Trinity 14

 

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

    Last week, in finishing up the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked the lawyer “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Mercy. Mercy is the hallmark of our Christian faith and life. We who have received Christ's mercy by faith strive to show forth mercy to the people God places into our lives. Our lives revolve around mercy. But what does that mean, how does that actually play out? Well, our lesson today, the 10 Lepers, likewise revolves around mercy.

    Wait, wait, wait Pastor! This isn't a mercy story, it's the be thankful text. We get to hear this at thanksgiving and be told that we need to be more thankful like the 1 leper is. Yes, we can look at this text through a lens of thankfulness, but that's not where the story actually starts. Listen. On the way to Jerusalem, He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a village, He was met by 10 lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Have mercy. This is a story that gets kicked off by mercy. But let's refresh ourselves on the set up. Jesus is way up north, at a border town, partially Jewish, partially Samaritan, so there's probably loads of tension and animosity there... but Jesus is hailed by one group that is united. United in suffering and misery. The lepers.

    Frankly, it's so much easier to preach this after Covid, because we can more easily understand the lousiness of the situation of these lepers. If you had leprosy, you were cast out – you couldn't come near anyone (at least anyone without leprosy), because if you did, you might give them the nasty skin disease that leprosy was. So it's isolation, being cut off. And generally you'd live off outside of town in a cave, and maybe kind people would leave food and supplies for you at a point where you can pick it up later. And that's your life until your leprosy goes away. And it often didn't. So we can understand the dire state that these Lepers are in, and we hear them cry to Jesus for mercy.

    And of course, we know that Jesus will show mercy, because that's what Jesus does. Jesus shows mercy. When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. This is gorgeous. The priests were the ones who could officially let someone whose leprosy somehow cleared up back into the community. Clean and unclean was sort of the priest's balliwick. And Jesus says, “Go.” And they go... while they are still leprous. They go while their sores are still out and open for all to see, but Jesus said to go and so they go. And it's only while they are walking that they are healed. Don't be too harsh on any of these lepers – they heard Jesus and they believed Him. But then there is the rest of the story. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now, he was a Samaritan. Of the 10, only one comes back to give thanks to Jesus. And Jesus notes this – Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

    Where are the nine? My friends, we are called by Christ to show mercy. That is what it means, practically speaking, to show love to our neighbors in a sinful world. We will show mercy. We will show mercy in acts of physical service – taking care of them. We will show mercy spiritually – forgiving people, not bearing grudges – you know, avoiding the enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy sorts of the works of the flesh that Paul had noted. Putting an end to those things, showing mercy and forgiveness even to the people who want to start things up with us. This is the mercy we are called by Christ to show. And you know what? You're not going to get any thanks for it. Okay, maybe once in a while you'll get some – but quite often, in fact, more often than not, you won't get a ton. And if you want to be bitter, just do a little bit of good and then focus on how little thanks you get. It's easy to work up a mound of indignation that way. But that would be silly, because that's just your sinful flesh trying to trap you in misery and anger and from there drive you into all other sorts of sins. And Jesus knows that we have to deal with our sinful flesh – and look how we get an example of Jesus not being thanked, of Jesus being forgotten about by 9 very people that He performed a miracle for. Our mercies that we get to show aren't miraculous, they are much more mundane than that. And if Jesus doesn't get thanked, we shouldn't be surprised when we don't get thanked. Of course, we don't show mercy for the purpose of and in order to be thanked anyways... we show mercy because the other guy needs it. And if they get mercy, the job is done, mission accomplished, whether or not we get any thanks.

    So, my friends, don't let someone else's thanklessness knock you off of who you are support to be. Don't give room to resentment, don't harbor bitterness or anger, even when there might be a reason to be bitter (… a reason, as though someone didn't thank me enough is actually a reason to excuse your own sin... but that's how our flesh works). Rather, go and love your neighbor. Show mercy, and let the chips fall where they may, and if your neighbor is helped and aided, then you give all thanks and praise to God for them. Alright?

