October 18, 2009
In the reading for today Matthew takes us back to John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1-12) and describes how he was murdered for the sake of keeping King Herod's honor before his banquet guests. He had promised the daughter of Herodias (Herod's unlawful wife) that he would give her anything, up to half of his kingdom, because she had danced so provocatively for him and his guests. When she asked her mother what she should ask from the king, her mother, who bore a grudge against John for preaching about the sin of her marrying her husband's brother, she instructs her daughter to ask for the head of the Baptizer. She does as her mother instructs her and John the Baptizer is murdered.
After hearing about this Jesus withdraws to a desolate place but the crowds relentlessly follow Him. And when evening fell and the people had no food Jesus multiplies five loaves of bread and two fish with the result that all the people are well fed and satisfied.
This lesson emphasizes the monumental shift that takes place after the death of the Baptizer. The Old order has passed away and the new order has arisen. Jesus now takes on the role of the Messiah in full order as He supplies food for His people much like Moses in the wilderness wanderings.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday of Pentecost 19
October 17, 2009
The lesson for today includes more parables from the mouth of our Lord. The first is the parable of the hidden treasure which a man finds and covers back up until he can buy that field where the treasure is hidden.
The second parable is about a pearl of great value which is found by a merchant who sells all that he has to obtain it.
The third parable is about a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered every kind of fish. When it was full men drew it in and sorted the good fish from the bad. Jesus makes this application: So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous.
The tie that binds the first two parables together is the great value of the kingdom which when it is discovered people will give up everything in order to possess it. The third parable doesn't describe what men give up but what is the dividing line which causes the angels to pick this one over that one and that is righteousness. The righteous will be saved but the wicked/evil will be destroyed.
Jesus then asks His disciples, "Have you understood all these things?" And they reply, "Yes." So He moves on to describing a scribe who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
After these things Jesus returned to His hometown where they took offense at Him because He had grown up among them.
The lesson for today includes more parables from the mouth of our Lord. The first is the parable of the hidden treasure which a man finds and covers back up until he can buy that field where the treasure is hidden.
The second parable is about a pearl of great value which is found by a merchant who sells all that he has to obtain it.
The third parable is about a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered every kind of fish. When it was full men drew it in and sorted the good fish from the bad. Jesus makes this application: So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous.
The tie that binds the first two parables together is the great value of the kingdom which when it is discovered people will give up everything in order to possess it. The third parable doesn't describe what men give up but what is the dividing line which causes the angels to pick this one over that one and that is righteousness. The righteous will be saved but the wicked/evil will be destroyed.
Jesus then asks His disciples, "Have you understood all these things?" And they reply, "Yes." So He moves on to describing a scribe who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
After these things Jesus returned to His hometown where they took offense at Him because He had grown up among them.
Friday of Pentecost 19
October 16, 2009
Today's Gospel brings us three parables from our Lord. The first is the parable of the weeds. Jesus tells the story about a man who sowed good seed in his field but while he and his men were sleeping the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. So when the plants sprouted up and bore grain then the weeds appeared at the same time. Then it became clear that an enemy had done this. The man's servants ask him if he wants them to go and pull out the weeds but he says, "No, let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."
The second parable is about a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds but when it has grown it is the largest of all garden plants.
The third parable is about leaven that a woman put into three measures of flour so that it was all leavened.
What ties all these parables together? Is it not the fact that in all of them the kingdom of heaven is hidden? In the parable of the weeds the wheat (the kingdom) is hidden amongst the weeds. In the parable of the mustard seed it is hidden in its size until it is full grown. In the parable of the leaven it is hidden in the flour but with the result that the whole batch is leavened.
Jesus' point seems to be that you cannot tell where the kingdom starts and stops in this present age. You cannot say that just because a person goes to church on Sunday means that he or she is a member of the kingdom of heaven. Nor I think can you necessarily conclude that because a person does not go the church on a given Sunday that he or she is not a member of God's kingdom.
