Author: terry

Dear Friends in Jesus,

Consider the cost. One of the important tasks of parents is helping their children understand how to budget and plan financially for the future. As children begin to receive an allowance or earn money through their odd jobs, they quite naturally want to spend what they have earned on junk food or sparkly trinkets.

As they mature and secure more permanent jobs, the desire for more costly items grows stronger – TVs, computers, audio systems, automobiles, etc. A parent’s work continues to guide their child to consider the cost of such items and whether or not the child has the financial resources to pay the price.

In this week’s Gospel Jesus reminds us of the importance of considering the cost of any venture we are about to undertake. Does the builder of a tower have the resources to complete the job? Does a king going to war have enough forces to meet an enemy? (Luke 14:25-33)

Great multitudes began to follow Jesus and they went where He went. One day He turned to them and spoke to them about what it would take and mean to be one of His disciples. Please listen to Jesus’ words in the Gospel Reading and …… “Consider the Cost”

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Now there might be someone who thinks that it is always so easy to give such advice to the other guy … so simple to tell the other guy to consider the cost. And that someone might be thinking that this is especially true for God; that it is easy for God to give advice and not get involved. After all, God can make a tower out of nothing in the twinkling of an eye; and besides that, there isn’t an army that could withstand the LORD for even an inkling of a second. Such thinking is sinful and wrong – sinful because it is a doubt and denial of God’s mercy – wrong because it is contrary to what has already taken place, that is, it is contrary to the gracious Good News.

For God has considered the cost. From eternity He looked upon this fallen world and knew that He would have to send His Son to be the Redeemer for “the LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:1-3). Thus, the Savior could not be someone conceived by man and born of woman. Consider the cost, for someone else would have to pay the price. But the Savior could not be an angel, for angels are spirit and not flesh and blood, and as Scripture says: “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” of sins. (Heb. 9:22) The Sacrifice could not be from an animal “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4).

So, who would be the Savior? And considering the cost, who could be the Savior? Listen to a portion of the Revelation to the Apostle John:
“And I saw in the right hand of Him Who sat on the Throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals'” (Rev. 5:1-5).

God considered the cost and sent His Son Who was Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.

Consider Jesus … truly Divine to be a sufficient Sacrifice which it was even from eternity, and truly human in order to be under the Law and shed His holy Blood which it was in time. Jesus left His Father’s right hand and was born in this world. For the redemption of the world, He left behind His brothers and sisters, and would not let His disciples deter Him. When Peter sought to lead an army against Jesus’ enemies, our Lord told Peter to put away his sword and further told him: “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). Jesus considered the cost and left behind a heavenly host and a handful of disciples in order to be taken captive by Roman soldiers and Temple guards. “Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him” (John 18:12).

Jesus left His mother in the hands of John and bore the sins of the world. He is nailed to a beam which is fastened on a narrow, wooden column with its base in the foundation of the world. Jesus is crucified and it appears to the world as if He had not considered the cost. It seemed as if, despite His best intentions and His greatest effort, this Man began to build the Kingdom of God and was not able to finish. He intended to be the Savior but He doesn’t look much like He is going to make it. “And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, ‘If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself” (Luke 23:36). But this is not the way it was to be. When Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30) the atonement of all sins of all people was accomplished. If you will, the temple is finished and the war is won.

The multitudes who heard Jesus speak that day are no longer there at the Place of the Skull. They stopped following Him when they considered the cost. A few are there. There always are. Mary, John, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and some women standing at a distance are all that is left.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. … So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

So, what does this mean? First, think on what hating family and even life doesn’t mean, and what bearing your cross doesn’t mean. Being a disciple doesn’t mean that you may leave off fulfilling your vocation as father, mother, wife, child, brother, sister, member of the community, student, employee or whatever, anymore than it means having permission to taking your own life, which is to commit suicide. That would be leaving something that you are not permitted to leave behind.

Likewise, being a disciple doesn’t mean you bearing your own cross of sin, for Christ has already done that. That would be taking on the burden of sin that has been taken from you.

So, what does this mean? Hating family involves the First Commandment … “I am the LORD your God … you shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-3). This means that we should fear, love and trust in God above all things … even above your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters. Hating your life means remaining faithful to the LORD your God even if it means dying. As Luther wrote in his hymn: “And take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife; let these all be gone; they yet have nothing won, the Kingdom ours remaineth!”

Being a disciple involves bearing your cross and following Jesus. You do this when you rise every morning and recall that in your Baptism you were crucified with Christ and you bear on your brow the seal of Him Who died for you and rose again. You bear your cross when you drag yourself to the Altar and partake of the Feast of Victory from our God at His Table. Your cross is the yoke of forgiveness you bear with you as you hear the cleansing Word of the Absolution and depart in peace following the Benediction.

Listen to Jesus, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

In the Divine Service … yes, in the Liturgy of the LORD … you are able to join the choir of angels and archangels and the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders and the entire company of heaven in saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12)

Truly, because you are forgiven in the Name of the Father and the (+) Son and the Holy Spirit, you are able to bear your cross and follow Jesus until that day when you also will hear and say, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him Who sits on the Throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Rev. 5:13). Amen.

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Psalm 133
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

Someone has rightly said that nothing good comes from quarrelling and disunity. And ‘When God sets out to do something great, He does so by uniting His people in Word, prayer, and one heart and mind.’ No wonder one of the key requests in Jesus’s high priestly prayer, as recorded in John’s gospel chapter 17, is His plea for ‘unity among those who believe in Him.’

Today’s sermon text, Psalms 133, is a song by David celebrating unity among God’s people. This is a popular song that the children of Israel often used when they gathered for religious festivals and family occasions. The immediate context of this Psalm can be found in 2 Samuel 5:1-3, where the children of Israel gather to anoint David as their king. God called Israel to be a light and blessing to the nations. However, their efforts were ultimately thwarted by internal conflicts and disunity. No one was at peace, and the nation was in trouble because of its disunity. But after many years of conflict and infighting, they finally came to Hebron to end their futile hostilities and to make David their king. David immediately recognized this as a significant ‘God moment,’ and, inspired by the sight of the twelve tribes standing together in unity, the Spirit moved him to write, ‘Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity’ (vs. 1).

David begins this Psalm by using two words to describe unity—it’s good and pleasant. The word ‘good’ here carries a moral and ethical meaning, indicating that unity is morally and ethically right. The word ‘pleasant’ carries the meaning that unity is delightful, something that brings joy to the heart, feels refreshing, renewed, and is beautiful to see.

After establishing that unity is both “Good and Pleasant,” David vividly illustrates how unity embodies these qualities. He employs two metaphors to express this: oil and dew. Unity is excellent and pleasant, like the oil poured on Aaron’s head. Next, unity is good and refreshing, like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. What did David mean by comparing unity to the anointing oil and the dew of Hermon?

The oil used to anoint Aaron and his successors was specially made according to God’s specifications. When poured on Aaron’s head, it spread a sweet fragrance around. This intensely perfumed oil, when poured generously upon Aaron’s head, drove away all foul odours and filled the space with its pleasant scent, delighting everyone. David’s point is that unity is good and pleasant because, like fragrant oil, it creates a delightful space and atmosphere, brings joy and attracts people near and far.

Unity is a valuable blessing and a wonderful experience for Christians. Nothing draws others to Christ more than the fragrance of Christian unity, and nothing repels them more than division and quarrels. Unity in church or family is always a fragrance God uses to draw others to His love and His Word. This idea is reinforced by the second metaphor, where unity is compared to the dew of Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in the Holy Land, located at an elevation of approximately 2,814 meters above sea level. Most of the year, the mountain is covered in dew, creating a breathtaking sight. When David describes unity as being as good and pleasant as the dew of Hermon, he might be thinking about the mountain’s magnificent beauty cloaked in dew. A family or church high in unity is a beautiful and pleasing sight, capturing everyone’s attention and even drawing in unbelievers. Unity smells good, looks good, and captures everyone’s attention.

Secondly, unity is good and pleasant because it is where God’s call is heard, and His mission is blessed and prospered. In the Old Testament, oil is used for anointing priests, kings, and prophets. Anointing with oil sets God’s chosen people apart for specific tasks. From time to time, kings, prophets, and priests whom God called were anointed with oil to fulfill a special mission. Anointing oil marks their calling and ensures they have God’s Holy Spirit to accomplish their given tasks. When David links unity with anointing oil, he means that places of unity are fertile grounds where God’s call can be heard. These are sacred spaces where the Holy Spirit unites people’s hearts around His Word and Sacraments, godly visions emerge, significant steps of faith are taken, and the desire to advance God’s kingdom becomes central to the people’s hearts. However, in places where discord and division prevail, no such vision will be seen; no call from God can be heard.

