DON'T LEAVE THEM IN YOUR POCKET
Wittenberg Altar Painting
On the south side of the city of Wittenberg, Germany stands the oldest building within the town: The City Church, St. Mary’s. The first portions of the existing structure were built in the 1200s and it was the center of worship life for the people all the way through the time of the Reformation. Martin Luther himself was married in this church to Catherine, all six of their children were baptized at its bronze baptismal font, and Luther often filled in for its pastor, John Bugenhagen, by preaching from its pulpit multiple times a week.
Above the altar inside this huge gothic style building is a four paneled painting by the famous Reformation artist, Lucas Cranach the Elder. There are three panels on the top and one on the bottom. The lower section depicts Luther preaching to the people with Christ on the cross standing in between. The far left panel portrays a baptism, the middle painting illustrates the Lord’s Supper, but on the far right there is a scene that might require some explanation and it is also the focus of our attention this morning. In this panel Pastor John Bugenhagen is shown with two men on either side of him. The man on his right is kneeling while Bugenhagen holds a large key over his head. But on the other side a different man is being pushed away, his hands bound, as Bugenhagen holds another large key turned the other way at the man’s back. Do you know why Cranach would paint something like that? Well, he depicted the gospel in the spoken Word at the bottom of this altarpiece, the gospel through baptism on the left side, the gospel in the Lord’s Supper in the middle… And so the gospel is also displayed in this last section as well, pronounced in the painting by Pastor Bugenhagen through the use of “The Keys.”
The “Office of the Keys”
Do you recognize that term? I’m sure some of you remember what “The Keys” are from your catechism days. Others of you might vaguely recall that phrase being used but don’t exactly know what it means anymore. And still others of you might not have ever heard that term used before in your life. “The Keys” is the responsibility and privilege given by the Lord to every Christian to forgive or to not forgive the sins of another. The visual picture of “The Keys” then is that you “lock” someone to their sins if they are unrepentant and you “unlock” a person from their sins if they are sorry for what they have done. And we call this responsibility “The Office [or duty] of the Keys” because that is the term used by Jesus himself in Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.”
What Jesus said to his disciples earlier in his ministry was also repeated by Christ after he rose from the dead. This second post-resurrection explanation of “The Keys” is what our sermon text is based on this morning in John 20. And although Jesus doesn’t use the word “keys” in this instance, he is talking about the exact same thing: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”
Forgiving and not forgiving, binding and releasing, locking and unlocking. “The Keys” was a privilege and responsibility that Jesus repeated to his disciples when he appeared to them for the first time after his resurrection. But “The Keys” is a privilege and responsibility that he has given to every one of us as well.
They have not just been given to the disciples and they have not just been given to me simply because I’m a pastor. I use these keys in a very visible way every week, but I’m not the only one who is allowed to use them only because I stand in front of you every Sunday and say, “God our heavenly Father has been merciful to us and has given us his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That is a familiar and very real way that “The Keys” are put into use. I pronounce the real forgiveness of sins to all of us who confess our sins before our Lord. But these keys that I publically make use of during a worship service are keys that are sitting in your own pockets every day. You have the same privilege. You have the same responsibility. And so how often do you take them out of your pocket and use them?
The Releasing Key
We have to deal with the sins of others all the time, don’t we? If you are parents then you have to deal with the sins of your children. If you are children then you have to deal with the sins of your parents. If you are a brother or sister then you have to deal with the sins of your siblings. If you are married then you have to deal with the sins of your spouse. If you are a neighbor then you have to deal with the sins of those living next to you. If you are a Christian then you have to deal with the sins of your pastor and the sins of your spiritual brothers and sisters all around you. But how do you deal with those people when they confess their sins?
When someone says that they are sorry to you or when someone apologizes to you for the way they have acted or the things they have said, how do you respond? “Oh, that’s OK… No big deal… Don’t worry about it… Think nothing of it… No harm done… I know you didn’t mean it…” Is that about right? Are those the normal responses you give? How about, “I forgive you and the Lord does too.” Have you ever said those words to someone who has confessed their sins to you? Maybe? At least a couple times in your life? Or not at all? Those are the opportunities that the Lord has given you in this life to pull out those keys from your pocket and use them! He wants you to pronounce what he has already done! He wants you to proclaim to that person his full and free forgiveness! He doesn’t want them to hear that their sins were no big deal or that no harm was done! He wants them to be reminded that he has died on the cross for that sin and so now the punishment is completely taken care of! Why would we not use that key? Why would we not want to comfort that person with the incredible promise of God’s forgiveness?
