Trinity 3 Sermon

 

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

Last week our Lord said, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” Well, if you want a text to rail on the importance of Missions, that sounds like one! And then this week we get the lost sheep, the lost coin – oh, the fundraising for missions I could do, the finger wagging, the guilt trips that could come! But is that the point of what Jesus is driving at with these parables?

You see, there's a way of hearing these parables that has become common, where we hear parables like these, and we think that they are descriptions of what we, you and I, are supposed to do. Well, I'm clearly supposed to be finding lost sheep, or finding the lost coin. This parable is about what I do. We turn these parables into giant law bombs about how we should go do more... and then we either justify ourselves by saying we do enough, we go through points in the past, oh, I remember when I was nice to Bob when he was sort of lost, I did this. Or we maybe put a bit extra to missions – all nice things, mind you – but that's not the point of these parables. That's not the set up. Listen.

Now, the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear [Jesus], and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” The reason Jesus preaches these parables isn't that He's trying to make the Pharisees work more or squeeze a few bucks out of the Scribes – it's because they are grumbling. It's because they are looking down on “sinners”. Oh, blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God – woah, wait! What in the world are you doing eating with THAT person, Jesus!?!? You're a healing spoilsport at our feast and now you're eating with the riff-raff – this is just messed up Jesus! So do you see? These parables are not told to be a motivational speech or a money grabbing guilt trip. They are addressing the disdain that we can have towards our neighbor.

So He told them this parable. What man of you, having 100 sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? Well, some shepherds might not. They might do a cost-benefit analysis – I might gain one sheep, but something bad could happen to the rest, maybe I just write this off and use it as a tax benefit. But Jesus is rhetorically speaking against such cold-blooded heartlessness. Let's assume there's a shepherd who actually loves the sheep, who owns them, who sees the wolf coming and doesn't flee. Well, that sort of shepherd, when he sees that one sheep is lost, he goes after the sheep. Why? Because he loves that sheep, he values that sheep – probably knows the sheep's name, and quite possibly has a good guess at where Bob wondered off to because that's what his Bob does.

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” You all know this sort of conversation. Something went wrong in your day, but it resolved well – there was a happy ending, and you sit around and you laugh with your friends as you tell them about it. You might have had conversations like this before church, and you might have them afterwards. You know those sorts of happy conversations – that's exactly how Jesus responds to forgiving people – Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Sometimes we get tempted into thinking that forgiveness exasperates Jesus – as though when He hears about sin He sighs, and rolls His eyes and then sort of just, “Okay, I forgive you... again. Try not to do it any more.” Almost as though forgiving people is an annoying chore. No, that's not Jesus – that's your sinful flesh. Jesus actually delights in forgiveness. That's why He came. That's why He was born, why He lived, why He died, why He rose – so that He could forgive, so that He would fill heaven with the joy of forgiveness, so that He would pack heaven full of forgiven sinners, lost sheep who were wandering off in stupidity and folly. Sheep are going to be sheep, sinners are going to sin – but that doesn't stop Jesus from being who He is – the Good Shepherd who forgives sin. Who not only finds the lost sheep but saves the sheep from the great wolf that seeks to devour it.

Okay, fine, fine, fine Jesus. You don't mind forgiving Bob, even though he's a stupid sheep. Well, no, don't denigrate these sinners – that misses the point. Let's give another parable. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost!” Just so I tell you, there is joy before the Angels of God over one sinner who repents. Don't denigrate that “sinner” who repents, that “sinner” whom you don't like and think that you're better than. They are valuable. They're a silver coin. They are a drachma, a day's wages. They're an awesome $200 coin from the US Mint. And they ought to be found, they ought to be recovered – and God rejoices when they are. When they are pulled out from under the couch, when they are pulled away from sin and brought to God's House and feast, that's a joyous thing! And if you are tempted to think that I'm overselling the idea that the sinners have value, the next parable that rolls right into this one is the prodigal son – where the younger son has just as much value as the older son. This is the point, Jesus loves forgiving. Jesus came to forgive sinners.

