The Sixth Sunday of Easter (OTA)

Deuteronomy 25:5-10

⁵ “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ⁶ And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. ⁷ And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ ⁹ then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ ¹⁰ And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’

The family line should be built. The family should grow. The family name should be passed on. If one son fails it falls to the second son. Likewise if that son fails it should fall to the third, until you run out of sons. But as we all know there were many names blotted out of Israel. There are many families that only have girls. There are even some that were unable to conceive even into their old age.

God through his second Law instructs the people in a way to help prevent names from being blotted out of Israel. For all the people of the earth, there is another way that your name will be blotted out. There is a book with names in it of all the people of Israel, all the people of God. These are the names written in the book of life. These are the names of those sealed for the day of redemption.

Jesus is the first Son, to make you a member of his Family. He is going to make sure that your name is not blotted out, but he writes your name in the book. He cleanses you from your sins. He dies for your forgiveness. So we repent of our sins and receive forgiveness. In Baptism we are sealed for the day of redemption. In Baptism God calls us by name, the name which is written in the book of Life.