My wife and I have been trying to do that with our children. If one of them does something wrong against the other, not only do we have our kid say “I’m sorry” but we also have the child who has been sinned against say, “I forgive you.” And we as parents try to say that too. When one of our children says “I’m sorry” for whatever they have done, we oftentimes respond with, “I forgive you and Jesus forgives you too.” But I don’t always say that. Because sometimes I’m still angry. Sometimes I’m still disappointed in what they have done and so in response to their apology I say, “Don’t do it again. You should know better than that.” And how terrible it is when I respond in that way! That is not the releasing key; that is the binding key! That is not the forgiveness they need to hear; that is conveying the message: “Well, I’m glad you’re sorry, but you’re going to have to behave a little better before everything is alright.” No! That is not the place to use the binding key. A confession of sins needs the pronouncement of forgiveness. And no matter how difficult it is to use that releasing key sometimes, it has to be used. Just as the binding key must be used on those who don’t repent.
The Binding Key
It’s hard to “bind” someone to their sins, isn’t it? When someone you know is clearly sinning or one someone you are related to is unabashedly living in a sin, it’s hard to take that binding key out of your pocket and say, “You are sinning. And because you don’t care and don’t plan to stop, Jesus does not forgive you. Your sin is being counted against you. And it is a serious, serious thing.” That is really difficult to say, isn’t it? Because people will get mad and people will be offended. But people will be saved. And that’s the point: We bind them to their sins so that they will be brought to repentance. We point out their sin so that they will admit their guilt and cling to their Savior for the forgiveness he has already died for. We take that binding key out of our pockets and use it because we care for their souls. And we want them to experience the sweet refreshment of forgiveness that we have experienced firsthand.
You Have Been Unlocked from Your Sins
Jesus repeated the importance of using “The Keys” to his disciples on the very day he rose from the dead. And there was a good reason for doing that: He had just finished their salvation. He had just fulfilled everything that he promised to do for their forgiveness. And now he wanted them to share that forgiveness with the world. They had seen it with their own eyes; they had heard it with their own ears; and they had experienced it in their own hearts. They were eye witnesses and direct recipients of this forgiveness that “The Keys” possess. What better keepers of “The Keys” and what better distributors of “The Keys” could there be than those whose sins had personally been forgiven by their resurrected Lord?
What better keepers of “The Keys” and what better distributors of “The Keys” could there be than you? We are only one week removed from the celebration of Jesus rising from the grave. And I would hope that you are still basking in that Easter Sunday glory. You are in the same position as those disciples were that day: You too have been personally forgiven by your resurrected Lord. You have seen it with your own eyes in the waters of baptism; you have heard it with your own ears as the pronouncement of forgiveness is given in a worship service; you will even tast it with your own tongue at the Lord’s Supper! The Lord has used the unlocking key on you! He took that key out while on the cross and released you from your sins and set you free from that eternal punishment. You are no longer bound to your mistakes and your faults and your failures; Jesus was bound for you. He was killed for you. He rose for you. And that is why he has the authority to forgive you; as well as the authority to give you those keys of forgiveness.
The Importance of Using the Keys
Jesus has placed those keys in your pocket. You are to use them. Now that doesn’t mean you have the ability to forgive; but you do have the authority to announce forgiveness. Although we as sinful human beings do not have the power or capability to actually wash someone’s sins away, we have been given the responsibility by our Lord to proclaim what Jesus has already done. We announce forgiveness to those who are sorry for their sins and we announce a withholding of forgiveness to those whose sins don’t bother them. We are the official messengers of the Messiah. We are the key bearers of the King. Do you realize how important that job is? There is a reason Lucas Cranach painted that picture on the far right side of the altarpiece at the City Church in Wittenberg: It is essential that we tell others what our Lord has done. It is crucial to the faith of others that they know about their sins and especially about their forgiveness. And it is damaging when we keep those keys hidden in our pockets. You have been given the weighty responsibility of binding someone to their sin. And you have been given the unparalleled pleasure of releasing someone from that same sin with the words of forgiveness. Those keys that lock and unlock the gates of heaven are in your pocket. Take them out and use them for the sake of souls and to the glory of the Lord.
Amen.
