God does not wait to start making us holy, but doesn’t ask us to wait until we are holy to worship. And Jesus really is human.

For those doing Lectionary 4 A or Epiphany 4 A, that work is here.

Malachi 3:1-4

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
— Malachi 3:1

Verse 1 is cited in an editor's footnote in Smalcald Articles, Section 3: Concerning Repentance (SC 3.30 n. 118) as the place to find information about the fiery angel that call us to repentance. The idea is that this is talking about John the Baptist.

…he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
— Malachi 3:3

Verse 3 is cited in Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 24: The Mass (AP 24.34). Here Melanchthon is responding to a particular argument from the papists that cites Malachi 3:3 in an attempt to show that the the ceremony of the mass functions ex opere operato. As he writes:

…the reception of the Lord's Supper itself can be a praise or thanksgiving. However, it does not justify ex opere operato, nor should be be applied to others as if it merited the forgiveness of sins.
— Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 24: The Mass (AP 24.33)

So what is ex opere operato? The idea that just doing the thing means it works. At the time of the Reformation, the teaching was that just doing communion was enough—no faith was necessary to get any benefit from the sacrament. Luther and those who followed him saw the destructive effect this idea had on the faithful. For example, the teaching was that it is enough to see the moment of transubstantiation to get the benefit of communion. The laity didn’t even have to receive it. This is why Luther spends so much time in the Large Catechism calling people to receive the bread and wine in faith.

With his presupposition, Melanchthon notes that Malachi 3:3 is not about the offerings of the priests making the people righteous, but instead is about God purifying the people until their offerings are given in righteousness. Melanchthon spins this in an interesting way.:

For the scarifies of the sons of Levi (that is, those in the New Testament who teach) are the preaching of the gospel and the good fruits of such a preaching...
— Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 24: The Mass (AP 24.34, parenthetical note in original)

Hebrews 2:14-18

Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…
— Hebrews 2:14
For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.
— Hebrews 2:16-17

Verses 14, 16, and 17 are quoted in the Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article 1: Original Sin, Affirmative Thesis 2 (FC, Ep 1.5) to drive home the point that Jesus became really and truly and fully human to redeem humans and human nature. Jesus really did become one of us, and not just one of us, but our truest of brothers.

Verse 17 is then quoted again in the Solid Declaration, Article 1: Original Sin (FC, SD 1.43) to make clear not only that Jesus became human just like us (except for the sin) but that this line of thought holds true with the faith of the early Church.

TheoThru

One of my favorite lines in any eucharistic prayer is the line from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Eucharistic Prayer 1 (ELW, p. 109, and other settings), “we give thanks to you, O Lord God Almighty, not as we ought but as we are able.” This is the point of Melanchthon’s dwelling in Malachi 3. We are not worthy of approaching God in worship, but God does not wait until we are worthy to start making us worthy and inspiring us to worship. Similarly, we are not worthy of having Jesus as our brother, but God did not wait for us to become worthy before Jesus became our brother. This is, and will always be, the good news of God.

God does not wait for us to be perfect and holy before God loves us and forgives us. Instead, God loves us and forgives us for who we will be when we are made perfect and holy in the next life. Jesus did not wait for everyone to be sinless before he came to take away our sins, but became our brother before we were born so that we might see God’s love in our flesh.