Father Abraham Had Only One Son

JUDICA

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

March 18, 2018

ST. JOHN 8:46–59

Father Abraham Had Only One Son

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

Contrary to the song, Father Abraham had only one son with his wife Sarah. Isaac was the son that the Lord had promised to this old couple. And Isaac was a faithful son of God, who obediently lay down on a stone altar to be killed according to the Word of God, before the Lord spared his life (Genesis 22). But in the end Father Abraham had only one Son who mattered.

But as he got older, Isaac turned out to be a bad egg. He wasn't the Messiah. His birth was a miracle, but his life was ordinarily sinful. He sinned in ways that mirrored his sinful father Abraham. For example, they both lied about their wives to powerful men. They both told neighboring kings that their wives were their sisters (Genesis 20 and 26). They did not trust the Lord to keep them safe, so they used their own cleverness to save themselves. In the end, Abraham and Isaac only disgraced themselves.

Both these men, father and son, needed to be saved from their disgrace. And so God promised them and their wives, Sarah and Rebekah, and all their children a Savior.

GENESIS 12:1–3 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

This was the very first promise or covenant the Lord God made to Abraham. The blessing of Abraham is that one of his sons would be the Savior from sin. Abraham perhaps thought for a time that Isaac was that Savior, but if he ever thought this, he would have come to realize that the Savior was yet to come.

As it turned out that Savior arrived 2,000 years later, after thousands, even millions, of Abraham's sons lived and died. His name is Jesus.

Tragically, in the last sentences of St. John 8 these sons of Abraham were accusing the Son of Abraham of being a devil. This standard tactic is a thread that runs through the season of Lent: Jesus fighting and beating the devil or Jesus being accused of being in league with the devil or being the devil incarnate.

ST. JOHN 8:52–53 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

They show their faith with their words. They believed that Abraham was dead along with all the prophets of the Old Testament. They took the good gift from God of a good father and turned Abraham into an idol. Abraham had become their god. This is odd because they certainly knew every detail of Abraham's life: his great deeds, his generosity, but also his sins and his disgraces. But in their unbelief they had failed to listen to the actual and true God speaking to Abraham:

GENESIS 22:15–18 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

“In your offspring” means Jesus. All the nations of the earth will be blessed because the Lord God and Father of us all did not withhold His only-begotten Son Jesus. God's people who come from every nation and tribe are blessed because Jesus sacrificed Himself on the altar of the cross instead of Isaac or any of us.

This is why even though Father Abraham had many sons, he had only one Son who mattered, because He was the only Son who saves.

Next Sunday we will hear the shouts of Hosanna as this Son of Abraham enters Jerusalem. Their words are true then and they are true today for Hosanna means Save Us!

The false sons of Abraham, who had wrapped themselves up in the flag of Jewishness, so to speak, accused Jesus of fabricating an identity for Himself. But these accusations only proved their misguided unbelief.

But Jesus doesn't make Himself out to be anyone and He replies,

ST. JOHN 8:54–56 “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

In Jesus' transfiguration Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah about His coming crucifixion. And since we know Abraham is in heaven, we can understand Jesus' words about Abraham's gladness and can imagine his delight in seeing the sending of God's only-begotten Son into the world to complete His covenant of salvation.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!

Living Bread from the Bread of Life

LAETARE

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

March 11, 2018

ST. JOHN 6:1–15

Living Bread from the Bread of Life

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

People running out of food and drink is a recurring theme in the early chapters of St. John's Gospel. In John 2 at the wedding in Cana the wine almost runs out. In John 4 at the well in Samaria (the northwestern chunk of the Holy Land that Jews tended to avoid) Jesus' disciples went to buy food and Jesus asked the woman at the well for a drink of water.

Here in John 6 the thousands who had followed Jesus' didn't have any food. And even before He asked His disciples for solutions to this problem, He had already decided to use His divine power to feed these people.

ST. JOHN 6:5–9 Lifting up His eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

The text here raises up several interesting questions:

How did Andrew know this, spotting this kid's lunch among the thousands?

Or did the kid somehow hear there was a shortage of food and come forward on his own?

And why did this kid have food on him when all the men had come unprepared?

But a far more important question John's account raises is this:

What is Jesus trying to teach us by providing a tremendous outpouring of food from five little loaves, bread from bread?

If we look back, our Lord Jesus sometimes brings bread directly from heaven. When the Israelites had been delivered out of slavery from Egypt, but then rebelled, our Lord caused them to wander in the desert wilderness for forty years. But during this time He provided miracle manna from heaven to keep them alive.

But our Lord at the wedding in Cana didn't make the sky open and rain down wine for the guests. He used water in six stones jar and changed it to wine.

In our lesson for today He didn't rain down bread from heaven (which He easily could have done), but instead He chose to make use of this boy's bread and fish.

ST. JOHN 6:10–11 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

Some “experts” in some visible churches demand that this event was an exercise in mass psychology. To wit, when the grown men saw how generous this little kid was, they were ashamed and/or inspired and decided that it was time to take out the food that they had been hiding in their robes, just like everybody else. And soon everyone was enjoying a communal meal with their fellow man. Behold! And see what comes with trusting in the inherent goodness of mankind. This was no miracle, say these experts, yes, even pastors. They violate the clear words of Scripture and speculate that this miracle was spiritual in nature: Jesus had helped inspire the masses to overcome their selfishness and learn to share.

How sweet. How pungent.

Now if Jesus had had manna rain down, these hip thinkers might be more pressed for a non-miraculous answer. But Jesus chose to use existing food and turn it into a feast. Why?

Because Jesus is the giver of all good things, including our daily bread, which is everything we need for body and life. Food, of course, but also clothing, homes, and everything else that keeps you alive and safe.

And Jesus making bread into more and more bread reminds us that He chooses to use us for His purpose of creating more and more believers.

He chooses to need trained men—pastors—to take care of the souls of His people.

He chooses to need godly men—especially fathers—to raise His sons and daughters in the way of the Lord.

He chooses to need godly women—especially mothers—to love and care for His children.

He chooses to call godly baptized believers—especially all of you—to be who He has created you to be in all your different walks of life.

He even chooses to use ordinary bread and create for us His own body for us to eat for our salvation. He chooses to use ordinary wine and create for us His own blood for us to drink for our salvation.

Ordinary people. Ordinary bread.

But Jesus is the Bread of Life. He gives Himself to you in Word and Wine and Bread and makes you extraordinary. You are never going to not exist. You might die, but you will always live because you have received the bread of life.

ST. JOHN 6:35–40 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!

Love That Says No; Faith That Says Yes

REMINISCERE

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

February 25, 2018

ST. MATTHEW 15:28

Love That Says No; Faith That Says Yes

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

How is any child able to accept “No” from their parent without anger or resentment?

Because they know that the “No” is for their own good. Now in practice we offer react to “No” with anger and resentment. When little ones comes to the dinner table, an often-repeated argument is who gets to sit next to whom. Any denial of placement can be met with howls of anger—because they think that no one loves them.

Jesus said “No” to a Canaanite mother three times in St. Matthew's chapter fifteen account:

1. He did not answer her a word.

2. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

3. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

She asked for help and He said no by ignoring her, by talking as though she wasn't there, and then by calling her a dog.

But she trusted Him. She expected good things from Him because she knew by faith that He loved her.

This mother was a Canaanite. This meant that she was not Jewish. She was descended from the heathen-majority nations that bordered the Holy Land. Just like many in our families today, her family probably contained idol-worshipers. So how this faithful woman came to faith is unknown, at least as far as the details. But somehow the Holy Spirit sent the words of Moses and Prophets to this woman and created in her saving trust in Christ.