And now, perhaps, the elephant in the room. Consider the Pharisees and the Scribes, how they looked on with disdain – He eats with sinners! Well, yeah, and He ate with you last week, and don't you remember how He was pointing out your sin last week? You should know from experience that Jesus eats with sinners... or do you not think of yourselves that way? In your pride, in your smugness, did you think that Jesus was talking about those people, those sinners over there. Or even that, dear Trinity folks, that Jesus was just talking to the Pharisees? Oh, no, no, no my friends – this is Jesus speaking to you.

How does Jesus respond to you when you sin? When you act the foolish sheep – you are one of Jesus' little lambs after all, are you not? It's common, beloved imagery – but we forget what it means. Yes, sheep are cute, lambs are cuddly – but they're also – well, I could say “prone to wander” if I wanted to be polite – but the point is sheep are often stupid. And foolish. And don't pay attention. And wander off into danger. And don't really have good ways of protecting themselves. Sound like you this week? I bet it does. I'm sure each of you here wandered into some places you shouldn't have in thought, word, and deed. Foolishly even. And yet, here you are in God's House. You've been found, rescued by Christ, brought back to the fold in repentance. And what is Jesus' reaction to you, now? Joy. Utter joy and delight that you have been repented and forgiven. He's going to gather up the angels and archangels and all the saints of heaven and have a feast of celebration with you and over you in a few minutes – because this Supper is for the forgiveness of your sins.

Oooo, but sometimes we don't want to deal with the reality of our sinfulness. We're much more comfortable talking about maybe some extra holy homework we could do – maybe a little less on my sin pastor and maybe a bit more on how I can help missions? I can write a check and feel better. Not so! Did you not hear – Jesus doesn't want your money; you are His money, His silver coin. We see our sin, and we try to avoid confronting it, because we know that our sin cheapens us. It makes us less than we were meant to be. Money lost in the couch can't pay any bills, after all – it's lost, it's useless. As in your sin, so often you are. Your sin wrecks your utility – you get mad at Bob and then you don't show love to Bob like you ought – that's sin and you've been useless, a lost coin. Yeah... and Jesus finds you and rejoices. He finds you and He redeems you, He buys you back, He forgives you, He restores your value, He strengthens you in faith towards God and in love toward neighbor and He will use you wisely and to His good plans. He'll use you before you even notice the goodness He is doing through (Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?), and when you are lost and sinny He will find you and restore you, because that is who Jesus is and what He delights in doing – forgiving sinners, forgiving you.

You see, the danger is this. Our sinful flesh loves creating categories, putting people into boxes. And we love to put people into boxes where they are lower than us – we put them down there and think we're so great because we're not them. But that misses the joy, the heavenly joy. You are a sinner, you are a lowly and miserable sinner – you're not better than them – you are in fact the chief of sinners, the dumbest of the sheep, the coin lost in the stupidest place in the house – but Christ Jesus became man for you, and He died and rose for you, to forgive you, to find you, to rescue and restore you – and He delights in this. So you sin – duh. That's no surprise to anyone else. But Jesus repents you, and forgives you, and all heaven rejoices precisely because Jesus finds and forgives you. We laud and magnify Christ's glorious Name, evermore praising Him and saying... oh, let's get to the Supper and rejoicing already. You've been found by Jesus. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Trinity 2 Sermon

 

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

    Last week in our Gospel lesson we heard Abraham declare, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” Hear the Word. Or as President Berry of the LCMS would have said it back in the 90s – Get in the Word, Missouri! Of course we are to be in the Word – it's Jesus' Word – it's the Word that not only tells us about Jesus, but gives us Jesus Himself. The Word of God is living and active – sharper than any two edged sword. With His Word of Law God cuts us to the quick, showing and crushing our sin and killing it; and with His Word of life Jesus binds, forgives, gives life, and joins us unto Himself. All the dross that would get in the way of Jesus is bulldozed, cleared away by the Law, and then Christ is given, and with Him life, everlasting life! Who wouldn't want that?