Today's Gospel brings us three parables from our Lord. The first is the parable of the weeds. Jesus tells the story about a man who sowed good seed in his field but while he and his men were sleeping the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. So when the plants sprouted up and bore grain then the weeds appeared at the same time. Then it became clear that an enemy had done this. The man's servants ask him if he wants them to go and pull out the weeds but he says, "No, let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."
The second parable is about a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds but when it has grown it is the largest of all garden plants.
The third parable is about leaven that a woman put into three measures of flour so that it was all leavened.
What ties all these parables together? Is it not the fact that in all of them the kingdom of heaven is hidden? In the parable of the weeds the wheat (the kingdom) is hidden amongst the weeds. In the parable of the mustard seed it is hidden in its size until it is full grown. In the parable of the leaven it is hidden in the flour but with the result that the whole batch is leavened.
Jesus' point seems to be that you cannot tell where the kingdom starts and stops in this present age. You cannot say that just because a person goes to church on Sunday means that he or she is a member of the kingdom of heaven. Nor I think can you necessarily conclude that because a person does not go the church on a given Sunday that he or she is not a member of God's kingdom.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday of Pentecost 19
October 15, 2009
The reading appointed for today in Treasury of Daily Prayer is Matthew 13:1-23, the parable of the sower. It is so well known that one can scarcely begin to think anew of its meaning and application. In the context of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus uses the parable of the sower to explain what He has been doing as He has been going from town to town preaching, teaching, and healing.
Jesus of course is the sower. He is casting the seed all around and it has not taken root in a great many cases for many different reasons. I think this is a needed corrective in our own church today. The emphasis by so many has been on growing the Church by any possible means but we must remember that Jesus Himself was not all that successful at growing the Church. He has twelve somewhat dimwhitted disciples and others who followed Him wherever He went but the vast majoirty of people dismissed Jesus or just plain denied His claims to be the Messiah altogether.
Moreover Jesus Himself explains that this will be the case. After He finished speaking the parable His disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables to the people. Jesus response is "because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." It is almost as if Jesus doesn't want everyone to hear His Word and come to the knowledge of the truth, but we know that this cannot be the case. Jesus came to give His life for the salvation of all people.
Why then was Jesus so unsuccessful? He explains in the following section that various things get in the way of the seed taking root, whether that be the devil, tribulation, persecution, the cares of the world, etc. There are any number of obstacles that people face on their way to faith in Jesus Christ. Any one of them can keep someone from trusting in Christ. Is it any wonder that the Church has problems getting and retaining members?
The reading appointed for today in Treasury of Daily Prayer is Matthew 13:1-23, the parable of the sower. It is so well known that one can scarcely begin to think anew of its meaning and application. In the context of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus uses the parable of the sower to explain what He has been doing as He has been going from town to town preaching, teaching, and healing.
Jesus of course is the sower. He is casting the seed all around and it has not taken root in a great many cases for many different reasons. I think this is a needed corrective in our own church today. The emphasis by so many has been on growing the Church by any possible means but we must remember that Jesus Himself was not all that successful at growing the Church. He has twelve somewhat dimwhitted disciples and others who followed Him wherever He went but the vast majoirty of people dismissed Jesus or just plain denied His claims to be the Messiah altogether.
Moreover Jesus Himself explains that this will be the case. After He finished speaking the parable His disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables to the people. Jesus response is "because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." It is almost as if Jesus doesn't want everyone to hear His Word and come to the knowledge of the truth, but we know that this cannot be the case. Jesus came to give His life for the salvation of all people.
Why then was Jesus so unsuccessful? He explains in the following section that various things get in the way of the seed taking root, whether that be the devil, tribulation, persecution, the cares of the world, etc. There are any number of obstacles that people face on their way to faith in Jesus Christ. Any one of them can keep someone from trusting in Christ. Is it any wonder that the Church has problems getting and retaining members?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday of Pentecost 19
October 14, 2009
Jesus willingly gave His divine help to those who needed it by performing healing or driving out demons but He refused those who came to Him wanting a demonstration of His power. That's how today's reading starts, with Jesus saying no to the scribes who wanted to see a sign from Jesus (Matthew 12:38-39). He does not leave them without an indication of who He is however. He does say "no sign will be given...except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jonah was swallowed up and three days later vomitted upon the beach at Nineveh. Jesus would soon be laid to rest in a grave and three days later He would emerge alive once more.
