Third Sunday after the Epiphany

2 Kings 5:1–15
Romans 1:8–17
St. Matthew 8:1–13

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

At one point in time, salvation was found primarily among the Israelite nation, the people God had chosen and made holy. They had His Word, and His promises were for Israel and for all who attached themselves to Israel.

But then a Man rose from the dead. He was justified and proclaimed by God to be His Son, the one Lord and Savior of the earth. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). And this Man sent His apostles from Israel out into the world, commanding them: make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). Now salvation is no longer found only among the Jews, but also among the Gentiles—wherever that Man is proclaimed risen from the dead. The Gentiles, the unbelieving nations, the heathen living in darkness, are welcomed into the kingdom of God by faith in this Man with the name Jesus. This is the Mission from God, the Mission for His Church.

This has always been God’s plan. Even in the Old Testament, salvation was available for any who came to Israel and worshiped Israel’s God. Naaman is a perfect example of that. He is a Syrian, a Gentile, a pagan. And in his raiding against Israel, he carries off a little Israelite girl to be his wife’s slave. What should really astonish us is the bravery and love of this little girl who acts as a missionary to her master and mistress, the people who own her, who stole her from her home. She tells them about the Lord’s prophet in Israel who can cure Naaman’s leprosy. That’s a beautiful example of how Christians should behave when persecuted and mistreated. That’s how Christians can win people over by humble service and love.

So, Naaman listens and goes to Samaria, in Israel. And eventually he makes his way to Elisha, the man of God. And although at first he does not believe what he’s told, eventually, he goes to the Jordan River and washes himself with the word of the prophet and is healed. Certainly not just the water of the Jordan did this great thing, but the word of God in and with the water did this thing. For without the word, the water was just plain river water and no miracle; but with the word, it is a miracle, that is a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of new health. Was this a baptism for Naaman? Not exactly. But he came out of that water believing. And he, a Gentile, a former pagan, confessed the true God: “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.”

With Naaman, and with many others in the Old Testament, the mission to the nations was already at work. But the one who is especially known for bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles is the Apostle Paul. The Lord Jesus made Paul His chosen instrument… to carry His name before the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus (Acts 26:18). That was the special apostleship, the special sending the Lord gave to Paul. And that is the main reason Paul was so eager to preach the Gospel in Rome.

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is where he really lays out his mission for the nations. Rome was not only the capital of the Roman Empire, the superpower of that time, but Rome is also the capital so to speak, the center of that world, the center of Gentile pagan power and culture. There was great truth in the old saying: “All roads lead to Rome.” So, Paul wanted more than anything for his road as apostle to the Gentiles to get to Rome.

He tells these Christians living in Rome that already their faith is proclaimed in all the world. But that doesn’t mean he can skip out on preaching at the center of the world. He writes: without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. Paul wants the whole church to be one, to work together in the mission.

He knows it’s his call from God to preach the Gospel to all Gentiles, so he says he wants to minister among the Christians already in Rome in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,—that is, both to the refined and educated citizens of Italy and Greece, but also to the illiterate barbarian Gentiles of France and Germany and Africa—both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

And then Paul gives his thesis statement, the center of his whole mission, and the center of the Christian religion: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (the Gentiles). For… “The righteous shall live by faith.” Paul goes on in his Epistle to unpack this central teaching. The Man Jesus, God’s Son, shed His blood to satisfy God’s wrath over sin, and then He was raised from the dead. And all people are declared righteous, forgiven, saved by faith in this Jesus. All people—just as Paul says later in Romans 3: Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—He will justify the Jews by faith and the Gentiles through faith (3:29–30).

So far, in our first two readings, we have seen God’s plan, His mission for all people, and we have seen it in action. But in our Gospel reading, not only do we see it in action, but we see its end, its ultimate goal. The Roman centurion who comes to Jesus on behalf of his servant is also a Gentile. We know this, first, because he is an officer in the Roman army, the very people who are oppressing the Jews, similar to Naaman and the Syrians, centuries earlier. Also, this centurion says he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his house—he knows that faithful Jews should not go to the homes of idol-worshiping Gentiles. But most importantly, Jesus Himself contrasts the faith of this Gentile with all of the chosen Jewish people: “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

Jesus then goes on to welcome this man and all Gentiles into His kingdom: “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” This is the goal of all missions. Our goal is not just for people to get a pamphlet or a two-minute message. Our goal cannot merely be broadcasting, publishing, or sharing. Those might be the means of reaching the goal, but that’s not what we’re really after, and if one of those ways isn’t working much anymore, then we can find another way. We’re not just after membership numbers, or offering numbers, or attendance numbers. Our goal is not the visible success of our church. The goal of all missions is the final End Times, lasting-forever banquet—reclining at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with all the saints, and with our Lord. We do and we support missions because that’s the way the Lord has chosen to get every single one of His elect children into His eternal feast.

