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“When the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

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Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

᛭ INI ᛭

(5. Oops!)

There are many so-called Christians for whom being connected to Jesus isn’t a high priority, or being connected with Jesus is just a nice idea but isn’t an active reality. They walk a dangerous road!

Their idea is that Jesus is over there, and they’re here. Jesus is just some mirror or example they’re trying to match. They run parallel to Jesus. Jesus isn’t the Path, isn’t “the Way.” They’re following Jesus like a frontage road follows the highway. Sometimes it’s close, but in the end it doesn’t actually lead to the same place. Such a following of Jesus, as moral as it looks, is just part of the broad road that leads to destruction.

Others have Jesus up ahead with us following behind. He blazed a path we stay on. Again, He’s not the path, He’s not the way. Just a road construction worker, I guess. The problem is they run behind Jesus, a race they never catch up. He runs the 100m hurdles perfectly. (The hurdles are the 10 Commandments.) We won’t even make it to the end… “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” (Rom 2:13) “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5)

Others only want a connection with Jesus that they choose. They don’t actually care what Jesus has to say—they don’t listen! They don’t care about the Sacraments Christ instituted for them—they don’t receive! This shows they don’t really care about what He did for them and what He promises to still do for them. They’ll say, “My works don’t save,” but only so they can keep living in their unrepentant lifestyle separated from Christ, His Word, and Sacraments.

Finally, there are those who hate Christ. They hate His Word, they hate His Sacraments—don’t want anything to do with them! They actively fight against listening and receiving! The world is clearly all about that these days. They also hate Jesus’ Father. “He who hates Me hates My Father also.” (Jn 15:23) All this is manifest by their treatment of others. They’ll hate those who do hear and believe all of Christ’s word, those who actually receive His Sacrament. In fact, when it comes to those who actually publicly reject Christ, they’ll persecute Christians—even kill them!—and think they’re doing their god a favor…

(4. Ugh!)

What hope do the rest of us have? Those of us who “want to do better” (SC)? To be better out of love for Jesus and love for the people around us? Better parents, better kids, better students, better workers, better whatever it is? Is there hope? Or is it useless, pointless? What hope is there when your “best” isn’t enough? Then you’ve got that attacks of the devil to worry about! To tempt you to a different path: “Give up, it’s hopeless.” he says. There’s the pleasures of the world to keep chasing after! “One more drink, one more show, one more game, one more shift,” society says. The weakness of your flesh abounds! Your “love for others has failed,” is lazy, lethargic; your faith is lackluster, apathetic toward the LORD, His Word, and His Gifts.

(3. Aha!)

For this reason Jesus makes a promise today. He makes it to the twelve and He makes it to you, too. He promises to send the Spirit. He’s the Helper, the Comforter. “I will put My Spirit within you.” (Ezek 36:27) This first happened in the waters of Holy Baptism. “I will sprinkle clean waters upon, and you’ll be clean.” (Ezek 36:25) Jesus sends the Spirit anew from His Father in Holy Absolution: “Restore unto me the joy of Thy Salvation.” “Joy” is a “fruit of the Spirit.” (Gal 5) The Spirit, who’s ever present in Jesus’ Word, “gives you a heart of flesh,” as you feast of the flesh of Christ for your forgiveness.

Now, why is there hope in this promise of Christ? The Spirit is at work in the Word and Gifts of Jesus because there the Spirit’s doing His Work. Jesus says what that is today: “He will testify of Me.” What does that mean?

(2. Whee!: THE SPIRIT TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE TO YOU AND THROUGH YOU.)

The Spirit testifies of Christ. He testifies of Christ’s death and resurrection, that He died and rose for you. He testifies of Christ’s forgiveness, that you are forgiven on account what Jesus did for you, that you really do get forgiveness at Baptism, in Sermon that proclaim forgiveness, in Absolution, and at Communion. He testifies that you are holy because of Christ’s holiness. He testifies that Christ kept the demands of God’s Law in your place, that He suffered for your sins, died your death, and rose to newness of life. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Rom 8:16) because we are baptized into Christ and all that He’s done for us.

But I can summarize that another way. The Spirit testifies of Christ means that THE SPIRIT TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE, and He TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE to you. See how Christ loved you! Suffering much. Bleeding much. Dead much. Resurrecting much! Baptizing you much! Forgiving all your sins much! Giving you His body and blood much! That is Christ’s love. And “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us,” (Rom 5) from Christ in His Word and Gifts.

THE SPIRIT TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE TO YOU, but He also TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE…THROUGH YOU. After all, by pouring Christ’s love into your heart, you no longer have “a heart of stone,” a cold, loveless heart, but “a new heart,” “a heart of flesh,” a living, tender, loving heart! And this heart beats and lives only from the love of Jesus which the Spirit continually pours into your heart. Jesus constantly sends the Spirit for this purpose. For,

THE SPIRIT TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE TO YOU AND THROUGH YOU.

(1. Yeah!)

What does such testimony of love look like as it passes through you and on to others? St. Peter lays it out for us today: “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” (1 Pet 4:8) The grudges remain… Lackluster love looms large! “The Love of many will grow cold.” Christ says. It is not primarily your love that covers sin. It’s Christ’s love passing through you to others. You see, with the Spirit within you, Christ also is within you, so it’s not Christ’s love next to you, or in front of you to mirror or catch up to. It’s Christ’s love within you!

Following Jesus is, then, being in Jesus! Loving is being in Jesus’ love, letting His love have its way with you. Then your love for others won’t fail, because it will be His love you’re passing along, and then, lo and behold, our love comes along for the ride. It’s not a matter of choice: “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezek 36:27)

So then, it is more important that THE SPIRIT TESTIFIES OF CHRIST’S LOVE TO YOU, even though He does TESTIFY OF CHRIST’S LOVE THROUGH YOU. And so, we’re thankful for Luther’s Post-Communion Collect, because it points us back to the right direction—to being in Christ’s love. For the “salutary gift” of the Sacrament of Jesus’ body and blood “strengthens us” not only “in faith toward God” but also “in fervent love toward one another.” And so the Sacrament is the true “feast of love” (1 Cor 11; Jude 12) For “we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread,” (1 Cor 10:17) which is true “bread of God, the flesh of Christ who is of the seed of David.” One in forgiveness, one in love for we drink of “His blood, which is incorruptible love,” for it was poured out in love for you.

Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

᛭ INI ᛭