    Alright Pastor Brown, we'll behave and not complain about the lack of thanks we get... but there is one who came back! What about him? See how important thankfulness is, and I hope those thankless people hear. Yep, it would be nice. It's good to hear thank you, and do appreciate the people in your life. That's a good thing, but that's not actually the point of the text. Listen to Jesus, and note what He says, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Did you catch it? The primary thing that Jesus notes here is the Praise to God. Any thanks we might get is secondary, and rightly so, because if and when our good works shine before men, the hope is that people would then glorify our Father in heaven. The hope is that people would through us understand God's love and mercy and be brought into relationship first and foremost with God (and only then into better relationship with us). And that's what this 1 Samaritan gets – he gets a relationship with God. He gets to have a conversation with Jesus that the 9 missed out on. All 10 get healed, only 1 gets to have personal interaction with Jesus. Only 1 gets to hear Jesus say, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

    Praising God, and then hearing Jesus' say that you are free to go your way, for by faith you are well, and it will be well with you. If only there were a place where we could praise God and then hear Jesus' word of blessing. If only there was a place where we could cry out to God for mercy and hear Jesus' word of forgiveness and healing and cleansing. If only there was a place where instead of being isolated and alone in the works of sin, we could be brought together to be with Jesus and receive His gifts! Okay, did I lay it on too thick? But you get the point, right? The 1 leper basically goes to a Church service. He engages in the conversation that worship is – his prayers and praise go forth to God, and Jesus speaks His word of mercy and healing and strength to him. And that's what happens for us here, in this place. We call out to God – we confess our sins, we ask for mercy for ourselves and for others, we praise God, we thank God – and God likewise comes and speaks to us. He comes and has His Word of forgiveness spoken. He comes and teaches and comforts in His Word as it is read and proclaimed. He comes physically in His body and blood to forgive us and strengthen us. Jesus comes to you in this service to mercy you. You lavish you in mercy and love and forgiveness – and then, at the end, rise and go your way. And on your way, you'll show mercy to the people you come across this week, but it's not actually just your own mercy, it's Christ's mercy that you've received from Him and then show forth to others. And again and again, in His church, Jesus mercies you, and then again and again Jesus mercies others through you, and He mercies you through others, and it's a wondrous, beautiful thing.

    And sometimes we aren't as thankful for it as we ought to be. Sometimes we scurry off after other things when the time for worship is here, sometimes we get here but only dragging our feet, sometimes as we go we don't see ourselves as clean but still feel our guilt. That's just the reality of being a sinner, of being caught up in those silly works of the flesh and being torn by various wants and priorities and all that junk. Jesus still mercies you. Jesus still gives you your daily bread. He still strives for your spiritual health and protection. And when you are led away from temptation and back to His house, you're still lathered in mercy here. And it's better to be here, it's better to be continually receiving God's mercy here in His house – because it makes the thankless, harsh, angry world of craziness out there so much easier to deal with when you confront it with Jesus' mercy first and foremost in your mind. Jesus' mercy remains. And when we remember this, when we see this and aren't distracted away from it, praise and glory to God flows, naturally, wondrously, resoundingly. Jesus does wonderful things for you, because He loves to show you mercy. Because He loves to be with you, and He forgives you and mercies you precisely so that instead of being isolated from Him, you will be with Him, now and eternally. Amen. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Trinity 13 Sermon

 

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

    We sinful human beings have a strange, distorted fascination with the Law. With the rules. I'm not saying laws are bad, I'm not saying all rules are stupid – but we make so much them. We're spending how many millions, billions of dollars this year over various national elections, and really, all to make sure people we like make the rules. And yes, this is important, good rules are good. But we expect too much of them. We expect a new rule, a new law to... fix things. Make everything better. If we just craft the new rules, if this new bill gets passed... then everything will be better. But that's more than a law can do. A law limits, a law protects. I mean, speed limits and stop signs are designed to protect, but those laws don't suddenly mean everyone is a good driver. Laws can mitigate damage, they can give legal grounds to punish people - but they don't fix, they don't give, they don't do away with wickedness.

