The Lord Jesus Christ is Life and Light in Himself, the very Son of God from all eternity. He has no need of anything, for all things are made by Him, and apart from Him there is nothing at all.
But in love He has come in the flesh in order to give His Life and His Light to you, that you might not die in the darkness but live and walk in the Light of God as a son or daughter of the Light.
In order that you may be with Him where He is — with the Father forever — He has come to be with you here, where you are, even in the deep dark valley of death and the grave. So He humbles Himself and takes up the Cross in order to lay down His life in love. He thus appears to be utterly defeated, as though He were not the Christ at all, nor the King of Israel, but only a loser and a fool.
Yet, the Cross of Christ is in fact the Hour of His Glory as the Son of Man, your Savior. It is the pinnacle of His faith and love as true and perfect Man and as your merciful and great High Priest.
By His death He glorifies the Father, doing exactly what the Father has sent Him to do. And in being lifted up from the earth to His God and Father by the Cross, He bears much fruit. That is to say, He draws all people to Himself, that He might bear them up to God in His Body by atoning for all their sins, redeeming them from death and the grave, and reconciling them to His Father.
So it is that He draw you to Himself, and He bears good fruits of faith and love in you, as well, by the preaching of His Cross and by the working of the Holy Spirit through His Word of the Cross.
Now the Cross of Christ puts you to death, because it puts you at odds with yourself and with the world. Both the ruler of this world and your own former way of life in this world are cast out by the Cross. And as you follow after Christ Jesus, as you serve and honor Him — as you begin to speak and act in faith and love, as He does — you lose the approval of men and your place among them, because they walk in darkness and don’t know what they are doing or where they are going.
Indeed, do not underestimate the furious hatred of the world against the Word of Christ Jesus and all those who follow after Him in the Way of faith and love. It is ironic and strange that faith and love should incite such rage, but that is surely how it goes. Those who dwell in darkness fear the Light and resist it with all their might. And those who pursue death by their sins do not recognize the Life of God but feel threatened by it. That is why they take out their anger on you, supposing that by shutting you up they will protect themselves and preserve their place in the world.
But even so, take heart, and do not be discouraged. For as you die by the Cross of Christ, bearing His reproach among men, so do you also rise and live with Him in His Resurrection from the dead, being lifted up to God and gaining His approval in the crucified and risen Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself has become your Redemption, your Righteousness, and your Sanctification.
Therefore, do not be afraid, no matter what anyone may think or say or do to you on account of Jesus Christ. For God the Father vindicates you and honors you in His dearly-beloved Son, and He glorifies His Holy Name in your body and life. Not only shall He raise you up from death and the grave on the last day, but already by the Word of the Cross He calls you daily from out of your darkness into His marvelous Light. His Word and Spirit work repentance in your heart, mind, body, and soul, converting you from sinful unbelief to faith and life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
His Light shines upon you here on earth for a little while in the preaching of repentance, to begin with. But that preaching is not just the booming thunder of the Law, which crucifies you, puts you to death, and buries you in the dust of the earth; it is also the sweet message of the Holy Gospel, which forgives you all your sins, lifts you up, and gives you divine Life in the Body of Christ.
By that Light you here perceive that His Grain of Wheat, having been crucified, dead, and buried in the ground, has now also risen from the dead as the Firstfruits of a bountiful harvest. Indeed, that Grain, which is the Body of Christ, has become the very Bread of Life, which is given for you.
So it is that He abides with you, and you abide with Him, where He is, in the Glory of His Father.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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