What Jesus says after this interchange is interesting. "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also it will be with this evil generation" (Matthew 12:43-45). Jesus applies this teaching to the generation of people with whom He has been dealing. In other words, many of them are rejecting Jesus and His Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in Him. So when He has finished His work and the devil has been defeated but not yet thrown into the lake of fire and Jesus ascends back to the right hand of God, Satan is going to get busy doing his wicked best to undo all that Jesus has done. Can there be any doubt about the wicked things that we see happening in the world all around us? Do we not live in this time when things are worse than they have ever been and are only getting progressively worse as time goes by?
In the final section of today's reading a man tells Jesus that His mother and brothers have come to talk to Jesus but He replies, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Then He Himself gives the answer, "Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50). At this point Jesus is on His way to the cross. The plan is in motion. He will suffer and die and be raised on the third day to reconcile all people to the Father by His blood. This act creates a new holy people for God and creates a new family for the believer.
Jesus willingly gave His divine help to those who needed it by performing healing or driving out demons but He refused those who came to Him wanting a demonstration of His power. That's how today's reading starts, with Jesus saying no to the scribes who wanted to see a sign from Jesus (Matthew 12:38-39). He does not leave them without an indication of who He is however. He does say "no sign will be given...except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jonah was swallowed up and three days later vomitted upon the beach at Nineveh. Jesus would soon be laid to rest in a grave and three days later He would emerge alive once more.
What Jesus says after this interchange is interesting. "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also it will be with this evil generation" (Matthew 12:43-45). Jesus applies this teaching to the generation of people with whom He has been dealing. In other words, many of them are rejecting Jesus and His Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in Him. So when He has finished His work and the devil has been defeated but not yet thrown into the lake of fire and Jesus ascends back to the right hand of God, Satan is going to get busy doing his wicked best to undo all that Jesus has done. Can there be any doubt about the wicked things that we see happening in the world all around us? Do we not live in this time when things are worse than they have ever been and are only getting progressively worse as time goes by?
In the final section of today's reading a man tells Jesus that His mother and brothers have come to talk to Jesus but He replies, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Then He Himself gives the answer, "Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50). At this point Jesus is on His way to the cross. The plan is in motion. He will suffer and die and be raised on the third day to reconcile all people to the Father by His blood. This act creates a new holy people for God and creates a new family for the believer.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday of Pentecost 19
October 13, 2009
The Pharisees today claim that Jesus casts out demons by Beelzebul. He has just healed a man oppressed by a demon and the people are beginning to understand. They begin asking, "Can this be the Son of David?" The Pharisees say, "No. He casts out demons by the prince of demons." Jesus reveals the foolishness of this statement. "If Satan casts out out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?"
Then Jesus gets to the point, "If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28). This is what is happening. Jesus is the Son of God who brings the kingdom with Him and that kingdom is characterized by the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the demon possessed set free, and the dead living. But the Pharisees refuse to see it. And Jesus has a stern warning for them, "every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." What is this blasphemy against the Spirit? In the context of this exchange it can be no other thing that refusing to acknowledge that Jesus is in fact the Son of David, the promised Messiah, the incarnation of the kingdom of God.
The Pharisees today claim that Jesus casts out demons by Beelzebul. He has just healed a man oppressed by a demon and the people are beginning to understand. They begin asking, "Can this be the Son of David?" The Pharisees say, "No. He casts out demons by the prince of demons." Jesus reveals the foolishness of this statement. "If Satan casts out out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?"
Then Jesus gets to the point, "If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28). This is what is happening. Jesus is the Son of God who brings the kingdom with Him and that kingdom is characterized by the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the demon possessed set free, and the dead living. But the Pharisees refuse to see it. And Jesus has a stern warning for them, "every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." What is this blasphemy against the Spirit? In the context of this exchange it can be no other thing that refusing to acknowledge that Jesus is in fact the Son of David, the promised Messiah, the incarnation of the kingdom of God.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday of Pentecost 19
October 12, 2009
The lesson for today (Matthew 12:1-21) shows the Pharisees ramping up their efforts against Jesus. They have decided that He cannot possibly be the Christ so they need to be rid of Him.