    Well, frankly, no one actually wants that. Even you. Even me. When Christ Jesus tears down idols, He's going to tear down idols that you really like. When the Holy Spirit calls out sin – He's going to call out sins that you really like. There's a reason we're more comfortable pointing out those terrible sins that those people over there do – things that we'd never be tempted unto. However, the Law of God is not meant to be a telescope used to pry into the lives of people over there – it is a mirror, it shows the sin of your heart, of your mind, of your lips and your hands. And so, in reality your life as a Christian is a war. The New Man within you wars with the old man within you, with your sinful flesh. Constantly. Until the day you die and are raised to new life free from sin, you are going to fight against hearing God's Word, hearing Moses and the prophets. That is the point, the warning of the parable our Lord speaks today.

    So, the set up – Jesus is at a Sabbath meal at the house of one of the Pharisees, and Jesus has already made dinner really uncomfortable. This is the same meal where where Jesus heals on the Sabbath, where He points out the last will be first. We'll get that in 4 months or so. But the point for today is Jesus has made this meal... awkward. He's pointed out the Pharisees' smug disdain, their greed, their haughtiness, and called them to repent of it. In other words, the Law has been preached. And it's awkward. So, what to do when the Law has been proclaimed? Do we confess, or do we ignore it? Oh, Jesus your Savior, who will save you even from yourself, doesn't like to let you ignore it.

    When one of those who had reclined at table with [Jesus] heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Ah, yes, well, very good points you made there... and um, yes, let's talk about the future. Oh, someday it will be nice to be in heaven – oh yes, yes, we can all agree on that. Now let's change the topic and move on, I've said something nice and pious sounding, moving on. Jesus is right there with them. The Kingdom of God is literally at hand. The long awaited Messiah is in the room with them, but they all want to ignore this fact, desperately. They are literally feasting with Jesus, but they just sort of wish Jesus would be quiet and go away.

    Oh, Jesus is neither quiet, nor does He go away – thanks be to God! Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me, let Jesus never be silent! Instead, Jesus speaks – He speaks a parable about these Pharisees, and yes, also a parable about you, for sinful flesh is as it ever was, and the temptations of Satan might get dressed up differently but they remain the same from age to age. Listen. A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.” John the Baptist came preaching – the Kingdom of God is at hand – the time to celebrate with the Messiah, with Emmanuel, with God with us is at hand. You have heard the Word, you are invited – the time is now.

    But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.” And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them, please have me excused.” And another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” Ah, these excuses. I have too much wealth, I cannot come. I'm too busy, I cannot come. It's my wife's fault, so I can't come – as if blaming the wife isn't literally the oldest excuse in the book. These are the excuses of the Pharisees; their wealth and prestige were the “reasons” they had for ignoring Jesus, for thinking they didn't really need Him. Look at how grand and comfortable our lives are, see our busy routines – we can't be bothered to come to your feast, Jesus. We might deign to invite you to one of ours, where we will test you, and ignore you, and pretend you weren't here, but it will all be on our terms. Oh, the Pharisees – what a chance they had to enjoy a feast with Jesus that day – but they all alike made their excuses and did not even know what they had in front of them.

    But the excuses are the same today. We know – the the Kingdom of God is here. The times for worship are set. We know, like clockwork – 5 pm on Saturday and 8:30 Sunday – come to the great banquet. Now, last week if you didn't know about the picnic, I'll give you that one – but we all know when service starts – that 15 minutes into the service we'll be hearing the Word of God and preaching, that 35 minutes in or so the feast where Jesus Himself comes to give Himself to you will be starting. And we have two of these, on two different days, you have options for what is more convenient. We should be grateful for that! A day is coming when that might not be the case, when congregations simply have to share too few pastors to go around, so if the circuit rider can get out on Tuesday night that's when stuff happens.

