesus was coming to be
2:59	baptized no Jesus was not
3:02	unclean but Jesus had come to identify
3:05	himself with all of the people who were
3:09	unclean by Mark
3:12	1:13 we were introduced to the prince of
3:15	the unclean Satan himself he had come to
3:19	tempt Jesus but Jesus the king of Heaven
3:23	quickly dispatched the prince of the
3:27	unclean when Jesus began his ministry he
3:30	went to the synagogue immediately Jesus
3:34	was confronted by a man with a spirit
3:36	what kind of spirit Mark tells us it was
3:39	an unclean spirit it’s interesting isn’t
3:43	it Jesus rebuked the spirit be quiet
3:46	come out of
3:47	him we have gone only 25 verses in this
3:52	gospel but already we’ve been inundated
3:55	with the battle of the clean one Jesus
3:58	with all of the unclean clean in this
4:01	world in today’s reading Jesus has just
4:04	come out of the synagogue Jesus went to
4:07	Peter’s house for lunch but by Sundown
4:09	the house is overrun with people they
4:13	had various diseases and many of them
4:15	were demonized verse 32 Jesus cast out
4:19	many demons and would not permit the
4:20	demons even to
4:22	speak Jesus continued his ministry to
4:25	the unclean by preaching and casting out
4:27	demons in nearby towns
4:30	and now at the end of chapter 1 of
4:32	Mark’s gospel there is one final event
4:35	the cleansing of a leper verses 41 and
4:40	following did you know that a leper was
4:42	required by levitical law to scream out
4:45	the words unclean unclean everywhere he
4:49	went Leviticus
4:52	13:45 as this fellow came near the crowd
4:56	surrounding Jesus I can only imagine how
4:59	they must have scattered when they heard
5:01	his cry unclean
5:06	unclean then falling on his knees before
5:10	the Lord the leper begged the Savior if
5:13	you are willing you can make me you
5:15	guessed it
5:17	clean that’s it exactly beloved please
5:20	hear the words spoken to Jesus you can
5:23	make me clean the leper knew that he was
5:25	unclean on the outside but he also knew
5:27	that he was unclean on the inside the
5:31	Bible says that Jesus was moved with
5:33	compassion he stretched out his hand and
5:36	he touched the unclean one and he said
5:39	to him I am willing be
5:42	clean and he
5:44	was
5:46	clean it was a remarkable Miracle but
5:50	here’s something that’s similarly
5:53	remarkable the word for touched is the
5:56	Greek word apto which means to fasten
6:00	yes to
6:01	fasten no one could come near to a leper
6:05	much less touch a leper but Jesus
6:08	fastened himself to the leper that is
6:11	Jesus grabbed the leprous man and he
6:13	held him nobody would do anything like
6:16	that but the king of Heaven hugged that
6:20	leper
6:22	clean Beloved the leper was unclean on
6:25	the
6:26	outside but there was a greater horror
6:28	and shame
6:30	he also was unclean on the inside he had
6:33	the leprosy of sin on the inside do you
6:36	understand what I’m saying the leprosy
6:38	of sin on the inside it is the disease
6:41	of sinfulness that we cannot escape and
6:43	we cannot remove it is the disease of
6:46	sin that ultimately will be judged by a
6:49	righteous God whose word declares that
6:50	the wages of sin is death being unclean
6:55	really means death it means punishment
6:58	it means
6:59	hell I think that the entire first
7:03	chapter of Mark’s gospel is about being
7:05	unclean actually I think that every book
7:08	of the Bible is about being
7:11	unclean every human being has spiritual
7:15	leprosy if he or she will face the truth
7:18	of his or her own sin the horror and
7:22	shame of being unclean will truly Pierce
7:25	every human
7:27	soul point one
7:30	squeaky clean the gospel of Mark begins
7:33	with the message of the unclean so that
7:36	every single person who hears or reads
7:39	Mark’s gospel will understand that Jesus
7:41	Christ the son of God Has Come For This
7:44	purpose to make you clean yes Jesus is
7:49	the king of clean and there’s no stain
7:52	no filth no spiritual disease that he
7:54	cannot clean there’s no sin that’s too
7:57	dirty for Jesus you you cannot outs sin
8:01	the love of Christ and before you can
8:04	even begin to get ready before you even
8:06	know or understand the depth of your
8:08	depravity or the sickness of your own
8:10	sin Jesus has already come he’s begun
8:12	his work of healing and cleaning you for
8:16	many of us it happened while we were
8:18	still infants and babies in the waters
8:20	of holy baptism do you know what the
8:24	Bible teaches about holy baptism it’s
8:26	the water of
8:28	regeneration Titus Chapter 3 in that
8:31	water you were regenerated you were born
8:35	again and washed clean in baptism God
8:40	forgave you all your sins and filled you
8:44	with the Holy Spirit Acts chapter 2 it
8:46	was a miraculous washing your baptism of
8:49	water joined to God’s
8:52	word he who believes and is baptized
8:55	shall be saved Mark 16 God used water
8:59	and his promise to clean you and this
9:02	cleaning is not a once anddone event
9:04	it’s a washing that keeps on working so
9:07	all of your life you can return to God’s
9:10	promise given to you in your holy
9:12	baptism that promise will not ever fail
9:15	and it will not ever run out it
9:17	continues to clean you as long as by
9:21	grace through faith you believe and