The places of unity are not only where God’s call is heard, but also where missions, family, and relationships grow, flourish, and become fruitful. In the Old Testament, dew is often linked to fruitfulness and prosperity. God opens the doors of heaven to shower dew on the land and its yields fruit. When he withdraws dew, the drought comes, and people suffer from famine. (Hag 1:10-11, 14:15,1kings 17). Wherever unity exists, our lives and calling prosper and bear fruit a hundredfold. Verse 3 states, There the Lord ordained his blessing. In other words, God commanded the prosperity and blessing to remain in those places of unity. Unity creates fertile ground in families and churches for God’s word to grow, for our callings and vocations to thrive and prosper for His greater glory and for the blessing of all.

Now, at this point, we might ask how we can have this unity. Here, we realize that God does not ask us to create unity in the first place. Unity comes to us from Him. God gives it to us as a Gift. We are only asked to keep and guard it without losing it. This becomes clearer when we understand why David chose Aaron’s anointing to illustrate unity. Perhaps the reason is that Aaron’s high priestly work served as a unifying factor for Israel as a nation. Once a year, Aaron entered the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle with the blood sacrifice to atone for the people’s sins. In the Old Testament, the foundation for the unity of the children of Israel before God and among themselves was based on this blood atonement. Now, Aaron is the foreshadow of Jesus in the Old Testament. The book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is our high priest, and He offered Himself once and for all as a sacrifice for us. Through His precious blood, He bought us and cleansed us from all sin, so that we may belong to Him. Because of this, we are His. And in Christ, ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Gal 3:28). We all become one in Him through baptism. Beyond our nationalities, cultures, races, ethnicities, classes, castes, languages, and skin colors, we are made one in Christ. Even if we live in Canada, India, Africa, China, Australia, or Europe, what unites us is that we are all baptised into one Lord and belong to Christ. So ‘There is one body, one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.’

We did not do anything to earn this unity. It is a free but costly gift. Because it is costly, Paul also reminds us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.” Please do not break it or lose it. The word used here for ‘make an effort’ comes directly from the context of gladiator fights in ancient Rome. Gladiators are trained throughout their lives to fight in front of large audiences. When they do fight, if they lose, it often means death or lifelong severe injuries. So, they use all their energy, skills, and mental strength they have gained to overcome their opponent, win, stay alive, and avoid being killed. The phrase ‘Make every effort’ to maintain the unity spirit means fighting like a gladiator with strength and doing everything possible to preserve peace and unity. Unity here does not just mean the absence of conflicts or fights but also doing everything we can to understand, resolve, forgive, forget, and move forward so that a positive and constructive atmosphere prevails.

Making every effort also involves honestly acknowledging before God that we need Him in our lives and relationships to heal us, forgive us, work within us, and strengthen us. Without Him, we cannot do anything. God’s Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of Unity. He works to maintain unity among us through various means. Worship means God’s service to us. In worship, God comes to us through His word and sacraments. He forgives us, comforts us, nourishes, heals, and strengthens us so that the spirit of unity remains among us.

The unity that God’s gift grants us and asks us to maintain is precious because it is both wonderful and good. As David reminds us, it not only has a pleasant aroma but also appears beautiful. It draws even unbelievers and helps them see Jesus more clearly. Unity provides a rich space and atmosphere for people to hear God’s call, where lives flourish and are blessed. May God, the Holy Spirit, continue to strengthen, comfort, and supply us with everything we need, so that as we all live in fellowship and unity with God, we reflect that reality in our lives together as fellow Christians. Amen.]]>

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Our text begins with the reminder that Jesus is journeying toward Jerusalem, and remember what that means. He’s traveled many times before, but this journey began just after the Transfiguration, and the destination is the cross. He’s not going in a straight line, but this journey is going to end on Calvary as He dies for the sins of the world. He’s going to the cross and God’s judgment to save all who will believe in Him.

And who will that be? Who will be saved? That’s the question from someone along the way: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” It’s a numbers sort of question, but Jesus doesn’t respond with numbers or even a yes or no. Instead, He gives three warnings about the difficulty of salvation.

The first warning is this: the door to salvation is narrow, and it will be a struggle to get through.

The second warning is this: the door is going to shut. It won’t be open forever. Sooner or later, the master of the house is going to rise up and shut the door, and then it will be too late. The time for salvation is limited. There is only so much time for the struggle before the door closes.

The third warning is this: plenty of people who think they are saved will be bitterly disappointed on the Last Day. They’ll be shocked to find themselves on the outside of a closed door. They will say to Jesus, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.” But He will answer, “Depart from Me, all you workers of evil.”

So there are the three warnings of the text: the door is narrow, and it’s a struggle to get through; time is limited before the door is shut; and many who thought they were saved will find out they are not when it is too late.

Feeling nervous yet? If you hear this only by way of the Law, you should be nervous indeed. If salvation is a struggle and the door is narrow, how do you know when you have struggled enough to wiggle your way through? If time is limited, how do you know that you have enough time to strive and struggle and get through the door? And even if you strive and struggle with all your might, how can you be sure that you’re saved and won’t be cast into outer darkness for eternity? Oh, if you hear these warnings only according to the Law of God, you should be more than nervous. You ought to be terrified.

Yet many preachers will find this as a good way to preach this text. See, we’re rather lazy by nature, and we tend to get rather relaxed with that full-blown Gospel message that Christ has already fully accomplished our salvation. If you want a congregation that’s highly motivated to do good works, as a preacher you’ve got to keep them on their toes, constantly striving to do more in order to be sure they’ve done enough, lived enough of a Christian life. So if that was my aim, then that’s how I’d preach this text to you: I’d say, “Look people, the greatest danger to your faith is complacency. Now that Jesus has died for you, salvation is still going to be a struggle. Frankly, the lives that you’re living right now just aren’t cutting it, and you’d better be working harder if you’re going to get through that narrow door. Do more. Give more. Pray more. Serve more. Keep struggling. Keep striving, because the door is going to close.” That’s how you motivate people to act better—make sure that they’re unsure of their salvation, that they’ve got to do more to be certain.

But that’s a terrible sermon. In fact, that sermon is exactly what Jesus is warning against! The greatest danger to your faith here is not complacency. It’s believing that your salvation comes about because of you, your striving and your struggle.

II. Good News in the Three Warnings

We need to look back and look at the context of Luke 13. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus has just healed a woman with a disabling spirit that has left her hunched over for 18 years—He’s just demonstrated God’s mercy and healing. But the ruler of the synagogue objects—he declares that the miracle is wrong because Jesus has done it on the Sabbath. He’s worked a wonder on the Day of Rest, and thus He’s broken the rules. There’s the tension that pervades Luke 13 and all of Jesus’ ministry: does salvation come because man keeps the rules, or because God comes near and does the miraculous saving?

So when Jesus gives these three warnings in our Gospel lesson, He’s warning against trusting in your own efforts with each one.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door,” He says. “For many, I tell you, will seek to enter it and not be able.” The door to salvation is narrow, because there is only one way to heaven. Jesus is that Door; as He says in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” The fact that the door is narrow is in fact a warning, because man naturally believes that there are all sorts of ways to earn salvation—by works, by pilgrimages, by different gods, by doing this or that. When salvation is left to man, he always comes up with an endless list of ways to please God. He proclaims that the way to heaven is wide—and there’s no greater evidence of that today than the lazy statement that all religions lead to heaven. Against all of that, Jesus warns that He is the only Savior. When Jesus declares that the door is narrow, He is declaring that there is a door. He is proclaiming that there is a way to heaven, despite the sinfulness and evil of man. If you’re in a burning building, you don’t complain that there is only one exit — you go through it! Likewise, it’s nonsense when one complains that God is unfair when He provides only one Savior. The truth is that the one Savior has suffered hell and died for all the world. The work is done. Why would God need to provide another Savior, another door, if Christ has done it all?

Yet, many will be unable to enter it. The door is too narrow. Why? Because salvation is a matter of repentance and faith, not your works. By the grace of God, you can go through. But try to bring along a few trophies to show off to God, to say, “This is why I deserve to be here,” and you’ll find they won’t fit through the door. This was a huge problem for those around Jesus during His ministry, because the Pharisees were always teaching that you’re saved because you’ve got enough good works to show off to God. In fact, they were so sure that their works would save them that they saw no need for Jesus—in fact, they believed they had to put Him to death for telling them not to trust in their works, but in Him.

Don’t be deceived: there’s a Pharisee inside of you, too. Your Old Adam likes to put on a nice outfit now and then and persuade you that God loves you because of the good stuff you do—he does this to distract you from the grace that Jesus offers. That’s why you repent whenever you think that you need to impress God with your righteousness for Him to save you.

And that’s why you rejoice—there is a door to heaven, and His name is Jesus. This door is narrow because you don’t need anything but Him and the grace He has won for you on the cross.

We should probably add that the door is so narrow as to admit individuals, not groups. Another big false belief in Jesus’ time among His fellow Jews was the idea that they were automatically going to heaven because they were descendants of Abraham. They didn’t believe in salvation by faith, but salvation by the right ancestry. The same temptation exists today, and plenty find themselves saying nonsensical things like “I am a Christian because my parents are Christians,” or “I must be going to heaven because my name is on a church roster.” This isn’t salvation by faith, but salvation by membership. But again, the door is narrow: it doesn’t admit people in groups. It admits individuals instead; because as soon as you say that you’re saved by belonging to a group, you’re saying that you’re not saved because Christ has died for you. So when you think that salvation is about belonging to this group or that club, you repent for the offense it gives to your Savior who has died for you. And you rejoice, for there is very good news for you in this: it is the news that Jesus has certainly died for you. If Jesus only died for certain groups or families, then what if you didn’t belong to them? What hope would you have? None. But because Christ has died for all, you can be sure that His grace is for you.

So “strive to enter through the narrow door,” says Jesus. Struggle to enter it. Let’s be clear: the struggle isn’t your striving to do good works. The struggle, the ongoing struggle, is repentance. It’s striving against the temptations of your old sinful flesh that want you to trust in yourself. It is, by the grace of God and by the faith that He gives, saying, “I repent of my sin and I trust in Christ alone for my salvation.”

What of the other two warnings? The second one is that time is limited before the master of the house rises and shuts the door. Once the door is closed on the Last Day, it will not open again. Now, the Master of the house is Jesus, who has died and is risen: the door could shut any day. You want to have your ducks in a row, be sure you’re inside. Remember what we said before: if getting through the door is by your work, then that’s a terrifying warning because you can’t be sure you have enough time to do enough good to enter—if that were even possible. But there’s better news for you here: the striving is repentance. Jesus is saying, “Repent before I return in judgment.” If you are repentant and forgiven, then heaven is yours. You don’t have to wonder if you’ve done enough to be ready—instead, you can be certain that you’re forgiven enough right now. If the Lord returns today, heaven is yours because Christ has made it so by forgiving your sins.

The third warning Jesus gives is that many who thought they were saved will find out they are not when it is too late. They will say, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets;” but Jesus will respond, “I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from Me, all you workers of evil!” That’s a serious warning, too—how awful to assume that you are saved, then to be shut out at the end. The context is important to understand the warning: remember that Jesus ate with Pharisees and taught them often. They were in His presence, but they still trusted in their own works, not His grace. Some may have gotten along well with Him, for all we know; but if they didn’t trust in Him, they remained lost. So it is today: one can be in the presence of Jesus for now and still be lost. Jesus is, after all, present here. When you hear His Word, the Word made flesh is present here to give you grace and life and salvation. In your baptism, it is the Word Incarnate in and with the water—it’s Jesus joining you to His death and resurrection. And, of course, in the Lord’s Supper He is the Host, as well as the Meal. You eat and drink in His presence, as He gives you His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Now, one can be a hypocrite in the presence of God, hearing Him teach and eating His Supper but still trusting in his own goodness to get to heaven. There will be many on the Last Day who say, “We ate and drank in Your presence and heard You teach—didn’t our every-Sunday attendance earn a place in heaven?” The answer is no: it’s not your work that gets you there, but the forgiveness that Jesus gives in His means of grace. So you repent when you believe it’s your work of attending, of paying attention, of eating and drinking, or even praying that makes God love you. And instead, you rejoice that the Lord Himself is present to speak and to feed you with forgiveness, life and salvation.

That’s the Good News you find in these three warnings: the door is narrow, but the door is there, and it is only narrow because you need nothing else but Jesus for salvation. The time of salvation is limited, but you’re prepared by grace if the Lord returns today, for He has done everything to accomplish your salvation and there’s nothing left to do. Not everyone who has been in the presence of Jesus, through His means of grace, will enter heaven; but you will, because in those means of grace the Lord gives you eternal life.

What then of good works? Remember the terrible sermon I shared before, preaching that you’d better do more, give more, serve more if you want to be certain of your salvation—using fear to motivate Christians. Such preaching can produce motivated people, but only for a while until the law burns them out. Meanwhile, Lutherans are sometimes accused of being a little quiet and lazy when it comes to good works. So here we go: should you be doing more? Giving more? Helping more? Serving more? Absolutely. Of that you can be sure, because original sin still clings to you and that means you’re selfish by nature. You’d rather have other people bear the load, do the work, increase their offering. Refusal to do such good works will harm your faith—such thanklessness will work to lead you away from God’s promise of salvation that He’s already given to you. And that’s the key: salvation is already yours, won by Christ and given to you freely in His Word and Sacraments. We don’t tell you to do these things so that you might be certain of your salvation—such motivation by fear is not of the Gospel. No, we tell you that you’re set free to do these things because salvation is certainly, already yours. There’s a huge difference between being a slave who has to work hard every day for fear of being fired or severely punished, and a child who serves as part of the household forever. You’re a child, not a slave. The kingdom of heaven is yours, and the good works you do are a sacrifice of thanksgiving for that reality.

You’re a child of God and an heir of heaven because Jesus has saved you. He’s brought you through the narrow door. He’s done everything so that you might be certain of your salvation, even if He should return today, and He visits to be present with you in His means of grace, to continually feed you with grace and salvation. “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Jesus doesn’t say yes or no, doesn’t talk in numbers or statistics. He does promise that many will come from all over and be saved, and that you are among them: for you are forgiven for all of your sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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The Word of the Lord from Luke 12: Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” This is the Word of the Lord.

I. A Divisive Savior

Dear friends in Christ,

Jesus comes to bring division. Not peace, but division. Many would read this passage and respond, “well, if the Bible is God’s Word, how does this fit in with the message of peace and love and forgiveness? Jesus dividing families against each other? Jesus ending family peace?

That objection makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, when Jesus was born, didn’t the angels proclaim “Peace on earth”? His words here sound terribly out of step with the Gospel. But they are not. What Jesus is talking about is a blessed division because is it not a political division, but a spiritual division.

Consider the world apart from Jesus: Sinful. Unrighteous. Dead. Enslaved to sin. Apart from Christ, there are no exceptions. Before the fall into sin, Adam and Eve were united with God, holy and in His presence; but sin divided them away from God and death divided them away from life. Because of that division, all their descendants now faced God’s judgment. In other words, all were united, together—it’s just that they were united in sin, death and condemnation. Make no mistake, those who are dead in sin are hostile to God. The hostility may be passive or aggressive in nature, but it is there.

Jesus came to save us from sin. That is why He became flesh. That is why He lived a perfectly holy life. That is why He submitted Himself to endure His death on a cross. That is why He rose again three days later and ascended into heaven. All of this was for you and for all the world—to open the gates of heaven once more, that “whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus came to restore communion with God, to bring you back into the presence and light of your Creator. However, this grace is—by definition—a gift. He offers it to all by means of His Word, but He forces it upon nobody. Not everyone will hold onto the gift of life He gives: many in their sinfulness will reject it, throw it away. There will be those who repent and those who do not. There will be believers and unbelievers. There will be the living dead and those who live though they have died. That is the division that Jesus brings, that Jesus gives.

It is a blessed division. Apart from Christ, all would be lost. Because of Christ, many are saved. We are rightly troubled at the news of a disaster—a plane crash or a terrorist attack where many are killed. But we also give thanks for those who survive, for those who are divided from the dead by still being alive. We give thanks for the work of medics who save many on the battlefield and the nurses who go to disaster areas: for even though they cannot save all who are injured, they save some. Likewise, we give thanks for this division Jesus brings: we rejoice that while not all are saved, many are—solely by the grace of God.

Furthermore, we rejoice that the Lord doesn’t limit His atoning grace: He does not divide out some and say to the rest, “I desire that the rest of you be divided and lost, separated from Me in hell forever.” He desires all to be saved. He delights in the death of no one. He wants all to be united in Him!. Those who remain divided from Him do so by their own sinful rejection.

That’s the division that Jesus brings. To quote this verse by itself and determine Jesus to be spiteful or mean is completely to miss the point of the verse. In fact, we must read it in the context of the verses which precede it. Jesus says, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” Fire destroys whatever it can burn away. It also purifies what it cannot. Jesus says that He has come to cast fire on the earth. He has come to destroy the power of sin, death, devil and hell. He has come to destroy all that would divide you from the Lord and the life that He has for you. But because you have faith, His fire does not destroy you. It purifies you. It purifies you by removing all of your impurities, all of your sins, all of your unholiness that would divide you from God.

But how does Jesus cast this fire on the earth? It is by His baptism that He must undergo. This is not the one in the Jordan River at the beginning of His ministry, although the two are closely connected. At His baptism in the Jordan, the sinless, pure Son of God took His place among sinners. By His baptism, He declared that He had come to bear all of their sins, all of their impurities, all of their unrighteousness to the cross. On the cross, He would take their place and suffer God’s fire, God’s judgment for sin: that’s the baptism of fire that He speaks about in this text.

See, if you faced God’s fire on your own, it would destroy and purify—but there would be nothing left, because there is nothing pure within you. So Christ has faced that fire in your place, been destroyed in your place, suffered hell in your place before His death and resurrection. Because the fire destroyed Him on the cross, now He purifies you. He divides you away from sin and death, sets you apart as a holy child of God.

So let no one read Jesus’ words that He has come to give division and conclude that He is gleefully causing problems. He is dividing people from death to life at the cost of His own blood, at the price of His own life. Our salvation comes because of His distress.

II. Applications

What does this blessed division mean for you and me? For you as a Christian, the encompassing temptation is this: when division arises, it’s the Gospel that gets the blame.

But it doesn’t make sense to blame the Gospel: picture the aftermath of a shipwreck with survivors flailing around in the water trying to escape drowning. A rescue ship has arrived on scene, with rescuers pulling survivors aboard so that they’re safe: the rescuers are dividing those drowning from death to life. But instead of rejoicing to join those on board ship, imagine some in the water scream that it’s wrong that those on board are different. Imagine them declaring that the rescue ship should be scuttled so that everyone is united in sinking once again.

That’s the position in which the Church finds itself today, and always, in the world. You’re safe aboard the ark of the Church, saved by Christ from death to life. As the Church, we proclaim that there’s plenty of room on board; but the world will declare that Christianity is divisive for proclaiming life in Christ.

“Jesus Christ is Lord” is a statement that divides between those who believe it and those who do not, and there will always be pressure exerted on the Church to change that confession to something like “Jesus is one lord among many.” But that says that every false god is as worthy of honor as Jesus. That leaves everyone without hope, united in hopelessness: everyone’s sinking, and there’s no true Savior to rescue. No, it’s far better to rejoice in the dividing Savior, to declare, “Jesus is the one true Lord and Savior—and He has died to save you, too!”

A worship service creates division. Everyone is invited and all are welcome to attend, but a worship service is designed foremost to feed the people of God. It is the family meal, where the Lord feeds His beloved children. Some will visit a worship service and not like what they hear—I’m not so much speaking of style as I am of content. Without faith, people will not like the Gospel. This creates a division—some believe the Gospel and some do not. Now, a lot of “worship theory” these days says that a worship service is primarily to attract unbelievers who may or may not come, not the family of God in that place; and those who hold this view say that the proclamation of the Gospel should be minimized so as not to offend. Within the past few years, one Lutheran professor even suggested that we edit or omit the Apostles’ Creed so as not to offend any Muslims who might be visiting! But if we take such a view, we are saying that the Gospel is the problem, not the false beliefs that others hold. Then we are saying that we value a superficial peace that says “Christianity isn’t all that different,” from other religions, rather than boldly proclaiming Jesus who seeks to divide them from death. So we do well to examine ourselves: if visitors find us distasteful because we are boorish or unfriendly, that is our problem and a reason for us to repent. But if they do not like the Gospel that they hear, we do not blame Jesus or the message. Instead, we give thanks that they were here to hear that Word, and that the Holy Spirit will continue to work by the Word they have heard to divide them from death to life. And we proclaim to all who will hear that there’s more room aboard the ship, that Jesus will not run out of grace for all who will believe, that He wants to divide them away from eternal death, too.

As long as sinners remain, the division Jesus brings will be apparent. This is an important truth to accept, because many will argue that division is proof that Jesus isn’t there. Many will argue that peace and quiet is the proof of God’s presence. Look at the Old Testament lesson, the time of Jeremiah. God complains about the false prophets whom He hasn’t sent, but who claim to have gone out in His name. And what do the false prophets proclaim? They proclaim that “all is well” when it is not. They say that “no disaster will come upon you” when disaster is going to destroy the city. They proclaim “peace, peace” where there is no peace (cf. Jer 6:14). This is the very sort of peace that Jesus comes to destroy, because it’s a false peace that denies the need for grace. So it’s left to Jeremiah to be the skunk at the tea party, to declare that the sin of the people has divided them from God, that judgment it about to fall with a heavy hand. Now, who does everybody blame for causing division? They blame Jeremiah, for telling the truth. But while he received the blame of man then, he now rests from his labors in heaven.

Do not try to measure the presence of Jesus by how much peace you feel. You know Jesus is present in His Word and Sacraments, no matter what storms surround you. We do well to remember Luther’s observation that a superficial peace may mean that people have departed from the faith so far that the devil sees no need to trouble them anymore. Instead, give thanks that, no matter the storm, you know that for Jesus’ sake you’re not going to drown.

There are two places where this division becomes especially acute and painful. Jesus mentions one explicitly in our text: it is within families where some believe in Christ and some do not. This division may manifest itself in a subtle tension when some leave for church on Sunday and some do not, or an underlying worry for the souls of those who don’t believe; or it may be open warfare when a non-Christian makes moral choices that flatly contradict Scripture. This is a difficult cross for believers to bear, and the temptation will be heavy upon you to blame Jesus for the division, to decide that your loyalty to family is more important than your faith in Christ. If you are in this position, you are in my prayers: and I pray that you would be delivered from the temptation of blaming the Lord. And I give thanks to God that He has divided you to life so that you might His instrument in your own home and among close friends, that you might with love and patience speak His saving Word to them. There may be distress, but God will grant you the grace and faith to be His blessed instrument there.

The other place is within the family of the Church. The “problem” with the Church, of course, is that it is full of sinners; and where you’ve got a group of sinners gathered around the holy things of God, divisions are bound to develop along the way. I’m thankful that, at present, we have no great divisions within this congregation. But when trouble arises, we first want to ask the question: is the disagreement over doctrine or over some other, debatable matter? If it is over a matter of Christian freedom, then we respond by making sure that the strong in faith care for the weak. None of us is to try to get his way, but to look out for everybody else. This love for one another goes a long way in preventing people from being divided from the flock. And where it is a matter of clear, biblical doctrine, we firmly hold fast to it without compromise. We do so because we do not want to be divided from God for the sake of a manmade peace. We want to remain divided from death and united in Christ.

Because Jesus comes to give division. He divides you from death to life, from sin to holiness. Why, the word “sanctify” means “to set apart,” to divide away from that which is common or unholy. By His grace, He has set you apart from sin to righteousness, from death to life, from grave to heaven, from “enslaved to the devil” to “child of God.” He has done so by enduring the cross, that baptism of fire which damned Him so that you might be purified for His sake.

How blessed are you! For Jesus has come to divide you from death, and He does so with these words: you are forgiven for all of yours sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Dear Friends in Christ:

As Christians, we don’t worship the saints; yet, we can look at those who have gone before us and marvel at what they did—or, better, what the Lord accomplished through them. Today’s epistle gives us a list of saints to ponder.

I. The “Hall of Faith”
We begin with Abel, son of Adam and Eve. Our text tells us that he—a herder of sheep— “offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” Why was it more excellent? Because it was offered by faith: rather than believe that his sacrifice earned God’s favor, Abel offered it because he believed that the Seed of the Woman would be born to save him from sin—thus his sacrifice testified that he was righteous before God, for the sake of Jesus who was to come. Abel suffered for his sacrifice: Cain took him out into the field and killed him. Thus the first shepherd was also the first person to die because of sin, awaiting the Good Shepherd who would be led out of the city and crucified for the sins of the world.

Next in the text is Enoch, the one whom we know the least. Enoch was a righteous man and an ancestor of Jesus. Beyond that, here is what we know: according to Jude 14, he was a prophet who warned of God’s judgment against sinners. Further, we know that Enoch did not see death: rather, says Genesis 5:24, “he walked with God and was not, because God took him.” Enoch did not die. Why? Because of his own righteousness? No—because he lived by faith in Jesus, who would taste death for him, and rise again. Faith is the key ingredient to eternal life here, “for without faith it is impossible to please God.” We’ll expand on that in a little bit.

Next in line is Noah, with whose story you are probably familiar. Noah and his family, eight total, lived as believers in a world that had otherwise rejected God. The Lord warned him that the Flood was coming and promised deliverance through the ark. Noah believed the Lord’s promise and built the ark; and during the decades that this required, he proclaimed God’s Word (2 Peter 2:5) and warned others of impending judgment. They didn’t listen, and so they were swept away. Noah and his family were delivered as heirs of righteousness. “Heirs” is an excellent word here: they did not earn righteousness. They received it by faith for the sake of Jesus, who would endure the flood of His Father’s wrath on the cross, that He might wash their sins away.

Our text next speaks of Abraham, who was “called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.” He had a nice home in Ur, yet he believed the Lord’s promise that he would receive the land of Canaan; so he packed up his household and left all that he knew. The Lord kept his promise, and Abraham dwelt in the Promised Land; unfortunately, nobody else outside of his family believed it. Therefore, while all of Canaan belonged to Abraham, all who lived there viewed him as a stranger and foreigner. (When Sarah died, Abraham had to purchase land for her grave!) Despite all of this, Abraham trusted God’s promise and remained there. He lived by faith in Jesus, who would not be properly received when He came to dwell among His people, but would be the foundation for the City of God, the Church, forever.

