SEPTUAGESIMA – SATURDAY

LESSON: 1 PETER 3:13-17

As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:27,28

Here Jesus meets the carnal devotion of these people and teaches all of us that we should not just gape like yokels at the works and superior worth of the saints but concentrate on God’s Word—we should hear and keep God’s Word. For the holiness and worthiness of the mother of this child (Mary) is of no great consequence to us and confers nothing at all upon us; nor does it matter how noble her children and the fruit of her womb is.

The only thing that really matters here is what this child has done for us: that He has rescued us from the devil, without any contribution or merit from us. This is portrayed for us by God’s Word, which we should hear and keep in firm faith. Then we, too, will be saved like this mother and her child. Although this word and work will inevitably be blasphemed, we shall endure this and reply with “gentleness” (1 Peter 3:15) for the improvement of others.

SL.XI.557,13
AE 76,396-97

PRAYER: Lord God, we thank and praise you for the clarity with which you have revealed your Gospel of salvation by grace alone without any works—even those of the holiest of men—solely and alone through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.