9:23	receive the cleaning power of the love
9:26	of Christ so right now
9:30	you are squeaky
9:33	clean for others God’s word came working
9:37	and cleaning and creating Faith even
9:40	before they were baptized Faith came by
9:42	hearing and hearing by the word of
9:44	Christ so now all who believe and are
9:47	baptized are saved and in them God is
9:52	still at work keeping you clean you can
9:57	make confession in the church church
9:59	service or in private to the pastor and
10:01	the pastor will speak the word of Christ
10:03	and declare the virtue of the cross for
10:06	you in the name of Jesus all of your
10:08	sins will be forgiven you are
10:11	clean Jesus will call you to his altar
10:14	to receive his precious body and blood
10:16	for the Forgiveness of sins and then
10:18	once more you are clean in Holy
10:21	Communion the king of Heaven makes you
10:25	completely
10:28	clean
10:30	point two you must be born again Jesus
10:32	taught Nicodemus you must be born again
10:36	Nicodemus asked the Lord how can a man
10:39	be born when he’s old he can’t enter a
10:40	second time into his mother’s womb he
10:43	can’t be born again can
10:46	he Jesus answered truly truly I say to
10:49	you unless one is born of water and the
10:51	spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of
10:53	God that which is born of the flesh is
10:56	flesh that which is born of the spirit
10:58	is Spirit do not Marvel that I say to
11:01	you you must be born again said the
11:05	Lord you
11:07	beloved have been born again through the
11:11	waters of your
11:13	baptism now you are a new creation now
11:16	you are a new creature by grace through
11:19	faith in Christ the former things have
11:21	passed away and all things have become
11:23	new what God has done for you by the
11:26	power of His word creating faith in your
11:30	heart and by the power of His Sacrament
11:33	forgiving your sins and giving you new
11:36	spiritual
11:37	birth it is that God has not only
11:41	changed what he sees on the outside of
11:44	you but that God has changed what you
11:46	are on the inside of you God has done
11:49	this your very Nature has been changed
11:53	because Jesus Christ himself has come to
11:55	abide in you for that reason the Bible
11:59	says that you are a member of quote a
12:03	chosen race a royal priesthood a holy
12:07	nation a people for God’s Own
12:11	possession you are Heaven’s royalty a
12:15	prince or a princess in the kingdom of
12:20	God and so you are truly righteous
12:24	though you may not feel like it and
12:26	sometimes frankly you may not act like
12:28	it
12:29	but still there is a truth in Jesus
12:32	Christ that is stronger than the truth
12:34	that you may feel or even think the
12:37	truth
12:38	is that he who is in you is stronger
12:43	than he who is in the world and Jesus
12:45	Christ is the one who’s living in you
12:48	this is the truth of God the truth of
12:50	the king of Heaven you are his own child
12:53	and because of your faith in Jesus you
12:55	are righteous you are
13:00	clean
13:03	conclusion when I first went to Africa I
13:07	learned that a shower was a bucket of
13:09	unportable water and a
13:12	cup I just poured dirty water over
13:15	myself and called myself clean but of
13:18	course I knew I was not clean do you see
13:22	in the world we’re told to do the very
13:25	same thing here take a bucket of the
13:27	world’s dirty water and pour it over
13:30	yourself take anger and unforgiveness
13:33	take worry and fear take Temptation and
13:37	worldly pleasures pour them over
13:40	yourself and call yourself clean but you
13:42	know you’re not clean being clean being
13:46	spiritually clean only comes from faith
13:49	in Jesus Christ through the washing of
13:52	holy baptism and the cleaning power of
13:54	the word of God and the complete
13:55	forgiveness that comes from Absolution
13:58	and Holy
14:00	Communion God has made you truly clean
14:04	God did it it’s true that you did not
14:06	keep God’s law perfectly but your
14:09	salvation does not depend upon your
14:10	ability to do that you’re clean and you
14:13	are saved by grace through faith for the
14:16	king of Heaven Jesus Christ has washed
14:19	you clean and hugged you clean and made
14:22	you his own
14:25	now now you want to keep God’s love
14:29	because Christ himself abides within you
14:32	and his law is written on your heart God
14:35	inspires you to live like Jesus and to
14:37	love and serve others like Jesus not in
14:41	order to be saved but because you
14:43	already are saved so you love and serve
14:48	for the sake of Christ who is in you you
14:51	can’t help it he’s the king of Heaven
14:54	living in
14:55	you it is he who works in you to Will
14:58	and to to do God’s good
15:01	pleasure see I don’t know which is a
15:03	greater miracle that Jesus Christ has
15:06	forgiven you all your sins and made you
15:09	clean or that because you are clean with
15:14	Jesus Christ Living in you now you
15:17	actually want to live like your savior
15:21	Jesus it’s
15:23	astounding you are like a leprous man
15:26	who knelt before the Savior if you’re
15:28	willing you can make me clean Jesus
15:32	stretched out his hand and touched the
15:34	unclean one and said I am willing be
15:40	clean now you are
15:45	clean
15:53	[Music]
15:57	amen