But now, imagine being a Jew, listening to Jesus say these things to this pagan Roman, this guy who worships Jupiter and Mars. And Jesus is inviting him to sit with their heroes, their great-grandfathers! They were probably insulted. But to them, Jesus gives a terrible warning: “Many will come from east and west… while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The Jews, the ones who already belonged in the kingdom, who already had the Word of God and the gift of faith in the Savior, if they reject that Savior, if they refuse to listen to that Word, they will be cast out.

We, those of us already in the church, should listen to this same warning. You can lose your faith. You can reject salvation. Every time you deny yourself God’s life-giving Word, every time you choose something else over His life-giving gift in the Supper, every time you do that, you make it that much harder for yourself to believe. You deprive yourself. And it is possible to starve yourself to death, back to the death Jesus had saved you from. God’s mission for the church is going on right here in our midst too. The righteous shall live by faith. Not only are you made alive by faith in Jesus, you stay alive by faith in Jesus, that means you stay alive by continuing to get what Jesus wants to give you.

It is absolutely essential for Christians, individuals, congregations, and church bodies, to hear and receive this invitation from Jesus, to be in His kingdom now, learning His Word and eating at His Table. And then it is also absolutely essential for Christians, individuals, congregations, and church bodies, to be sharing what they are receiving; to give out this invitation and bring in the people the Holy Spirit is calling; to be a light in this dark world full of idol-worshiping pagans, even right here in our own country and communities.

And it’s actually not that hard to do. We do our part of the Church’s mission, by telling our relatives, our friends and neighbors, the people right where we live, telling them about God’s promises, just like that little slave girl did for Naaman. And we do it by supporting the missionary efforts of churches and preachers who are going out all over the place like the apostle Paul. And especially, we carry out this mission by trusting the Lord Jesus even when we can’t see the growth of His Word, trusting Him just like that centurion.

Then, one day, we will get to see the full growth. Because one day, Asian Christians from the far east will come, and we will come from the American Midwest. Christians will come from the north of Europe and from the south of Africa. And all together, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, we will feast with the Lord forever.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.


Preached at Trinity, Clinton, IA & Immanuel, Charlotte, IA

Third Sunday after the Epiphany

St. Matthew 8:1–13

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

Jesus does two miracles in today’s Gospel. He heals a leper and He heals a centurion’s servant. And there are surprising things about both miracles. First, the surprising thing about healing the leper is that Jesus touches him. Under the Law of Moses, the disease of leprosy made someone ritually unclean. They could not enter the Temple or participate in the Divine Service there, and they were required to live apart from the rest of the Israelite community. And any clean person who came in contact with a leper was also made unclean. But Jesus touches the leper. And the leper does not make Him unclean, but the opposite happens: He makes the leper clean. Jesus restores the man’s health physically and He restores the man to the fellowship of God and His holy people.

This is related to the surprising thing in the second miracle. The surprising thing about healing the centurion’s servant is that Jesus was willing to go into a Gentile’s house. All Gentiles were considered unclean according to the Law of Moses. A centurion was an officer in the Roman army—normally in charge of 100 men, hence the name, centurion. So, this man was some kind of Roman, certainly some kind of Gentile—not a Jew, not a member of the Israelite people. So, he, as well as his home, would have been considered ritually unclean. And if a clean Israelite had dealing with a Gentile and entered his home, then he would also be made unclean. But Jesus is willing to go there. These miracles don’t mean that Jesus doesn’t care about the Law of Moses. It means that Jesus is greater than the Law of Moses. He is the source of all true cleanliness and holiness—He is the holy Lord who purifies a people for Himself and makes them His holy people.

