Maundy Thursday

On Earth Is Not His Equal!

(Job 41:20–34)

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.

On this night, we thank God for Christ’s gift of his true body and blood in Holy Communion. The Savior’s real presence delivers victory over guilt and the grave, over the ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan. Job 41 is also all about victory. God’s victory over that same evil foe who still means deadly woe.

In the Batman movie The Dark Knight, the Joker is causing mayhem all over Gotham City. Bruce Wayne is trying to track down the Joker, and he has a conversation with his old friend and confidant, Alfred. Bruce says, “Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. We just need to figure out what he's after.”

Alfred responds, “With respect, Master Wayne, perhaps this is a man that you don't fully understand either. A long time ago, I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never met anyone who had traded with him. One day, I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing the stones away.”

Bruce asks, “So why steal them?”

Alfred responds, “Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

The book of Job introduces us to another being who wants to watch the world and all of God’s creation burn—and unlike the Joker, one who’s not a fictional character. You know him, though you’ve never seen his face. If you’ve ever felt shame and disgrace, it was his whisper that crushed your heart. If you’ve ever felt alone and abandoned, it was all according to his plan. If you’ve ever felt useless and no good, it was his accusing finger pointing at you. He’s the accuser of the soul. He doesn’t want our money. He wants something far more precious. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy our very lives.

God wants us to begin each day seeking to do His will and repent of our sin each night, trusting in Christ’s forgiveness. Luther teaches us this in His morning and evening prayers. In the morning, we pray that God “would keep us this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You.” And in the evening, we pray that God “would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong and graciously keep me this night.” So we are to begin with the command of the Law and drift off to sleep with the promise and assurance of the Gospel on our minds and in our hearts. But, as usual, Satan wants us to do the opposite. He wants us to begin our day with excuses masquerading as Good News, saying “I’ll just do what I want to do, God loves me no matter what, right?” That sounds so appealing to our sinful flesh. But then at the end of the day when we lay our heads on the pillow and reflect on our day and our consciences have begun to accuse us, Satan wants us to lie awake in despair, knowing that we have sinned in word and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone. He perverts the daily rhythm that God has prescribed for us. He promises freedom but delivers only bondage.

In Job chapters 1 and 2, we are introduced to Satan, or the Accuser, which is what “Satan” means. And he is so full of himself, isn’t he? He is enamored with his own self-importance, his taunting of God, and his denigration of Job’s faith. But after chapters 1 and 2, Satan disappears from view. He drops out of sight. He evaporates into thin air. What’s up with that?

Well, in chapter 41, many Christians throughout church history believe he returns. Only in this chapter he is a monster called Leviathan. Leviathan? Who is Leviathan? From Job 3, “May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?” Leviathan is linked with death.

But there is more. Two times in Isaiah 27:1 Leviathan is referred to by the Hebrew word for “serpent.” The same word appears in Genesis 3:1, which describes Satan who took the form of a wily serpent. Leviathan is a deceiving serpent. But there is still more. Take a look at the features of Leviathan in chapter 41:18–21: “His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn. Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth.” Leviathan is a deadly, brutal, and vicious dragon.

In Revelation 12:9, all these images come together, and the full identity of this supernatural creature is revealed. “The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.”

Job 41:33 also describes Leviathan with these words, “On earth there is not his like” or as it’s sometimes translated “On earth is not his equal.” This verse inspired Martin Luther to write his battle hymn of the Reformation, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. The reformer writes, “The old evil Foe, now means deadly woe. . . . Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us . . . This world’s prince may still, scowl fierce as he will. . . . With dread craft and might he arms himself to fight.” And then Luther quotes from Job 41:33, “On earth is not his equal!”

Leviathan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. We see him in the rearview mirror. We feel his hot breath behind us. As tempter, he’s chasing after us, screaming, “Whatever it is you want to do, just do it. Have some anger? Act it out. Have some sexual fantasies? Go ahead, full throttle. Have some gossip? Let it fly.” As deceiver, he continues with these words, “There are no limits, no consequences, no responsibilities. Ready, set, go!” We give in to these temptations and deceptions, and then, as accuser, he plants his foot upon our necks, saying, “Now that you’ve said this, thought this, done this, drank this, smoked this, saw this, God is finished with you!”

But remember! Job 41 is all about victory. God’s victory over the monster. God’s victory over Satan. Listen. God asks Job, “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? . . . Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? . . . Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?” (Job 41:1–2, 5, 7).

What is the implication? Job can’t do any of those things. But God can. As Luther puts it in one of his Genesis lectures, “diabolus est Dei diabolus.” “The devil is God’s devil.”

Leviathan is under God’s thumb. God exhibits complete mastery over the ferocious creature. In Job 1, Satan was given limits and boundaries. “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger’” (Job 1:12).

Yes, there is a devil, but “He is God’s devil”—that is, he does not have total reign. In chapter 1, Satan was given permission to test Job, and limits were set by God.

But there is more. In the Old Testament, Satan has free access to God’s presence. “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them” (Job 1:6). He could come and go when he wanted to accuse God’s people. But in our Lord’s ministry, Satan was cast out of heaven. He no longer has access to God’s throne to accuse us. Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

But there is still more. “And the devil was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10). Christ’s victory, celebrated on Palm Sunday—secured when he died, sealed when he rose—will be completed when he returns and throws the enemy into the lake of fire. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). As some have said, “When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!”

While Batman does eventually catch up with the Joker and make him face justice for his crimes, we cannot defeat the devil on our own. And thankfully, we don’t even need to try. Jesus has defeated Satan already for us in His death and resurrection, even though this world doesn’t always seem that way.

In Job 41, we see Satan for who he really is. A deadly monster? You bet. A supernatural creature who can do great harm? No doubt. The tormentor of our souls? Indeed. Does Satan hate God and hate us? Count on it. But because of Jesus, he is a defeated enemy who’s got no tricks left up his sleeve. And our response?

We live in joy! We live in confidence! This is the feast of victory for our God! And we celebrate our great victory with these words for the ages. “This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will. He can harm us none. He’s judged, the deed is done. One little word can fell him!” Now Luther never explicitly address what that one little word is in his writings.  There are a variety of theories out there that express Luther’s overall theology.  Some say that one little word is Jesus and this is a wonderful answer!  Jesus absolutely has “felled” the devil.  He has brought all of Satan’s evil works and ways to nothing.  And Jesus is the Word made flesh for us.

But for the sake of our meditation this evening, consider that the one little word that can bring down the devil and show that he ultimately has no power is simply “Liar.” Now Satan is crafty and so he often mixes truth with lie.  He does this with Eve in the garden, first questioning God’s Word “Did God really say?” before outright contradicting it “You will not surely die.”  He does this in Jesus’ temptations “if you are the Son of God.” But ultimately he is a liar.  He wants you to believe that there is no hope for you.  That you are too far gone, too sinful for God to love you anymore.  

Let us heed Luther’s advice here: “When the devil throws your sins up to you and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this:‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also.’”(LW 43:128–129)

Whereas Satan is a liar and the father of lies, Jesus is the Truth. And it is this Jesus who comes to us now, with real body and real blood, for real victory, and real forgiveness. The gift of Holy Communion is God’s mighty fortress for you. Let us receive Him there!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.