With Abraham comes Sarah, childless throughout her life. At ninety years old, she heard God promise her a son—an absolutely laughable idea, since she was far past childbearing. But the Lord promised, Sarah believed, and Isaac was born to her and Abraham. Why? Because Sarah believed the promise by faith—faith in her descendant, the miracle Son who would be born to the virgin Mary, to save her from her sin.

We hear of these five saints, and it’s quite a list. One died for his faith. The next preached against evil and never died. A third built a boat against all common sense and appearances. The fourth left his home for a land that was his, even though no one else recognized it; and with the fifth, he fathered a miracle baby when he and his wife were in their nineties. Why did they do these things? How did they do these things? The text is clear: by faith.

And what else does the text say of these saints? It says that they not only lived by faith, but died in faith. They saw very few of God’s promises fulfilled, but they trusted that God would keep them; therefore, they died believing in what was yet to come. They willingly faced suffering, ridicule, hardship and death in this life because they believed they were just strangers here. They counted their lives and livelihood nothing because they had a different homeland—an eternal, heavenly country.

Thus our text honors them with this epitaph: “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

I, for one, would be honored to have such a statement on my gravestone. And perhaps you find yourself saying, “I wish that I had that sort of faith. I can’t imagine leaving home for a foreign land or building the ark or suffering death for a sacrifice. I know that isn’t me. I’m not like that. I wish I could have faith like them.”

II. Faith for You
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoice. You do have faith like them. You have the same faith of Abel and Enoch, Noah and Abraham and Sarah. I give you a few Scripture passages to consider.

First of all there’s Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” What is the gift of God? Faith is—along with grace.

Faith is given to you by God with forgiveness. It is not something earned by works. Faith is a gift—that you believe in Jesus is a gift from God. It has to be this way. If we truly believe the Scriptures that we were born dead in sin, then we couldn’t make ourselves alive. God had to give us life, which He does by giving us forgiveness and faith.

Now, God has given you forgiveness for Jesus’ sake, just as He did for Abel, Enoch and the rest—because like you, they were all born dead in sin. It’s the same Jesus and the same forgiveness. Likewise, He gives you the same faith.

The next verse is I Corinthians 12:3: “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” This teaches us two things. First, the gift of faith is the work of the Holy Spirit. You can’t believe in Jesus without the Holy Spirit working in you. The Holy Spirit and faith in Jesus always go together. You were given both as a gift when you were baptized.

Second, what does faith do? It believes in Jesus. It clings to the Savior and the forgiveness He has won. To have faith is to believe that Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, became flesh and died on the cross for you. You cannot believe in Jesus without faith. By faith, you believe in Him, and so forgiveness is yours.

Now, who died for the sins of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah? Jesus did. In whom did they believe? In Jesus, the Savior who was to come. Their faith held on to Jesus, just like your faith does. Same Jesus, same faith. Thus you have the same faith as these saints.

Therefore, you have the same forgiveness, Savior, salvation and eternal life.

We want to add, however, that the Bible speaks of strong faith and weak faith. Strong faith is better able to resist temptation and accomplish more good works than weak faith. Think of it this way: if you have a heartbeat, you are alive. You’re alive whether your heartbeat is weak or strong—though a strong heartbeat is far better than a weak one. Likewise, you are alive in Christ whether your faith is weak or strong—though a strong faith is far better.

How is your faith strengthened? Romans 10:17 tells you: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” The Holy Spirit gives and strengthens your faith through the Word of God. That’s why you rejoice daily to remember your Baptism, where God gave you faith by water and the Word. That’s why your faith wants to come to church, to hear the Word of God and gather strength. That’s why your faith delights to feast upon the Savior’s body and blood, present in, with and under bread and wine by the Word of God.

In short, faith is a gift given by God, as it was to the saints in our text. Faith clings to Jesus and His forgiveness, as did the saints in our text. Faith comes by hearing the Word—as you and the saints in our text have heard God’s Word.

Therefore, if you believe that faith is something you’ve come up with in order to please God, repent. It is His gift to you for your salvation. To claim it is your doing is to rob God of glory and seize the glory for yourself. If faith is something you do, then it is your work and it is never certain. If faith is God’s gift, then your salvation is sure.

If you believe that faith is all about getting God to do what you want Him to, repent. Faith is about clinging to Jesus and His forgiveness, and faith always prays, “Our Father, thy will be done, not mine.”

Where you have neglected to hear and read God’s Word on a regular basis, or where you have not availed yourself of His Supper, repent. In doing so, you have withheld food from the faith God has given, and so you have weakened that gift. You may believe it has made no difference, but it has. Repent, and rejoice that Christ has died for this sin, too, that you might be forgiven and strengthened in faith once more.

Rejoice! God gives you faith and counts you among His saints for Jesus’ sake. You may not suffer death like Abel because of it, though you will suffer; and God grants you the faith to endure. In the meantime, too, He rejoices in your works, because you are His child for Jesus’ sake; and a good Father always rejoices in His children. You will not avoid death like Enoch unless the Lord first returns, but you have been given the same faith. Therefore, like Enoch God says of you, “I am well pleased with you, because Jesus has taken away all of your sins.” You may not be sent to a faraway land to live as a stranger as was Abraham; but like Abraham, your destination is sure: the New Jerusalem forever, whose foundation is Christ. And like Sarah, by faith you know that the one who promises is faithful, and so you can be sure of your salvation.

Your life may or may not display great acts of obedience like theirs. But of this you can be certain: the same Savior, Jesus, gives you the same forgiveness and faith. Therefore, this is true, too: God is not ashamed to be called your God, and He has prepared a city for you—all for the sake of Jesus. For in Him, you are forgiven for all of your sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,

Today’s text begins with Jesus speaking to a large crowd, warning them about the pride of the Pharisees and the danger of denying Him and rejecting His salvation. Suddenly someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

We are almost embarrassed by the man and his petition. It simply is not an important enough question to ask. “Lord, thank You for great Your discussion on the eternal consequences and rewards of confessing You, but I need You to go tell my brother to divide our inheritance so that I can get my portion. And do it now.”

But He [Jesus] said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” Jesus gives the man a stern refusal. Our Lord’s Incarnation at Bethlehem, Baptism in the Jordan River, Temptation in the Wilderness, and Work among the people was to proclaim, bring about, and fulfill the Good News of eternal life, gracious salvation, and forgiveness of sin. He neither had nor sought the secular office of an arbitrator. His Call was a mission to bring the Good News of God’s love for the world by giving His Only-Begotten Son in the manger and on the cross.

And so, we might expect Jesus to dismiss the man whose mind was occupied with an inheritance of a perishable treasure from this temporary world, or to grab the man by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, or, at the very least, simply to neglect the man’s request. So, in view of the weighty, eternal issues just addressed and the petty, temporary claim on an earthly inheritance, we are somewhat surprised when Jesus speaks to those within His hearing. He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Jesus did not send him away. He answered him. The man and his appeal, as well as the underlying sin of the man, were important enough to answer … important enough for the Holy Spirit to include in the Word of God … important enough for this text to be included in the assigned readings for this day … important enough for you and me to hear and consider its implications and applications.
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

As you no doubt know, often the days of hard-working people do not end until the sun has set. In that mystical time between sunset and night … that evening of life … a hard-worker will get ready for bed and prepare for that little slice of death called sleep. Now if you are like me, when you are in bed and all ready for the unconscious state of mind to commence, your mind is usually fully occupied and you do some thinking about the activities of the day and say a few silent prayers. At such times, thoughts and prayers tend to mingle together as sleep slowly conquers. And at such times, as well as at all times, the Lord God listens in on all thoughts and hears every prayer.

Well, how can we rephrase it? I came across this retelling of the story this week. It goes like this: once upon a time, in the land of cockleburr and Canadian thistle, a rich man had finished his work for the day and had just climbed into bed. Now, he was a rich man … but not because he had gained his wealth by unlawful or shameful means. He didn’t get his fortune by selling drugs, or defrauding, or by gambling, or by thievery. No, indeed, he was an honest, hard-working farmer who woke the rooster up every morning, letting that critter know it was dawn and time to crow. The rich man worked all day and his hard labors showed.

At the end of the day, when the sun had dipped below the horizon, he would say, “Well done!” And it was true, for his farm bore witness to his hard work.

Well, it happened as it usually did, at one bedtime, during the autumn of life … during that mysterious time when all creation is preparing for the coming night, the man began to think as he pulled the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes. “Ah, what a day! Here it is 9:00 pm already.

Hard work has its rewards and I am truly being rewarded for my efforts. What a crop this year! I really don’t think it has been any better. It just keeps coming and coming. The yield per acre is astounding! Why is that? Some would say, ‘Thanks be to God,’ but I know better. Hard work. Oh yes, hard work! My crops give the word ‘harvest’ a new meaning. However, such success does not come without consequences. Now, I have a new problem. Success leads to excess. But I will solve my problem. I just need to do some thinking about it. Let’s see, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'”

And so, the rich man, who had gained his wealth by honest work, was faced with a problem. He chuckled at his great problem, for he loved the trouble that his problem caused. His abundant harvest was his great problem and as he slumbered he thought about its solution, counting his coins as others count sheep. At 10:00pm, in the stillness of the night, something came to him and it was the answer to his great dilemma.