The first episode is when the Pharisees see some of Jesus' disciples plucking heads of grain as they walk through the grainfields on the Sabbath. The Pharisees see this as a transgression of the third commandment. Jesus responds by bringing to memory what David did when his men were hungry, they ate the bread of the Presence which was lawful only for the priests to eat. What is going here? Jesus' point is that the Sabbath law was made for the good of man but when that law does not serve man (in preparing food for eating for example) then it is no longer serving its divine purpose.
The second episode is similar. Jesus goes to the synagogue and finds there a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees ask Him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. The concept is the same here. The Pharisees believe that the Sabbath law is all encompassing but Jesus works with the concept that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, man was not made in order to keep the Sabbath. So His answer is: "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" and He heals the man with the withered hand.
From this point on the Pharisees are on the lookout for a way to destroy Jesus. So Jesus is forced to withdraw from there and continue His ministry of teaching and healing elsewhere until the time is right.
Of course the principles at play in this pericope are the same as we experience today. Just this weekend I went to a presentation of the Judgment Day by a local congregation. The message was one of Law. They portrayed one boy who was saved because not only had he accepted Jesus as his savior but he also spent his days witnessing to his faith in Jesus to his friends. This was conveyed as a contributing factor to his being saved as if faith was enough to get him started but then obedience to the Law was required to get him the rest of the way to heaven. But the Bible does not speak this way. The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith and this is not of ourselves it is the gift of God lest anyone should boast. We are not saved by our obedience in any measure. We are saved by Christ on the cross purchasing with His own precious blood the forgiveness of our sins. The Law is meant to show us our need for Jesus on the cross and to show us that we cannot do it ourselves. Oh how I wish the members of the local congregation who put on this show could have gotten that right!
The lesson for today (Matthew 12:1-21) shows the Pharisees ramping up their efforts against Jesus. They have decided that He cannot possibly be the Christ so they need to be rid of Him.
The first episode is when the Pharisees see some of Jesus' disciples plucking heads of grain as they walk through the grainfields on the Sabbath. The Pharisees see this as a transgression of the third commandment. Jesus responds by bringing to memory what David did when his men were hungry, they ate the bread of the Presence which was lawful only for the priests to eat. What is going here? Jesus' point is that the Sabbath law was made for the good of man but when that law does not serve man (in preparing food for eating for example) then it is no longer serving its divine purpose.
The second episode is similar. Jesus goes to the synagogue and finds there a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees ask Him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. The concept is the same here. The Pharisees believe that the Sabbath law is all encompassing but Jesus works with the concept that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, man was not made in order to keep the Sabbath. So His answer is: "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" and He heals the man with the withered hand.
From this point on the Pharisees are on the lookout for a way to destroy Jesus. So Jesus is forced to withdraw from there and continue His ministry of teaching and healing elsewhere until the time is right.
Of course the principles at play in this pericope are the same as we experience today. Just this weekend I went to a presentation of the Judgment Day by a local congregation. The message was one of Law. They portrayed one boy who was saved because not only had he accepted Jesus as his savior but he also spent his days witnessing to his faith in Jesus to his friends. This was conveyed as a contributing factor to his being saved as if faith was enough to get him started but then obedience to the Law was required to get him the rest of the way to heaven. But the Bible does not speak this way. The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith and this is not of ourselves it is the gift of God lest anyone should boast. We are not saved by our obedience in any measure. We are saved by Christ on the cross purchasing with His own precious blood the forgiveness of our sins. The Law is meant to show us our need for Jesus on the cross and to show us that we cannot do it ourselves. Oh how I wish the members of the local congregation who put on this show could have gotten that right!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Saturday of Pentecost 18
October 10, 2009
John the Baptist in today's Gospel reading (Matthew 11:1-19) publicly asks the question that everyone has been privately asking themselves in the past week's readings. "Are you the one who is to come?" John seemed to be thinking that the coming Christ would bring judgment. Earlier he had proclaimed "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire...His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:10,12).