    So, I don't want you to think too poorly of the lawyer in our Gospel lesson. He's going to ask some bad questions, but the silly assumptions behind those questions are still ones that we ourselves deal with, that we live with, and that in our annoyance with our neighbor we fall into. Consider: And behold, a laywer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Oh no, putting Jesus to the test, that's bad, right? Think of this as a political interview. We ask questions of our political candidates – what's your position on X, how are you going to handle Y. That's putting them to the test, that's examining them. Do they give answers I like so I'll vote for them, give them my support? And so he asks his question – what must I do to inherit eternal life. And I want you to think about that question. The assumption behind it is that there is a law, a rule, that if we follow it, if we do it, then we will get eternal life. Give me a set of policies and procedures that will give me eternal life. What law are you going to give me that gives me eternal life.

    And then Jesus responds with a question – which isn't rude, it was simply how you did public discussions and debates, you asked questions. So Jesus asks the Lawyer, what's written in the law? How do you read it, how do you sum it up? And the Lawyer says, “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.” And the Lawyer gives a good answer, a text book answer. I asked the the Sunday morning bible study last week to sum up the law, and this was basically the answer they gave. It's the right answer, it's the summation of the law. And so Jesus says, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” Yep, that's the law, just follow that and you'll live.

    And Jesus is right – if you followed the law completely and fully, if you were without sin, you'd live. Eternally. Unfortunately, it's that pesky sin part that is the problem, and the Law happens to be really good at pointing out and showing us our sin. The law shows how bad the problem is, but it doesn't get to fix the problem. What Jesus says is akin to this – let's say someone asks a politician, “What laws are you going to pass to bring about world peace,” and instead of saying, “My policy will be this,” or “On my first day in office I'll sign this executive order,” the politician looks and says, “Well, you know, when people stop killing each other, we'll have world peace. Yep, yep, that's it – just stop killing each other, and don't rob each other, and maybe stop the affairs and the lying, and yeah, yeah, oh, and respect authority, and um, don't covet... and then we'll have world peace. There's the solution.” It's true, it's utterly correct... but it doesn't give some “simple” fake solution that we all get to celebrate and cheer over. It's not one simple thing to do, it's a mountain of stuff that we don't do.

    Do you see the underlining issue? In our gut, we're just like that Lawyer – we operate with this deep, flawed assumption that if we just got new rules, longer rules, better rules, then the rules would fix the problem. And of course, we assume that we would easily follow and obey these new simple rules... but that's not how anything works. Pass a law, and then the lawyers all find the loopholes. Case in point, “But he, desiring to justify himself said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'” Oh, and now the major flaw is shown. He desires to justify himself, to prove himself right, to prove himself good, to show that he's on the right team, one of the good guys. He thinks the law is going to do that. No, no! God's perfect law shows you your sin, it shows that you are dead in your tresspasses. And no loophole gets you out of this!

    And so now, we finally get to the day's parable, the day's story. The Good Samaritan. So, how does the story start? Okay, guy gets brutally mugged on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho – a winding mountain road, lots of switchbacks, can't see what's coming. Life is full of surprises, and this guy's surprise was violent criminals who beat him near to death and steal all his stuff. Pause here. Let me ask a question. That robbed man, that beaten man... what must he do to inherit eternal life? What law can I make, what rule can I write, what advice can I give to him to give him life. Hey buddy, you might want to bleed less. Keep breathing, and you will live. No law, no rule will rescue him – the rules have long been tossed out of the window! He needs to be rescued! But who will rescue him? That's the right question.

    A priest comes by, and a Levite comes by. Two very good, law abiding folks. And they skip on by quickly. Go to the other side of the road. Ceremonial law says that if you touch a dead body you are unclean for several days, and I have things to do, and it looks to be dangerous, so I'm out of here. The good people, the leaders, they don't stop to get their hands dirty. Still rings true today, right? But then a Samaritan comes by – someone who is despised – insert whatever villain of the day you happen to have, whomever you personally like to designate as “the bad guy”. And they just up and rescue the beaten man. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” And this Samaritan does it well. He stops and dresses the guy's wounds... while there are thieves around. He puts the guy on his own donkey, so if the muggers return the beaten guy might get away, but he won't. Then he fronts up cash, leaves an open tab at the inn, to care for the guy. The innkeeper could make up all sorts of stupid charges – how much did that bowl of soup cost? The Samaritan risks it all... to rescue the other guy. How is this beaten man going to live – only because someone else risks everything to save him.

