Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

St. Matthew 9:1–8

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Behold, some people brought to Jesus a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” The details of the Bible are not inconsequential. These particular words were inspired for a reason. It says that Jesus saw THEIR faith. He notices the faith not just of the paralytic but also the faith of the friends carrying the man. This is not unimportant. Not only does faith receive the forgiveness of sins, but faith also brings others to receive that forgiveness.

This is a perfect example of what we know to be true: Christians bring people to Jesus. These friends loved the paralyzed man and they trusted in Jesus, so they brought him to Jesus so that He might help and save him. They showed their trust in Jesus by bringing the man to Him. And by this act of faith they brought forgiveness and healing to the man. God worked through them to deliver His mercy and healing.

The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League is another example of Christians bringing people to Jesus. That is their goal as a “missionary league.” That’s not to say that bringing people to Jesus or missionary work is a special work that only they do. As we see with these friends bringing the paralytic, this is what all Christians are to do. The LWML purposefully supports and promotes this work, particularly by supporting full-time, called missionaries. As Christians we show our trust in Jesus by bringing people to Him. And by these acts of faith—by supporting the mission of the Church, by sharing the good news with family and friends, by inviting them to hear God’s Word preached—we bring forgiveness and healing to others. God works through us to deliver His mercy and life.

Today, we saw another important example of Christians bringing people to Jesus: Christian parents brought their child to Baptism. This is just as important as missionary work, because Baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forgives sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe the promises of God. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. So, Christian parents, who love their children and trust in Jesus, bring their children to Jesus so that He will do His saving work for them. But if you don’t show your love for your children in this way, meaning, if you don’t bring your children to Jesus for Baptism, then you don’t trust in Jesus either. And whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16).

Parents always want the best for their children. You don’t want your children to suffer, or struggle with difficulty. You want to shield them and help them as much as you possibly can. And this is natural. But you won’t be able to protect them entirely. Even if you had millions of dollars so that your children never wanted for anything, even if you could cure all their illnesses, and ensure that they have a successful life and a good family, you cannot guarantee their happiness. You cannot protect them from every evil. 

Because the root of all suffering is sin. The cause of all evil lies in our hearts: yours and your children’s. Only sinners suffer. Only sinners get sick, and experience failure and evil disasters. Only sinners live in this fallen world. And only sinners die. But the good news for parents and children is that only sinners get baptized. Yes, that means babies are sinful too—they’ve inherited their sinful hearts from their sinful parents. But that is precisely who Baptism is for. Baptism is not for perfect little cherubs—it is for the salvation of sinners.

So, Christian parents, you who would like to give your children everything and protect them from anything, this is why you want to give your children the most important thing: faith in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. More important than money or job security, health or happiness, more important than all that is the eternal salvation of your child. So, you bring them to Jesus. He forgives sins and He heals. The root of all suffering is sin, and so the real solution to all suffering is the forgiveness of sins. That forgiveness is given to us here and now: today, to Knox in his Baptism; today, to you all in God’s Word. And the full healing benefits of that forgiveness will be given to you and your children in the life to come.

Christian parents, your most important job is to bring your children to Jesus, not just at Baptism, but by teaching them God’s Word throughout their lives. By doing this, you show your own trust in Jesus. And by this act of faith you bring forgiveness and healing to your children. God works through you to deliver His mercy and life, so that you and your children may finally, with all God’s saints, obtain the promised inheritance in heaven (Baptism Rite, LSB p.271).

Now, there’s one thing in all this that might seem like a problem. You can’t actually bring people to Jesus like those friends did for the paralyzed man. Jesus is not visibly present in a particular place like He was then. So, you bring people to the Church—and you are quite right to do so. But why do you bring them to the Church? How do you know that Baptism will save them? All you see is that some water is poured and some words are spoken. How do you know that hearing the Word preached will strengthen faith? All you see is an ordinary man trying his best to speak clearly, and sometimes failing even that. But you are right to bring people to Jesus by bringing them to the Church, not because there is anything special in the water, nor is there anything special in the man who preaches, but because Jesus has authority to forgive sins and He gives that authority to men.

We are told this here in Matthew 9: that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—Jesus then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. But the full impact of this scene doesn’t really hit home until the end of Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to hold onto all that I have instituted for you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20).

The Son of God is given all authority as a Man. Only Jesus has the authority to forgive sins because He is the One who died in payment for our sins and rose for our eternal salvation. He now exercises this authority in His Church on earth, and so He works through men to forgive sins, to deliver His mercy and healing.

Having brought people to Jesus, having brought your children to be baptized, we and they must stay connected to His Church. Here, by His authority, the gifts of Baptism are given more and more. Sins are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The life-giving Words of Jesus are spoken and taught and treasured. The holy gifts of His body and blood are shared to make us holy and to make us one in Christ. These things happen only by the authority of Jesus. And so He is truly here doing it. That is why we must and we may joyfully say with Jacob: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17).