    And yet, what happens. Week in and week out, the struggle, the fight to come to the great banquet. There are things to do, wealth to be enjoyed, the weak and groaning flesh saying not today. And sometimes those things are real – if your son falls down a well on the Sabbath – you take care of your kid. Sometimes the boss is a pain – we get that. But sometimes, often times, there's just that drag, that pull, those silly and stupid excuses for something else. Something good, even – a blessing from God... that we end up setting against God and using as an excuse to ignore His feast, to ignore His Word. Thus the reality of life in the sinful world. From our perspective, it takes personal discipline and accountability to get to Church, and you're always going to have things fighting against you coming here.

    So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” And the servant said, “Sir, what you have commanded has been done, and still there is room.” And the master said to the servant, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.” Ooph. A stern rebuke to these Pharisees who thought that they were so wondrous, that they were surely owed God's favor. A stern rebuke to you, when your pride makes you forget why and how you are here, how and why you are at the feast. It's not because of how great you are, how wondrous you are, how smart you are – it's because God shows grace, that is unmerited and unearned love and favor to people who do not deserve it and cannot earn it.

    Go bring the poor in Spirit, who struggle against sin. Go bring the crippled, those who cannot show forth the love of God that they were created to show as they ought. Go bring the blind, who do not see the full reality of sin and temptation. Go bring the lame, who have no strength of themselves. Go bring you. And that is what Christ Jesus has done. By hook or by crook, Jesus has brought you to His feast today. He's done it – He has worked life in you over and against your sinful flesh and the world. In fact, He has found you when you were lost, wandering down the highways of sin, the broad path that leads to destruction. He found you when you were hiding from Him, even as He found Adam and Eve hiding in their own hedge so long ago and proclaimed the Gospel to them. The Holy Spirit is at work in you, making you to remember the Word, to hear it again, to receive Jesus again. Just as the Spirit works for so many.

    And the thing is, this feast, this church, this congregation – it isn't about you. If you give heed to your flesh and leave, it will go on without you. The Pharisees didn't stop Jesus from bringing the Kingdom – all they did was wrest themselves away from it stupidly and foolishly. But, this feast is always, always for you – it is always Christ Jesus here, now, present for you, to wrest you away from sin and to give you Himself. Jesus forgives you. Jesus gives you life now. That isn't just a pretty saying, that is reality – a reality that is both daunting and wondrous – daunting to your sinful flesh because it will be crushed, and sinful plans will be undercut, and wicked dreams will be dashed – but it is wondrous for it is freedom from sin, it is joy that the world and its wickedness cannot take away, it is peace that you cannot wrap your mind around, it is hope in the face of all the wickedness and evil in the world. It is Christ Jesus for you; it is you eating bread that is also Christ's Body now in Christ's Kingdom, even as you are called to feast of the Supper of the Lamb for all eternity with all the saints of God. Christ Jesus comes to us today; let us feast upon Him. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Trinity 1 Sermon

 

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

    The problem with parables is that we can become too familiar with them – like an old joke that you've heard so many times and you just rush on into the punch line without even getting any amusement. We know, to get to the other side. We get this parable, pastor – greedy rich man bad. Ho hum. But that's not actually the point of the parable – this isn't meant to be a lambasting of the rich text, despite what people today might say. Jesus didn't tend to lambaste the rich – quite a few of them followed Him around, actually bankrolled His ministry. Allow me to reframe, to re-present the parable afresh.

    There was a good man, a fine, upstanding pillar of society. This was a good man who was blessed by God. Everything he did was successful, and he enjoyed good things in life. He donated to all the right causes, was a pillar of the community. He was utterly respected – like Nicodemus he was a ruler of the Jews – the sort of man you would hope that your sons would grow up to be like, the sort of man you hoped that you daughter might marry. A good man, thoroughly blessed by God.

