Hidden in Plain Sight
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Easter Eggs
Easter Eggs
An Easter egg is an intentional inside joke, hidden message or image, or secret feature of a work (often found in a computer program, video game, or DVD/Blu-ray Disc menu screen). The name is used to evoke the idea of a traditional Easter egg hunt. Our Gospel text today contains Easter eggs. If you have the time, you can find them.
We love Easter egg hunts, no matter how many pietists of various stripes condemn the practice. We love looking for treasure, and God’s Word is filled with them. We love discovering things that have been hidden, and the Kingdom of God can only be found by those who seek it. We love finding things that are beautiful, and the “feet of them who bring good news” are certainly beautiful, as Paul wrote in Romans 10:15
Jesus doesn’t just “go from Nazareth of Galilee” on His own. Everything that He does is according to the will of God.
And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
His baptism by John is according to the will of God (see Matt 3:14-15).
John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
God the Father confirms this in Mark 1:11, but that isn’t all that he does here.
And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Ps 2:7
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
Isa 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
Gen 22:2
He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
What in the Old Testament lies hidden is unveiled in the New
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark pauses in the midst of this narrative to allow us to experience what only Jesus sees and hears: The heavens split to reveal the Divine Purpose, the Spirit anointing Him for His Mission, and the divine seal of approval.
Easter eggs all, for those who have an ear to hear.
Mark 1:12-13 contains more Easter eggs:
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
We know from the parallel passages of Matt 4:1-2 and Matt 4:10-11 that Jesus defeated Satan in his attempts to tempt Him personally, but did you know that Satan was bound in this confrontation and that every time Jesus cast out demons, or the disciples cast out demons, it was the fruit of this confrontation? It was here in the wilderness that Jesus “bound the strong man” and plundered his goods (Mark 3:26-27).
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Satan wore the armor of authority over man. His weapon was temptation to doubt the way of the Lord. Jesus defeated Satan and took his armor away. Without it, Satan can be defeated, and because Christ united us to Himself when He baptized us, Satan’s weapons can be resisted by us, but even when we are wounded by Satan’s words of temptation (Eph 6:16), Christ’s Word of Promise stops Satan in his tracks.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
The devil will attack you with doubt, with fear, with whatever will seem to show the Way of the Lord as being unprepared, and would show His path as being crooked. But Christ, by His bitter sufferings and death, established the Way of the Lord, and made the path straight for us.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
The promise of God’s Word solidifies what would seem to be unstable. His Word enables us to stand when the devil tries to get us to trip - sometimes, even literally!
Jesus didn’t go into His mission without God’s preparation, and neither do we. We are baptized, and the Holy Spirit has descended into us. We have the divine seal of approval, confirmed in every Divine Service. We have been sent forth into a wilderness where the devil and those who have allowed themselves to be ruled by him view us the way the beasts would view Christ, but like those wild animals, they too are restrained by God’s ministering angels:
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
We are the heirs of salvation, the Holy Spirit is the down payment of the promised inheritance. We cannot walk around as if we were spiritual paupers when we have God’s sure word of promise, and the certain provision of His presence.
39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
We know from Scripture what God in Christ Jesus has done for us. The reason why not everyone has found these Easter eggs is that they look away from what God has given us, His Word and Sacraments. Those who reject the Gospel of God have nothing more than internal feelings that they are doing good works. Either that, or they turn away from the knowledge of God altogether, hoping to silence His still small voice by the loudness of their denial of Him.
The Good News of Jesus Christ isn’t about you becoming a better person, a happier person, or even a healthier or wealthier person; it’s about God being in Christ, taking back what the devil stole at Adam’s fall:
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Lent is our time to remember our Baptism and prepare our hearts, to rejoice in Christ, in His goodness and His mercy towards us. Our time to hear the three that bear witness to our life in Christ:
For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
They testify and agree that we belong to God. This is what separates the Children of God from the children of this world - the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood.
We cannot deny what they affirm. Christ has already won, we cannot act as if we don’t know. Jesus sent Satan packing; we cannot act like he still has power over us. Jesus stripped Satan out of all his pretensions to power, we cannot tip-toe around like he’s in charge.
“No way, we are not ashamed, of the Gospel or His name, holy hands are lifted high, to the name of Jesus Christ.” That’s what our worship is about.
Nothing shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come! It just doesn’t matter!
Corona Virus? It doesn’t matter!
Whose in charge, whether its on 4th and Broadway, at the State Capitol, or in Washington DC? It doesn’t matter!
The status of the stock market or the other situations in the world? It doesn’t matter!
What does matter, the only thing that ever will matter, in this age and in the age to come, is what God says concerning His Son and what God says concerning His Church.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
God’s Word will never fail!
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
“Jesus never fails! Jesus never fails! Heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails!”
So we begin Lent, 40 days of reflection, remembering, and building. We reflect upon what we know from God’s Word concerning who we are and what Christ is for us. We remember that we have been set free by the blood of Jesus. and we watch as God continues to build us up in the most holy faith.
And let the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.