Jesus responds by pointing to the miraculous works which He is doing, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up. These are the things prophesied by Isaiah about the coming One. The fact that Jesus is doing these things points to the fact that He is the promised Messiah who was to come.
This interchange between the disciples of John and Jesus brings into sharper relief the all too human experience of the great let down we often experience when someone does not live up to our expectations. We find this to be true of our friends, our spouses, our children, our pastors, and sadly even our God. We expect the Lord to act in certain ways and to do certain things for us for our benefit. But when He doesn't do what we expect we are let down and perhaps we even get a little angry.
The same thing seems to be true of John here. He was expecting a certain type of Christ but what Jesus was showing was something else. This didn't mean that Jesus was not the coming One only that John's expectation was wrong. It is an important lesson for us too. Christ is Lord. He will do what He knows is best for us and the world regardless of whether we agree or not. As Christians we need to simply look to Christ on the cross where we see His immeasurable love for us and we can be reassured that no matter what we are currently experiencing God is for us because Christ died for us and gives us His own righteousness through the gift of Holy Baptism.
John the Baptist in today's Gospel reading (Matthew 11:1-19) publicly asks the question that everyone has been privately asking themselves in the past week's readings. "Are you the one who is to come?" John seemed to be thinking that the coming Christ would bring judgment. Earlier he had proclaimed "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire...His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:10,12).
Jesus responds by pointing to the miraculous works which He is doing, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up. These are the things prophesied by Isaiah about the coming One. The fact that Jesus is doing these things points to the fact that He is the promised Messiah who was to come.
This interchange between the disciples of John and Jesus brings into sharper relief the all too human experience of the great let down we often experience when someone does not live up to our expectations. We find this to be true of our friends, our spouses, our children, our pastors, and sadly even our God. We expect the Lord to act in certain ways and to do certain things for us for our benefit. But when He doesn't do what we expect we are let down and perhaps we even get a little angry.
The same thing seems to be true of John here. He was expecting a certain type of Christ but what Jesus was showing was something else. This didn't mean that Jesus was not the coming One only that John's expectation was wrong. It is an important lesson for us too. Christ is Lord. He will do what He knows is best for us and the world regardless of whether we agree or not. As Christians we need to simply look to Christ on the cross where we see His immeasurable love for us and we can be reassured that no matter what we are currently experiencing God is for us because Christ died for us and gives us His own righteousness through the gift of Holy Baptism.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday of Pentecost 18
October 9, 2009
Our reading picks up today where it left off yesterday, namely, with persecution. "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household?" The disciples stand in the crosshairs of the Pharisees and we stand in the crosshairs of all of those who hate the Christian Gospel message of one Savior for all people.
But Jesus goes on to say "Have no fear of them for nothing is covered that will not be revealed." The disciples are to have an eternal worldview where everything will be made known and made right on the Last Day. This must be what strengthen all of the martyrs of the Christian faith over the centuries, the knowledge that one day, God would vindicate their confession and faith in Him and hand those who persecuted and killed them to their father, the devil. This prompts me as a confessor to continually pray, "Come, Lord Jesus." I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Then Jesus utters perhaps one of His most difficult teachings: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Jesus is the dividing line in families. Some will follow Him. Some will oppose Him. Even within my own family some follow Jesus while others do not. We are still family but we lack the tie that binds us to one another in faith. We lack an eternal outlook. I can still talk to them of course, even love them, because they are my family, but we are not together in faith and therefore we cannot commune together at the Lord's altar. This has caused no shortage of heartache and bad feelings in our family and sadly it will continue until either they repent and come to faith in Jesus Christ or the Lord returns in glory.
Finally, Jesus authorizes His disciples "whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me." Jesus' disciples speak and act on His divine authority. Listening to their words and receiving their message is to receive Christ Himself for they speak His Word and proclaim His message. The same is true of pastors today in the Church. We are called to stand in Christ's place and speak in His name and with His authority. When the pastor in the Divine Service announces the absolution it is as if Jesus Himself were absolving your sins.
In these verses Jesus lays out the great trials and triumphs of follow Him. If one follows Jesus He can expect persecution, conflict, maybe even death, but at the same time, He will be speaking with the authority of the Son of God forgiving sins and delivering from Satan to Yahweh.