    And then there was Lazarus. He was, oh, there's no really nice way to put it, but he was a bum. He had wasted his life. He lived rough, he was foolish, did dangerous things, hung out with the riff raff, and his life fell completely apart. You could see it when you looked at him. He was full of wounds; his own body bore the marks and scars of his ill-lived life. This wasn't just tragedy or bad luck – this was the chickens coming home to roost. Lazarus has with his folly, with his life of abuse, wrecked his body. And we see him in a bad state – and so his “friends” ditch him, they just dump him off at the rich fellow's house (they literally throw him there, in the Greek) – might be the only place Lazarus might get any care.

    Well, whatever help that kind, good, rich man could give, it wasn't enough. Lazarus dies, having worn out his welcome in this world, and he is carried by the angels to Abraham's side... and there it is. The record scratch moment of the parable. Wait, what are you talking about Jesus? What do you mean Lazarus goes to be with Abraham – Lazarus was vile! He was wretched. I think you're a bit confused there, Jesus. Doesn't matter to Jesus, because He keeps on telling the story. The rich guy dies, and he gets buried with all the mourners there, and a nice grave, and well, then he's there is hell, burning and roasting away – WHAT? Wait, what are you talking about Jesus? This was a Capital fellow – surely he'd be at Abraham's side, at a good spot! Oh, no, no, no – this rich guy is deep down in hell – I mean, he has to look way up and way far away to see where Abraham is.

    This is the setting for the parable, the surprise, the twist that we forget. We're so used to the rich man being the “bad guy” and so used to Lazarus being the good guy that we forget how shocking and upsetting this parable and it's premise is. And often we will make extrapolations on the story, things to make clear that really the rich man was a bad guy – clearly he wasn't charitable, so you need to be more charitable too. Well, it's not bad to be charitable, but that's not why the rich man is in hell in the story – Abraham doesn't lecture the rich man on how selfish he was. And it's not that Lazarus was some how noble in the story – he's not. He's pathetic – and the assumption, especially back then, was that he had done plenty of stuff to earn his pathetic lot. And frankly, it might actually be that way even by our standards – those wounds as they are described in the text seem to be consequences of his actions. So to anyone hearing this parable, the hinge, the great question to be answered would be this – how in the world does such a good guy, a well blessed man end up in hell? Especially instead of some wretched junkie who O.D.s on his porch.

    Well, let's listen to this Rich Man's confession – because we hear him speak, and that's where we see what is going on in this man's heart. And he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” It seems like a good start – have mercy. Not bad. But not really good. What does mercy look like here? Is mercy, “I have done wrong and I need forgiveness?” Is mercy, “I have messed up and I need deliverance?” No, not really. Here it's more, “Hey Abraham, you and I, we're both good people – help me out. It's lousy here, I need water. I wouldn't ask you to help, because you're a good fellow and you shouldn't have to suffer, but send that junkie Lazarus down here with some water to cool me off a bit.” Do you hear it – the pride in the background, the smugness. There is no reflection on why he is there, whether or not he deserves this punishment – simply that there should be relief, that someone the likes of him ought not be there. And the thing is, the crowd hearing Jesus preach this parable might be inclined to agree with him.

    But Abraham cuts him off - “Child” - pause there. Abraham calls him child. Boy. Abraham doesn't call him son, Abraham doesn't treat him like family, and he doesn't treat him like an adult, like a brother. What does it mean if you address someone in a conversation as “Boy”? Or in the south if someone drops a, “Child”? You aren't a grown up, you aren't mature, you don't know what you are talking about. Abraham cut the rich man down to size. Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. Tables have turned, haven't they. You had a time where you were richly blessed – Lazarus had struggle and a rough, bad life. But that's not the way it is here. Things are different here. You aren't getting anything here – and all those blessings you had are gone. Lazarus is comforted, paracleted, Holy Spirited – but you are in anguish. Or, to put it this way, despite what we might have assumed simply by appearance, Lazarus actually had faith, had the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, while the rich man was in fact faithless and Spiritless – and thus His anguish. This isn't about works, this isn't about success, this isn't about good life decisions – this story all hinges upon faith. And the rich man, despite all his blessings that he had received from God, had none.