    You want to know who your neighbor is, you want to know what the law demands – go and do likewise. You go – and as you are going about just as that Samaritan was, you'll find people who need to be rescued, who need help, and you go and help them. Except, that's not going to give you life, that's not going to give you anything. It's going to cost you. It will cost you time, it was cost you money, and frankly, if scoundrels come along it might cost you your life. But you're supposed to love your neighbor, no ifs ands or buts, so get to it.

    That's what the law says. Luther once said, “The Law says, 'do this,' and it is never done.” We don't meet that standard. We sin. We refuse to show love. And we becomes bruised and broken and the wages of sin is death – and we're the guy half dead. We need to be rescued. And that's what Jesus does. Jesus rescues you by fulfilling the law in your place, by not only risking everything in His life but by willingly laying it down to rescue you. Jesus goes to the Cross to pay your penalty, to take the sentence of death away from you and put it upon Himself. No law can take away your death, only Jesus rescuing you. Only Jesus seeing you continually cared for, continually forgiven and strengthened in His Church. Only Jesus returning again and raising us all to new and everlasting life will finally fix it. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Well, you've got to be rescued by Jesus, and He does that by forgiving you and raising you from the dead.

    But what about the here and now, what about the what I am supposed to do, what about the “go and do likewise”? You're talking all about what Jesus does, Pastor! Well, yes, because Jesus is the One who does salvation, who does the saving. We don't get to be the Savior in our own story of salvation. But here is something to note. Jesus does want you to love your neighbor. But, unlike the hospital names, you don't get to become the Good Samaritan. You don't get to be the one who saves others. Sometimes, though, Jesus will make you the donkey. Jesus will put someone on your back and have you carry them. Sometimes, you get to be the innkeeper – Jesus will say, “Here you go, here's a guy who needs to be cared for and here's some wealth – get to it, and don't worry, I'll keep giving you more.” That's classic Christian Stewardship – God gives you His own stuff so that you can care for your neighbor. And this all happens because you've already been rescued by Christ. You only see this because you know Jesus, and you've been forgiven by Him, and you hear His Word. Turning to the disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” You get it, you see it, you understand it, because you see Jesus. No law, no rule is going to fix things. That's all damage control – and don't get me wrong, damage control is important, but it's not the real and full solution. That's Jesus. We need Jesus, and we see Jesus, and we know that we are forgiven, and we see the neighbors He gives to us in our various vocations, and we strive to love them, to help them, to assist them in a variety of ways... but we do this all knowing that we and they need Jesus, need His love, His mercy, His salvation. And we start to see Jesus' love and mercy in all things more and more.

    But the world doesn't. The world is stuck in that sin-laced law delusion where if we just did this then everything would be better. And the world calls out to us, to get us caught up in that too. So Jesus calls us to repentance – no, no, the law's not going to save you. The law will show you your sin, and if you think that you're not a sinner anymore, we can ponder the law a bit and show you your sin. But the Gospel shows you and gives you your Savior, the true Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ, who has died and risen for you, and so you are free to boldly love your neighbor with your whole life, no matter how hard, and when you die, all Jesus is going to do is raise you and give you everlasting, eternal life, freed from sin. It's all good in Jesus. In the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Trinity 12

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

    Today Jesus teaches. Wait, Pastor, there was a healing in this text! Yes, I know, but today Jesus teaches. Jesus strides on to this gentile crowd, and He doesn't just do a miracle, He teaches. He teaches about what is important, how love should be shown, and we will see how we ourselves ought live and show love. Listen.

    Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to lay His hand on Him. There’s a few things to note here. First, let us note this man’s problem. Can’t hear. Can’t talk. Think on what that would mean. Think what happens in your life when the hearing goes – how you get cut off from other people, how you can’t understand what is going on around you. And think on what happens when you can’t speak well – it’s hard to let people know what you need. The lines of communication break down. That’s the situation of this man. Even surrounded by the crowd, by people who wished him well, he must have been terribly isolated. He possibly was quite confused when people suddenly come and grab him and drag him out.

    Also, these verses sort of make you wonder about the motives of the crowd. We’ve seen people ask Jesus for healing before – parents pleading for their children, the Centurion for his servant, friends lowering a man through the ceiling, even people for themselves. There’s that direct tie to the person asking and the person receiving. There doesn’t seem to be that sense here. It’s almost as though these people just want to see a miracle, see if this Jesus is all He is cracked up to be – and they are thinking, “Well, what can we have him do? I know, let’s go grab old deaf Bob and see what this Jesus can do.” Go on Jesus, lay Your hands on Him, let’s see what you’ve got.

    And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. Is this not fascinating? Here you’ve got the crowd hankering for a miracle, to see what this Jesus can do. And what does Jesus do? He takes the deaf man off privately. Away from the crowd. This miracle would not be a spectacle. It would not be some type of Dog and Pony show. Lesson 1 today teaches us about how God works, how He operates. When God shows care, when God shows love – He shows love. Jesus, when He heals this man, has as His focus – the deaf man. Jesus doesn’t do this miracle to impress the crowd – He isn’t like last week’s Pharisee bragging of what He does. No, when Jesus acts, His focus is on what He’s doing. If people were just coming to see a show – that wasn’t going to happen. Jesus was going to do what is important – Jesus was going to show love, not worry about entertaining the crowds.

    And then, once Jesus has pulled this man to the side, He touches the man’s ears, and not just touch, but reaches into the earhole and pokes around. And He spits, and touches his tongue. And at first glance, that seems kind of strange. There’s a man who needs healing Jesus, this is no time for charades or hand gestures. Yes it is, it is precisely the time for hand gestures. Why? Because the guy is deaf – he hasn’t heard the crowds begging for him. He doesn't know what is going on. So Jesus takes him away privately, where there’s less confusion, where there aren’t people jostling him around. And when Jesus has this man’s attention, see what Jesus does. He touches the man’s ear. The man can feel, and Jesus by touch says, “This is about your ears, your hearing.” Then Jesus spits, and touches the man’s tongue. “See, this is about what comes out of your mouth, this is about that tongue that misfires.” Jesus lets the man know what is going on – what personal, direct love and care!

    And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Lesson 2. Jesus is always praying before miracles. At the feeding, He gives thanks. Before other healings He prays in a loud voice. Before the miracle of the Lord’s Supper, He gives thanks. And He does so here. It’s not a long prayer. Jesus simply sighs. Luther once said that the best prayer is simply the heartfelt sigh of a Christian, because God knows exactly what it means. Here, Jesus gives us an example of this style of prayer. Just something to think about when you are struggling with words when you are praying – don’t worry about struggling – God knows what is going on – sigh, say “Thy Will Be Done” – maybe the entire Lord’s Prayer, and go on with life trusting that it’s in God’s hands.

    And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And Jesus heals the guy. And Jesus takes him out back to the crowd, and the deaf guy can hear, he can talk. And the crowds are astonished. They see what has been done, and they are amazed. And so they start running off to tell people, and Jesus says, “wait, don’t go off running, don’t go off talking,” but they do anyway. So, why does Jesus tell them not to go tell anyone? Is Jesus being shy here? No, this is Jesus just being practical. The people were already pretty revved up, waiting to see a miracle, and then they just explode. And do you know what comes next in Mark’s Gospel? The feeding of the 4000. Thousands of people come running – but they don’t bring anything to eat. They come running, but not prepared. Jesus wants to teach – in fact, He’s going to teach for three days – but in their haste, these folks end up not being prepared. We know the feeding of the 4000 thousand, it’s going to work out, but still, we shouldn’t be going off half cocked. There's lesson 3. Receive your blessings from God, but receive them, shall we say gently? Calmly? Think before you run off in excitement? Perhaps receive them in peace – the Peace of the Lord be with you always. That way you can enjoy them safely.