Our reading picks up today where it left off yesterday, namely, with persecution. "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household?" The disciples stand in the crosshairs of the Pharisees and we stand in the crosshairs of all of those who hate the Christian Gospel message of one Savior for all people.
But Jesus goes on to say "Have no fear of them for nothing is covered that will not be revealed." The disciples are to have an eternal worldview where everything will be made known and made right on the Last Day. This must be what strengthen all of the martyrs of the Christian faith over the centuries, the knowledge that one day, God would vindicate their confession and faith in Him and hand those who persecuted and killed them to their father, the devil. This prompts me as a confessor to continually pray, "Come, Lord Jesus." I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Then Jesus utters perhaps one of His most difficult teachings: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Jesus is the dividing line in families. Some will follow Him. Some will oppose Him. Even within my own family some follow Jesus while others do not. We are still family but we lack the tie that binds us to one another in faith. We lack an eternal outlook. I can still talk to them of course, even love them, because they are my family, but we are not together in faith and therefore we cannot commune together at the Lord's altar. This has caused no shortage of heartache and bad feelings in our family and sadly it will continue until either they repent and come to faith in Jesus Christ or the Lord returns in glory.
Finally, Jesus authorizes His disciples "whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me." Jesus' disciples speak and act on His divine authority. Listening to their words and receiving their message is to receive Christ Himself for they speak His Word and proclaim His message. The same is true of pastors today in the Church. We are called to stand in Christ's place and speak in His name and with His authority. When the pastor in the Divine Service announces the absolution it is as if Jesus Himself were absolving your sins.
In these verses Jesus lays out the great trials and triumphs of follow Him. If one follows Jesus He can expect persecution, conflict, maybe even death, but at the same time, He will be speaking with the authority of the Son of God forgiving sins and delivering from Satan to Yahweh.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday of Pentecost 18
October 8, 2009
"Men will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues and you will be dragged before governors and kings for My sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles." This is the glorious future that Jesus foresees for His disciples. It would be enough to make anyone take pause and reconsider, especially in light of the fact that this comes after Jesus graciously bestows upon them the power to cast out demons and heal every disease.
Jesus gathers His twelve and gives them His authority and sends them out to the "lost sheep of Israel." They are to proclaim "the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" and perform the same miracles that we have been witnessing Jesus Himself performing. Healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? That is glorious stuff! That is what this disciple thing is all about, right? Surely everyone would welcome them with open arms.
Hold on there Tonto. Was Jesus welcomed with opened arms when He did these things? Not all the time, remember when He went to His own hometown? Further Jesus indicates that His disciples will not be welcomed everywhere. He even says, "If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." Moreover Jesus tells them that their own families might betray them. "Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death and you will be hated by all for My name's sake."
Who wants to sign up now? While the disciples have all authority given to them to forgive sins and heal diseases and drive out demons they will also face enormous opposition and hatred because they proclaim Jesus' message, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Is it any different for those of us who bear the name of Christ today? Not really. There are still many who are hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even some within the walls of the Christian Church. Christians are persecuted and hated because they proclaim that Jesus is the only Savior of the world, that hope for eternal life is found only in Jesus crucified and resurrected. Being a Christian does not mean a life of ease and happiness. It means a life lived under the cross bearing the sinful natures of others and being hated for what we stand for but in the end "the one who endures will be saved."
"Men will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues and you will be dragged before governors and kings for My sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles." This is the glorious future that Jesus foresees for His disciples. It would be enough to make anyone take pause and reconsider, especially in light of the fact that this comes after Jesus graciously bestows upon them the power to cast out demons and heal every disease.
Jesus gathers His twelve and gives them His authority and sends them out to the "lost sheep of Israel." They are to proclaim "the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" and perform the same miracles that we have been witnessing Jesus Himself performing. Healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? That is glorious stuff! That is what this disciple thing is all about, right? Surely everyone would welcome them with open arms.
