Pentecost XIII
Here is the handout from Bob and Cathy Mattson for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
From Luther’s Prayers
Dear Father in heaven, for the sake of your dear Son Jesus Christ grant us your Holy Spirit, that we may be true learners of Christ, and therefore acquire a heart with a never-ceasing fountain of love. Amen
From Luther’s Small Catechism
The Lord’s Prayer: The Fifth Petition
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
What is this?
We ask in this prayer that our heavenly Father would not regard our sins or deny these petitions on their account, for we are worthy of nothing for which we ask, nor have we earned it. Instead we ask that God would give us all things by grace, for we sin daily and indeed earn only punishment. So, on the other hand, we, too, truly want to forgive heartily and do good gladly to those who sin against us.
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
Now (Jesus) teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said. “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”
13 When he had laid his hands her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day. 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham who Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.
Psalm 103:1- 8
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.
and all that is within me, bless His holy name,
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
3 He forgives all your sins
and heals all your infirmities,
4 he redeems your life from the grave
and gowns you with mercy
and loving-kindness;
5 he satisfies you with good things,
and your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
and judgment for all who are oppressed.
7 He made his ways known to Moses
and his works to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
What does this mean?
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy Diseases. (Psalm ciii. 3)
Understand it in this way, that Christians are divided into two parts—the inner being, which is faith and the outer, which is the flesh. If you look on a Christian according to his faith, he is completely pure, for there is no impurity in the Word of God, and where it enters into heart which clings to it, the Word inevitably makes the heart completely pure. All things are therefore perfect, in faith, and that is why we are kings and priests and the people of God. But as our faith is in the flesh and we are still living on earth, we feel at times evil tendencies, such as impatience and fear of death, etc. Those are all still weaknesses of the old man, for faith has not yet completely penetrated and has not yet complete dominion over the flesh.
This you can see from the parable in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter x, which tells of the old man who sent from Jerusalem down towards Jericho and fell among robbers, who wounded him and left him for dead. Afterwards a Samaritan had compassion on him and bound up his wounds and looked after him, and paid the host of the inn to nurse him. There you may see that this man is no longer sick unto death, because his neighbor took care of him; rather, he is certain that he will live. And yet there is still something lacking for he is not yet completely well. His life is saved, but his health is not yet perfect. He is still under the doctor, and needing attention.
In the same way, we have the Lord Christ and are sure of eternal life, but there is still something of the old Adam in our flesh.
Exposition of I Peter, 1523 [W.A. 12. 322 ff.] Via Day by Day We Magnify Thee p. 289.