    And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” And it's too late now, anyway. If you had paid attention to the Scriptures you would have known this. You would have expected this. But you didn't, so tough luck.

    But the rich man retorts – Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house - for I have five brothers – so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment. And here again, this is something that would have just sat poorly, would have made people's skin crawl a bit. I mean, the idea is nice, go warn my brothers – but this isn't how you treat Abraham. This isn't how you deal with Father Abraham – you're in torment and you're still giving directions. You're giving directions to Abraham? Ew. Which is why Abraham is curt, dismissive – They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. This is an official pronouncement – this is the king saying, “Let it be done.” “Make it so.” This should be the end of the story. They have the Scriptures – hear the Scriptures and have faith, believe in the promises of God and receive the Spirit – this is how salvation happens.

    But this unbelieving rich man just won't shut his trap and listen. No, Father Abraham - if you happen to be wearing pearls, ladies, now would be the time to clutch them. This is shocking, this is vile. You don't backtalk Abraham like this, and you certainly don't contradict him, especially on matters of Faith. No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. He said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.

    Of course they won't be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. The Scriptures taught that there would be One who would be raised from the dead on the third day, even Jesus Christ who is telling this very story. And those who delighted in the Word and received the Holy Spirit would rejoice at Jesus' resurrection, and those who disdained the Word before the Crucifixion, well, they tended to keep on disdaining it afterwards. After all, come Good Friday, Jerusalem sided with the rich and powerful, the chief priests and the scribes and the Pharisees, rather than Jesus. Jesus looked like Lazarus – He was covered with wounds and sores – but Jesus earned them, back talking the chief priest, threatening the temple, claiming to be the Messiah – He had it coming.

    By the teaching of the Word of God, by the working of the Holy Spirit giving you eyes of faith, you see differently. You see yourself differently – judging yourself not upon earthly success or failure, but by the Law of God which calls all, all of us unto repentance. And yet God promises salvation, promises blessings to come – and by faith you believe. By faith, Abraham believed in the coming promise – And [Abraham] believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness. Abraham at times lived an awfully rough life too – something we miss if we don't actually read the full account of his story. There are ups and there are downs – yet the hinge is this. Abraham believed the Lord, and thus Abraham was accounted righteous by faith. And this is the story played out in the Old Testament – all the heroes fail, all have flaws. The question was always do they repent and believe in the promise of salvation, or do they trust in themselves instead of God. This is the teaching of Moses and the prophets.

    The promises of God that Moses and the Prophets pointed to have been fulfilled by Christ Jesus. God's love for our fallen race has been shown in Christ – who bore up our sin, our shame, the consequences of our sin upon the Cross, who rose from the dead defeating death and shame. The promises that have been applied to you – not only proclaimed to you in the Moses and the Prophets, but the Epistles of the Apostles and the Gospels as well – the promises that have been poured upon your head in Holy Baptism, the promises given to you in the Supper. There, in Christ, and there alone is life, eternal life, comfort, the Holy Spirit at work. No where else. It doesn't matter whether or not the world thinks you're swell – the world's standards change all the time, and generation after generation pick out new sins to highlight and new sins to ignore and new sins to celebrate all in a vain attempt to avoid the confession that I, yes, me, I am a sinner according to God's Word. No, you and I, we are sinners. And sometimes we even look as wretched as we are. But Christ Jesus has died for you, as He had promised to, and in Him there is forgiveness and life and the eternal comfort of the Spirit, all thanks be to God. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Trinity Sunday Sermon

 

Trinity Sunday – John 3 – June 3^rd and 4^th, 2023

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

Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Do you hear Jesus' frustration with Nicodemus in our text today? The exasperation – this almost disbelief at Nicodemus' unbelief and lack of understanding? Jesus is a bit frustrated with Nicodemus at this point, and well He should be. Consider how this conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus has gone up to this point.