Hold on there Tonto. Was Jesus welcomed with opened arms when He did these things? Not all the time, remember when He went to His own hometown? Further Jesus indicates that His disciples will not be welcomed everywhere. He even says, "If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." Moreover Jesus tells them that their own families might betray them. "Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death and you will be hated by all for My name's sake."
Who wants to sign up now? While the disciples have all authority given to them to forgive sins and heal diseases and drive out demons they will also face enormous opposition and hatred because they proclaim Jesus' message, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Is it any different for those of us who bear the name of Christ today? Not really. There are still many who are hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even some within the walls of the Christian Church. Christians are persecuted and hated because they proclaim that Jesus is the only Savior of the world, that hope for eternal life is found only in Jesus crucified and resurrected. Being a Christian does not mean a life of ease and happiness. It means a life lived under the cross bearing the sinful natures of others and being hated for what we stand for but in the end "the one who endures will be saved."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday Pentecost 18
October 7, 2009
As I continue my reading in the Gospel of Matthew I begin today with verses 18-26 where Jesus is met by a man whose daughter has died. One would think that this would have kept the man away from Jesus, for what can a man do for someone who has died? But Jesus is not just a man, He is also God in human flesh. So the man comes and asks Jesus to touch his dead daughter so that "she will live." On the way to the man's house a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched His garment. She thought that if she just touched Him she would be healed. But Jesus is no magical talisman. He turns and says to her, "Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well." You see, it was not the mere touch but the faith that Jesus had the power to heal her that makes her well. Finally Jesus reaches the house of the dead girl. He goes in takes her by the hand and she arises. Jesus clearly demonstrates His power over death in this episode. Why then would He die on the cross? Because He came to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all of humanity's sin.
From there Jesus moves on and encounters two blind men who ask Jesus for mercy. Jesus asks them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" This gives us the key that we need to understand Jesus' miracles. He heals people who believe that He is able and willing to do good things for them. He performs miracles for those who believe that He is the Son of God. He is not some performing artist but He is the Savior of the world come into it to set it free from sin, death, and the devil.
After the blind men are healed and sent away Jesus meets a demon oppressed man who cannot speak. After Jesus again demonstrates His power and authority over the demons the man is able to speak and everyone wonders, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." This is exactly the point that Matthew is trying to make by recording all of the healings Jesus did during His earthly ministry. Never has there been someone like this in all of human history. Jesus did incredible things, taught incredible truths, made incredible claims about Himself. Ultimately everyone must ask themselves, "Who is this Jesus? Is He the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds?" or "Is He just another man, delusion, but brilliant?"
As I continue my reading in the Gospel of Matthew I begin today with verses 18-26 where Jesus is met by a man whose daughter has died. One would think that this would have kept the man away from Jesus, for what can a man do for someone who has died? But Jesus is not just a man, He is also God in human flesh. So the man comes and asks Jesus to touch his dead daughter so that "she will live." On the way to the man's house a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched His garment. She thought that if she just touched Him she would be healed. But Jesus is no magical talisman. He turns and says to her, "Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well." You see, it was not the mere touch but the faith that Jesus had the power to heal her that makes her well. Finally Jesus reaches the house of the dead girl. He goes in takes her by the hand and she arises. Jesus clearly demonstrates His power over death in this episode. Why then would He die on the cross? Because He came to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all of humanity's sin.
From there Jesus moves on and encounters two blind men who ask Jesus for mercy. Jesus asks them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" This gives us the key that we need to understand Jesus' miracles. He heals people who believe that He is able and willing to do good things for them. He performs miracles for those who believe that He is the Son of God. He is not some performing artist but He is the Savior of the world come into it to set it free from sin, death, and the devil.
After the blind men are healed and sent away Jesus meets a demon oppressed man who cannot speak. After Jesus again demonstrates His power and authority over the demons the man is able to speak and everyone wonders, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." This is exactly the point that Matthew is trying to make by recording all of the healings Jesus did during His earthly ministry. Never has there been someone like this in all of human history. Jesus did incredible things, taught incredible truths, made incredible claims about Himself. Ultimately everyone must ask themselves, "Who is this Jesus? Is He the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds?" or "Is He just another man, delusion, but brilliant?"