But then there comes a third surprise, not from Jesus, but from the centurion. “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the Word, and my servant will be healed.” He does not pretend to be worthy of Jesus’ help. He does not claim any rights or fair treatment. How many of us don’t give a second thought to Jesus coming to our homes? The Bible sitting unused week after week, the Catechism or hymnal gathering dust on the shelf. Or we march up to the altar where the Lord comes under the roof of our mouths—and we are proud, thinking we deserve it, or we are not thinking at all, taking it for granted. This centurion is different from many of us who have all the blessings of the kingdom and claim to be God’s children. He has true humility and faith. He confesses his own sin and unworthiness. As a Gentile, he does not deserve to be a part of God’s people, and as a sinner, he does not deserve God’s love. But he also confesses his faith in Jesus’ authority and goodness. He believes that Jesus has the authority to heal his servant, just by speaking a word. And He believes that Jesus will heal his servant because Jesus is good and His mercy endures forever.

God grant us to have such humility and faith. What this centurion said even made Jesus marvel—I don’t think that happens very often! Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” So, being a child of Israel, being in the in–crowd, having the rights and privileges of the community, being a Jew by blood, that won’t save you in the end. Jesus says that while many Gentiles will be saved and will get to eat at the heavenly banquet with the fathers of Israel, many Jews, the sons of the kingdom, will not.

And this shouldn’t be all that surprising. It was always intended that Gentiles would be included in the kingdom of heaven. An example from the Old Testament was in our reading today. Naaman gave us a foreshadowing of both miracles: he was a leper who was healed, and he was a Syrian, a Gentile, who came to faith in the one true God.

St. Paul, the Lord’s appointed apostle to the Gentiles, also said as much in our Epistle reading: I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. Paul is writing to a mostly Gentile congregation in the capital city. And he makes it clear that the Gospel is for all people: not only Jews, and not only Greeks, but even for the barbarians, you know, all those uncivilized people in Britain and Germany and Africa. The Good News of Jesus Christ is for them.

So, Paul goes on: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:14–17). The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Yes, it came to the Jews first, in the promises of the Old Testament and in the person and work of Jesus, but then also to the Gentiles. Because salvation is not a matter of bloodlines or ethnicities, and it’s not a matter of doing perfectly the works of the Law, keeping the rituals, or even giving your best shot at moral improvement. Salvation is a matter of faith in Jesus Christ, in His atoning death, His victorious resurrection, and His forgiving Word. As both the old prophets and the new apostles testify: The righteous shall live by faith.

And this leads us to a practical point as well: the Church is bound to be going about missionary work. St. Paul wasn’t unique in wanting to preach the Gospel in Rome. He was simply carrying out the command given by the Lord to His Church: make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them (Matt. 28:19). And the little Israelite servant girl, enslaved in Syria to work in Naaman’s household, she didn’t do anything particularly extraordinary when she told her mistress about the prophet in Israel. She was just speaking of the wonders that the Lord, the true God, could do.

So, it is important that we as a congregation, fellow-believers with saints around the world, contribute to the mission of the Church—to sending and supporting missionaries, to training pastors and teachers in the Word of God so that they can teach others. And it is important that we as Christians do “missionary work” right here in our own town and in our own households, like that little Israelite servant girl—inviting, encouraging people to make use of the Means of Grace, to come and receive what the Lord so richly gives here in His Church, and teaching the children of our congregation so that the Word of God can be passed on to the next generation. In doing all this, we follow our Lord Jesus Himself, who ministered to the Gentiles and rejoices to see them enter His kingdom.

And still, we must always be careful that we don’t turn into those sons of the kingdom who will be thrown into the outer darkness. We must watch that we don’t neglect the Lord who is already in our midst, already here at our church and in our homes. We have so many blessings in being members of the church, maybe even life-long members. We must be on guard that we don’t take those blessings for granted, and become self-satisfied with our condition and stop seeking the Lord, or count on our works in the church organization to make up for our lack of faith, or, in our missionary zeal to reach the lost, we make an idol out of “missions”, and neglect our own souls and the souls of those closest to us. We are only saved by faith.

So, we must always be coming back to Jesus like that leper, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then hearing Him say, “I am willing; be clean… I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And always coming to Jesus like the centurion, saying, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the Word, and Your servant, will be healed.” Then hearing Him say that Word: “Let it be done for you as you have believed… This is My Body. This is My Blood… given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” And so, He does come under the roof of your mouth, unworthy though you are, and He heals you. He grants you the medicine of immortality, in order that you might be raised up and included in that great congregation, who will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Artwork copyright (c) 2010 Edward Riojas. Used by permission.