Easter 1C, 2025

Text: Job 19:23-27

Title: "I Know that My Redeemer Lives"

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!

Have you ever needed an advocate?

Have you ever felt like you’re alone, that everyone is against you, and you needed someone in your corner fighting for you?

Have you ever felt like you’re not being treated fairly and that you’re powerless, helpless to improve your situation?

That’s certainly the way that Job felt.

For Job, whatever could go wrong, did go wrong.

He lost his wealth and possessions, all in one day.  Flocks, herds, everything.

He lost his children, sons and daughters all in the same day.

He lost his good health and he was absolutely miserable.

Job’s wife and his friends turned against him.

They were convinced that Job had done something terribly wrong to deserve all this misfortune.

Over and over again, Job insisted that he was innocent.

Over and over again, Job pleaded for the opportunity to prove himself to God.

Until Job finally says, “I know that my redeemer lives.”

Job professes his faith in his redeemer, and he believes that even if he dies, his redeemer will continue to plead his case and advocate for him.

That word, “Redeemer” has a very specific meaning in the Bible. And there are two parts to being a redeemer.

Part 1 is that you are a very close relative.  You are connected by blood.  It’s not enough to be good friends, you must be a blood-relative.

Part 2 is that you are willing to sacrifice for your family. When you got yourself into trouble, when you needed someone to bail you out, you called on your redeemer.

For example, if you got yourself into debt and you had to sell some of your family’s property, your redeemer would buy that property back for you.

Or if you became a prisoner of war or a slave, your redeemer would buy you back and fight to set you free.

Or if your husband died and you had no children to care for you, your redeemer would actually marry you and make you a part of his family to provide for you.

When you were in trouble, you would look to your redeemer to rescue you.

Consider for a moment your situation in life.

You are in a bad spot.  You have problems even worse than Job’s.

Your problem is deeper than just financial issues.

Your problem is deeper than just health issues.

Your problem is deeper than just family issues.

Your problem is sin.

You are in debt, you are in slavery, you deserve eternal death.

But, you have a Redeemer.  And that Redeemer is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is your blood-relative.  Jesus took on human flesh and blood and was born of the virgin Mary.  Jesus was like you in every way, closer even than your own family.

And Jesus chose to take responsibility for you.

Jesus paid the debt you owed.

Jesus set you free from your slavery.

Jesus makes you His bride.

Jesus does all this purely out of love, out of undeserved love.

It cost Jesus His life, but He was willing to die for you on the cross to redeem you, to get you out of your troubles.

Today we are here because Job’s great prophecy has come true.

Our Redeemer lives.

Jesus Christ, the one who gave His life to redeem you is alive again.

This means that Jesus, your redeemer is stronger than any of your enemies.

Jesus is stronger than death itself, and because He lives, you will live, too.

Remember what Paul says, “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because Jesus rose, you will rise, too.

Job knew that.  This is what gave Job hope, even when his finances, his health, and his family lay in ruins.  He knew that if his Redeemer lives, than he would live, too, even after He had died.

Do you know this?

The word for “know” used here is an experiential kind of knowing. It’s not just knowing with your head, having an abstract understanding of the basic facts.

This means having firsthand, experiential knowledge of the facts.

It’s one thing to know your child’s birthday because it’s a date on your calendar.  It’s another thing to know your child’s birthday because you were there when they were born.

Do you know that Jesus lives?  Not just as a bit of historical information, but because you have experienced the risen Christ yourself?

Mary Magdalene knew that Jesus lives because she heard His voice and saw Him there in the garden.

Peter and John knew that Jesus lives because they saw the empty tomb and the grave cloths, and because Jesus appeared to them in the Upper Room (even to Thomas—come back next week for that story).

How about you?  How do you know that Jesus, your Redeemer lives?

You know that Jesus lives, because you were joined to His death and resurrection in Holy Baptism.  You experienced the resurrection there at the font.

You know that Jesus lives, because He has sent His Holy Spirit into your heart to create and strengthen faith in you.

You know that Jesus lives, because you are joined to His living, resurrected body here at the altar every week.

You know that Jesus lives, because you experience union with Him here in His body, the church.

There’s a reason why we gather every Sunday morning.  It’s not only to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on a Sunday morning a long, long time ago. It’s because the resurrected Jesus Christ continues to meet here with us week after week as we gather in His name.

As we depart from this place today, we’ll echo Job’s words in the great hymn, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.”  You probably know it well.  We sing it not only on Easter, but also to give hope and comfort at funerals.

The words to this hymn were written by Samuel Medley (yes, that’s his real name; you can check the hymnal).  Medley was a sailor in the British Navy.  He was severely wounded in battle against the French off the coast of Africa in the Battle of Cape Lagos on Aug 18, 1759.

The doctors were planning to amputate his leg.

Medley was not a religious person, but this injury led him to pray, and thankfully he was able to keep his leg.

Discharged from the Navy due to his injuries, Medley was cared for by his grandfather, a pious Christian.  At one point, his grandfather read him a sermon by Isaac Watts, and Medley became a Christian.  Medley later opened a school in London, and then became a pastor.  He eventually wrote around 50 hymns, including “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.”

Throughout the ages, this message of resurrection, prophesied by Job, witnessed by Mary, Peter, and John has given hope to countless believers in Christ.

As you go out from this place today, no matter how bad things get, no matter how helpless and discouraged you feel, no matter how lonely life seems, remember what matters most.

“I Know that My Redeemer Lives.”

Alleluia, Christ is risen!