Heidelberg Catechism Devotional Q34

Q.34. Why do you call him “our Lord”? 

A. Because – not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood – he has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be his very own.

Monday

Lord is a title used to address someone of power and authority.  In the Middle Ages it was used to address barons and some knights.  A lord is someone who has the right to rule over another.  This is a great place to start this week.  Jesus is our Lord because he has every right to rule over the world he created, sustains and preserves.  He is in charge, even the demons recognize it. Read Mark 5:1-13

Tuesday

How can we be sure that Jesus has authority over every creature?  Yesterday we read a story about his authority over the demons; today we will see his authority over nature and the animals.  Read Mark 4:35-39 and Numbers 22:23-31.  We know that Jesus created the world, we learned that earlier in the catechism; here we see him governing the created world by calming the weather and causing animals to talk.  The gospel records stories of him performing miraculous healings, causing fig trees to wither, and making bread and fish multiply.  Each of these actions shows his authority to rule over every created thing.  Thus we call him Lord.

Wednesday

But the Christian doesn’t call Jesus simply “Lord” but “my Lord” or “our Lord”.  Why?  Aside from ruling over creation, Jesus loving rescued us from death and gave us eternal life.  The Word tells us that people are enslaved to sin and death.  Read Romans 6:6.  But the same passage and many others also tell us that Jesus has freed us from slavery and become our new master.  Like enemy soldiers deserving of death but spared to serve the victor, as Christians we are freed to serve Christ.  Read Revelation 1:5 and Ephesians 6:5-6.  He is our Lord.

Thursday

How did Christ save us?  Read 1 Peter 1:18-19.  By his blood.  We weren’t saved by money or fame, but by blood.  All through the Scriptures, we are given examples of blood covering sin and atoning for injustice.  The entire sacrificial system God gave the Jews was built on this premise.  Read Hebrews 9:22.  Blood saves, but not any blood, only the blood of Christ.  That is why the Jews were forbidden from eating or drinking anything with blood in it, but also why Jesus said at the last supper, “This is my blood of the covenant…Drink from it…” (Matthew 26:27-28).  Jesus’ blood alone frees us, and so we call him our Lord.

Friday

While the third section of the catechism addresses our response to Christ’s salvation, this seems like a good place to get our minds thinking about how we should respond to Jesus being our Lord.  While Saul didn’t rescue David, David’s responses to Saul teach us a lot about how a “lord” should be respected and served.  Read 1 Samuel 19:4.  David served his master even when it was difficult and not personally beneficial or safe; he always sought to preserve Saul’s authority and kingly reign.

Saturday

Jesus himself teaches us about our proper response to his lordship in our lives.  Read Luke 17:7-10. In this parable, Jesus calls his servants to obedience.  We, having been bought with his blood, should respond by doing all that he has instructed us to do and recognizing it as our duty to serve faithfully the one who saved us.  He is our Lord; we are his servants.