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.” - Rev. 12:10
Wittenberg Altar Painting
On the south side of the city of Wittenberg, Germany stands the oldest building within the town: The City Church, St. Mary’s. The first portions of the existing structure were built in the 1200s and it was the center of worship life for the people all the way through the time of the Reformation. Martin Luther himself was married in this church to Catherine, all six of their children were baptized at its bronze baptismal font, and Luther often filled in for its pastor, John Bugenhagen, by preaching from its pulpit multiple times a week.
Above the altar inside this huge gothic style building is a four paneled painting by the famous Reformation artist, Lucas Cranach the Elder. There are three panels on the top and one on the bottom. The lower section depicts Luther preaching to the people with Christ on the cross standing in between. The far left panel portrays a baptism, the middle painting illustrates the Lord’s Supper, but on the far right there is a scene that might require some explanation and it is also the focus of our attention this morning. In this panel Pastor John Bugenhagen is shown with two men on either side of him. The man on his right is kneeling while Bugenhagen holds a large key over his head. But on the other side a different man is being pushed away, his hands bound, as Bugenhagen holds another large key turned the other way at the man’s back. Do you know why Cranach would paint something like that? Well, he depicted the gospel in the spoken Word at the bottom of this altarpiece, the gospel through baptism on the left side, the gospel in the Lord’s Supper in the middle… And so the gospel is also displayed in this last section as well, pronounced in the painting by Pastor Bugenhagen through the use of “The Keys.”
The “Office of the Keys”
Do you recognize that term? I’m sure some of you remember what “The Keys” are from your catechism days. Others of you might vaguely recall that phrase being used but don’t exactly know what it means anymore. And still others of you might not have ever heard that term used before in your life. “The Keys” is the responsibility and privilege given by the Lord to every Christian to forgive or to not forgive the sins of another. The visual picture of “The Keys” then is that you “lock” someone to their sins if they are unrepentant and you “unlock” a person from their sins if they are sorry for what they have done. And we call this responsibility “The Office [or duty] of the Keys” because that is the term used by Jesus himself in Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.”
What Jesus said to his disciples earlier in his ministry was also repeated by Christ after he rose from the dead. This second post-resurrection explanation of “The Keys” is what our sermon text is based on this morning in John 20. And although Jesus doesn’t use the word “keys” in this instance, he is talking about the exact same thing: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”
Forgiving and not forgiving, binding and releasing, locking and unlocking. “The Keys” was a privilege and responsibility that Jesus repeated to his disciples when he appeared to them for the first time after his resurrection. But “The Keys” is a privilege and responsibility that he has given to every one of us as well.
They have not just been given to the disciples and they have not just been given to me simply because I’m a pastor. I use these keys in a very visible way every week, but I’m not the only one who is allowed to use them only because I stand in front of you every Sunday and say, “God our heavenly Father has been merciful to us and has given us his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That is a familiar and very real way that “The Keys” are put into use. I pronounce the real forgiveness of sins to all of us who confess our sins before our Lord. But these keys that I publically make use of during a worship service are keys that are sitting in your own pockets every day. You have the same privilege. You have the same responsibility. And so how often do you take them out of your pocket and use them?
The Releasing Key
We have to deal with the sins of others all the time, don’t we? If you are parents then you have to deal with the sins of your children. If you are children then you have to deal with the sins of your parents. If you are a brother or sister then you have to deal with the sins of your siblings. If you are married then you have to deal with the sins of your spouse. If you are a neighbor then you have to deal with the sins of those living next to you. If you are a Christian then you have to deal with the sins of your pastor and the sins of your spiritual brothers and sisters all around you. But how do you deal with those people when they confess their sins?
When someone says that they are sorry to you or when someone apologizes to you for the way they have acted or the things they have said, how do you respond? “Oh, that’s OK… No big deal… Don’t worry about it… Think nothing of it… No harm done… I know you didn’t mean it…” Is that about right? Are those the normal responses you give? How about, “I forgive you and the Lord does too.” Have you ever said those words to someone who has confessed their sins to you? Maybe? At least a couple times in your life? Or not at all? Those are the opportunities that the Lord has given you in this life to pull out those keys from your pocket and use them! He wants you to pronounce what he has already done! He wants you to proclaim to that person his full and free forgiveness! He doesn’t want them to hear that their sins were no big deal or that no harm was done! He wants them to be reminded that he has died on the cross for that sin and so now the punishment is completely taken care of! Why would we not use that key? Why would we not want to comfort that person with the incredible promise of God’s forgiveness?