The Lord Jesus is here on earth in your midst with the authority to forgive sins. He is working through His called and ordained servants to speak this forgiveness to all who repent and believe. He is working through parents to bring their children into His Family by Baptism and by teaching them. He is working through His whole Church to bring more people into His Kingdom. Let us give glory to God.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

St. Matthew 22:34–46

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today’s Gospel is a theological debate—a debate about Scripture and doctrine. It’s a debate between the Pharisees and Jesus. It’s a debate between those supposed experts in the Law and the very Gospel Himself: Jesus the Christ. Although, the Pharisees don’t recognize that’s who He is.

One of the Pharisees, a Law expert, asked Jesus a question to test Him: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? Pick a commandment Jesus, and then we’ll have some fun debating Your answer.” Jesus quotes Deuteronomy. After all, He is the One who gave them Deuteronomy. Jesus gives the perfect answer. He doesn’t play their game. He doesn’t just pick one commandment. He summarizes the entire Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” There it is. The Law expert asked a Law question and Jesus gave him the perfect Law answer. Debate over.

Most people think this answer is really what Christianity is all about: love God and love people. Well, most people don’t think it’s quite that simple. More like, love God in your heart, on your own, keep your religion private. And don’t just love people or serve them, but accept them as they are, affirm them, celebrate them as they are, and never tell anyone they should change their ways. That’s not what Jesus says, but that is what our world says these days.

Jesus’ original answer is right though. Love God with ALL your heart, soul, and mind—nothing held back, no doubts, no other commitments. Give your all, your everything to God, and trust only in Him for this life and the next. Never avoid hearing His Word, never forget to pray, and never look for a solution or give credit anywhere else other than the Lord. And love your neighbor as yourself—again, nothing held back, no suspicions against other people, no favoritism for the people you like or feel close to. Everything you would keep for yourself, give that also to others. Never disrespect someone, never hurt someone physically or emotionally, never even think an impure thought about someone, never cheat someone, never talk about someone behind their back (even if it’s true), never even want something that someone else has. 

There’s the Law. The perfect demand from God. Love God and love your neighbor. The true Law really is that simple. But that cannot be what Christianity is all about. The Law cannot be the only part or even the main part of Christianity. Because as perfect as this Law answer is, it is impossible to do. The Law does not give life. The Law does not comfort. If you have broken even one of these commandments then the Law will only kill you and damn you to hell. Then the debate will really be over.

But Jesus isn’t finished with the debate. Jesus isn’t finished with these proud Pharisees and He isn’t finished with you. Jesus doesn’t finish with the Law. He has His own question, and it’s very different from the Pharisee’s question—about as different as Law and Gospel. “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?”

First, let me explain that term, “Christ.” We call our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus is His name, Christ is His title. Christ is a Greek word that means, “Anointed One.” Greek is the language of the New Testament. God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, didn’t speak Greek, they spoke Hebrew. And so in Hebrew the term for “Anointed One” is Messiah. So, Christ and Messiah mean the same thing. Our Lord is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. And that means He is the promised Savior, the One chosen by God the Father to save the world from sin. Now, of course, the Pharisees know all this, so when Jesus asks them, “Whose son is the Christ or Messiah?” They answer correctly, “He is the son of David,” that is a descendant of King David. But that’s really only half of the right answer. And so Jesus needs to teach these experts. Their debate might be over. But His Bible class is just getting started.

Jesus quotes from one of the Psalms of David: “How is it that David, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls the Christ Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? If then David calls the Christ his Lord, how is he David’s son?” Everybody tracking with Jesus? The Pharisees, and all the Jews, and all Christians, know that the Christ, is the son of David, meaning He is a human descendant of King David. But in Psalm 110, David calls his descendant his “Lord.” And this Lord, this son of David is even going to sit at God’s right hand. David is worshiping his descendant. Kinda weird stuff. And the Pharisees aren’t sure what this means.

You Christians already know what this means though. Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed and promised Savior—He is David’s son and David’s Lord. How can that be? We learned the answer by heart in the Small Catechism: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Jesus the Christ is one Person with two complete natures. He is fully and truly God—the eternal Son of the Father. And He is fully and truly man—a descendant of David, the son of Mary. David’s God became a man, born from his own bloodline. Our God is a man: Jesus the Christ.

But our God did not come in the flesh just to repeat the Law to us. He did not become man just to answer the Pharisees’ questions and give us impossible demands that leave us suffering in hell. He came to be the Christ. The Father anointed and sent His Son to save us from the accusations of the Law.

The Christ had to be a true man. The Law was given for man to fulfill, so the Christ had to be a man in order to do what the Law commands in our place. The Law also demands punishment for those who break its commands, so the Christ also had to be a man in order to suffer in our place all the punishments of the Law that we deserve. The Christ had to be a true man so that He could die as the innocent sacrifice for sin.

