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Behold, I have laid in Zion a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be ashamed.

᛭ INI ᛭

The Stone of stumbling has been established. The Rock of offense has been laid as a foundation. “Whoever believes on Him will not be ashamed,” but “whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” That Stone and Rock is Jesus. Where is such a Stone laid? It is laid in Zion, that is, in Jerusalem. The “city” for which Jesus weeps today, and it all has to do with righteousness and with faith in Him.

You see, Jerusalem or Zion doesn’t just refer to a city that’s the capitol of modern day Israel. It does refer to that sometimes, but, in our readings today, Jesus and Paul have a different meaning. This isn’t a geopolitical understanding but a biblical one. Jerusalem and Zion refer to the Church, the group of those who believe in Christ.

Paul puts it this way in Galatians, when talking allegorically about Abraham’s wives, Sarah and Hagar: **“Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.”** **“Present Jerusalem”** means the Jewish religion following the footsteps of the Pharisees, whose descendants are the Rabbinic Talmud and Midrashim. **“Jerusalem above”** are those who believe in Jesus Christ, the true **“Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem.”**

He weeps over the gathering place of the faithful because: “You did not know the time of your visitation,” because you did not “know on this day the things that make for peace!” The “chief priests, scribes, and even the chief leaders of the people sought to destroy Him,” the Lord’s Christ, His promised Savior. Jesus weeps today for the same reason He wept back then.

((3. Christ mourns over those who reject His righteousness.))

Why does Christ weep over Jerusalem then? Why does He weep over the Christian Church now? Well, it’s not necessarily because of morals. It’s not because of sin. Sin deserves death. Every sin and all faithless sinners are under the wrath of God. “Wrath” is furious, burning anger. The Old Testament image is smoke coming out of God’s nose. We see this acted out by Christ—“driving out the money changers” in the Temple. He did so with a whip! (Jn 2)

What causes Jesus to weep is not a lack of morality. He doesn’t cry over the fact that many in the visible Christian Church want to call evil good and good evil. He doesn’t necessarily shed a tear over Christians or so-called Christian organizations having pride in worldliness. He sheds a tear because “You did not know the time of your visitation,” because you did not “know on this day the things that make for peace!”

He weeps and mourns over those who reject His righteousness. And Christ’s righteousness is not good works done by Christians. Paul lays it out: “Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.”

Christ mourns over those who pursue their own righteousness. And whenever you base your righteousness, your holiness, your standing before God upon anything you do, you don’t have righteousness. Christ weeps for you. Because you are then lost! Paul weeps for you, too! ‌ Paul says, “and [my] prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” But they are not, because they establish their own righteousness. Jesus weeps over any denomination or congregation that professes to follow Him, but teaches and preaches Him more as Sage and Guide, because then people believe that about Him.

((2. Christ is and earns our righteousness before God.))

No, Christ is your righteousness before God. He earns righteousness before God for you. “This is the name by which He will be called: The LORD, our righteousness,” as Jeremiah prophesies. Christ is our righteousness because “He is the end and goal of the Law unto righteousness.” He brings and works “the things that make for peace.”

That’s where righteousness comes from. It doesn’t come from anything you can do. It doesn’t matter how noble or sacrificial or heroic or magnificent it is! Like Christ said a few weeks ago: the best works we can come up with are lawlessness, they are sin! As Paul reminds us today: “Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.” All that working and striving is lawlessness, is sin, is unrighteousness. It makes for war with God and not for peace with God.

Peace with God only comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. He does the things that make for peace. He is “the end of the Law unto righteousness for all who believe.” Only Jesus makes peace between you and God. Only His blood, His death. Only His works fulfill what God demands in the Law, that is, the Torah of Moses. Only Jesus’ works complete everything that was prophesied in the Torah of Moses. Everything promised in Genesis through Deuteronomy came to their conclusion and end with Jesus. This, along with unbelief, is why the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

((1. Christ’s righteousness is received by faith alone.))

So Christ’s righteousness is assured. He is righteousness and does righteousness, but how does it become yours? How do you get in on “the righteousness of God?” How can you be in a position where Christ rejoices over you rather than weeping over you? The righteousness of God comes “by faith” and not by the law. “For the Law is no of faith but rather from works of the Law.”

True righteousness before God isn’t the good works you do, but rather faith in Christ. Yes, works follow faith, but righteousness comes by faith in Christ alone. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” He alone, His works alone, His free gift alone. He gives His righteousness freely, fully, and completely in Holy Baptism, in each faithful Gospel-oriented sermon, in each absolution, at every time He gives the Supper of His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sin. For His forgiveness makes you righteous in His sight.

But all this must be received by faith. The Baptism, the Absolution, and the Supper truly do give the forgiveness of sins, they truly make you righteous, holy, and pure. They cleanse your iniquity. “But the Sacrament of the Altar cleanses, not because it happened but because it’s believed.” [Abluit sacramentum, non quia fit sed quia creditur.] (Augustine) Same goes for all the other Gifts and Promises of Jesus.

Faith alone in Jesus receives the benefits. You don’t benefit from the Sacrament, for example, because you’re so good and holy and pure already. Not because you made yourself worthy of it. You are unworthy In fact, “None of our works are even good, rather they would be damnable sins, if God would enter into judgment with us.” (Luther) Faith alone (that the bread and wine are His body and blood for your forgivenss) receives exactly what it offers: Forgiveness of sins.

((Conclusion.))

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD COMES FROM FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

That truth is what causes many to stumble over Jesus. But He stands in Zion, His Holy Church, as our righteousness, our forgiveness, our peace. Christ weeps over those who trust their own righteousness. He weeps over so-called Christian churches who preach Him as new Lawgiver, the Teacher of Principles for your daily life, and not, from beginning to end, as your righteousness before God. And you receive Him, your Righteousness before God, when you believe and trust in Him alone. For

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD COMES FROM FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

It doesn’t come from anything you do. No good work, no confession of sin, no correct confirmation answer, no personal testimony, no life-changing experience, nothing you at all ever makes you righteous, makes you right with God. Only His mercy in Christ Jesus. Only Christ’s sinless life and innocent suffering and death. Only Christ’s precious blood. Only His free gracious favor delivered in Font, in the Absolution, through readings and Sermons, and at His Supper. Only His forgiveness purchased, won, delivered right to you for free—received by faith alone—avails today, tomorrow, and on the Last Day.

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD COMES FROM FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

“And no one who’s got faith in Him will ever regret it.”

᛭ INI ᛭