Her faith agreed with God and so did her mouth, which confessed:

ST. MATTHEW 15:22 “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION

She called Him Lord, Son of David. She knew that this humble man who called Mary mother and Nazareth home, was really not from around here. He belonged at His Father's right hand.

But He had come down here, to the Earth, to keep His promise. This is the great joy here: Jesus loves to be trapped by His Word. The mother of this demon-oppressed daughter expected Jesus to give her a good word. When He says no to her, her God-given trust in His promise to give good things persists.

We, too, are wise to expect good things from our Lord Jesus. I suppose our trouble comes from confusion about those good things are. Like children we expect our way to be obtained and quickly.

For this mother, these perhaps 15 minutes were the longest of her life. And also the greatest 15 minutes of her earthly life.

For Jacob who wrestled with God 2,000 years before Jesus spoke with this mother, that night was perhaps the longest of his life.

For those with cancer and those who care about them, minutes is not in your vocabulary. Months and years are the reality. And for many of God's faithful people, years of treatment end without deliverance. But this view can only be confessed if you believe that earthly life is the best thing, the most important thing.

God grants life and health; He also might let us linger in the shadow of death. And what could be more of a NO than a death from cancer.

But by faith we with this kneeling mother and limping Jacob we hear God's “No” and cling to our trust that He will always give us what is best. And by the fact of your hearing God's Word gives evidence that you already have it: faith in Christ.

He is the best thing. And even though coming into contact with Him in His Word may humbled us, even like Jacob leave us with scars, we remain His dogs, His children, His brothers and sisters.

Only trust in Christ lets us hold Him to His promises. And He loves to caught by us as we hold onto His Word.

This is Remember Sunday (Latin: Reminiscere). The names comes from Psalm 25:

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways.

And this good thing is done and accomplish according to our Lord's love. In His goodness He remembers us, His children. Come to His table and eat His bread that gives life and goodness.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!

Thrown Out and Patched Up

INVOCAVIT

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

February 18, 2018

ST. MATTHEW 4:1,11 + ST. MARK 1:12–13

Our Savior Is Thrown Out and Patched Up

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

Would you rather watch the first ten minutes of a movie or the last ten minutes? You don't get to watch the middle. You can only choose the beginning or the end. Which one do you choose?

I don't know what the question is supposed to tell you about yourself, other than being a good discussion starter with your friends. My conditioned response is to choose the first ten minutes, conditioned because most films these days put a lot of action into the start to hook you in. The endings these day are hit or miss because most major motion pictures these days never end. To wit, the best part of any comic book is rarely the ending, but instead the little teaser scene that sets up the next movie that runs after the end credits.

A possible exception to this rule is when watching documentaries, films about real people and events. If the documentary has a done its job, the story presented builds to a conclusion that is worth the wait.

Happily the real events of Jesus' life have fascinating beginnings, middles, and ends. This is most certainly true of this incident in the wilderness. Let's focus on the beginning and the end.

St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us that Jesus was led out into the desert wilderness after He was baptized into the Jordan River. The Father had just said that this man Jesus is His eternal beloved Son. The Spirit had lighted upon Him as a dove, anointing Him as the promised One who would die for all stubbornness and greed and gluttony and every other sin and Sin itself. And right after this ringing endorsement, God drove Him out into the wilderness!

I say drove Him out because St. Mark says that right after the Baptism of Jesus:

ST. MARK 1:12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION 2016

This driving out and leading out into battle with the Devil demonstrates Christ's humanity. He's just like us, yet without sin.

So perhaps some of you have helped herd turkeys before Thanksgiving. They are heavy, fast, and determined birds, who go their own way. Getting them rounded up is hard work. After you've done it a couple of times, you know you can do the work, that you'll survive, but I doubt you're trotting out to Turkey Town on your way to work.

