There is only one Christ. There are not different versions of this Christ for different people. That is because there is only one salvation that all people need – the salvation from sin. And there is only one way that that salvation is accomplished – if the the one Christ offers Himself as the payment for our sin. The problem is that man doesn’t want that kind of a Christ. Some want a political Christ. Some want a Christ who will help them improve on the good that they already think they are. Some want a Christ who will fill their belly and make their life easier. But there is no such Christ. The Pharisees and many of the Jews with them weren’t looking for a Christ who would deliver them from sin and death. They were happy with the way things were. IF they were looking for a Christ, it was one who would topple the Romans and re-establish the nation of Israel. Jesus did not come to do that and so they rejected Him. So often we treat Christ the same way. We want Him to do for us our own will and deliver us from the things we don’t like. We want a Christ who makes us comfortable with ourselves and the world. That is no Christ. The true Christ has come into the world and John the Baptist has clearly pointed us to Him. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God upon whom the sins of the world have been laid and by whose death, death has been overthrown. And this Christ comes to stand in our midst and deliver this salvation to us as a free gift, proclaiming to us the forgiveness of all our sins and feeding us the food of eternal life. Let us follow John’s preaching to the true Christ and receive Him who comes in His Word and His holy sacraments so that we may receive Him with joy when He comes to judge the living and the dead. I look forward to seeing you this coming Lord’s Day.
Pastor Ulmer