Can You See the Love? - Sermon for Septuagesima Sunday

Quinquagesima
The Sunday 50 Days before the Resurrection
February 11^th, Year of Our + Lord 2024
Can You See the Love?  
1^st Samuel 16:1-13, 1^st Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 18:31-43
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD

Audio of this sermon is available HERE.

   Can you see the love today?  I know, that sounds a lot like a certain Disney movie anthem, but I am not talking about “The Lion King.”  Rather, I have in mind the Lion of Judah.  And my question is not “Can you feel the love?,” but rather “Can you see the love?”  This vision question flows from the readings set before our eyes this Quinquagesima Sunday.  Which is a little strange, since “Faith Alone” is the traditional theme of this Sunday before Ash Wednesday, this 50^th day before Easter.  Faith, which grows from the Word implanted in our ear (James 1), enables us to live “not by sight” (2^nd Corinthians 5).  And yet faith is also a matter of sight, for I was blind, but now I see.   

   Godly vision, or better, God-given vision, is an important idea in our readings this morning.  Faith is, truly, all about “seeing the love,” truly perceiving what love is and from whence it flows.  Which is ironic, since in Hebrews chapter 11 faith is also defined as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen.  And so we see that the Holy Spirit and His human co-authors never tie themselves down too tightly to any particular metaphor.   As when Paul, who famously declared that faith comes by hearing (Romans 10), also offers this prayer for his beloved Ephesians: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling.  (Ephesians 1)

   The 1980s singer Bonnie Tyler crooned about a “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” a rock-ballad which mourns being battered by the vagaries of human love.  It’s pretty deep for a pop song.  But, St. Paul’s “enlightened eyes of the heart” rises to an entirely different level.  It is not about fallen “eros,” the romantic love we are so inclined toward.  Rather “enlightened eyes of the heart” is about “seeing” divine love, agape love, the love of God which is unconditional.  Agape means God loves you in spite of you, and He won’t stop loving you.  Can you see it?  This is Paul’s prayer.  Indeed, with “enlightened eyes of the heart,” Paul coins a poetic and original description of faith. 

   Now, if you are suspicious of the idea of “seeing the love,” you are not a fool.  God warns us in His Word, again and again, not to confuse seeing with believing.  Like when Samuel was sent by the LORD to Bethlehem to anoint a new king from among the sons of Jesse. 

   As soon as he laid eyes on Jesse’s eldest son, tall, handsome, impressive Eliab, Samuel assumed this was the one the LORD had chosen.  Even his name was terrific, and faithful: Eliab.  Eliab  means “God is my father.”  It was plain to see that Eliab was God’s choice for the new king. 

   But no.  The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  Samuel examines all seven sons that Jesse brought before him, but none of them looked good to God.  Then little David, Jesse’s after-thought, youngest son, was finally called in from watching over the sheep in the field, and the Lord saw His chosen, His anointed.  The new king for God’s people Israel.  Now David, as is often the case with that name, David was a good-looking kid.  But the LORD didn’t and doesn’t care for outward beauty.  Rather, He looked into David’s heart and saw a faithful Israelite, a true believer in YHWH, the LORD God of Israel.  The Lord even described David as “a man after my own heart.”  (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22)  High praise, indeed. 

    Speaking of hearts, and eyes, we heard that David had beautiful eyes.  I wonder if the Holy Spirit is speaking of David’s literal eyes, his organs of physical sight?  Or, looking forward to the turn of phrase He would give St. Paul a millennium later, might the Spirit already have been thinking of the beautiful eyes of David’s heart?  Yet another question for us to ask when we arrive in glory.    

   As far as we know, the Twelve Disciples had 24 fully functional eyes.  But their vision was dim.  As they are making their final journey to Jerusalem with Jesus, He tells them, for the 3^rd time, what was about to happen: “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.  

    ³² For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. ³³ And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 

   Jesus speaks clear words about Good Friday, about His suffering and death, and about His Resurrection on the third day.  But the Twelve cannot grasp it.  The words are hidden from them; they just can’t see it. 

   The idea of Jesus being tortured and killed by the Gentiles, that is, by the Roman overlords of the Jews, well, this is too horrible even to imagine in their mind’s eye.  They certainly couldn’t see the mystery, that Jesus was actually describing love, God’s agape, His unconditional, overwhelming love, revealed in the death of the Son of Man.  The Twelve can only hear of horror, and avert their eyes. 