“I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. I have weighed my silver and my gold and found it way more than sufficient to do what I need to have done. I am going to tear down what I have and build new and bigger and greater barns.
Oh, just imagine the amount of harvest my new barns will be able to hold! What an idea and what a solution to the only great problem I have in the my life.”

At the eleventh second of the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour, during that mystical time when one is neither asleep nor awake, the man mused about his abundant crops, his stacks of gold shekels, his new building project, and the great harvest that would be his. In that nether-land between consciousness and unconsciousness, the man smiled and mumbled from his heart of hearts, “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'”

One minute before midnight the rich man was confronted by God. The Lord God Almighty invaded the mind, assaulted the being, and confronted the consciousness of the rich man who harvested bumper crops on the surface skin of this planet and built bigger barns in this world — all to feed his soul. But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”

Then the Lord God left him alone … left him completely and totally alone in the darkness of this world’s night. The quietness of dread descended upon the barn-builder’s soul. The rich man was by himself and only had his own thoughts to occupy his mind.

“Fool. God called me a fool. A fool is an unbeliever … one who says there is no god. God called me an unbeliever! I don’t want to be a fool. I’m not a fool. I refuse to be. My hands are shaking and my heart is pounding. I don’t want God to ever call me a fool again. Tomorrow morning, when I wake up, I am going to make some changes in my life. Only now do I really understand that God has given me so much … house, home, fields, cattle, crops, clothing and shoes, meat and drink. How wrong I was. God is my Creator and has made provisions for my re-creation. God has provided for my redemption and I have neglected the Redeemer. When the light of a new day shines, I will be a new man. I repent of my sins. He has provided for both my body and my soul.”

The clock began to strike midnight and the rich man’s mind raced in frantic disarray … all thoughts now accusing and not a one excusing. As the clock of time sounded from the third to the eight chimes, the rich man threw promise after promise to staunch the overwhelming flood pouring down upon him.

“Oh God, I will rush to Your House in the morning and fall down before You, seeking to hear Your Word of forgiveness of all my sins. They are many, and I understand now that there are many more than I ever imagined. I will worship You for You are a God of Law and I respect that, reaping where You do not sow. At first light, I will love my neighbor and give to the poor. I will support Your church. Oh, I am sorrow for what I have done. Look, I will throw down thirty pieces of silver. Make it a thousand! In fact, take it all. Not only a tithe … not only 10%. I will return all of it, a 100% to you. I will help pay for mission work to the nations. Is it a deal, God? Will You be merciful to me then? Here, let me sing, ‘Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee, Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold.’ Did you hear me sing my promise, Lord? When I wake up from this nightmare, You are going to be amazed at what I’m going to do for You, oh God. Will You take back what You said? In the Name of Jesus, please forgive me? God, are You there? Hey, are You listening?”

The rich man heard nothing but the timepiece pounding out the seconds before midnight. The sound
turned from a chiming to the clanking of a death knell … eight, nine, ten.

“Nothing. I hear nothing from You, O God! But wait! What was it He said? Fool! This night your soul will be required of you. Ridiculous. God is love and this is all a nightmare, isn’t it? I will wake up any second, now. Crow, you blasted rooster. Announce the dawning of a new day. Quick, for I heard the sound of the eleventh clank. It is one second before midnight, one second before the end.
Crow, you lazy, slothful rooster and wake me from this horrible nightmare! I mean, I am asleep, aren’t I? I mean, this is all just a bad dream, isn’t it?”

Wow! Just look at the time, dear people. Do you realize that we’re really running out of the allotted time for preaching. In fact, there are only a few minutes left. Let’s see, what needs to be said? Oh yes, it is morning and we are all here. It’s really, really good to be here, isn’t it? Almost makes you want to pray, the morning prayer. If you know it, please pray it with me …

“I thank You, My heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your Hands I commend myself; my body and soul and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me that the wicked Foe may have no power over me. Amen.”

When Jesus finished speaking this parable about the rich man, He proclaimed the point of the parable. “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

To be rich toward God is to be rich in the treasures of God … the ones that He provides us through the Word and Sacraments which are and come from the Incarnate Son of God. This wealth consists of jewel of Holy Baptism, the abundant treasury of forgiveness, complete peace with God, the stockpile of complete pardon, the multi-faceted salvation of the Lord, and the rich Feast of Victory at the Table of the Lord. The church is given the key to heaven and commanded to announce the absolution which grants such a heavenly treasure. Being rich toward God includes the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and the supplying all of our needs, especially granting us faith to believe such promises of God, and all according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Flowing from the grace of God and faith in Christ, the Christian is called to bear fruits of faith. It may mean being a Christian farmer and involve building bigger barns. It does mean supporting the work of the Church in the missions fields of this world, both here locally and away from our area.

The Lord gives us His treasure chest called the Bible and instructs His under-shepherd to command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Well, our time is up. Let me close by saying I hope that the rich blessings of the Lord continue to be yours today. Enjoy the rest of this day and may God grant you a peaceful slumber this night … one free from any sort of nightmares … but especially from, … The Nightmare of a Fool! In the Name of the Father and of the Son an of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Dear Friends in Christ,

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

That’s what one of the disciples asks Jesus at the beginning of our Gospel lesson. Each rabbi had personal instructions regarding prayer for his students, so the disciples wanted to hear from their Teacher. In response, Jesus gives them the Lord’s Prayer; as Luke records it, “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” For some reason, Luke doesn’t record the 3rd and 7th petition. Do doubt Jesus publicly spoke this prayer at different times, perhaps changing it slightly on different occasions. You’ll find the complete version in the Gospel of Matthew, but our text gives us enough to think about.

First, Jesus tells His disciples to address God as “Father.” Not “King,” not “Master,” not “Boss,” but “Father.” That tells you an awful lot about prayer right there. When God hears your prayers, He does not view you as a grubby peasant, a slave or a lowly employee. As Luther’s Small Catechism says, “God would by these words tenderly invite us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that we may with all boldness and confidence as Him as dear children ask their dear Father.” You are children of God, speaking to your loving Father!

“Hallowed be Your name” is the first petition, and you’ve heard what that means from the Small Catechism: “God’s name is holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be holy among us also.” How is God’s name kept holy among us? “When the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we as the children of God also lead holy lives according to it. This grant us, dear Father in heaven. But he that teaches and lives otherwise than God’s Word teaches profanes the name of God among us. From this preserve us, heavenly Father.” So we pray that God’s Word is taught purely, and that we live according to it.

“Your kingdom come,” is the second petition. The Small Catechism says, “The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.” Please note: we don’t make God’s name holy, nor do we cause His kingdom to come. We pray that the Lord would give these things to us. And how does God’s kingdom come? “When our Father in heaven sends us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life, here in time and hereafter in eternity.” So we pray that our Father would send us the Holy Spirit and keep us in the faith.

Our text moves on to, “Give us each day our daily bread.” Again, the Small Catechism: “God gives daily bread indeed without our prayer, also to all the wicked. But we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” What is meant by daily bread? “Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, fields, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” So we pray that our Father would provide us with all that we need.

“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us,” goes the fifth petition, and the Small Catechism explains, “We pray in this petition that our heavenly Father would not look upon our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer, for we are worthy of none of the things for which we ask, neither have we deserved them, but that He would grant them all to us by grace. So also will we heartily forgive, and readily do good to, those who sin against us.” We pray that the Lord would forgive our sins; and forgiven for so much, that we would then forgive others.

Finally, in our text, “And lead us not into temptation.” We know, as the Small Catechism says, that “God indeed tempts no one, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world and our flesh may not deceive us nor seduce us into misbelief, despair and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that at last we may finally overcome and obtain the victory.” There’s a ton of temptation that will deceive or seduce you, to ruin and destroy you: we pray in this prayer for the Lord’s protection and deliverance.

There’s the Lord’s Prayer, at least as much as St. Luke records. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll pray it again before this hour is through. But here is where I’d like to go from here: when you pray, you are looking for an answer. You ask your Father in heaven with the anticipation that He is going to respond; after all, He’s promised to. So when you pray the Lord’s Prayer, you are praying for the Lord to answer; and I would propose to you that the answer to the Lord’s Prayer is Jesus.

Run through the text of that prayer with me one more time, with a slightly different focus. “Father,” began the prayer; and at one time, only One could call God “Father,” and that was Jesus. You couldn’t honestly pray that, because you were sinful—an enemy of God apart from His grace. But Christ became flesh to be your Savior: at His Baptism, the Father said, “This is My beloved Son.” On the cross, the Son prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for you, God said at your Baptism, “You are My beloved child, and I forgive you for the sake of My Son.” Without Jesus, you can’t even start to pray this prayer, because you don’t have a dear Father in heaven. But because Christ dwells in you, you do; and your Father in heaven delights to hear your prayers.