My wife and I have been trying to do that with our children. If one of them does something wrong against the other, not only do we have our kid say “I’m sorry” but we also have the child who has been sinned against say, “I forgive you.” And we as parents try to say that too. When one of our children says “I’m sorry” for whatever they have done, we oftentimes respond with, “I forgive you and Jesus forgives you too.” But I don’t always say that. Because sometimes I’m still angry. Sometimes I’m still disappointed in what they have done and so in response to their apology I say, “Don’t do it again. You should know better than that.” And how terrible it is when I respond in that way! That is not the releasing key; that is the binding key! That is not the forgiveness they need to hear; that is conveying the message: “Well, I’m glad you’re sorry, but you’re going to have to behave a little better before everything is alright.” No! That is not the place to use the binding key. A confession of sins needs the pronouncement of forgiveness. And no matter how difficult it is to use that releasing key sometimes, it has to be used. Just as the binding key must be used on those who don’t repent.
The Binding Key
It’s hard to “bind” someone to their sins, isn’t it? When someone you know is clearly sinning or one someone you are related to is unabashedly living in a sin, it’s hard to take that binding key out of your pocket and say, “You are sinning. And because you don’t care and don’t plan to stop, Jesus does not forgive you. Your sin is being counted against you. And it is a serious, serious thing.” That is really difficult to say, isn’t it? Because people will get mad and people will be offended. But people will be saved. And that’s the point: We bind them to their sins so that they will be brought to repentance. We point out their sin so that they will admit their guilt and cling to their Savior for the forgiveness he has already died for. We take that binding key out of our pockets and use it because we care for their souls. And we want them to experience the sweet refreshment of forgiveness that we have experienced firsthand.
You Have Been Unlocked from Your Sins
Jesus repeated the importance of using “The Keys” to his disciples on the very day he rose from the dead. And there was a good reason for doing that: He had just finished their salvation. He had just fulfilled everything that he promised to do for their forgiveness. And now he wanted them to share that forgiveness with the world. They had seen it with their own eyes; they had heard it with their own ears; and they had experienced it in their own hearts. They were eye witnesses and direct recipients of this forgiveness that “The Keys” possess. What better keepers of “The Keys” and what better distributors of “The Keys” could there be than those whose sins had personally been forgiven by their resurrected Lord?
What better keepers of “The Keys” and what better distributors of “The Keys” could there be than you? We are only one week removed from the celebration of Jesus rising from the grave. And I would hope that you are still basking in that Easter Sunday glory. You are in the same position as those disciples were that day: You too have been personally forgiven by your resurrected Lord. You have seen it with your own eyes in the waters of baptism; you have heard it with your own ears as the pronouncement of forgiveness is given in a worship service; you will even tast it with your own tongue at the Lord’s Supper! The Lord has used the unlocking key on you! He took that key out while on the cross and released you from your sins and set you free from that eternal punishment. You are no longer bound to your mistakes and your faults and your failures; Jesus was bound for you. He was killed for you. He rose for you. And that is why he has the authority to forgive you; as well as the authority to give you those keys of forgiveness.
The Importance of Using the Keys
Jesus has placed those keys in your pocket. You are to use them. Now that doesn’t mean you have the ability to forgive; but you do have the authority to announce forgiveness. Although we as sinful human beings do not have the power or capability to actually wash someone’s sins away, we have been given the responsibility by our Lord to proclaim what Jesus has already done. We announce forgiveness to those who are sorry for their sins and we announce a withholding of forgiveness to those whose sins don’t bother them. We are the official messengers of the Messiah. We are the key bearers of the King. Do you realize how important that job is? There is a reason Lucas Cranach painted that picture on the far right side of the altarpiece at the City Church in Wittenberg: It is essential that we tell others what our Lord has done. It is crucial to the faith of others that they know about their sins and especially about their forgiveness. And it is damaging when we keep those keys hidden in our pockets. You have been given the weighty responsibility of binding someone to their sin. And you have been given the unparalleled pleasure of releasing someone from that same sin with the words of forgiveness. Those keys that lock and unlock the gates of heaven are in your pocket. Take them out and use them for the sake of souls and to the glory of the Lord.
Amen.
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.” - Rev. 12:10
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