    Of course, we do understand why the people are so excited. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Think on Genesis. And it was Good. Creation restored. Things made the way they should be. The crowd gets this, they are excited because they see that Jesus isn’t some showboat, some huckster, He’s from God putting things back the way they should be. And we know this too – we know these miracles just lead up and point to the great miracle that Jesus would do, the great fixing of creation, when He goes to the cross and pays the penalty for sin, when He rises from the dead and restores our relationship with God. The crowd gets it, the crowd understands that something more than they were expecting is here for them. And that fuels their excitement and eagerness.

    You know, for what could pass as just another simple healing, there's a lot going on in this text. You've got this demonstration of personal love and care; Jesus isn't a one size fits all healer. His gifts aren't generic. Indeed, even today, His gifts to us, His blessings of body and soul that we get aren't generic. We have a wide array of talents and skills here. We should remember that. So much of our culture and our world try to push us to a bland sameness. Watch the same shows, listen to the same music, cookie-cutter houses with the same trendy clothes – and we even have folks saying that there should be totally equal outcomes for everyone – we all get the same. That's not how Jesus works. That's not how God operates. He creates with a wondrous diversity, and He gives unique gifts. And because we are different, we are dealt with uniquely. That's the beauty of the Holy Spirit working through the Word. We all hear the same readings and hymns, the same sermon – but the Spirit will deal with everyone here individually – you'll take, get things from the service that the person next you to won't. And that's wonderful.

    And this ties to lesson 2. Jesus prays. This is why I encourage you all to pray, and to pray this week. In the Church we do have prayers together – the collects in the service collect the thoughts of the lesson into prayers, and we have the prayer of the church which is broad and covers stuff. But this week, you will see things, you'll hear things – things that others won't. Open up your lips and pray over them. If you want to drop me a line about something I'll be happy to pray with you and keep things in my prayers, too – but you all here are God's Holy children, Baptized into the Royal Priesthood. You all get to pray too. God hears you. Pray over what you hear and see. Pray before you act, even something simple. You are holy people living holy lives – don't forget that when you walk out those doors.

    And that's a tie into lesson 3. You know God's love for you. Don't run off half-cocked. Don't jump into the panic and anger and dire and drastic hullabaloo of the world. You are a forgiven and redeemed child of God. Jesus has died for your sins and forgiven you. There is nothing in this world that can happen to you that Jesus will not fix and undo, and come the resurrection and life everlasting, the junk of the moment won't even be a footnote – for the former things, the former junk, will no longer be remembered. Christ Jesus has won you peace now and eternally, and He will see you through all challenges you face now, for all of your earthly days. And you're placed here now, in this life, as Christ's instrument of love – where He works in you and through you to care for your neighbor. Pray and show love – and even if people make a hash of things (like this crowd does for Jesus), well, that just means you'll get to pray and show love in a new circumstance down the road. But you're still forgiven, you're still loved by God – and nothing can change that. You have peace in Christ, you have patience as a fruit of the Spirit. Relax, receive God's blessings, pray, and then share those blessings as you can with others. Hear and speak. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth with declare your praise. Receive the gift and use it as a good steward. And it's all good in Jesus.

    We need to remember this. We need to remember that it is all good in Jesus, especially in these wicked days, especially as our own sinfulness tries to deafen us to the pleas and needs of our neighbor, where doubt and intimidation would silence us. But no, Jesus has opened your ears with His Word and Spirit, and He has forgiven you, and He has put His Words of forgiveness and peace on your lips, He has placed countless blessings and gifts in your hands – and you are authorized by God to use those gifts this week in service of your neighbor and to the Glory of God's name. And no, all the sin and stupidity in the world can't stop that, thanks be to God! In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Trinity 11

 

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

    Today we tend to have a false, shallow understanding of sin. A simplistic view. Today, when we think of sin, we tend to think first and foremost of big, flashy sins that are open and obvious to everyone. We think of vice as being the big, dangerous sins. Murder. Adultery. Theft. The “serious” things, the things that would make the cops come and arrest you. And over and against vice, we will pit virtue – being kind, being generous, so on and so forth – keep your nose clean. Make good choices! And we treat the main question as to whether or not you will follow virtue or vice – that's the distinction, that’s what defines you. Virtue or vice, good or bad, naughty or nice. The only thing is, that’s not the way the Scriptures really speak of sin. Sin is something much more pervasive, something much more dangerous, something mere human virtue is powerless against. And to illustrate this point, Christ Jesus our Lord tells the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, which we will consider today.

    “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” And here is the occasion for the parable. Jesus sees the self-righteous treat others with contempt. Jesus sees those who follow virtue, who are virtuous, show scorn upon those less virtuous than themselves, than those who stuck in the “vices”. Already the comparison game begins, already the “I’m better than him” game is afoot – and the worst, the most dangerous part is... they were probably right. From an worldly perspective, on the scale of virtue and vice, they probably were better than the folks upon whom they had contempt. But does that really matter? Is that really important? Let us listen to Jesus.

    “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” This is a fantastic set up by Jesus. The two men in question in this parable – they are both in the temple. They both claim to know God, to trust and worship Him. They are both in temple, they are both praying, they both are paying attention to the Word of God. But the Pharisee and the tax collector had different ways of reading, different goals in hearing the Word and approaching God. “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’” There stands the Pharisee. The paragon of Virtue. And if we are to understand this parable, we must accept and believe this Pharisee at face value. He IS a really good guy. And the list of bad, naughty things that he doesn’t engage in – it’s good not to engage in those. Extortion is bad – my grandpa lived in Calumet City 2 miles from where Al Capone set up his suburbian shop – extortion is bad. Being unjust is bad. Giving people the shaft, cheating them, treating them poorly – that’s bad. Having affairs, sleeping around - that’s bad, that’s the path of heartbreak and nasty disease. This Pharisee has read the Scriptures and by golly he has paid attention to the warnings, and he has strived to pay heed! And more than that – he is a good fellow. He is a practitioner of virtue. He fasts twice a week – that was the good, pious custom. Fast on Monday and Thursday, if you want to be really, really good. And he did. And tithes – oh, never let it be said that a pastor ever speaks against tithing; he tithes – 10%, off the top, before taxes, before anything else. With no one checking up on him, without someone looking at his books and saying, “You made this much and you only gave that, you cheapskate?” Nope, a virtuous man. Everything he says is true… learned even from the Good Book itself.

    But, he missed the point. All the vices he avoided, all the virtues he embodied, those are… nice. They are taught in the Scriptures. But they aren’t the main point. For that, one needs to hear the tax collector. “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.” Where are these guys praying again? It’s not just that two men were standing in the park one day and decided to pray. It’s not that there was some sort of pray-off challenge thrown down on the school yard or something like that. They are in the Temple. The Temple. What is the Temple? It is the place where the sacrifices to atone for sin took place. The whole center of Jewish worship was always the tabernacle and then the Temple; the Ark of the Covenant and the Altar. Yom Kippur – the day of atonement. Passover – where by the blood of the Lamb God makes death pass us over and instead gives us life, even though we deserve death. While the Scriptures do tell us, do teach us about virtue and vice, give us examples enough, that isn’t their main point. The point is this – God is merciful to sinners, sinners like this tax collector.