“Hallowed be Your name” is next; and remember that this petition is a prayer that God’s Word be taught in its truth and purity, so that we might lead holy lives according to it. Now, look at Jesus’ ministry: in our very text, Jesus is teaching His Word in its truth and purity to His disciples. Not only has He come to teach the Word, but He has come to fulfill it by His death and resurrection. Without His sacrifice, the Word is unfulfilled. Without His sacrifice to set you free from sin, you could never lead a holy life according to His Word. But Christ has died and Christ is risen, and He has joined you to His death and resurrection in your Baptism, where He put His holy name upon you. It is only because Christ is with you that God’s name is hallowed among you.

Next is “Your kingdom come,” where we pray that our Father would send us the Holy Spirit and keep us in the faith. Apart from Jesus, this is impossible, too. Remember why the Holy Spirit comes: speaking of His death at the Last Supper, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Without Christ and His cross, the Holy Spirit wouldn’t come because He’d have no grace to deliver to you. He wouldn’t keep you alive in the faith because you’d still be dead in sin. But because Christ has made that sacrifice, the Holy Spirit has come to you. Jesus is the answer to this petition too. If you’ve got the King, you’ve got the kingdom.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Remember Jesus feeding the 5000 with five loaves and two fish: at times, He provided literal bread for the day. Remember also His proclamation, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:51). It is for the sake of Jesus that you have what you need for today. And tomorrow. And forever. Apart from Him, there is nothing.

“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” The wages of sin is death, a debt you could not pay. Christ has paid it for you, and it’s not that He’s assumed the note so that He can hold it over you and collect. He forgives you freely, and sets you free to forgive others. Apart from Christ, there is certainly no forgiveness and you’re stuck with your sins. But because of Christ, you have God’s promise that He forgives your sins.

“And lead us not into temptation.” Behold Christ in the wilderness for forty days after His baptism, resisting the devil’s temptations at every turn. He already defeats Satan and sends him packing in the desert—and at the cross, He seals the victory over all those enemies that would deceive or seduce you into misbelief, despair and other great shame and vice. They’ll still assail and attack you, and you’ll still daily give in: but though they may win a battle here or there, because of Christ they have already lost the war. Where the devil, the world and your own flesh would lead you into sin and then claim victory, Jesus defeats them again by forgiving your sins and chasing them away.

Do you see? Jesus is the answer to the Lord’s Prayer—every part of it. We pray these petitions and we confidently expect the Lord to answer; and He does. He says, “I have answered already, for I sent My Son to redeem you. I have answered already, because I made you My beloved child in your Baptism for Christ’s sake. I continue to answer as I keep you in the faith and provide you with daily bread. And I will finally answer on the Last Day, when I grant you a blessed end and deliver you from every evil of body and soul, property and honor.”

The Lord bids us to keep praying as He keeps answering. He tells the parable in our text about the persistent neighbor who keeps banging on the door next door until his friend gets out of bed to help him. The lesson is not that the Lord will help you if you bother Him enough; rather, it is that even if you don’t see the Lord answering right away, He’s at work according to His will. For Jesus’ sake, you’re not an presumptuous neighbor, and God is not an irritated friend. If the irritated neighbor is willing to roll out of bed and help, how much more is your Father in heaven, who never sleeps or slumbers but watches over you night and day?

Likewise, Jesus says, if fathers know how to give good gifts to their children (rather than serpents or scorpions), how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

And if the Father gives you the Holy Spirit, He gives you faith in Christ. If He has given you faith in Christ, you are His beloved child. And so you are—all for the sake of Jesus. So pray: and as you pray, rejoice that the Lord has already answered in Christ. And if He has already answered in Christ, then you’re His dear child and He will not cease to hear your prayers and answer them in the way that’s best for you. He has answered in Christ. He will answer in Christ. And He does even now, for He declares that in Christ, you are forgiven for all of your sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Worries and Distractions
In today’s gospel reading we are introduced to Martha, who just might be the patron saint of this 21st century. Martha was “worried and distracted by many things”. That was 2,000 years ago — Before TVs, before cell phones, before social media. Before any of the things that distract us in our day and age, Martha was worried and distracted by many things. I can only imagine what it would be like for Martha today!

We live in a time of never-ending worries and distractions, don’t we? The distractions are obvious, and include the ones I just mentioned. The worries, though, are equally obvious. And they seem to grow all the time. And trying to distract ourselves from our worries just seems to wear us out all the more. I suppose we can all relate to Martha, who was worried and distracted by many things.

Pulled Apart and Re-Attached
There is a wonderful Greek word that Luke uses in this gospel reading to describe Martha’s distractions. The word is: Perispaoumai. And this word literally means “to be pulled away or to be pulled apart.” That’s what distractions do, don’t they? They pull us apart. And they pull us away from what really matters.

What really mattered for Martha was the presence of Jesus in her home. How many have that privilege? Think about how we would have to prepare for a visit from an important guest or high official. Or how we might prepare for Jesus to come to our home. What an amazing experience that would be. But Martha’s worries and distractions about cleaning the house and preparing the meal pulled her away from that amazing experience of getting to know Jesus. Distractions pull us away from what really matters, from what is truly important. And it happens to us all.

There is another word, on the other hand, that means almost the exact opposite. It means to be re-attached. And that word is: Religion. From the Latin, re-ligare, which literally means to be re-attached. Re-ligare. Re-attached. That is what religion does, at its best. It re-attaches us to what truly matters.

So, while distractions pull us away from the things that matter, religion re-attaches us to what is truly important. And, in particular, it re-attaches us to Jesus.

In Christ All Things Hold Together
Here is another way to think about that, and it is from today’s second reading from Colossians, where Paul tells us that “in Christ Jesus all things hold together.” And isn’t that a wonderful way to think about Jesus? Jesus is the glue, the adhesive that holds all things together.

There is a great illustration of this from the world of science. And it has to do with a protein molecule called laminin. Laminin is a cell adhesion molecule. Now, I am not a molecular biologist, but I am told that what that means is that laminin is like the glue of the human body – it is what holds our body together. But what is so neat about this particular protein molecule is its shape. If you go to Google Images and type in “laminin,” as I did, you get a bunch of drawings and pictures of this cell adhesion molecule. And you know what? They all have the same exact shape – the shape of the cross. (You can see a picture of it on the cover of today’s bulletin.) Diagrams and pictures taken with powerful microscopes all reveal that the molecule that holds our bodies together is in the exact shape of the cross.

Imagine that – The stuff that holds our body together is in the exact shape of the cross of our Lord. I think that is a powerful reminder to us that Christ Jesus is what holds all things together. He is what holds us to what truly matters. He is the glue that we need in times of worry and distractions.

Yes, worries and distractions pull us apart. But Jesus holds us together. His cross. His love. His grace. His mercy. These are the things that hold us together, that keep us close to him.

Sit or Serve?
But let me take the next step with this. Because for Jesus to do this, we need to give him our time and attention. When the distractions of life threaten to pull us apart, we need to re-attach ourselves to Jesus, by spending time with him in daily prayer, in regular Bible study, and weekly worship. We need to re-attach ourselves to Jesus to be re-attached to what truly matters in life.

That’s what Mary was doing in this reading – she was re-attaching herself to Jesus. She was sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning from him. Jesus tells Martha that Mary chose the better part.

But we can’t end there. Because Martha was doing something important, after all. If everyone just sat at Jesus’ feet, everyone would have gone hungry. There is a balance that is important.

Last Sunday we heard a gospel reading that takes place right before today’s story, about the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan who helped a neighbor in need. And in that story, Jesus told the lawyer who initiated the conversation that he should go and do as the Samaritan did, that he should always be ready to help his neighbor in need.

So, think about that: One week, Jesus tells someone to be like the Samaritan and “go and do,” and the next week, he tells Martha to be like Mary and “come and sit.” Sometimes, in other words, Jesus calls us to be like the Samaritan. And sometimes, he calls us to be like Mary.

So which is more important? I like how the renowned preacher Fred Craddock put it. He says:

“There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which is a matter of spiritual discernment. If we were to ask Jesus which example applies to us, the Samaritan or Mary, his answer would probably be Yes.”

Sometimes it is important for us to go and do – to serve others, to love others, to share our faith, to do all those things that Jesus instructs us to do. But after we do these things, it is equally important to spend some quality time with Jesus – to come to worship, to spend time in daily prayer, to attend Sunday School or Bible study, to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him.

The Right Attitude
What Mary is doing is important, but what Martha is doing is also important. There is nothing wrong with what either is doing. But where Martha does go wrong, it would seem, is that she focuses on the doing — so much that she starts having a negative attitude about it. She starts being pulled apart.

We might be called to serve right now, or we might be called to sit at Jesus’ feet in prayer. Both are important. But the motivation is even more important. Serving another will not be helpful at all if we do in a distracted way, or if we are resentful about doing, or feel forced to do it. That is not what God wants.

