Jesus responded to John’s question concerning His identity by pointing to the scriptural prophecies in Isaiah. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:5). When we have questions, the Lord wants us to go back to His sure Word. His Word alone brings faith in Him and reminds us of the forgiveness of sins and salvation that He accomplished for us through His death on the cross and resurrection.

From his clothing to his diet, John certainly stood out as his voice echoed in the wilderness. However, John’s voice did not stand out because of him. His call to repent was all about preparing the way for Christ, the stand-alone Savior of the world. For Christ alone is the one who has taken all of our sins upon Himself and atoned for them on the cross.

Although Jesus is the King from eternity, His earthly life was marked by humility. He was humbly born of a virgin and laid in a manger. His life of humility led to His entry on a donkey into His holy city during the week of His Passion. Christ the King willingly died a humiliating death upon the cross, but on the third day, He rose. One day, the King will come again. On that day, He will return in the fullness of His glory.

On the day of judgment, the Lord will make no mistakes as He plucks up the righteous from among the wicked. Those who are in Christ need not fear. Our deeds are not the basis for our righteousness. Our righteousness depends only on Jesus, who gave us righteousness by dying on the cross to save our sins. Because our lives are in Him, we have been set apart as people gifted with His righteousness.

Jesus was carried out of His disciples’ sight by a cloud at His ascension. One day, He will make His powerful and glorious return in a cloud. Jesus is God’s presence coming to dwell among His people for all time. Even now, Jesus dwells among us when we are gathered around His Word and Sacrament. His presence is here to deliver the benefits of what He accomplished for us by His death and resurrection: forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

We are not to be deceived. While the day when our Lord will return is not known, all will know it when it comes. The rebellion before that day is nothing to fear because it is merely a sign that the end is coming. For in this rebellion, the evil of this world will be fully revealed for what it is–defeated. Indeed, Christ has already won the decisive battle over sin, death, and the devil through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.

It can be discouraging to see a world that does not recognize the love of Christ. All the saints of the Lord, past and present, know this reality. But we should not expect anything other than what the world and our own sin have done to Jesus. His arms were spread wide open on the cross as He took all of our sin. The resurrected Jesus still stands with His arms wide open, ready to receive repentant sinners in a world He still desires to save.

Martin Luther’s seal symbolizes the rock-solid confession of the Reformation. It was not about Luther. It was about Christ and His cross at the center of everything. Christ enlivens our hearts, makes us holy, gives us joy, and has won eternal life for us. We have a firm foundation of refuge and strength to stand on because Christ is our rock.