Matins Devotion: April 3, 2025
- Pastor Hans Fiene
- Apr 3
- 2 min read
An obvious but interesting thing about the false Christs our Lord mentions in our reading is that they all come after him. In other words, the false Christs will promise the people everything Jesus has already won for them, albeit in weaker and duller measure than what our Lord gives. They’ll promise freedom from the Romans, but Jesus has already freed them from something greater–sin, death, and the power of the devil. The false Christs will promise them a political kingdom centered around the temple that the Romans will soon tear down. Jesus has already established an eternal kingdom for them. And in the center of that kingdom is the true temple, the temple that can’t be torn down, the temple of our Lord’s body, the one that was torn apart for us at Calvary but that rose from the grave and now sits in glory at the right hand of the Father
So the false Christs, the after-Christs, offer something weaker than our Lord does and can’t even deliver it. And so it is with any false Christ imaginable, be it man or mammon, sin or Satan. The political leaders who promise you a taste of paradise in exchange for your obedience can only give you rust. Don’t trust them. Trust Jesus who has already won paradise for you and has sworn to set it before your eyes on the last day. The money that swears to deliver you greater happiness will only place more greed and discontent and restlessness into your hands. But Jesus has given you radiant, eternal joy. The lust and anger that promise to give you a moment of satisfaction will only fill you with disease and regret. But Kesus has given you an eternity of completeness in the arms of God.
The false Christs, the after-Christs of this world, will only promise you a fraction of Christ’s glory and never deliver any of it. The true Christ, the eternal Son of God, has already won everything for you and made it your endless inheritance. Let the temples of this world crumble and fall upon the promises of worthless men. You have the true Temple who stands forever.
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