Jesus is God in the flesh. He knows what's coming, He knows that He'll survive, and indeed crush the devil and send him on his way. But Jesus was sane, and no one in their right mind would relish the prospect of almost six weeks with food, being tempted by the Devil the whole time. Therefore it is not surprising that the inspired writers of Jesus' life note that He was led on His way, even driven out into the wilderness. The willing Savior is emphatically urged on by the Spirit. Jesus doesn't go to play with the devil, but to do battle with him.¹

He wins the battle by speaking His own words back to the devil. The devil can use force when the Lord allows it,² but the devil's main weapon is words. He twists the Lord's own promises to try and lead Jesus into having other gods.

He utterly fails. Jesus sends the devil away with these His own words:

ST. MATTHEW 4:10 “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION 2016

And the devil had to obey and so he left Jesus.

For those who worry that Jesus could have failed in His battle with the devil or that it was too easy for Him (meaning that He wasn't really hungry or weak or exhausted and was playing with the devil like a cat with a mouse or better, a floating alligator with a mouse), do not worry. Jesus' temptation was real, though His victory was assured. The proof of this grueling duel comes at the end:

ST. MATTHEW 4:10 and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION 2016

He was so spent that His own good angels came to care for Him and restore His strength. The beginning and end of this incident shows that Jesus was not play-acting. He was willing and glad to do the Father's will, but as we hear as He prayed in Gethsemane's garden hours before He was hung on a cross, He was in His right mind. If there was another way, so much the better. But always God's will be done. The way of suffering and temptation and the cross is the way of our Lord and of His people.

Sometimes you may feel thrust out into the wilderness of this sinful world and of your own soul. A job isn't working out the way you'd hoped. A marriage isn't working out as well as the wedding. A child isn't listening as they should. And the devil comes and tells us all of this isn't our fault—go ahead and complain and become bitter. Better yet, just give up and despair. The devil delights in hot words or no words at all.

But Christ will speak to you. And His speaking to you is why you won't die. You will suffer, but you will survive. He won't let you starve; He feed you with Himself, the Bread of Life. He won't let you die; He'll bless and keep you safe, sending His angels to protect you as you go about serving Him only as only the living can.

You are alive. Jesus speaks and you're alive. This life came in the day of Baptism. At this beginning of your life, Jesus drove away the devil and demons. They are no longer your masters; now Christ is.

And so you've seen the first ten minutes of the movie of your life. It's a documentary, it's real. You're living in the middle of it, no matter how young or old you are. But I know the ending and so do you because Christ knows you.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!

1Notes on Mark 1:12–13, Daniel Deutschlander.

2Matthew 17:15

The Son of Timaeus Calls on the Son of David

QUINQUAGESIMA

50 Days Before Easter

February 11, 2018

ST. MARK 10:48–50

The Son of Timaeus Calls on the Son of David

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

Among the many remarkable things about this incident of Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus (which means this man was the son of Timaeus—Bar means son) is how Bartimaeus approaches Jesus.

ST. MARK 10:49–50 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. CSB 2017

Jesus calls him and throws off his coat and jumps up. This is a blind man doing this! If I were him, I'd sensibly leave my coat on and not risking not finding it again in that big crowd and having it stolen.

And he jumps up. I don't imagine the blind do much jumping. But Bartimaeus jumps up! What caused him to have this courage?

Of course, the answer is Jesus! Bartimaeus throws off his coat into the darkness of his blindness, jumps up into an uncertain future, and comes to Jesus. All of this because Jesus calls him.

Jesus' call bids us come to Him, but in His calling is the life and faith. Here the call comes not directly from Jesus; others must relay His words to the blind man. But they are still just as potent.

Last Sunday another blind sinner was brought into the sight of faith through Holy Baptism. Jesus baptized this little babe, but He used the hands of another to put the water on her head and speak His holy call. And they are the power of the Word of God. When God talks, things happen. The deaf hear; the blind see (Isaiah 35:5). Even the dead are raised.

Baptism isn't magic; it isn't an incantation. It is the living Word of God with water and received by faith in Christ. Dr. Luther summarizes this joy:

Baptism works forgiveness of sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. What are these words and promises of God? Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark, Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Faith receives what Baptism freely gives: Jesus Christ. Those outside of faith cannot see, cannot get Jesus. But Jesus gives us trust (which is what faith is) in His saving deeds: His incarnation and His crucifixion. Our faith is simply agreeing with God that His Son became a true man, who died to pay for our sin and unbelief. Babies are born unbelievers and they need Jesus.

Many in this world, even more in the visible Christian groups of this world, scoff at babies being baptized. They ignore the Word of God and claim that babies aren’t sinful. In their mental gymnastics they end up claiming that Jesus didn’t die for these babies. But the truth is that He did come for them and to die for them, because He comes and dies only for sinners (Mark 2:17).

I hear their objections to babies being baptized when I hear the crowd of Jewish pilgrims, members of the visible church, telling Bartimaeus to keep silent and to keep away from Jesus.

ST. MARK 10:47–48 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!” CSB 2017

Our song of “Lord, Have Mercy” echoes the cry of blind Bartimaeus. The Son of David is a special name for Jesus that proclaims that He is the promised Deliverer from evil and death for sinners of all ages. And we boldly ask Him to give us good things: salvation and forgiveness above all else, but also good food, good sight, good families, all that we need for body and health.

Bartimaeus wanted to see. He trusted that Jesus would give good things. So when Jesus asked him what his prayer was, he was bold to pray:

ST. MARK 10:51b “Rabboni [which means my teacher], I want to see.” CSB 2017

Bartimaeus called on Jesus to teach him; he calls Him my Teacher! This is faith which trusts in what cannot be seen. Jesus had given this blind man saving faith.

Even though Jesus gives Bartimaeus permission to depart (Go!) once he can see—and just imagine all the places and things that a newly seeing person would wish to stare at—he uses his new eyes and goes with Jesus, so that he might look at Him and listen to Him even more.

What a wise choice! For within hours Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, be Him falsely convicted and condemned, and be nailed to a cross.

Were you there to see it? No.

Was Bartimaeus there to see it? We don't know, but we do know that he began to follow Jesus on the road. God grant the same for us.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!

Jesus Loves His Dirty People

SEXAGESIMA

60 DAYS BEFORE THE RESURRECTION

February 4, 2018

ST. LUKE 18:10

Jesus Loves His Dirty People

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

“You try to respond to your e-mails as soon as possible and cannot stand a messy inbox. You rarely do something just out of sheer curiosity. Winning a debate matters less to you than making sure no one gets upset.”

These are questions from a personality test called Briggs-Meyer. Maybe you've answered these or other questions during an exercise at school or work. Perhaps you took the test on your own. Personality tests highlight a common aspect of life: trying to understand what kind of person you are.

And what happens when you find out you are not the kind of person you thought you were? That’s when you tried to retake the test to get a more attractive result!

We want to understand who we are. And when we find out who we are, we might be tempted to ignore the findings. Now that's perfectly fine when it comes to personality tests (“You often find yourself lost in thought when you are walking in nature.” Huh?)

But when it comes to God's revelation about us, we ignore the findings to our peril.

In Jesus’ story about the sower and the seed, we discover don’t discover which dirt we are. Instead we discover that we are all four types of dirt.

If you read this parable and come away thinking, “Oh, good, I'm the last bit of good dirt,” then you missed the point.

St. Paul wrote:

1 CORINTHIANS 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! NIV 1984

In the parable of the sower, the Lord isn’t talking about groups of people that worship false gods or who have never heard the Word of God. He’s talking about people who received the Word, some of whom got sidetracked and fell away from the faith.

The sower scatters seed in the expectation that some of it will take root, grow, and bear a harvest. That is what farmers do. Along the way, some stuff goes wrong. Some is snatched by birds. Some is parched and dies. Some is choked by weeds. This is no surprise to us either in farming or in the Church. As surely as there are threats in this world that prevent every seed from growing, so also there are threats that prevent everyone who hears the Word of God from going to heaven. Some hear the Word of God and yet succumb to false belief, despair, indifference, and other great shame and vice.