   But, the blind beggar can see it.  Bartimaeus can see the love.  We know from Mark’s Gospel that Bartimaeus is the blind man’s name.  When Bartimaeus hears that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, he recognizes his opportunity and seizes it.  Even though he was blind, the eyes of his heart are open to see, to know, to trust that this Jesus is the Son of Man, and the Son of David.  He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ of God, sent to reclaim the throne of King David and reign over God’s chosen people, forever and ever. 

   Somehow, the blind beggar could see what the disciples and crowds could not:  Jesus has come, in mercy, for him, to rescue Bartimaeus, and every other poor, broken, downtrodden soul.  Jesus has come, to pour out the love of God for all people.  Seeing this, Bartimaeus does not protest against the Way that Jesus will save.  He simply knows he can cry out to Him for rescue, for mercy, no matter his problem.  No struggle, no disability, no sin is too big, or too small, to present before the Son of David.  So Bartimaeus cries out, he shouts his prayer:  “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And he won’t stop. 

   The crowd following Jesus tries to shut him up.  Don’t bother the Master.  He doesn’t have time to see you.  He has more important things to do, like fulfilling our vision of what God’s Savior will do for us.  Most people who saw Jesus’ mighty works and heard His teaching were blind to His mysterious vision quest.  For the Son of Man had come to save sinners, by becoming “The Sinner.”  The crowd was blind, just like the Twelve.  I mean, how could one so wise, so powerful, able to heal the sick, raise the dead, and feed thousands from just a few loaves of bread, how could He suffer?  How could He lose in a struggle with the Romans?  How could He die? 

   Surely, they thought, Jesus will lead us from victory to victory, until we once again rule our own land, and are mighty and great, like Israel was under King David, and King Solomon.  Their lying eyes had blinded them to the facts.  The kingdom was indeed great under these men.  But David was beloved by God for His faithful heart, not his military victories.  Solomon’s wisdom was not his great wealth and power, but rather it was to fear the Lord, and trust in Him only.              

   We all want love.  And that’s good and right.  Our problem is that our eyes think they see true love in all the wrong places.

   The love of money will leave you spiritually bankrupt, because money and things cannot love you back.  Rather, if you love your wealth too much, it will consume you. 

   We often think we can gain the love and admiration of our peers, our family and friends, by impressing them, or by buying their affection. But purchased love is not true brotherly love.  When you fail to impress, or run out of money, such purchased love is revealed to be bitter and traitorous. 

   The quest for eros, romantic love, by the young, or the young at heart, is a God-given desire, part of His plan for us to multiply and fill the earth.  But if we receive our husband or wife, or someone other than our husband or wife, if we receive a partner as a means to the end of selfish pleasure, we are likely to see the bitter pain of break-up, of divorce.  But when, by God’s grace, we see our spouse as a gift from God, first, last and always, a gift given us to love and cherish, come what may, well, then things are looking up.  Then we have the promise of seeing long and good days.  Such Godly marital love will draw us closer together by drawing us closer to Christ.    

   Jesus sees you and me like this.  His eyes are always on His Beloved, His Bride, which is collectively the whole Church.  Blind to our many faults and betrayals, Jesus has poured out His love unconditionally, no holding back, in order to love and cherish us, today, and forever and ever.  Can you see the love, the agape love of Jesus, willingly sacrificing Himself, for you? 

   And so faith, hope and love, these three, abide.  They endure forever.  And the greatest of these is love.  Not just any love, but rather the agape, divine, unconditional, freely-given love of God, revealed in the Cross of Jesus.  Agape love is the greatest, because God, who is greater than all, is love.  (1 John 4)

   Biblical faith, true, saving faith, is to see that the very thing that was unthinkable for the Twelve, is actually the highest love.  This is love: that the Son of Man has suffered at the hands of sinful men.  Even more, He died under His Father’s wrath against human sin, taking it all upon Himself, in order to set us free from our sin, and have us as His very own, forgiven, declared righteous, beautiful in His eyes, today, and forever and ever, Amen.  See His love, for you.

   Today, for a time yet, we must see with our ears, praying that the eyes of our hearts be ever focused on the sure and certain Hope that is Jesus, risen from the dead and ascended on high, for you.  And one day soon, we will see the Son of David face to face.  Seeing Him at the Father’s right hand, faith will turn into eternal knowledge, hope will be fulfilled in the glory of God, and we will fully enjoy the love of God, moment by moment, and forever and ever.  

   For now, we cry out:  Jesus, Son of David, give us eyes of faith to see your love, tongues to sing your praises, and feet to follow you, come what may.   Amen.