Sunday of Last Judgment
November 6, 2011
John 5:29
The Good Will Rise to Live
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sometimes Jesus confuses our Lutheran ears.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28-29)
At the end of the world, the good will rise to live. Are you good?
There was one time when Jesus was traveling when a trust fund baby, a young man—we'll call him Mark—ran up to Jesus and asked Him how to get to heaven. This is what Jesus said:
“No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ” (Mark 10:28-29)
And Mark said, “Fantastic. I never did any of that stuff for my whole short life. I'm good.” Even though Mark's confidence in his own goodness was misplaced, Jesus loved Mark anyway. But since He loved Mark, He had to crush Mark's confidence in Mark.
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:21-22)
Jesus slams trust in wealth; He could also have used the rest of the story to crush trust in human goodness. Substitute “good” for “rich” in the following:
Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich [or good] to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich [or good] man to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:23-27 NIV 1984)
Being rich is a state of mind. When you're a kid, a dollar is lot of money. When you're in grade school, $100 is a lot. When you're a teenager, $1,000 is a lot. How much is a lot when you're grown-up? Depends on where you come from.
Being good is a state of mind, too. When you're a kid, cleaning your room is good. When you're older, being good gets complicated. Depends on where you come from.
Some say you're good if you go to church; others say you're good if you don't. Some say you're good if you're rich; others say you're good if you're poor. Some say you're good if you're active in public life; others say you're good if you stay away from worldly business.
They're all wrong. Not of that makes you good.
Let me make it simple, or more accurately, let's let Jesus make it simple: saving yourself with your own goodness is impossible.
So God gives it to you. God does the impossible—the Father sent His Son who sends His Spirit. He loves, He dies, and He makes us alive. Hebrews 9:26 says: “[He] has appeared once for all … to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
A few minutes ago I said that sometimes Jesus confuses our Lutheran ears. The key is understanding where the good comes from. Not from us; it comes from Jesus to us through the Gospel of the Cross, sprinkled, spoken, supped.
The good will rise to live. Jesus says that you are good. That's good enough for me; it's good enough for you. God is good and He gives it to you.
Amen.