And the Christ had to be true God. If Christ was only a man then He couldn’t take the place for all of us. Only God can pay the price for the sins of the whole world. Only God can take care of hell’s punishments for all eternity. The Christ had to be true God so that He could die for all and rise again for all.

So now, with this right knowledge about the Christ, let’s go back to Jesus’ first answer about the Law. He sums it all up: Love God and love your neighbor. He shows the unity to God’s Law. It’s not a list of random rules. And He shows that the Law has a unity of purpose: the Law accuses everyone. It tells everyone: You have fallen short. You have not loved God perfectly. You have not loved your neighbor perfectly. You have failed. You must be punished. Debate over.

But each of us has a little Pharisee law expert inside our hearts. We think we can keep the Law, that we can debate with God and prove our own righteousness. So, the Collect of the Day is a prayer against the little Pharisee inside each of us. This prayer admits the truth: O God, without You we are not able to please You. Without God’s mercy we have no hope. No matter how expert we think we are in loving God or loving neighbor, we are not good enough to please God. So the Collect continues: mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts. We need God’s intervention. We need His saving help. We need the answer to Jesus’ question about the Christ. We need the Christ Himself—the Messiah, the Anointed One, the promised Savior, who gives His Holy Spirit for our good.

This Christ loves you. And He actually loves you so much that He will not overlook your sins. He died for them, so He can’t just let you go on living with them. He paid the price for your sins with His blood of the New Testament. So, He calls you to repent, leave your sins, and trust in Him.

The Christ is the only one who kept the great commandments perfectly. He loved God His Father with all His heart, soul, and mind. He loved you His neighbors as Himself. He did what you cannot. He saved you to have you as His own. With the Christ your Savior, the Law debate really is over. He washed you and made you holy. And He fills you with His true body born of Mary, yet also the body of your God. The blood of the New Testament is poured for you from a cup into your mouth to forgive your sins. He gives you His Holy Spirit who directs and rules our hearts so that we want to do God’s commandments and we are able to begin doing them. Jesus is and does all of this for you.

Do not despair. Do not give up hope. You suffer some of the consequences of sin in this life, but none of it is the suffering of hell. Your sins are forgiven. The Law cannot condemn you or punish you because you are with Christ. And the suffering you have right now, this difficult life of struggling against sin, struggling to love God and love your neighbor—all that suffering, all of that struggling will be brought to an end. Because the Christ is David’s son and Lord—your human Savior and your Divine brother—and He is coming again soon.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

A few sentences and ideas came from Rev. David Petersen (Trinity 18, 2014; and Issues Etc. Interview, Trinity 18, 2015)

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Proverbs 25:6–14

St. Luke 14:1–11

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It’s amazing how much humor, even sarcasm, is in the Bible, if you read it closely. I think Jesus is kind of mocking the Pharisees in our Gospel reading today. He’s not doing it simply to be mean, but He is convicting them of sin. Jesus had been invited to Sabbath dinner at a Pharisee’s house, and when He noticed how the other guests chose the places of honor, He told them this parable. I picture them jostling a bit, trying to seem polite, but also angling and quickly moving for the best stop around the dinner table. You know how that can be—we all think we’re rather stealthy, but people notice. Jesus certainly did. And then it seems like He smiles a little bit, and it’s as if He said, “You know, here’s a neat trick for how to get honor… Don’t push for the best seat because you might get kicked out by someone more deserving. But if you go to the lowest spot, then there’s a better chance your host will say, ‘Oh no! Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.”

I can’t help but think this “advice” comes off kinda sneaky, and not so humble (or someone can certainly take it that way). Which is why I think Jesus is having a little fun with them. Obviously, Jesus is not advocating that you should manipulate people and force them to parade you up before everyone so you get more honor. This is not actually practical advice. He is accusing them of sinful pride and false humility.

What He does is a bit like our hymn we just sang, which invites us, challenges us to save ourselves: Seek where you may To find a way That leads to your salvation… Or, Seek whom you may To be your stay, None can redeem his brother (LSB 557:1–2). The hymn does not want us to seriously look for another way of salvation or another Savior besides Jesus Christ. But it’s a rhetorical device: “Hey, if you want to, you can look for some other way to save yourself, but it won’t work.” Which is why the rest of the hymn lays out what Christ has done and how He is our only Redeemer. His parable is doing a similar thing.