First, the set up. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night... Pause there. Do you get the political realities that are going on here? Jesus spends His days preaching and teaching, and doing so openly, publicly, all over the place. If you wanted to ask a question of Jesus, you had plenty of daylight to do it in – especially if you were an important man. The crowds would let you through, the crowds would have quieted down if good old Nicodemus had asked Jesus a question – that's the respect that Nicodemus had as a ruler of the Jews. But no, that would be too public. I can't let people see, what would people think if they found out I was a Jesus freak? Or even thought it? So I'll come to Jesus, off hours. Ah, great. Thanks.

And then Nicodemus decides to talk – Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him. Again, understand what this is. It's not a question. It's not a confession of faith. It's political – it's feeling out a potential political ally – or political enemy. If I walk up to someone and say, “So, I heard the town is thinking about doing whatever” - that's an invitation for them to respond and I can judge that response. Nicodemus is sussing this Jesus fellow out – is Jesus going to be a pain in the ying-yang or a useful idiot – those are the two available categories to the savvy politician.

Which is why Jesus just sort of cuts Nicodemus off at the knees – repeatedly. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. You don't get it, Nicodemus, and you cannot get it. All your political pull and all the earthly respect will garner you nothing here. Unless you are born to new life, unless there is the working of water and the Spirit, you're not going to understand the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom above and beyond all the earthly political games you like to play. We're not talking just earthly stuff here – I'm not here just to make you pick up a few points in popularity or put a few more coins in your pocket. You're thinking too small, Nicodemus – but that's not a surprise. You've not been born again.

And the thing is, dear Nicodemus, there is no angle for you to work here. There is no political play or a way for you to work the system. You're not in control of this, you don't get to run this, no more than you get to control the weather. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. [Remind you of Pentecost last week? Jesus loves foreshadowing, especially to people who don't expect anything interesting to be coming.] So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. No, Nicodemus, what Jesus is doing with His preaching and teaching, with His signs as you so correctly called them, has nothing do to with anything that you are thinking about. It has nothing to do with influence in the world or making a bit of scratch. Nope – the Spirit moves in ways that are certainly mysterious to you – you'll see it but if you are thinking fleshly, worldly thoughts – you'll never understand.

And that's when Nicodemus gives his “How can these things be?” response – a response that is utterly dismissive. And now the incredulous frustration from Jesus, the exasperation - Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Nicodemus, you called Me a rabbi – aren't you one yourself? You're supposed to be a Rabbi, one who deals with the Scriptures, with the things of God – why aren't you dealing with Scripture? Why aren't you dealing with the Word of God? Why are you caught up in the junk of the sinful world instead of focusing upon God and His deliverance? The frustration is palpable. And yet, my friends, my fellow believers who often even do things that would rightly and understandable frustrate God, who with our own sin and stupidity basically make Jesus facepalm – what does Jesus do with Nicodemus? Does Jesus send him away? Does Jesus yell, “Back, back with you, back into the darkness, back into the shadow! I spurn you as I would spurn a rabid dog!” Nope. Jesus gives Nicodemus a bible study.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. This was our old Testament lesson three weeks ago – Numbers 21. People in the wilderness, they grumble, we hate this worthless food (talking about the manna) – and fiery serpents come and bite them, and they start dying painfully. And God has Moses put a bronze, fiery serpent on a pole, and anyone who looks at the serpent on the pole lives.