    You know, we don’t know anything about the open, outward, public life of this tax collector. In general, tax collectors were thought to be lousy and were hated. This one – we don’t know. Maybe he was harsh, maybe he was kind. Maybe he tithed or even gave more than the Pharisee. Mayhaps he was faithful to his wife, kind to the neighborhood children. Or maybe not. We don’t know. And frankly, for the point Jesus wants to make, we don’t need to know. The point is not about how openly and outwardly virtuous a person is, it’s not about who looks good and who looks bad. Jesus is not Santa Claus – the book of Life doesn’t separate you out into naughty and nice. No, the reality that this tax collector sees first is that he is a sinner. Period. He’s not going to hide behind his virtue. He’s not going to claim that he’s not like other men. No, he is a sinner, and even his righteous deeds are but as filthy rags, nothing where with to impress God almighty. And so how does this wretch, this man who sees his sin dare to come to the Temple? Because the Scriptures teach that God is merciful, and he believes this.

    You see, sin isn’t just doing bad stuff. Sin is not just vice. Sin is a state of rebellion against God, that constant pull away from Him that we all experience. It isn’t just that there are a few, select deeds that are “bad” and that if we don't do those then we aren't sinners. No, we are sinful, everything is tinged and tainted with sin, in all that we do we are sinners. And part of that sin is that we like to set up hedges against God. Adam and Eve hid in the garden; we like to hide behind our “virtue” or the fact that we are better than others. And so many of the things that we think are virtuous today... really have nothing to do with actual virtue or loving our neighbor and rather are just petty tribalism and triviality – but see, I'm good because I do this.

    No. We know all this is false. We know this is bunk and coarse. We’re good little Lutherans – we’ve been trained to bow our heads when we pray, just like the tax collector. But some of that is the problem too. We can think that we are good little Lutherans – we know, they don’t, see how much better we are. Always, the sinful flesh loves to separate, loves to pull itself out of the writhing mass of humanity and say, “See, I am better, I am wiser, I know more than they do!” And we must fight against that, dear friends. We aren’t better than anyone. Think on how we confessed today – that we sin in thought, word, and deed, and that this sin is our own fault. That we have nothing to stand on before God. In fact, in the old setting three confession that I like there's that line about deserving temporal and eternal punishment. I don't deserve anything good from God because I am a sinner – but God be merciful to me.

    And yet, how quickly do we wander off from that confession? How quickly do we sin in thought and wander away from that? How often in the course of the week do we lament how things aren’t fair, or how so-and-so just isn’t pulling her weight and if only he did things better like me? Does it even have to wait for the service to be over, or have you had thoughts like that since confession? Happens to me often enough. And Luther sums this all up as temptation – Lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into… into what? False belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. The greatest shame, the greatest vice isn’t anything anyone can see. It is false belief, the worship of yourself, self idolatry, the idea that you bring anything to the table, anything to your relationship with God, the idea that God owes you because you are better than your neighbor. And this is something the world around us constantly hammers us with, constantly butters us up with, and we listen.

    No, you are a sinner. Plain and simple. Sinful, through and through. This is the truth, a truth that if it were all that we saw, we would be left in utter despair. That’s why the world strives so hard to pretend their sin doesn’t exist, or that we are better “them”. If you only see your sin, you despair, so the nice sounding lies continue. But there is a greater truth, a more wondrous truth. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. For God shows His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Though you were dead in your trespasses, it is by grace you have been saved through faith, a gift, freely given, apart from your works. Your works add nothing to it. Because it is upon the Cross where Christ Jesus, God Himself, wins you forgiveness. There is the true Temple, the True Altar, the True Sacrifice where God is merciful to you, the sinner. Where God takes your sin away and blots it out, where God pours upon you life and forgiveness as blood and water flow from His pierced side – water that flows to this font today, blood shed for you for the remission of your sins and placed upon your lips in His Supper today. This is the great truth – the tax collector prayed wisely – God is merciful to sinners.

    What defines you before God, dear friends, is not the list of your virtues and vices. God doesn’t need your virtuous living – now, it's much better for you, and indeed your neighbor benefits from it, but before God it accounts for nothing. No, before Him you remain this – a sinner who is covered by the blood of Christ and redeemed by Him, and therefore one of His holy saints. Be on guard against any thought, any false pride that would make you define yourself or think of yourself differently, because that's just Satan trying to drag you away from God's mercy. Rather be bold to call out to Christ Jesus for mercy, for He is faithful and just to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. This is truth. Amen. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.