Luther for the Busy Man

HOLY WEEK - SATURDAYLESSON: 1 JOHN 5:6-12The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. Ephesians 1:3, 5-8When we discover what the Gospel of God’s free and unmerited love really is, we see how foolish it is to teach that people should bear suffering and death patiently to atone for their sins and to obtain grace. Some claim that if one bears all this patiently and willingly, all one’s sins will be forgiven accordingly. These people are seducers, because they conceal Christ with His death upon which our comfort depends. They induce people to rely on their own suffering and death.This is the very worst thing that can befall anyone in the end, because it is a way that leads straight into hell. You must learn to say, “What is my death and patience? Nothing at all! I will have nothing at all to do with it and will close my ears to it as far as any consolation is concerned. Christ’s suffering and death is my one consolation. On this I place my reliance and trust that through it my sins are forgiven. I will gladly suffer death for my God’s praise and honor freely, gratuitously, and in my neighbor’s service, but place no reliance on it for myself.”SL 11:527 (5)AE 76:351-52PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise be to You for the completeness of Your work of salvation for us and for making this known to us in Your holy Gospel for our eternal comfort and consolation. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - GOOD FRIDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14, 15Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18Thorns pricked the sacred head of Christ, but you have actually deserved the pricks of more than a hundred thousand thorns. To be sure, you have deserved to be pricked by such thorns in all eternity, and much worse than He was pricked. Christ had to suffer the agony of having His hands and feet pierced with nails; you have deserved to suffer from much worse nails in eternity.This is what will indeed befall those who disregard Christ’ suffering on their behalf. In this grim reflection, Christ does not lie or scold; what He indicates must surely follow. St. Bernard says, “I thought I was secure and knew nothing of the eternal sentence passed upon me in heaven until I saw that the only-begotten Son of God had mercy on me, stepped forth, and submitted to the sentence of condemnation on my behalf. If there is such seriousness here, it is not for me to play around any longer and to be secure.”This also explains Christ’s words to the women of Jerusalem: “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.… If they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28, 31). Jesus means to say: “From my sufferings, learn what you have deserved and what will befall you.”Christ’s sufferings should always be pondered with the greatest of seriousness on our part. They are written for our warning to teach us the awful and horrible nature of sin.SL 11:577 (6-7)AE 76:427PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, let the awful sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ be for us a continual reminder of the horrible nature of all sin in your sight. Move us at all times to a serious consideration of our Savior’s passion and death on our behalf. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - MAUNDY THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 15:1-6Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2Not the least part of love or self-surrender is for me to be able to give away my self-conceit or arrogance. I can no doubt give my neighbor temporal good and bodily service with my painstaking toil. I can also serve him with instruction and intercession, for example, by visiting him and consoling him when he is sick or sad. I can feed him when he is hungry, free him from imprisonment, and such like. But the greatest of all the services I can render my neighbor is bearing his weakness.We will always fall short of the mark here. We will never attain to the perfection of Christ in this regard. He is the pure, bright Sun in which there is no mist. Our light is just like a glimmering stalk of straw in comparison with this Sun. Christ is a glowing oven full of fire and perfect love. But He is still satisfied with our little candle, if we provide some sort of evidence of letting our love shine forth.Take a look at the Gospel record and see how Christ dealt with His disciples. He bore with them when they were guilty of foolish conduct and even when they, at times, went astray. In their service, His wisdom yielded to their folly. He did not condemn them but bore their weakness with long-suffering patience. “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand,” He tells them on one occasion (John 13:7). Through such love He gives up His righteousness, judgement, might, wrath, punishment, and the rights he has over us and our sins. He could condemn us because of our folly. But He does no more than to say, “You are in the wrong; you do not know anything; do not, however, reject me, but trust me.”And so I say that it is no small example of love to be able to bear with our neighbor when he is weak in faith and love.SL 11:597 (26)AE 76:445-46PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, fill our hearts at all times with such love for our neighbor that we understand his weaknesses and needs and continue to bear with him, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 19:7-14They understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Luke 18:34What Jesus said to the disciples had no meaning for them at this time. “This saying was hid from them.” This amounts to saying, “Reason, flesh, and blood cannot understand or grasp that Scripture should declare how the Son of Man must be crucified.” Still less can it understand that such is His will, and that He does this gladly.Reason does not believe that this is necessary for us; it wants to take care of itself before God with works. God must reveal this in our hearts by His Spirit, after proclaiming it outwardly into our ears by His Word.Even those to whom the Spirit reveals it inwardly find it hard to believe this and have to struggle with this.So great and wonderful a thing it is that the Son of man is crucified willingly and gladly to fulfill the Scriptures, that is, for our good. It is a mystery and remains a mystery.SL 11:527 (4)AE 76:351PRAYER: O Lord, we are always in need of the enlightenment of Your Holy Spirit through Your Word. We thank You that, through the Spirit, we can understand the treasures of Your Word and make them our own. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - TUESDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 10:1-7[Christ said,] “‘Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,’ as it is written of me in the roll of the scroll.” Hebrews 10:7Christ’s sufferings are understood correctly when we do not simply regard the sufferings as such but recognize and grasp His heart and will to suffer. For if one regards His sufferings in isolation without recognizing His heart and will therein, one will be shocked by Christ’s sufferings rather than rejoice in them. But if one sees that Christ’s heart and will are in these sufferings, it produces real comfort, confidence, and pleasure in Christ.The psalmist praises this will of God and Christ in suffering when he says, “In the roll of the scroll it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:7-8). The epistle to the Hebrews also refers to this when it says, “By that will we have been sanctified” (Hebrews 10:10). It does not say through the suffering and blood of Christ, which is pure enough, but through the will of God and of Christ, that they were both of one will to sanctify us through Christ’s blood.This will to suffer He also manifests in the Gospel (Matthew 16:21-23), where He proclaims beforehand that He is going up to Jerusalem to suffer Himself to be crucified. It is as though He were saying, “Look into my heart to see that I am doing this willingly, without compulsion, and gladly, so that you may not be shocked or dismayed thereby when you see it come to pass and begin to think that I am doing it unwillingly, that I must do it, that I am forsaken, and that the Jews are doing it by their authority.”SL 11:526 (3)AE 76:350-51PRAYER: Thanks be to You, loving Father, for sending us such a ready and willing Savior, whose love for us has been manifested in His readiness and willingness to suffer and die for us and in our stead. Mercy and love are all Your ways, and those of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

HOLY WEEK - MONDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 16:21-23Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 16:21-23 before He entered upon His suffering, as He was on His way to Jerusalem. His immediate purpose was to celebrate Easter at Jerusalem. In all probability, the disciples had not the slightest idea of His impending sufferings at this time. They thought that they would have a joyful time at the festival.Christ mentions His sufferings on this journey so that the faith of His disciples might be strengthened later on when they recalled His words in which He had told them of His sufferings. He had submitted to these sufferings willingly and was not simply crucified through the power and cunning of the Jews.Isaiah had long foretold that He would willingly and gladly offer Himself (Isaiah 53:7). The angel, on Easter morning, also reminded the women to remember the words He had spoken to them (Luke 24:6) that they might know and more firmly believe that He suffered all this willingly and for our good.SL 11:526 (2)AE 76:350PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise to You for Your willingness and readiness to suffer and die on our behalf and for our good, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen.

SIXTH SUNDAY IN LENT – PALMARUMPALM SUNDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 13:45-46“If anyone keeps my word.” John 8:51It is quite clear from the context in which these words stand what Jesus means here by “keeping” His Word. He does not mean “keeping” in the sense that “keep” has when one speaks about “keeping” the Law. One “keeps” the Law by means of works. When Christ speaks here of “keeping” His Word, He means “keeping” it in one’s heart by faith, not keeping it with the fist or with works.This is the wrong idea that the Jews have when they rage in such a horrible fashion against Christ and say to Him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death’” (John 8:52). They do not know what “keep,” “dying,” and “living” mean in this context.It is not without good reason that Jesus employs the word “keep” here, because keeping His Word involves a struggle and a battle, for sin bites, death exerts its presence, and hell threatens. Under such conditions we must “keep” Christ’s Word, cling to it firmly, and not let ourselves be parted from it.Note how Christ replies to the Jews in praise of His doctrine. “You claim,” He says, “that my Word is from the devil and you want to suppress it even beneath hell. But I say that it has divine power within it and exalt it above all the heavens and all creatures.”SL 11:570 (9)AE 76:412PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have clearly shown us in our Gospel that Your teaching is the most precious thing we can ever learn in our earthly lives. Grant us Your grace to appreciate this fact at all times so that we keep Your Word, for Your truth’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - SATURDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 1:1-13Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58Jesus gives the basis and reason why it is just His Word and not that of anyone else which makes men live. It is simply this: that He “was” even before Abraham. “Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus is the one true God.If the person who offered Himself for us were not God, it would help and avail nothing before God that He was born of a virgin or had suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the seed of Abraham, who gives Himself for us, is also the true God makes His sacrifice such a blessing for us and conquers sin and death for us.Jesus is not speaking here of His human nature which could be seen and felt. From His human aspect, it could be seen that He was not yet fifty years old and, hence, could not have seen Abraham. But with the nature by which He infinitely antedated Abraham, He also antedated all other creatures and the whole world.According to His spiritual essence, He was also man before Abraham; that is, in the word and knowledge of faith, He was in the saints who all knew and believed that Christ, God and man, would suffer for us. The writer of Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In the Revelation of John we read of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Here Jesus is speaking of His divine nature.SL 11:573 (14)AE 76:414PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, fill our hearts with such faith and knowledge that we always fully appreciate the precious gift of Your only begotten Son, and all the blessings of salvation You have so richly bestowed on us in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - FRIDAYLESSON: GALATIANS 3:15-18“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” John 8:56Christ here declares in opposition to the Jews that Abraham and the prophets still live and never died, but that in the midst of death they have life. But they lie and sleep in death. “Your father Abraham,” He says, “rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The prophets also saw Him.Where and when did they see Him? Not with bodily eyes, as the Jews understood Him to say, but with the vision of the faith which they had in their hearts. Abraham recognized Christ when He said to him, “By your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves” (Genesis 22:18). At that time, he saw and understood that Christ was to be born from his seed through a pure virgin and suffer for the whole world. He would not be cursed along with Adam’s children but remain blessed. He knew that his message would be proclaimed in all the world and bestow a blessing on the whole of mankind.Christ’s “day” is the time of the Gospel, which is the light of this day which shines with Christ, the sun of righteousness, and lights up all the world.This is a spiritual “day,” but it had a historical beginning in Christ’s time, which Abraham also “saw.”SL.XI.572,13AE 76,413PRAYER: Open the eyes of our faith and understanding by Your Holy Spirit, O Lord, that with Abraham of old we always rejoice to have seen Christ’s day, the day of salvation, and are really happy and joyful in our knowledge of Christ. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - THURSDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:51-56I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. Psalm 118:17How does it come to pass that one does not see death or taste it when Abraham and all the prophets died, who certainly had the Word of God, as the Jews also maintained? Here we must pay close attention to what Christ actually says and note that He makes a distinction between death in the ordinary common sense and not seeing death or tasting death.We must all pass through death and die. But a Christian does not taste death or see death, that is, he does not feel death. He is not terrified in the face of death. He enters it quietly and softly, as though he is falling asleep and not dying at all. But the godless man must feel death and be terrified by it eternally.To taste death means to experience the power and might or the bitterness of death and, indeed, eternal death and hell. God’s Word makes this distinction. The Christian knows this, and it helps him in the hour of death. He does not see heat. He sees nothing but life and Christ in the Word, and so he does not feel death. But the godless man does not have this Word; he has no life, but sheer death. So, he feels death, and eventually this is also the bitterness of eternal death.With the believer it is all so very different. He knows the Word of Christ: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25,26).SL.XI.571,10AE 76,412PRAYER: Be with us, dear Lord Jesus, especially in the hour of our death, that, firmly relying on Your promises, we may not taste death but pass through death into life eternal, as You have assured us. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: JOHN 17:1-5“Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8:51Jesus really spoils things for His enemies when He not only offers a good and stout defense of His doctrine but ascribes such might to it that it holds full sway over the devil, death, and sin, imparting eternal life and preserving men therein.See here how divine wisdom and human reason come into conflict! How can any man comprehend that a word spoken physically from a human mouth can save from death eternally?But away with blindness! We want to deal with this beautiful passage. He speaks here not concerning the word of the Law but concerning the word of the Gospel, which is a discourse concerning Christ who died for our sins. God did not want to impart Christ to the world in any other way but by including Him in His Word and thus spreading Him out and setting Him forth. Otherwise, Christ would have remained completely isolated by Himself and would never have become known. And thus, He would have died for Himself alone.Because the Word portrays Christ for us, it portrays for us Him who conquered sin, death, and the devil. Hence, anyone who grasps and holds the Word, grasps and holds Christ, and through the Word he also becomes freed from death eternally. Thus, it is a Word of life. It is true that he who keeps this Word will never see death eternally.SL.XI.570,8AE 76,411PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, O God, for the riches of Your grace and mercy revealed to us in Your holy Gospel, culminating in the assurance of eternal life and salvation in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - TUESDAYLESSON: ROMANS 12:14-21“I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he will be the judge.” John 8:50Why does Jesus not say in John 8:49, “I honor my Father and you dishonor Him”? He says, “You dishonor me.”In a veiled manner, He indicates that His Father’s honor and His own honor are identical, one and the same thing, just as He is one God together with His Father. At the same time, however, He wants to remind us that if our ministry in praise of God is to obtain its due honor, it must also suffer shame.We should also keep this in mind in our dealings with rulers and priests. When they question our lives, we will put up with it and repay them with love for hate and good for evil; but when they attack our doctrine, they are attacking God’s honor.Here there must be a limit to love and patience. We must not remain silent but say, “I honor my Father, and so you dishonor me. It does not matter much that you dishonor me, for I am not seeking my own honor. But at the same time take warning! There is one who is seeking my honor and judging it. The Father will demand it from you and not leave you unpunished. He does not only seek His honor, but mine as well, for He has declared, ‘Those who honor me I will honor’ (1 Samuel 2:30).”This is our consolation, so we can be quite joyful. Even though all the world casts shame on us and dishonors us, we are certain that God requires our honor and will punish, judge, and avenge. O that we would only believe it and wait upon Him! He is certainly coming!SL.XI.569,7AE 76,410-11PRAYER: You have assured us, both by much instruction and many examples, O Lord, that You will adequately defend the honor of Your Word and those who proclaim it. Fill our hearts with courage and confidence so that we never lost heart, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - MONDAYLESSON: JOHN 8:45“Because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” John 8:45It is true that no pastor’s life is ever so good that it is without sin before God. And so, it is enough if he is blameless in the eyes of his people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure that it stands up not only before men but also before God.A godly preacher may well find himself in a position to ask his hearers, “Who from among you is going to find fault with me? From among you, I say, my fellow human beings! But before God I am a sinner.”Moses does the same thing when he claims that he had not taken anything from them or harmed any one of them (Numbers 16:15).Samuel, Jeremiah, and Hezekiah could also appeal to their blameless lives before the people to stop the mouths of slanderers.Christ does not speak about His doctrine here. He does not say, “Who among you can fault my doctrine.” He says, “because I tell the truth.”One must be sure that one’s doctrine is the truth and right before God and must not be concerned only how it is regarded by men.SL.XI.568,3AE 76,409PRAYER: Grant us at all times such conviction of faith, heavenly Father, that we never have the slightest doubt that the whole truth of salvation has been revealed to us in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 5 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 8:46-59“Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” John 8:46This Gospel teaches us how hardened sinners become even more furious when one instructs them and encourages them in a friendly manner. Christ here asks them in a really friendly manner to supply a reason why they do not believe in Him when they are in no position at all to find fault either with His life or His doctrine.His life is quite blameless. He can boldly confront the Jews with the challenge, “Which of you convicts me of sin?” His doctrine, too, is irreproachable, for He says, “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” Christ is one whose walk of life squared in every way with what He taught.Every preacher should always be quite confident about two factors. In the first place, he should lead a blameless life so that he may always have a courageous approach to his work and that he may not provide anyone with an easy excuse to blaspheme his doctrine. Secondly, his doctrine must also be blameless so that he never misleads anyone who follows him.In both respects, then, he will be doing what is right. With his good life, he will be gaining the advantage over his enemies, who are more concerned with his life than his doctrine and may despise his doctrine because of his life. With his doctrine, he is serving his friends, who are more concerned with his doctrine than with his life and will put up with his life for the sake of his doctrine.SL.XI.566, 1-2AE 76, 409PRAYER: Provide Your Church with faithful pastors, O God, who practice what they preach and whose proclamation is always sure and certain, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - SATURDAYLESSON: JOHN 7:14-24“If I cast out demons by Be-elzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?” Luke 11:19Jesus certainly confronts His enemies here with a telling and crushing question when He asks them, “If I cast out demons by Be-elzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?” He means to ask them, “Is it not rabid hatred to condemn in me what you praise in your own children? When your children do something, it is from God; but because I do a thing, it must be from the devil.” That is how the world must react to Christ. What Christ does is of the devil; if someone else did it, it would be right.This is also the reasoning of the tyrants and enemies of the Gospel today. They condemn in us what they praise in themselves, and they confess it and teach it. This is how they must act, so that the judgment passed on them is publicly approved, namely, that their condemnation is correct. The “sons” who cast out devils, whom Christ mentions here, were, I believe, exorcists who functioned among the people. God bestowed many spiritual gifts on His people from of old. He calls them their “sons” as though He meant them to understand, “I am God’s son and yet I must belong to the devil; but those who are your ‘sons’ born from you do the same as I do but must not be regarded as belonging to the devil.”SL.XI.554,6AE 76,394PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You suffered scorn, mockery, contempt, and blasphemy for us, and men turned a deaf ear to Your testimony and proclamation. In all this we know, O Lord, that You have set a pattern for us to follow in Your name. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - FRIDAYLESSON: ROMANS 6:1-11“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:25The meaning of Jesus is that he who clings to the Word will not feel or see death, even in the midst of death, as He also declares later on: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, for I am the life” (John 11:25).Here we see what a wonderful thing the Christian faith really is, for it already saves us from death eternally and brings it to pass that we never die. The death and dying of a Christian is just like that of an unbeliever externally, but inwardly there is as much difference here as the difference between heaven and earth. For the Christian sleeps in death and passes through it to life, but the unbeliever passes from life to experience death eternally.We also see this from the way in which some shake in terror, are full of doubt and even despair, and completely lose all reason and sense in the throes of death.This is why Scripture also calls death a sleep. For just as the one who falls asleep does not really know what is happening to him and recovers consciousness quite suddenly in the morning when he wakes up, so we, too, will arise on the last day without any knowledge how we died and passed through death.SL.XI.571,11AE 76,412-13PRAYER: Lord Jesus, draw us ever closer to You in true and living faith so that we firmly believe that, whether we live or die, we are Yours and the heirs of eternal life and blessedness with You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 36Thy steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Thy faithfulness to the clouds. Psalm 36:5God’s power and might is in the very bread we eat. He is present in this bread and nourishes us through it and under it, but in an invisible manner. We think that it is the bread that does it all! But where no bread is available, He nourishes men without bread by His Word alone. He acts here also as He acts under the bread, invisibly. The bread is His “fellow worker,” as Paul says, “We are fellow workers for God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).Through and under our external office of the ministry, He gives His grace inwardly—that grace which He could actually give without our office and does give without it. But while the office is there, one should not despise it or tempt God.So also He nourishes us through bread externally, but inwardly He alone gives the growth and digestion which the bread cannot give. In short, all creatures are God’s masks and mummers, whom He wants to work along with Him and help Him to accomplish all sorts of things, which He could certainly accomplish without their co-operation and also does accomplish without them.This is what He has ordained so that we should learn to cling to His pure Word alone. If there is bread, do not put all your confidence in it; if there is no bread, there are still no grounds for despair. Use the bread when it is available and do without it when it is not available.But at all times we should be certain that we are nourished by the Word of God, whether bread is available or not. With this faith, one conquers greed, bodily indulgence, and temporal concern for our nourishment.SL.XI.539,16AE 76,370PRAYER: Keep us ever alert, heavenly Father, to the fact that we continually need the blessing of Your Word in all that we do in our daily lives, even in our eating and drinking, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 121My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2There are situations in life when God really strips us bare and we suffer want, even in regard to such matters as clothing, housing, and the like. But before very long, clothing has to be found, otherwise the very leaves would have to be plucked from the trees and become coats and cloaks for us to wear, just as it happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness, whose clothing and shoes remained intact (Deuteronomy 8:2,4). So also the wild deserts became their houses and provided ways for them where there were no ways and water where there was no water; indeed, stones became water for them.God’s Word stands fast, which says, “He cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). What Paul says to Timothy is only too true: “God [...] richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).Christ’s own words in His Sermon on the Mount also apply here: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:33,34). Such words must remain true and stand fast into all eternity.It is quite a common sight that poor people and their children are better conditioned and that their provisions seem to go further and to be more beneficial than is the case with the wealthy and their rich supplies. In many ways, we are reminded that earthly provisions are not the only matter of importance. God’s Word nourishes all men.SL.XI.538,13AE 76,369PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, you have assured us that you will be with us always, even to the end of time. For this reason, we now turn to you in the faith and conviction that you will always hear us, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - TUESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 7:7-12Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” John 6:11,12In taking the five loaves and blessing them, Jesus gives us to understand that there is never anything so insignificant that it cannot be of some use for His disciples. He can bless even a little for them, so that they eventually have more than enough, whereas those who are rich often do not have enough with all their riches.“Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing,” as the Psalmist declares, but the rich often suffer hunger. “The young lions suffer want and hunger” (Psalm 34:10). In her Magnificat, Mary also reminds us that “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:53).On the other hand, in giving the order that the fragments should be gathered up, Jesus teaches us to be saving, to look after His blessings, to make good use of them so that one never tempts God by the misuse of His blessings.Just as He wants us to have faith when we have nothing and to be quite sure that He will provide for us, so also He does not want us to tempt Him by despising the blessing He has given us or by letting them lie to rot away while awaiting others from heaven by way of a miracle.What He has provided, we should accept and use. What He has not provided, we should wait for with firm faith.SL.XI.563,3-4AE 76,402PRAYER: You have often shown us in your Word, O Lord, that your children will never lack any good thing. We trust you to provide all the “good things” we need as your children. Grant us your grace that we never misuse any of these good things, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - MONDAYLESSON: JOHN 15:12-17“As the Father has loved me, so have I love you; abide in my love.” John 15:9In His feeding of the five thousand, our Lord gives us a splendid example of His manifold love for men. In the first place, His miracle in providing so much food is not performed only for the benefit of His godly followers who followed Him for the sake of His works and words. It benefited also those who were concerned only about their bodily welfare, who sought only food, drink, and temporal honor from Him.Soon after this, Jesus set some of these people straight at Capernaum when He said, “You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26). They actually wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him their king (John 6:15).Here, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sends His rain and lets His sun shine on the evil and on the good (Matthew 5:45).In the second place, we should note how Jesus, in a most friendly manner, bears with the crudeness and weak faith of His disciples. His testing question to Philip and his apparent appeal to reason, and Andrew’s rather childish contribution to the matter under discussion, are recorded here to bring to light the imperfection of the apostles. Over against all this, His own love and friendly treatment of them shines forth even more beautifully and with greater love.All this should stimulate our faith and act as an example for us to follow. The members of our body and all creatures also offer us common instruction. For all that God has created is full of love; the one creature bears, helps, and rescues the other.SL.XI.562,2AE 76,401-2PRAYER: Lord Jesus, your love for us was truly wonderful and passing knowledge. Let this love always be aglow within us so that we accept it in true faith for our salvation and practice it for the benefit of all our fellowmen, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 4 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 6:1-15“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” Matthew 6:33In the Gospel of the feeding of the five thousand, Christ once again teaches us the need for faith without anxious worry about food and clothing. Then He stirs us up with a miracle in which He actually demonstrates in deed what He says in words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”We see here that the people follow Him to hear God’s Word and to witness signs. They are seeking God’s kingdom. Jesus does not forsake them but provides them richly with food. He shows quite clearly that before those who seek God’s kingdom should suffer want, the grass in the wilderness should rather become corn and one piece of bread should rather become a thousand loaves, so that what He declared to the devil at the time of His temptation would stand fast, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).So that this principle of God’s Word should be confirmed and stand fast, He proceeds to provide for these people what they should eat. He consults Philip about the matter even before they make any complaints and ask for food.From this we also should learn to let Him do the worrying for us, and we should realize that He thinks about us more and sooner than we think about ourselves.SL.XI.562,1AE 76,401PRAYER: You know all our needs, O Lord, even before we think about them ourselves. You have promised never to leave or forsake us. Be with us then, O Lord, at all times, for the sake of your truth and mercy. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3 - SATURDAYLESSON: LUKE 9:46-50“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23The Gospels are replete with many fine sayings which set forth very important teachings. This is also the case in Christ’s words at the end of the Gospel concerning the healing of the dumb demoniac: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” “The devil is not with me, for I drive him out. And so, he must certainly be against me.”However, this saying refers not only to the devil, but to the blasphemers on whom also He passes sentence and condemnation here. They are against Him because they are not with Him.To be with Christ means to think with Christ, that is, to believe in Christ, to believe that His works and not our works help us. That is Christ’s position, and that is what He teaches. To “gather” with Christ is to do good in love and to be rich in good works.He who does not believe in Christ is compelled to rely on his own works. Such a man is not with Christ but against Christ. He denies Christ because he builds on his own works. A man who does not love does not gather with Christ but performs vain works, whereby he becomes worse and gets further away from faith.SL.XI.556,11AE 76,396PRAYER: Lord God, our loving, heavenly Father, grant us at all times such an understanding and clarity of faith that we are always absolutely with Christ and not against Him, gathering with Him and not scattering. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3 - FRIDAYLESSON: ROMANS 16:17-20“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.” Luke 11:21,22In this illustration taken from everyday life, Jesus demonstrates that no one but God alone can really overcome the devil. No one is ever in a position to boast that he can of himself drive out sin and the devil.Note well how He describes the devil. He calls him “a strong man” who is fully armed and guards his own palace. That is, the devil not only has possession of the world as his own kingdom, but he also has it guarded and supported so that no one can take it from him. It is also a kingdom with inner peace that carries out his will.Just as little as a house or court may successfully oppose or guard itself against a tyrant who really has possession of it, so little can free will or human might avail against sin and the devil. It can avail nothing at all—it must be subject to sin and the devil.Just as the house must be conquered by a “stronger” man and be taken away from the tyrant, so also must man be saved and rescued from the devil through Christ.We see here once again that, in the matter of our salvation, our doing and righteousness avail nothing at all, but that it is God’s grace alone that bestows salvation upon us.SL.XI.556,10AE 76,395-96PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, heavenly Father, that in our battle against sin and the devil, success awaits us only if we contend against our old evil foe with all the resources which you in your grace provide for us, in and through the “stronger” man, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3 - THURSDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 6:12-17“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? [...] If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:18,20From Christ’s words in this Gospel, it follows that where God’s finger does not drive out the devil, the devil’s kingdom still stands, and where the devil’s kingdom is, there is no kingdom of God. It follows quite conclusively that as long as the Holy Spirit has not come to us, we are not only incapable of accomplishing what is good but are of necessity in the devil’s kingdom.If we are in the devil’s kingdom, we cannot possibly do anything else but what pleases the devil; otherwise, it could not be called his kingdom. Paul suggests that such people are caught in the snare of the devil, being captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). How could the devil permit the subjects of his kingdom to follow their own inclinations in doing what is against his kingdom and not for his kingdom?Christ here makes a most striking, shocking but important statement when He assigns a kingdom to the devil that cannot be avoided when the Holy Spirit is absent. He also declares that God’s kingdom cannot come unless the devil’s kingdom is driven from us with God’s own power from heaven.SL.XI.555,8AE 76,395PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, in your glorious resurrection from the dead, you proclaimed your victory over sin, death, and the devil. Fill our hearts with such trust in your victory that we go from strength to strength in the power of your truth, for your love’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5“Therefore, they [your sons] shall be your judges. But, if it is by the finger of God I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Luke 11:19,20When Jesus tells the Jews, who question His authority to cast out demons and ascribe it to the devil, that their sons will be their judges, He means to say that He is appealing to these sons. These sons will be forced to pronounce the judgement that they are slandering Him unjustly and condemning themselves in doing so.If one devil does not drive out another devil, there must be another power operative here which is neither devilish nor human, namely, divine power. Jesus continues, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” This “finger of God” Matthew clearly designates as “the Spirit of God,” for in describing this same event he reports Jesus as saying, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons [...]” (Matthew 12:28).In short, Christ here wants to say, “If the kingdom of God is to come to you, the devil must be driven out, for his kingdom is opposed to God’s kingdom, as you yourselves must confess. But the devil is not driven out by a devil, much less by men or through the power of men. He is driven out only through the Spirit and the power of God.”SL.XI.554,7AE 76,394PRAYER: According to your Word and promises, O Lord, let your kingdom of grace come to us and be established in our midst, through the active working of your Holy Spirit in the means of grace, for the Savior’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3 - TUESDAYLESSON: TITUS 3:8-11Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. Mark 1:25,26No one should imagine that the evil spirits at times present an appearance of disunity and that one yields to the other to deceive men. For it is quite evident that they offer resistance, demur, cry out and storm, tear and rage when they sense that an earnest effort is being made to drive them out. They are opposed to Christ and at variance with Him, yielding to Him under compulsion and unwillingly. Nothing is left here but the patent and blasphemous lie in which they are held fast and disgraced, so they seize upon God’s work out of poisonous hatred and jealousy in the interests of the devil.From this we should learn not to be unduly surprised if our doctrine and conduct is blasphemed, and if hardened hearts are never satisfied and converted, even though they have been overcome by palpable truth and their mouths have been stopped.It is enough that their hardened folly has been disclosed by our answer before the godly, recognized for what it is, and brought to naught so that the godly may not be misled by any mere appearance of good. Thereafter, let them go their own way. Such people are perverted and sinful and even “Self-condemned,” as Paul reminds Titus (3:11).SL.XI.553,5AE 76,393PRAYER: In your mercy and grace, O Lord, direct and govern all our efforts as your disciples, that the best interests of your kingdom are always served and our neighbor’s welfare is promoted, in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3 - MONDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 4:2-6But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Be-elzebul, the prince of demons” [...] But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and house falls upon house. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-elzebul.” Luke 11:15,17,18What did these slanderers reply to this clear logic of Jesus? Their mouth was stopped, and their heart was hardened so that they put forward no more questions. For a hardened heart is no longer open to instruction, no matter how brightly and clearly the truth is set forth. But the faith of the godly is strengthened hereby when they see that the ground for their faith is true and good.For the sake of the godly, answers must at times be given to those who are hardened, and their mouths stopped. Even though they are not converted or silenced, it serves a good purpose to have their stubborn folly revealed, showing that the longer they speak the more their folly increases.From this it also can be deduced that their cause does not even have the appearance of being good and true, as Solomon also says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Proverbs 26:5). His meaning is to shame, for the sake of others, so that they do not follow him and are not deceived by him, as though he were in the right.Otherwise, where there is no such special reason, it is better to be silent, as Solomon says in the same context, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself” (Proverbs 26:4). SL.XI.553,4AE 76,393 PRAYER: O Lord, give us at all times the courage to speak out boldly for the sake of others and wisdom to be silent lest we increase the folly of others by our speaking. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 3- SUNDAYLESSON: LUKE 11:14-28He was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke. Luke 11:14This is a beautiful Gospel in which we learn a great deal about many different things, and in it there is portrayed almost all that Christ, His kingdom, and Gospel are. We learn what the Gospel achieves and how it makes its way in the world.First of all, as do all the Gospels, it teaches us faith and love, for it holds up Christ before us as a savior and help in all needs, out of His great love. He who believes this is saved.Here we see also that He has nothing to do with those who are well but with the poor man who is ailing under many troubles. He was blind, as Matthew tells us (12:22), and dumb and possessed by a demon, as Luke says. Most of the deaf are also dumb, so that in Greek the same word is used for deaf and dumb.The concern of Jesus for this poor man is an incentive for us to turn to Him in every need, expecting from Him all that is good. After experiencing good at His hands, we should follow Him in love and do good to others, as He has done good to us. This is the common and most delightful teaching of this Gospel and of all the Gospels throughout the whole church year.This poor dumb man, moreover, did not come to Jesus without the Word. Those who brought him to Jesus must have heard of Christ’s love, and this moved them to put their trust in Him. Let us always remember that faith comes through the Word.SL.XI.552,1AE 76,392 PRAYER: Lord Jesus, your love and compassion for men in their trials and troubles was truly wonderful. Be to us a helper and savior also today, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 33:13-22Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22That God nourishes the whole world by means of bread, and not only through the Word without bread, has its special reason. God is concealing His work under this procedure in order to exercise our faith.In the case of the children of Israel also, He issued orders for them to arm themselves and fight, but He did not want them to gain the victory through their sword and their own deeds. He Himself wanted to defeat their enemies and gain the victory under their sword and through their deeds. Here He could also have said, “The warrior does not gain the victory through his own sword alone, but through every word which proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”David also says, “Not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me” (Psalm 44:6). “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man” (Psalm 147:10).He still makes use of man and horse, sword and bow, but He fights and He accomplishes everything without the power and might of the man and the horse. The latter are merely curtains and coverings for His might and power. This is proved by the fact that He has often acted, and still often acts daily, without man and horse where necessity demands it and where there is no possibility of a temptation of Himself being involved.SL.XI.538,15AE 76,381PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, our stay and support in all our needs, grant us such an understanding of your Word and trust in its teachings that we always accept all its consolations in firm assurance, in and through Christ our Lord. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - FRIDAYLESSON: PSALM 46Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without waver, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23What we are told about the Canaanite woman and her faith (Matthew 15:21-28) has been written for our comfort and instruction, that we may learn how deeply God at times hides His grace from us. We should not form our estimate of Him according to our feelings and speculations but hold absolutely and completely to His Word.Here we see that, although Christ takes up a very inflexible position, He does not make any final judgements by expressly saying “No.” His replies all seem to be negative, but they do not contain a final “No.” They hang and float in the air.He does not say, “I will not listen to her,” but remains silent, saying neither “Yes” or “No.” Nor does He say that she is not from the house of Israel. He simply states that He is sent only to the house of Israel. He lets the matter hang and float between “Yes” and “No.” Nor does He say, “You are a dog; you should not receive any of the children’s bread.” He says, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” He lets it hang and float whether she is a dog or not. But all his replies seem to imply a “No” rather than a “Yes,” and yet there is more of “Yes” in his replies than “No.”There is “Yes” here and nothing but “Yes,” but it is deep and hidden and seems to be “No.”SL.XI.548,10AE 76,380-81PRAYER: There are times, heavenly Father, when we feel that you are far away from us and that your grace is hidden from us. Open our eyes at such times with the light of your truth so that we see clearly that your grace and love are steadfast and unchanging and ever available to us in and through our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 9:14-24She came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” Matthew 15:25The Canaanite woman came to Jesus in a house, as Mark tells us, “and fell down at his feet,” Mark 7:25, and made her plea; “Lord, help me!”It was now that she received the mortal blow. Before all present, she was told in so many words that she was a dog, not worthy to partake of the children’s bread. What will she say to this? Here she has heard the very worst. She is one of the lost who have been damned, who are not to be reckoned with the elect.This is a final, irrevocable reply, and no one can debate it. But she does not desist. She concurs with Christ’s judgement and agrees with it. She is a dog, and she wants no more than a dog, namely, to eat the crumbs which fall from the master’s table.Is this not a master-touch? She takes Christ captive with His own words. He compares her with a dog. She accepts the comparison and asks for no more than permission to be such a dog, as He Himself has judged her to be. Where was He to turn? He was caught. One lets a dog have the crumbs under the table; these are his right.He now opens up to the woman and grants her what she wishes. She is now not a dog but also a child of Israel.SL.XI.548,8-9AE 76,380PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, our loving heavenly Father, for the mercy and grace which brought us to faith in you and your promises and which has kept us in this faith, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: LUKE 11:5-13We share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 3:14When we hear how Christ answered the Canaanite woman in the Gospel (Matthew 15:21-26), we are in a way reminded of quite a number of remarkable statements that He made to His disciples on various occasions. He said to them, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). In Mark we read, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will” (Mark 11:24). There are also many other passages of this kind.What has come of all these promises here? He soon answers and says, “It is true that I hear all prayers; but such promises I have made only to the house of Israel.”Is this not a real thunderclap which shatters both heart and faith into a thousand pieces? The Word of God, on which the woman has built her faith, is not spoken to her; it concerns others. Here all saints and all intercession must become silent; here the heart must let the Word go, if it is to allow the feelings to decide the matter.But what does the woman do? She does not give up. She still clings to the Word, even though it seems that an attempt is being made to force her to give it up. She does not heed the stern words of Christ. She still has the firm conviction that somehow or other Christ’s goodness is still concealed under all this. She is still not prepared to form the judgement that Christ is ungracious or that He can be ungracious. This is what it means to hold fast!SL.XI.547,6-7AE 76,380PRAYER: Grant us a full measure of your grace, heavenly Father, so that, despite all the obstacles our faith meets in a world where there is much sin and opposition to your holy will, we may still maintain a firm and unwavering faith in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - TUESDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 1:21-23His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:23,24When the cries and faith of the Canaanite woman prove fruitless, the disciples of Christ lodge an appeal on her behalf in the belief that they will certainly be heard. But when they suggest that Christ should become more lenient, He actually becomes harder and renders the faith and prayer of both parties ineffective—as it seems to their feelings. For he does not remain silent here and leave them in doubt; He declines their plea and declares, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”This rebuff is even more severe, for not only are our own persons rejected, but the only consolation still available to us is also cut off, namely, the consolation and intercession of godly and holy people on our behalf. For when we feel that God is no longer gracious to us, and we find ourselves entangled in a very distressing situation, it is our last resort to turn for counsel and help to godly men who are led by the Spirit of God. If these men are willing to do for us what love demands of them, but nothing comes of all their efforts, and they have not even been given a hearing, we really find ourselves in a worse plight than before their intervention on our behalf.Even this rebuff did not weaken the faith of this Canaanite woman. She still believed and trusted in the good report she had heard of Christ.SL.XI.547,5AE 76,379-80PRAYER: Your promises and assurance to us, O Lord, are true and steadfast. Grant us at all times such confidence in the declarations of your Gospel that we never waver in faith but ever stand fast in your grace, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - MONDAYLESSON: 1 PETER 1:16-21Behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. Matthew 15:22,23Note how Christ hammers and drives faith into His believers so that it becomes strong and firm! First, when the Canaanite woman follows the good report she has heard about Christ and cries to Him in the sure confidence that, in accordance with this report, He will also treat her graciously, Christ presents a completely different picture to the woman.She soon had grounds for believing that her faith and good confidence in Him were quite misplaced. She had every reason to ask: “Is this the good, friendly man?” or “Are these the good words I heard reported of Him and on which I relied? It cannot be true. He is your foe. He does not want to have anything to do with you. He might as well tell me outright: I don’t want to have anything to do with you! But now He is as silent as a stone.”This is a heavy rebuff when God presents such a stern and angry face and completely hides His grace, as those well know who feel and experience in their hearts the thought that God will not keep what He has spoken and will allow His Word to prove itself false. This happened to the children of Israel at the Red Sea. In other ways, it has been the experience of many other saints.What does this woman do in such a situation? She simply disregards the unfriendly countenance of Christ and does not let any of this lead her astray. She does not take it all according to the letter. She remains absolutely firm in her reliance on the good report she has received and will not be removed from it.SL.XI.546,3AE 76,379PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for the certainty of truth and salvation which you have revealed to us in your Gospel of salvation. We pray for the grace to keep us ever firmly fixed in our faith in you and your Gospel, in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 2 - SUNDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 15:21-28Immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Mark 7:25In this Canaanite woman, we see that true faith is confidence of the heart in the grace and goodness of God, revealed and experienced through God’s Word. St. Mark tells us that she had “heard” of Jesus: a report about Jesus had, somehow or other, reached her. What kind of report? Without a doubt, it was a good report that was being noised about: that Christ was a godly man who readily helped everyone. Such a report about God is real gospel and a word of grace. It awakened faith in this woman, for if she had not believed, she would not have followed after Jesus.How does it come to pass that many more heard this good report about Christ, who did not follow after Him and paid no attention to this good report? The answer is that the physician is useful and welcome to the sick, but those who are well pay no attention to Him. The Canaanite woman, however, felt her need, and so she followed this sweet report.Moses must also precede here and teach men to recognize their sins so that grace may become sweet and welcome. It is labor lost to portray Christ in the most friendly and lovable manner, unless men have been humbled previously by self-knowledge and hunger for Christ, as the Magnificat also declares, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:53).This is all said and written for those who are distressed, poor, needy, sinful, and despised, so that in all their needs they may know to whom they should flee to seek consolation and help.SL.XI.544,1-2AE 76,378PRAYER: We know full well, O Lord, that of ourselves and by our merits we are poor, lost, and condemned sinners. Eternal thanks and praise be to you for the sweet news of salvation which you have revealed to us in your Gospel of salvation, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 34:1-10Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. Matthew 4:11Finally, the angels came to Him and ministered to Him. This must have taken place in a bodily manner. They appeared as bodily ministrants and brought Him food and drink and ministered to His needs at the table and in all other ways. They rendered external services to His body.The devil, His tempter, without a doubt also appeared in a bodily form, perhaps also as an angel. For he must have been something higher than a human being to place Him on a pinnacle of the temple and to show Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment. That the devil was something higher than a man is also apparent in his offer of all the kingdoms of the world and the suggestion that Christ should worship him. He certainly did not appear here in his true colors, for when he wants to lie and deceive, he tries to look beautiful. St. Paul says that he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).What we read in the Gospel is for our comfort. We should learn that, where one devil assails us, many angels can minister to us. If we fight manfully and resist the devil, God will not let us suffer want. He will send His angels to minister to us, and at times they can even serve us as our bakers, butlers, and cooks and help us in our every need. This was not written for Christ’s sake; He did not need this. If the angels ministered to Him, they can also minister to us.SL.XI.544,27AE 76,374PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, send your holy angels to us that, by their ministrations, we may be protected from all harm and danger and ever rest in your grace, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - FRIDAYLESSON: JAMES 4:5-10Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8,9The third temptation is concerned with temporal honor and power.Those who fall away from the faith for the sake of honor and power are victims of this temptation. They want to enjoy nothing but good days here on earth and believe only as far as honor and glory will permit. To this class belong also the heretics, who cause sects and factions among Christians so that they may go their way before the world and float about in honor.You can place this third temptation on the right-hand side and the first one on the left-hand side. The first temptation concerns misfortune, which stirs up anger, impatience, and unbelief in us; the third and last is a temptation of good fortune, in which one is urged to seek pleasure, honor, joy, and everything exalted.The second, middle temptation is altogether spiritual and concerns itself with freakish pranks and error to mislead us in our understanding and to draw us away from faith.SL.XI.542,23AE 76,373PRAYER: Lord, preserve us by the power of your Word against all the ragings and ravings of our old evil foe, Satan, and all his machinations, in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - THURSDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 6:10-17Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7The devil’s second temptation is quite different from the first one but quite similar to it in its absurdity.Here the devil teaches us to tempt God, just as he urged Christ to throw Himself from a pinnacle of the temple. This was quite unnecessary in any case, because there would probably have been a good set of stairs available on which He could have climbed down. That the devil here tried to induce Christ to a temptation of God is quite clear from Christ’s reply.Wherever the devil comes upon a heart that trusts God in the hour of want and need, he quickly abandons concerns for bodily welfare and greed and makes his assault from quite a different angle. “If you want to be all spiritual and trusting,” he says, “I’ll give you some help.” He proceeds to come at you from another direction: he tries to get you to put your faith into something that God has not commanded you to believe and does not want you to believe.It may be that God has supplied your house with bread, as He does annually throughout the whole world, and you refuse to make use of it, making want and need for yourself, declaring, “We are to put our faith in God. I will not eat the bread but wait till God sends me bread from heaven.” That would be tempting God. For He does not tell you that you must still hope for what you already have and keep on working for it. How can you hope for something you already have?SL.XI.539,17-18AE 76,370-71PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, our old evil foe, the devil, was cunning enough and brazen enough to attack even your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. When he tempts us into unbelief and wrong beliefs, you have shown in our Son’s example how to overcome the devil’s temptations. Grant us your grace and strength to do this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:36-41If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. Matthew 4:3After approaching Christ, the devil assails Him by confronting Him with His bodily welfare and casting doubt on God’s goodness, saying, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”It is as though he meant to say: “Rely on God and don’t bake; wait until a roasted rooster flies into your mouth. Do you now claim that you still have a God who cares for you? Where now is your heavenly Father, who looks after you? I am telling you; He is leaving you in the lurch. Eat up now and drink in faith and let us see how satisfied you will be, especially if they are stones. What a fine Son of God you are! What a Father He is to you, when He does not even send you a crust of bread, and lets you be so poor and needy. Just keep on believing that you are His Son and He is your Father.”With such thoughts the devil assails all the children of God. Christ certainly experienced all this. He was no stock or stone, although He was pure and without sin and remained so, as we cannot be.SL.XI.536,8AE 76,367PRAYER: For our sakes, O Lord, you suffered yourself to be tempted by our enemy, the devil, and overcame him with the powerful testimony of your Father’s holy Word. Enable us, your disciples, to gain a similar victory over the devil whenever we are assailed by him, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - TUESDAYLESSON: LUKE 12:22-31Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Hebrews 5:8,9The account of Christ’s temptation has been written both for our learning and admonition.First, we should learn here how Christ, by His fasting, hunger, temptation, and victory, served us and helped us. Accordingly, he who believes in Christ shall suffer no want, and no temptation can harm him. He will have sufficient in the midst of need, and he will be safe in the midst of temptation. His Lord and head has conquered for him and for his benefit in all these respects. Of this he is quite sure, for his Lord has declared, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If God could nourish Christ for forty days without food, He can also nourish His Christians.Secondly, this example also admonishes us to endure want and temptation gladly in the service of God and for the good of our neighbor, as Christ did for us, as often as the need arises. It will certainly arise if we are to teach and confess God’s Word. Therefore, this Gospel is a wonderful consolation and strengthening against our unbelieving and shameless flesh. It establishes and strengthens our conscience that we do not plague ourselves with worry about our bodily welfare but are certain that He will and can nourish us.SL.XI.534,5-6AE 76,366-67PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, O Lord our Savior, for all that you suffered in our stead and on our behalf. Bless us at all times with your gifts, that we gladly suffer in the service of God and for the benefit of our neighbor, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - MONDAYLESSON: ROMANS 8:12-17Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1There is a reason why the evangelist, with considerable care, states right at the beginning of this Gospel that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, that He fasted there, and was tempted. The reason for this is that no one should ever presume to follow Christ’s example by his own choice and make a selfish fast of it, decided by his own will alone. He should wait for the Spirit, who will send him quite enough fasting and temptation.Anyone who deliberately courts the danger of hunger or any other temptation when, under the blessing of God, he can eat, drink, and enjoy the other comforts of life, is tempting God. We should never seek out shortages and temptation. They will doubtless come of themselves to give us ample opportunity to do our best in noble fashion.We read that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” not “Jesus chose the wilderness for Himself.” Paul also says, “All who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). God gives His blessings for us to use them with thanksgiving and not to despise them. He does not bless us so that we should tempt Him.SL.XI.534,4AE 76,366PRAYER: Enlighten us and guide us by your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, that we never presume to tempt you in disregard of your blessings but use them to your greater glory, in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

LENT - WEEK 1 - SUNDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 4:1-11We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10It is customary to read the Gospel of Christ’s temptation by the devil at the beginning of the season of Lent to set Christ’s example before Christians and encourage them to fast as Christ fasted.This is utter tomfoolery!In the first place, no one can ever measure up to such an example and fast without any food at all for forty days and nights as Christ did. Christ, moreover, followed the example of Moses, who also fasted for forty days and nights when he received God’s law on Mount Sinai. Accordingly, Christ also wanted to fast when He was about to bring us the new law and to publish it.In the second place, our fasting is a complete mistake instituted by men. Although Christ fasted for forty days, there is nothing at all in His Word in which He orders us to do likewise. He probably also did other things that He does not want us to do. But what He tells us to do and not to do, we should keep carefully in mind and act according to His Word.Our worst mistake of all was to regard and practice our fasting as a good work. We did not fast to discipline our flesh but to acquire merit before God, to blot out our sins, and to obtain grace.SL.XI.532,1-2AE 76,365PRAYER: You have bound us, O Lord, as your children to your Word as our rule of faith and life. In this Word, you assure us we shall know the truth, and the truth will set us free. This we also pray in your name. Amen.