What's going on with that story? Well, you have people who are stuck thinking simply worldly – I'm tired of this stupid journey, I'm tired of this stupid wilderness, I'm tired of this manna – I want this and that and blah blah blah. They are thinking fleshly – simply of the here and now. And yet – where in reality were those people? They were in the midst of the Exodus – the great emblem, the great foreshadowing example of God's salvation – that God moves people from bondage and servitude unto the promised land! They were in the wilderness, yes – but God provided for them, food they didn't work for, clothes that didn't wear out. Behold that God will provide for your needs, even until you reach the promised land, not just the earthly promised land, but eternal life and the resurrection of the dead! There's something bigger that just “Ugh, Manna and quail again” going on here! Something Spiritual, the grand story of the salvation of the world is playing out. And the people don't see it, and they grumble, and complain. Well, let's fix your eyes on the big picture again – let's remind you that things are about God's salvation and deliverance.

Ah, yes, you snakebit sinners, you who are tormented by the powers and attacks of Satan, you need deliverance, don't you? Well, in the wilderness, they saw the serpent on the pole lifted up, and they lived. But you know what, Nicodemus, that's really foreshadowing to the main event. You too, Nicodemus, are snakebit – you've been bedeviled by Satan in to being nothing but flesh, where you only think about worldly power, worldly favor. In fact, you think that the chief sign of God's blessing, God's love for you is how much cash you have, how much fame you have. We today understand completely where Nicodemus is – the world still craves after power, wealth, mammon (if I can use that old word), and we all know that same appeal. And we all know the same temptation to think that our worldly success is the sign of how much God likes us, how much God approves of us. Dare I say we are tempted to think that earthly success and validation is the sign of God's love.

It's not. There's your sign. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Understand precisely how God loves the world. Not by giving you more of the world – no, He loves you, He loves everyone by giving His Son, by lifting up Christ Jesus upon the Cross, so that you would be rescued from sin, death, and the Devil. Upon the Cross, Jesus dies – taking up the weight and guilt of your sin, atoning for it, cleansing you from it. And Jesus rises on the third day, paving the way for your resurrection – and seeing Christ Crucified, you have forgiveness, life, and salvation – and it doesn't matter what your earthly station is, rich or poor, male or female, republican or democrat, Cubs or Sox, German or Irish, or whatever other stupid reason we might come up with to denigrate people about. This Cross is how God loves the world, the cosmos. Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.

And the world doesn't get the Cross. We're remembering this fact, especially as the disdain of Christ and His Cross grows and grows more brazen – but the world and the worldly have always thought the church was for suckers and fools. Duh. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Worldly folk are going to be worldly. But you – ah, consider what God has done for you. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Well, you know what God has done – He has washed you with water and the Spirit right there in Holy Baptism, and He's entered you into the Kingdom of God, not as a peasant under His thumb, but as His child, and an heir to all the wealth and power of His eternal Spiritual kingdom. He's done it, and that's why we tie Baptism to the sign of the Cross – because your Baptism is the proof that this love of God shown upon the Cross – yes, this cross applies to you. You're baptized. God has seen you baptized – let no one ever make you think He doesn't love you. Turn from your sin, turn from the whiles of the world, and look to the Cross and live. See the sign appointed for you. Hold out your hands and receive the Body of Christ the Crucified, take and drink His blood shed for you there upon the Cross, and know that you have life – for you are born of the Spirit and a child of God.

There's a happy little coda to this story of Nicodemus at the end of John's Gospel. Jesus had this conversation with Nicodemus not to lambaste him. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Nicodemus comes to faith, and Nicodemus beholds Christ upon the Cross and lives. Nicodemus literally beholds Jesus on the Cross – in fact, it's Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who take Jesus off of the Cross and bury Him. Jesus, even in exasperation, still loves Nicodemus, still preaches to Nicodemus, still sees that Nicodemus receives forgiveness. Thus your story as well. Jesus has died for you, and you will know Christ's love for you in your Baptism, in the preaching and teaching of Christ, in the Supper – and you will behold Jesus face to face in the life of the world to come. So enjoy the journey of this life, this time in this wilderness of the world, but know that you truly belong to the Kingdom of God, O baptized child of God! In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +