Sermon for the Wednesday of Oculi, 2026

If John’s baptism was from heaven, then John’s witness must be true, and if John’s witness is true, then the authority of Jesus cannot be denied. And their own reasoning reveals as much: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ” 

“But,” and here their hearts are laid bare, “if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” They do not ask what is true or what God has spoken; they ask only what will preserve their position, calculating consequences and weighing risks. If they acknowledge that God has spoken through John, then they must submit to the One whom John proclaimed. If, however, they deny John, the people will turn against them. So they finally choose what they believe to be the safest answer of all, saying, “We do not know.” Yet such an answer is not ignorance; it’s a refusal, since they know the implications of the truth and therefore will not confess it. 

In that moment, the leaders of Israel reveal something deeper than a mere debate unfolding within the temple courts. They reveal the natural resistance of the human heart before the Word of God. For the problem rarely lies in the Word being unheard. More often, it lies in the Word being heard and resisted: as a man hears the Word that exposes his sin and finds reasons to delay repentance; as he hears the Word that calls him to trust the mercy of God and wonders whether that promise truly applies to him; as he hears the Word that confronts his pride, bitterness, and fear and seeks some way to stand beside the Word rather than beneath it. The Word stands before him clear and plain, while he nevertheless searches for ways to evade it. 

The same Word stands before you now: the Word that was first spoken over you when Christ placed His Name upon you in Baptism, the Word that continues to be spoken whenever the Gospel is proclaimed. And yet the struggle remains, for the same resistance resides in your heart. 

Readings:

• Old Testament: Numbers 24:1-13

• Epistle: Revelation 2:1-7

• Holy Gospel: Luke 20:1-8

Sermon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsgmLKGvicU