In the name of Jesus.

In the Holy Gospel for this 3rd Sunday after Epiphany, Jesus performs two healing miracles. He heals a man with leprosy, and He heals the servant of a centurion whose disease has caused paralysis. In both miracles, Christ is revealing the glory of His divinity (which is a principal theme of the Gospel readings during the Epiphany season).

But in addition to His divine glory, Christ’s will is also revealed to us (the attribute of His divine goodness), as is His authority (the attribute of His divine omnipotence). In the first of today’s accounts, the leper comes to Christ and says: “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” This is a confession of true faith.

He calls Jesus ‘Lord’ and confesses that Jesus has the power to heal him, but he also says: “if you will.” In great faith, the leper is submitting himself to the will of Christ.

He trusts that Jesus can heal him, and he also trusts that Jesus will heal him: but only if such healing is the best thing for him just like when we pray “Thy will be done” in the Our Father. And of course, whatever Jesus wills happens.

The leper didn’t know what Christ’s will for him was because our Lord hadn’t revealed it yet. But when Jesus does reveal His will, the leper believed the promise, received the gift, and was healed. Jesus put His hand on the man and said: “I will; be clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

So, whatever the will of Christ may be, it’s also true that He has the authority and the power to make it happen.

The authoritative power of Christ is seen even more clearly in the second healing. A Roman centurion came to Jesus to beg His help for an afflicted servant. Jesus told him that He’d come to his house and heal the man, and the centurion also made a faithful confession: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (and I have to mention as an aside, that that is what Christians have historically prayed before receiving Holy Communion – something you might pray yourself today: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and [your] servant will be healed”).

The centurion acknowledged his own sinful unworthiness, and also understood the divine authority and power of Jesus so well that he’s confident in the power of Christ’s Word to accomplish His will even from afar.

The centurion understood that Jesus has the authoritative power to simply say His Word, and what He wills will come to pass.

Like the leper, the centurion recognizes Christ’s divinity, and trusts His power and authority; he trusts Christ to work however He chooses, even if He chooses only to speak a word.

Now, each of us has our own leprosy and paralyses: the leprosy of our sinful nature that we’re conceived and born with, and the paralyses of our actual sins for which we are rightly judged and condemned by God. Those sins might be failing in the God-given responsibilities of our vocations – not being faithful fathers, mothers, children, workers, and such; for some it might be giving in to the sexual sins that our godless world promotes and entices us with at every opportunity; or it could be the 3rd Commandment sins of being ashamed of the Gospel: not just being cavalier about missing church, but hiding your Christian faith from those who might ridicule you. Let us, by God’s grace, repent of all such spiritually paralyzing sinfulness.

But, how can sinful people like you and me know the Lord’s will toward us? And how can we know how He’ll accomplish His will?

First, consider how the leper learned of Christ’s will for him. In short, the leper asked Him. That doesn’t mean that if you pray to God He’ll mystically reveal His will to you. Our Lord doesn’t need to do that because His holy will is already revealed to us in Holy Scripture. It’s in Scripture where we’re to inquire of Jesus because the Scriptures are His Word – to us, and for us – and they express His will clearly.

Certainly, not every question we may have is answered there, but the most important ones – the ones that Christ wants us to know the answer to – are definitely there. We may not find out if God is willing to heal us of an infirmity in this life, for example; but we will discover Christ’s will to heal us of the far greater illness of our sins.

In Holy Scripture we discover the promise that, having been cured of the leprosy of our sin, we’ll one day also be relieved of all physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual illnesses when we enter Christ’s heavenly kingdom.

That’s what Jesus’ miraculous healings on earth were intended to show us. They were a foreshadowing of His good will toward us all, as well as His desire to restore us to wholeness of body, and soul – all of which comes ultimately from what? – from the forgiveness of sins, which Christ wills to impart to each and every one of us.

Secondly, consider just how Christ’s will toward us is carried out. Since Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, we can’t walk up to Him as the leper did, and receive His healing touch directly from His hand. So, we take our example from the centurion: trusting that Jesus has authority to heal us without standing right beside us. As true God, Christ’s authority is such that He can simply speak the Word. His Word bears His authority; and by His Word His will is done.

And when we want to know what Word Jesus has spoken to us – what He, in His divine authority, has established so that we can know and trust that His power is at work in it – we look again to Holy Scripture where we find that there are several Words to which Jesus has attached His authority and power, such as:
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Our Lord commanded that His apostolic ministry should baptize people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

And through His apostles He’s explained that this baptism, by the power of His Word, will forgive our sins, restore us from spiritual death to spiritual life, and make us heirs of His kingdom. Also,
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.'” (Jn 20:21-23)

Our Lord promises that when a called and ordained servant of the Word absolves you of your sins, it’s an authoritative statement that’s binding on earth and in heaven. It’s a declaration that bears the authority of Christ Himself and that gives you exactly what His Word says: the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus said:
“this is My body, which is given for you … this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins”

Christ tells us to eat His body and drink His blood where He gives us His forgiveness. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation (as the saying goes): the continuing renewal and strengthening of our faith.

But, people doubt. You might be one of them. Some either don’t believe that Christ could forgive the sins of someone as sinful as them, or they don’t believe that Christ could impart forgiveness and salvation through such humble means as Word, and water, and bread, and wine.

Such doubt and unbelief is seen in today’s Old Testament reading with the account of Naaman and Elisha. But being an historical account of the mighty works of God – out of His good will for sinful men – the account should also bring you comfort and eliminate your own doubts.

Naaman was “commander of the army of the king of Syria … a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria.” Even though Naaman was an enemy of God’s people, God used him to accomplish His purposes.

Naaman carried out raids on the Israelites. Some Israelites were, undoubtedly killed, and others were carried off into slavery like the girl that Naaman put into the service of his wife.

But in spite of all his violent sins toward God’s people, God used His Word – proclaimed by the prophet Elisha – to call him to faith and cleanse him. And if God was willing to heal a murdering slaver like Naaman, then we should never doubt that it’s also God’s will to be merciful to us and forgive the sins that burden our own consciences.

Look at how God healed Naaman: He had the prophet Elisha tell him that he’d be healed if he went and washed in the Jordan seven times. Not surprisingly, Naaman’s human reason was offended and outraged by this. His response was:
“Behold, I thought that [this prophet Elisha fellow] would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?”

Unlike St. Paul, Naaman was ashamed of the Gospel. It defied his human reason, so he hardened himself against it.

But here’s the thing: God hadn’t attached His Word of promise to any of the rivers of Damascus in this case. He had specifically chosen the waters of the Jordan to accomplish His will. And when Naaman’s servant encouraged him not to harden his heart to this great Word that God’s prophet had spoken, Naaman was humbled, he washed in the Jordan seven times, and was completely healed of his leprosy. It was the Word of God – connected to the humble means that God had appointed – that healed Naaman.

That’s just how God works for us in Holy Baptism – by His Word and promise connected to simple water – which is foreshadowed here in the healing of Naaman.

God works in the same way through His Word of absolution proclaimed by simple men. And through simple bread and wine in the Holy Supper of Christ’s body and blood.

God works in this way because He’s promised to do so, and that promise is irrevocably sealed to us by the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins. Christ willingly went to the cross to pay for our sins. He suffered for us, died for us, and rose again from the dead for us: to give all who believe in Him the sure and certain hope of eternal life. That’s His promise to us.

In the end, having been humbled by the Word of God and the tangible effects of sin, Naaman received God’s grace through the means God had appointed, confessing: “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel …”

In the same way, you, and I, and all who are baptized, all who’ve been humbled by the Word of God to confess our many sins and have been absolved, all who’ve eaten at Christ’s own table in repentant faith, can say with complete confidence that there is no God in all the earth apart from our Lord Jesus Christ who is found in the New Israel –
His Holy Church – where He’s actively healing us of our diseases of sin and death, and opening to us the kingdom of Heaven.

Like Naaman, the unnamed leper, and the centurion: our trust is in Christ alone. So let us all say with St. Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Pr. Holst