Second Sunday of Easter (2024)
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Ezekiel 37:1-14
Ezekiel 37:1-14
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, in our Old Testament Lesson today, we have a spectacular event in the time of Ezekiel where the Lord set him down in the midst of a valley of dry bones. It notes that they are very dry in fact and asks whether or not these bones can live. What Ezekiel witnesses this day is the power of the Word of God, that it does what it says, and brings life even to those who are dead.
The Prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel was a priest in exile.
He began to see these visions while He was in the land of Babylon by the Chebar canal. This was around 593 BC. It is now 6 years later and the city of Jerusalem has fallen and along with it the hearts of the people. As they fear that everything is lost. The
The Lord revealed fantastic visions.
They were visions that were meant to show God’s power, and not only the wrath of God against sin, to the warn the people who have forsaken him but also the salvation that is found in him alone.
The Lord used Ezekiel as an object lesson.
His life at times was quite wild, commanded to setup a bit of earthen works against a mock city facing it for a period of days and with his back to it a number of days.
Ezekiel was to call the people to repent.
For they had fallen away from God’s word and into horrible sin and shame. So the Lord sent Ezekiel forth with this Word. He wasn’t sent to foreigners or to those of unknown tongues, but their hearts were hard.
The Rebellious House
Judah had fallen spiritually.
The northern Kingdom Israel had already been taken away into slavery over 100 years before, and now Judah was committing great evil.
Worshiping idols in the temple.
And doing it in secret thinking that the Lord didn’t know or didn’t see all the the abominations they were doing for they were doing it behind closed doors and in hidden chambers, and commiting all manner of abominations It gets so bad that
God’s glory leaves the people.
The presence of the Lord that had dwelt with the Israelites during their time in the wilderness, but the temple is about to be destroyed for the peoples sins, and God’s glory departs, and they don’t even notice.
They hear Ezekiel, and ignore the Word.
This was the consequence of their sins, and it wasn’t only Ezekiel at that point warning them. You had Jeremiah and others who were contemporaries, sharing these same warnings, and the people walked a different path and went into slavery and the temple that Solomon built was laid to waste.
Can These Bones Live?
They are dry and long dead.
These aren’t fresh, they aren’t new, there is no flesh to speak of, nothing that would give anyone the idea that they could live. They are bleached white and dry and dusty. What are the people of God like?
With the temple gone, what hope is there?
The Temple was torn down, because Israel had been long dead at this point and had abandoned everything that God given them, and ignored his warnings.
Ezekiel’s response means not by man.
If the bones were to live again or be restored the power would have to be found not the power of man, but in the power of God. For he witnessed what was in the hearts of men, and it was nothing good.
God is Source of Life
God gives life by His Word.
Peter’s confession by the Sea of Galilee, that to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life. God is the author of life, and He has given to us this gift abundantly.
God created things by speaking.
God’s word is unlike our word. God’s Word actually does what it says, which is unlike our words. We say what we would like to have happen, or describe what is, but God’s Word affects the material world.
God’s Word is powerful and living.
That is why when God says you are forgiven. When He says Whoever believes and is baptized, it’s true for these are not just the words of men, but the word of God the living God.
The Word Given to Us
The Hebrew word for breath also means spirit.
These two things are connected both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Ruahk in Hebrew, and Pneuma in Greek. The breath, and Spirit are linked together, and God’s Word is not only God breathed, but God Spirited. So wherever the Word is, there the Spirit is active.
What does Jesus do in the Gospel?
He breathes on the on disciples as He gives to them the Holy Spirit and commissions them and sends them forth, that they words of forgiveness they speak bring life. Not based upon their worth or value, but based upon God’s Word.
How were you saved?
It was the Word, that Word that was spoken to you, that Word was attached to Water, that Word attached to the Bread and the wine. For that Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. So wherever the Word is, there is Christ, and the Spirit works through it to create faith.
The House of Israel
Israel has expanded to include the world.
For Jesus didn’t just come to save the nation of Israel, but all the children of Adam, for Jesus came to be our savior as well. Israel was a small sample of what happens to mankind.
Many have fallen in our time.
Think of how widespread unbelief is. If we take all the various religions of the world, and the amount of people worshiping false gods is huge. We are in the midst of it as well.
The state of the Church today is bleak.
How many churches have abandoned the Word which gives life and traded it for friendship with the world. How many Christians neglect the hearing of the Word, and only use the name of God or Christ to curse and swear? Or go around wearing a cross while mocking the faith by their life?
Don’t join with them, for they belong to the world.
Rather we ought to heed the words of Ezekiel, and the Words of Christ for we have something far better that God has given us. We have who have the truth are called to share it with our neighbors. For the words that we have bring life.
The Resurrection of the Dead
God works through His Word.
In the eyes of many that isn’t impressive or doesn’t seem to be enough. We hear often about the importance of deeds over creeds. We are not neglecting the importance of works, but works don’t save us, nor do they save our neighbor. What saves is the Word. For
The Word became flesh for us.
Went to the cross, died and rose again to eternal life. Then Jesus who is God in the flesh spoke to us words of comfort. Especially we who were dead in our trespasses and sins.
Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life.
Jesus not only freed us from Satan’s grasp, but brought us from death to life in His Kingdom. Not by anything you had done, but He did it all for you that you might live eternally. You are certainly free to walk away from that, or go back into death, and many people do. But The Word still brought you to life for a time.
So my brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have been given the Word of God, and thanks be to God above the power of the life and death is not up to us, but depends upon God’s Word and Spirit. For it is that word that brought us from death in sin to eternal life. It is that same Word that you can share with your friends, family, neighbors, and even enemies. It will accomplish its purpose. We don’t know when, but we trust that the same Word that saved us, can save them too. In Jesus name. Amen.