This parable is a warning against unbelief.

But there is also great hope here. When the disciples asked the meaning of the parable, Jesus answered,

ST. LUKE 18:10 “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ NIV 1984

Unbelievers simply cannot get the point of anything Jesus says. They hear, but they don't get it.

On the other hand, believers get it or better still, get Him, because Jesus has given us understanding. When we hear the Word of God, we understand it because by faith we understand our sin that causes death and we understand Christ's death that causes life. We get that we are dirty people: we fall when we are tested and we fail when we are tempted by the pleasures of this world. Yet, for His mercy's sake, Christ loves and still has suffered and died for us.

This is mysterious, but it is true.

Today, the seeds of the Sower have been sprinkled on little Madlen. Every day of her life, she will die and rise to live with her Savior because He promised to take dirty people and make us clean. She is now one of His own disciples, to whom He said:

ST. LUKE 18:10A “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you” NIV 1984

The seed of God has taken root in Madlen, and by the grace of God, she will not be uprooted throughout all the trials and temptations of this life.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!

Is God Too Nice?

SEPTUAGESIMA

70 Days before the Resurrection

January 28, 2018

ST. MATTHEW 20:15

Is God Too Nice?

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

Does someone cutting in line upset you? Driving east-bound on Kimberly Road just past Brady and a car races by on your right to get out in front of you. What a yahoo … but … now the last is first.

Children, do you get mad when another kid grabs that old light-up rubber ball? You know, that ball that no one has seen for five months, but now that it has turned up, everyone is waiting for a turn. And to have a littler kid cut in line and take it and have a grown-up say that they keep playing with it when you have been waiting makes you mad because it's unfair … but … now the last is first.

Everywhere patient drivers and righteous kids expect “first come, first served.” But this is not the case in God's kingdom. Here the last will be first and the first will be last.

Strictly speaking this is unfair. But it is quite wonderful when we realize that the only Innocent One is Jesus Christ and we are all guilty. And we receive the benefit of His innocent suffering and death by faith. In this Kingdom we who didn’t work get paid as though we did, and we are even invited to remain in the vineyard. However, those who come demanding fairness, well, they get only what they deserve, and nothing more, and they are sent away.

This isn't fair. This is offensive to just and righteous people because the Kingdom of Heaven is not earned by the industrious or the good. It is given to the wasteful, to the lazy, to sinners, to us. The only way to get in is to repent and be humbled. It is to simply trust that vineyard owner will give us whatever is right. Only those accept the Kingdom as a gift from the Lord’s generosity come in. That is the definition of grace. It is getting the opposite of what you deserve.

This is fine when you are getting in to the vineyard, the Kingdom of God. But we see others in God's Church who shouldn't be here. Isn't God being too nice when He commands His pastors to forgive all sinners who repent? Even the repentant father who will probably lose his tempter again? Even the repentant wife who will probably nag her husband again? Even the repentant kid who will probably sulk at her parents again? Even the repentant gossip who will probably tear down other church members again?

Yes, even them. God is too nice. But He doesn't do what is fair or nice. It's not accurate to say that He doesn't care about what is fair or nice; indeed, He is origin and embodiment of all good things: fairness, niceness, justice, mercy. The point is that He doesn't do superficial nice things to be applauded by the world; instead He does what is actually good for you.

Those workers worked hard all day long. I usually see these workers as life-long Christians. Born and baptized as babies, served as obedient children, prepared for Holy Communion, served as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sometimes serving as organists, musicians, altar guild, ushers, Sunday school teachers, elders, and the like. And when we see God's chosen people who used to be out in the darkness of the world, now drawn to the Light, who is Christ, we will not resent, but instead rejoice.

Is God too nice? Yes, for the sake of Jesus Christ He is too nice to me! It is not fair, but it is good!

ST. MATTHEW 20:13–16 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” CSB 2017

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!