Jesus takes His parable from the Proverbs, which we heard earlier in our Old Testament reading: Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Just as Jesus wasn’t giving practical advice for guests at a dinner party, the Proverbs should not be read as only practical advice for good living. At least, that’s not their only or primary purpose. It is of course true that God’s Law and ethical instruction based on that Law are good and good for you. Those who work to keep God’s Law will have a happier, more satisfying life than those who deliberately break it. However, that cannot be the only intention behind the Law or the Proverbs or any “advice” in Scripture, because we know from experience that no one, no matter how hard they try, can keep the Law perfectly; and Scripture shows us that it is impossible for us to make ourselves righteous enough in God’s sight. So, while the Law, the Proverbs, or Jesus’ parable do instruct us in proper conduct and true humility, at the same time, they are also exposing our sins—particularly in this case, showing and accusing our pride. 

But the Law also never gets the last word in Scripture. In that parable Jesus told, there is a deeper spiritual lesson hidden there for us who believe the Gospel—those who have the secret of the kingdom of God revealed to them. Jesus is the One who rightfully held the highest seat at the heavenly Father’s banquet table. And yet, He was the One who was removed, and put into the lowest place. He was humiliated beyond our imagining by taking on our sin, being mocked by His enemies and abandoned by His close friends, and by suffering the eternal wrath and hell of God while hanging naked and forsaken on the cross. 

And He did that for you. His humiliation means your forgiveness, your worthiness, your exaltation. He was removed to make a space for you as the Father’s honored guests. And you can hear the gracious invitation: “Friend, move up higher.” But having been moved to the lowest spot, Jesus was also vindicated as the true innocent Son, the Holy One. He was raised up back to life, back to the front seat of honor, not for the sake of His ego, but for the glory of God—that God may get glory for Himself by serving and saving sinners. That is how our God wants to be known, how He wants His name glorified: that He is the God who forgives sinners and raises the dead.

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. The One who truly humbled Himself and so was exalted is Jesus Himself. But as His Christians, we are to apply this to ourselves as well. And so knowing the Gospel, we are able to return to that instruction that the Law offers.

There are at least three parts to real humility. First, we should be humbled by the knowledge that we are nothing. We are empty. Before men we are just one in a billion, doomed to go the way of all flesh, to return to the dust. And before God, apart from His grace, our lives are ruined by sin. We have nothing to offer Him. While this aspect of humility is objectionable to the world, I think most of us Christians recognize it’s true. After all, we sincerely confess, I, a poor, miserable sinner.

The second part of humility: we should be humbled by patiently enduring wrongs. Now this is much harder to do, and we may even struggle with wanting to do it. We know that we should act humble—we shouldn’t brag about ourselves and we don’t like arrogant people. But it’s much, much harder to not stand up for ourselves when we are wronged. Yet, our Lord Jesus tells us, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38–39).

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care about justice and truth, especially when it comes to defending our neighbors. But we spend so much energy, thought, and time worrying about the wrongs done against us or how we’ve not been properly recognized for our deeds, because we think we deserve better. We are proud—we think we deserve honor and good things in life when all we truly deserve is death and hell. We all fall into the trap of feeling sorry for ourselves and saying, “I’ve got such bad luck.” That’s the proud thinking that I’m so significant that the whole universe must be conspiring against me. This is vanity. Instead, we should learn how to suffer with patience, trusting that God will act to save and vindicate us.

The third part of humility is that we should humbly submit to all people. This is also really difficult for proud sinners, but as Christians we are called to be servants to everyone. Love your neighbor as yourself. Or Jesus also said, Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (Matthew 7:12). That’s the opposite of how most people think. We are not to treat others in the same way they treat us. We are to treat others the way we would like them to treat us, even when they don’t.

Now, this instruction in humility is very convicting and difficult for us. But think of how Jesus practiced such true humility. He submitted to all people even though He was more powerful and intelligent than any of them. He submitted to His earthly parents, to Pilate and the authorities. And of course, He submits to His heavenly Father and does His will. Jesus also patiently endured wrong: false accusations, mocking, undeserved torture, and wrongful death. No one has ever suffered injustice the way He did. And yet, He did not complain—He bore it gladly while He trusted His Father to care for Him. And Jesus, who was truly equal with God, worthy of the highest honor, He emptied Himself, and counted Himself as nothing.

Not only is Jesus our greatest example in humility, but as we already noticed with the parable, Jesus humbled Himself for our sake. He did that so that we who are empty might be filled with His goodness; so that we who should be brought low might be brought up to where He rightfully sits, exalted to sit with Him in His glory. It’s true that we are prideful, arrogant sinners, each in our own way, but we will not be severed from the love of God because of what our Savior has done for us:

My heart’s delight, My crown most bright,

O Christ, my joy forever.

Not wealth nor pride Nor fortune’s tide

Our bonds of love shall sever.

You are my Lord; Your precious Word

Shall guide my way And help me stay

Forever in Your presence. (LSB 557:4)

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Most of these ideas came from Rev. David Petersen’s Issues, Etc. interview on Trinity 17. He credits the three points on humility to Thomas Aquinas.