LENT - SATURDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:57-58If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17We have no hesitation at all in declaring that anyone who contemplates God’s sufferings for a day, an hour, a quarter of an hour, does better than fasting for a whole year, praying a psalm every day, and hearing a hundred masses. For such contemplation changes a man quite basically and is very close to the new birth of baptism. Here the sufferings of Christ perform their true and noble work. They choke the Old Adam and dispel all pleasure, joy, and confidence in creatures, even as Christ was forsaken by all and even by God.Because this work is not under our control, it happens that at times we must pray for it. The result does not follow immediately. Nevertheless, we must not lose heart and desist from our efforts. Sometimes, it happens that we do not pray in accordance with God’s will. God acts in freedom and will not become our captive. And so, a man may become saddened in his conscience and very dissatisfied with his life without realizing that it is Christ’s sufferings, of which he thinks very little, that are influencing him in this way, just as others can ponder Christ’s sufferings almost continuously without ever coming to self-knowledge. With the former, the sufferings of Christ are a hidden but genuine factor; with the latter, they are merely apparent and deceptive. In this way, God often brings the unexpected to pass.SL.XI.579,10-11AE 76,429PRAYER: Keep us ever mindful, heavenly Father, of the grim reality of the suffering and death of our Lord and grant us your grace fully to accept all that our Lord gave and suffered for us in our stead. Amen.

LENT - FRIDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:47-56Rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:13Anyone who remains so completely unmoved and hard-boiled that the sufferings of Christ do not horrify him and bring him to his senses has cause to be afraid. For it cannot be otherwise. You must become conformed to the image and suffering of Christ, either in this life or in hell. At the very least, you must be terrified in the face of death, tremble and quake, and feel everything that Christ suffered on the cross.It is a gruesome experience to witness agony on a deathbed. Therefore, you should pray God to soften your heart and permit you to ponder the suffering of Christ fruitfully. It is impossible for us of ourselves to ponder the sufferings of Christ thoroughly unless God Himself implants the resolution in our hearts. Pray God that this contemplation of Christ’s sufferings may not result in any doctrine or teaching which you hurry to accomplish of yourself before you have earnestly sought God’s grace so that you accomplish it by His grace and not of yourself.Here we see why so many have gone astray in regard to the sufferings of Christ. They do not pray to God for His grace to profit from Christ’s passion, but they try to attain their end in their own strength and by their own methods. They operate in a thoroughly human and unfruitful manner.SL.XI.579,9AE 76,428-29PRAYER: Soften our hearts, O God, by your grace that we may fruitfully ponder the sufferings of Christ and see in them the stripes whereby we are healed, for the sake of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

LENT - THURSDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:36-46He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5Christ’s passion should help us to a knowledge of self, to be horrified at ourselves, and to bring us to contrition. If this is not the result of Christ’s passion as far as we are concerned, it has not yet achieved its purpose in us. In His passion, Christ placed Himself on an equal footing with us, so that, as He suffered in body and soul in a wretched manner because of our sins, we must also suffer with Him in the knowledge of our sins. This is no matter for many words, but for deep thinking and a proper estimate of our sins.Consider this illustration! If a criminal was convicted of murdering the child of a prince or a king, and you were quite unconcerned, sang and played as though you were quite innocent until a terrible attack was launched upon you, and it was proved that you had prevailed upon the criminal to commit his crime. The world would become too narrow for you, especially if your conscience left you in the lurch.You should become much more anxious when you ponder the sufferings of Christ. For although the Jews, the criminals, have come under God’s judgement and have been cast off, they were merely the ministers of your sin. You are really the one who, through your sin, throttled and crucified God’s Son.SL.XI.578,8AE 76,428PRAYER: My sin and guilt, Lord Jesus, were no small part of your passion, suffering, and death. Thank you, Lord, for the riches of your grace and mercy and, above all, for your wonderful love to me and all other sinners. Amen.

LENT - ASH WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 32:1-7If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Psalm 130:3,4David says in the psalm, “I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord;’ then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). No one can stand before God without bringing this confession of sins with him. That is why the psalmist also declares; “If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:3,4).Anyone who really wants to stand before God must be quite sure that this confession of sins really comes from his heart and firmly believe that, unless the Lord is merciful to him, all is lost, no matter how pious he is in himself. Even all the saints must acknowledge the need of God’s continual grace and mercy and in all humility confess their sins before Him.There is no difference here, for all have sinned. If anyone has received special grace, thank God for it and do not boast. If anyone has fallen into sin, it simply demonstrates that he is flesh and blood. But no one has fallen so deeply that one who stands may not fall ever deeper. As far as we are concerned, there is no difference between us and others; it is God’s grace alone that divides us from others.This confession of sin is so necessary that we dare not overlook it for a moment. It must be our concern during our whole life as a Christian. Without ceasing we must evermore praise God’s grace and recognize that all boasting on our part is vain before God.SL.XI.584,4-5AE 76,434PRAYER: Because of your wonderful grace, Lord God, loving heavenly Father, we poor sinners can stand before you, confessing our sins. When we do this, give us the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE WEEK OF QUINQUAGESIMA - TUESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:26-35Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24This life is nothing else but a life of faith, love, and the holy cross. But these three never reach a stage of perfection in us as long as we live here on earth, and no one ever reached perfection in this respect except Christ. He is the Sun and has been given to us and set up for us as an example whom we must imitate.There are always some to be found in our midst who are weak, others strong, and still others who are stronger. Some can suffer only a little and others much. But we must all continue in the likeness of Christ. For this life follows a course in which we proceed continually from faith to faith, from love to love, from patience to patience, from cross to cross.It is not a matter of being righteous but of being justified. We have not yet reached our goal; we are all on the path and on the way, but some are further along than others. God is satisfied when He finds us at work with a definite purpose. If He so wills it, He comes quickly and strengthens our faith and love, and He can translate us in a moment from this life into heaven. But as long as we are on this earth, we must bear with each other as Christ bore with us, always remembering also that none of us is ever quite perfect.SL.XI.600,31AE 76,447PRAYER: You know all our weaknesses, shortcomings, failures, and sins, heavenly Father. Help us in your means of grace to the improvement and progress which is a characteristic of your children, through Christ Jesus the Savior. Amen.

THE WEEK OF QUINQUAGESIMA - MONDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:14-25Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15If we are considering the passion of Christ in the correct way, its immediate effect on us should be a feeling of deep shock and an uneasy conscience. We should be deeply shocked when we see the harsh wrath of God and His unrelenting seriousness in dealing with sin and sinners. He is not prepared to release sinners to His only and dearly beloved Son unless this Son assumes a very heavy penalty on their behalf. He Himself tells us through the prophet that this Son was “stricken for the transgression of my people” (Isaiah 53:8).What can ever befall the sinner after the most beloved Son has been smitten in this way? There must have been unspeakable and unrelenting seriousness here if it required such an immeasurably great Person to render satisfaction and to suffer and die in this connection.If you ponder the matter deeply enough and remember that it is God’s own Son, the eternal wisdom of the Father, who is suffering here, you will be shocked, and the deeper you ponder it, the more deeply you will be shocked.Fix it firmly in your heart and mind and have no doubt at all that it was you who brought all this suffering upon Christ. Your sins were responsible for the sufferings of Christ.SL.XI.576,4AE 76,426PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we can only stutter in response to the unspeakable grace and mercy which you have bestowed upon us in the suffering and death of your dearly beloved Son. Accept this stuttering in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.