God wants us to do all things with love. Serving a dinner with love can be an act of worship; it can be a time of prayer. Or, on the other hand, it can lead to distraction and anxiety and worry and resentment. But here’s the thing: Sitting at Jesus’ feet can also be either of those things. It can be a time of prayer. But it can also be an activity that leads to distraction and worry and resentment.

To show you what I mean, let me re-tell the Mary and Martha story, with a reversal of attitudes:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and tried to listen to what he was saying. But Mary was distracted by many things; so she said to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left us to prepare the meal? Tell her to come and sit with us.” But the Lord answered her, “Mary, Mary, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Martha has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

You see? Mary could just as easily have been the one worried and distracted by many things, even while sitting at Jesus’ feet. And Martha could just as easily have chosen the better part, serving Jesus with joy and free from worries and distractions.

It’s not what they did; it’s the attitude that they did it with. So what matters most, then, is not whether we are sitting at Jesus’ feet or serving Jesus’ dinner. What matters is why we are doing what we are doing, and the attitude we have while doing it. Are we doing it free from distractions and anxieties and hidden resentments? Are we doing it out of love?

Closing
We certainly do live in a time when the worries and distractions are all around us. It is all too easy to become bitter and resentful in our world today, and to let fear and worry crowd out love and forgiveness. It is all too easy to find ourselves being dragged down by what is around us, being pulled apart by all of these things.

Today’s gospel reading is a timely reminder to us to take time each day to re-attach ourselves to what truly matters. To spend time with God in prayer, to sit at Jesus’ feet. And take time each week to be re-attached to God through our Sunday worship. These are the things that will keep us from being worried and distracted by so many things.

But then, after we are re-attached to what matters, we are called to go and serve our neighbor in need, to go and show God’s love and mercy and grace and kindness to everyone we encounter. We can help the world stay connected to what truly matters, by bringing Jesus’ love to all those around us. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Last week we learned that Jesus had set his face toward Jerusalem where He had an appointment with the cross. We read that He sent seventy-two disciples out into the countryside to prepare the towns and villages to receive Him as He made His way to that cross. As the disciples returned to Jesus, the Holy Spirit moved many of the people from those places to follow those disciples back to Jesus. Jesus was teaching those people when a lawyer had a question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

This question tells us something about the lawyer. He believed in the resurrection or he would not ask about eternal life. He believed eternal life was a gift that we inherited. So he was on the right track, but as we often do, he assumed that there was something he could do to get on the right side of the person who made out the will. In effect, he was asking Jesus, “How can I get on God’s good side so that He must put me in his last will and testament?

The only way for anyone to do that is to keep the law perfectly. So, Jesus’ response directed the lawyer to the law. He asked him to remember his training, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” In a way, Jesus was asking this lawyer, “What did you learn in your catechism class?”

The lawyer responded with the standard catechism answer. He quoted Moses and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” These words from Deuteronomy and from our Old Testament reading in Leviticus are the same words Jesus Himself used when people asked Him what the greatest law was. Love God. Love your neighbor.

Jesus commended the lawyer’s answer, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

It is at this point that the lawyer asks for clarification, “And who is my neighbor?” He is really asking, “What is the minimum amount of love that I must dole out in order get on God’s good side?” He didn’t want to put himself out any more than was necessary. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to help his disciples, this lawyer, and us understand God’s standard for loving our neighbor.

Jesus started by describing a robbery. The crowd knew about robbers on the roads between the towns. Perhaps some of the people in the crowd had personal experience. You may know someone who is a victim of violent crime. Everyone feels sorrow for the poor victim in our story. Sin infects all cultures and we all have experiences that help us understand this poor victim.

Then Jesus introduced the priest and Levite. He was very careful to say that they were coming down from Jerusalem. This meant that they were finished with their duties in Jerusalem. If they were heading up to Jerusalem, they might be able to say that they were obeying the Laws of Moses especially the one that says, [Leviticus 21:1] “A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die”. Being ceremonially unclean would keep them from performing their duties in the temple. But they were heading away from Jerusalem, away from the temple. Jesus was careful to take away that excuse.

As the people were wondering why neither the priest nor the Levite helped this poor victim, Jesus dropped the hammer. He introduced a Samaritan. Now, when we think of Samaritans, we remember not only this Good Samaritan, but we also remember when Jesus healed ten lepers, the Samaritan was the only one who returned to say thank you. We also remember the Woman at the well in Samaria. Her encounter with Jesus converted her from a sinful woman with a bad reputation into an evangelist to her town. When we read the Bible with twenty-first century eyes, Samaritans seem to be very good people. Our culture honors these Samaritans by naming hospitals and nursing homes after them.

Samaritans had a very different image during Jesus’ day. The Samaritan’s image in Jesus’ day was more like our image of Hamas or Al Qaeda. Samaritans were the mixed descendants of Israelites and gentiles. They represented people who did not keep themselves pure. A Jewish father would rather have his child dead than married to a Samaritan. So you can imagine the shock and offense when Jesus chose a Samaritan to be the hero in this story.

The Samaritan came along and he didn’t just feel sorry for this poor victim as fellow human being who had some bad luck. He felt a deep, courageous, godly compassion for him. The Samaritan showed love to his enemy, to a person who hated him, to a person who considered him less than human. The Samaritan sacrificed his time, his comfort, even his safety to care for this poor victim. He did everything he could to help this poor man.

Then Jesus turned to the lawyer and said, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The lawyer was stuck. He was looking for an excuse to ignore his neighbor. He was looking for an excuse to love the lovable and despise the despicable. Instead, Jesus set a standard that loves the enemy, a standard that does good to those who wish us harm, a standard that is so high that no one can reach it. The lawyer wanted Jesus to change God’s law and make it easier for him to earn his salvation. Our gospel says he was desiring to justify himself. Instead Jesus gave him this impossible standard that showed him he could never earn salvation.

We find ourselves in the same position as the lawyer. We may never see someone dying along the road, but we all meet unlovable people every day. What do we do when we meet these people? Do we honestly ask ourselves, “What would benefit that person the most? How can I help that person?” or do we find ways to avoid them and shun them? Do we pass them on the other side of the road? Do we follow the examples of the priest and the Levite most of the time and the example of the Samaritan only occasionally?

If we examine our souls with honest eyes, we realize that we fail to show love to our neighbor on a daily basis. In fact, if we look at ourselves spiritually, we realize that we are like that poor victim. We are spiritually dead in our sins. We have travelled down that dark road of willful disobedience. We have fallen among the robbers of Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature. We lay, half-dead, along the spiritual road of our lives waiting for a future of eternal damnation. We are without hope and without help in ourselves.

Where can we turn? Can we turn to the law? Can we earn heaven with our own works? That would be like expecting help from the Priest and Levite in the story. The Priest and Levite trusted in the law, but they were no help. Spiritually, they were just as helpless as the victim. No, we are in desperate need of a Good Samaritan to rescue us before we are lost forever.

Who is that Good Samaritan? It is God’s Champion, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Life. God Himself stepped down from heaven onto this earth. He took on human flesh. He walked the roads of Palestine and taught about the Kingdom of God. The one who told the story of the Good Samaritan is our Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only one who keeps the law perfectly. When the robbers of Sin, Death, and the devil attacked Him, He defeated them and He defeated them in the most unusual way. He allowed them to torture and crucify Him. Those robbers thought they had another victim, but God used the shame of the cross to defeat them. He rose from the dead and declared his victory over our enemies.

The Samaritan in our Gospel today had deep, godly, sacrificial love for his enemy. The Bible says, [Romans 5:8] “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ traded places with us. He gave us his righteous life and He took our sin on Himself.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus carries us to safety. Not to an Inn, but to the Community of Saints, the Holy Christian Church. It is here, among other victims that our Good Samaritan has rescued, that we continue to recover. Just as the Good Samaritan told the innkeeper, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back”, so also Jesus Christ tells us, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus Christ has given us a blank check signed in His blood. It is here among the saints that the Holy Spirit applies the comforting message of the Gospel. We can read God’s Word again and again and always learn something new. It is here that we watch our Good Samaritan rescue another victim through the Holy Water of baptism. It is here that we confess our sins and receive His never-ending forgiveness. It is here that we receive the food of Christ’s body and blood – a body and blood that we can never exhaust. We can never participate in the things of God too often. It is here that we receive the blessed assurance that we are truly the heirs of eternal life. It is here that we wait for our blessed Good Samaritan to return and take us to live with Him forever.

While we wait for our Good Samaritan to return, we meet other victims of sin, death, and the devil every day. We have the blessed opportunity to tell others how He rescued us. God works through our message to rescue these fellow victims. It is only after Jesus Christ, our Good Samaritan, rescues us that we can fulfill the Law of Christ and become Good Samaritans to others. We can’t be Good Samaritans in ourselves, but Christ, our Good Samaritan can work through us. As God said through St. Paul, the apostle: [Philippians 4:13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me. God strengthens you too, as you hear the most wonderful news that you are forgiven all your sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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