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday of Pentecost 18
October 6, 2009
The lesson for today is Matthew 9:1-17.
The first thing that strikes me in verses 1-8 is that this is a kind of summary to all of the healing which Jesus has done in the previous chapter. Here a paralytic is brought to Jesus. And Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven. The scribes however charge Jesus with blasphemy because He is just a man and man cannot forgive sin. But Jesus wants them to confess that He is not just a man but He is also God so He not only forgives the paralytic his sins but commands him to get up and walk and he does! This whole episode wraps up all the healing stories that have already come because that is what the healings are all about. Jesus is showing Himself to be the very Son of God with authority over sin, sickness, and death.
In the next few verses (9-13) Jesus calls Matthew to be His disciple. Now Matthew was a tax collector, a vocation that was just as dishonored then as it is today. Matthew apparently invited Jesus into his house after Jesus called him because that is where we find Him, gathered with a bunch of tax collectors. The Pharisees are troubled that a teacher such as Jesus would eat with such sinners. But He tells them this is why He has come. "For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Now we know from elsewhere in Scripture that "no one is righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). This includes the Pharisees. Jesus came to call all men to repentance and faith in Him. Sadly the Pharisees don't see this or their need for Jesus.
In the final section (14-17) Jesus is asked about fasting. His disciples do not fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees. Jesus' response is instructive, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." What is Jesus talking about? Jesus is indicating that now is not the time for sorrow and repentance and fasting. Now is the time when the kingdom of God is at hand in the person and work of Jesus, but soon Jesus will be taken away. He will be crucified, dead, and buried, and in that time Jesus' disciples will fast.
The lesson for today is Matthew 9:1-17.
The first thing that strikes me in verses 1-8 is that this is a kind of summary to all of the healing which Jesus has done in the previous chapter. Here a paralytic is brought to Jesus. And Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven. The scribes however charge Jesus with blasphemy because He is just a man and man cannot forgive sin. But Jesus wants them to confess that He is not just a man but He is also God so He not only forgives the paralytic his sins but commands him to get up and walk and he does! This whole episode wraps up all the healing stories that have already come because that is what the healings are all about. Jesus is showing Himself to be the very Son of God with authority over sin, sickness, and death.
In the next few verses (9-13) Jesus calls Matthew to be His disciple. Now Matthew was a tax collector, a vocation that was just as dishonored then as it is today. Matthew apparently invited Jesus into his house after Jesus called him because that is where we find Him, gathered with a bunch of tax collectors. The Pharisees are troubled that a teacher such as Jesus would eat with such sinners. But He tells them this is why He has come. "For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Now we know from elsewhere in Scripture that "no one is righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). This includes the Pharisees. Jesus came to call all men to repentance and faith in Him. Sadly the Pharisees don't see this or their need for Jesus.
In the final section (14-17) Jesus is asked about fasting. His disciples do not fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees. Jesus' response is instructive, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." What is Jesus talking about? Jesus is indicating that now is not the time for sorrow and repentance and fasting. Now is the time when the kingdom of God is at hand in the person and work of Jesus, but soon Jesus will be taken away. He will be crucified, dead, and buried, and in that time Jesus' disciples will fast.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday of Pentecost 18
October 5, 2009
The text for today follows on yesterday's reading from Matthew 8. Today we read verses 18-34 which recount Jesus' teaching about following Him (18-22), Jesus' stilling of a storm (23-27), and Jesus' healing of two men possessed with demons (28-34).
After the healings of yesterday's reading a scribe came up to Jesus and told Him that he would follow Jesus wherever He might go. Jesus' response is troubling, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." In other words, Jesus tells this man that to follow Him means a life of struggle, hardship, the cross. One wonders what this scribe did after that. Scripture doesn't tell us but I wonder how long this brief interchange haunted his thoughts.
After that Jesus got into a boat and a great storm arose and He and His disciples traveled across the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus was sleeping. These seasoned fishermen were scared out of their minds and woke Jesus. He then calms the storm with His Word and the disciples are astonished with the result that they ask themselves "What sort of man is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?" This is the key question. They have seen Him heal people of all sorts of maladies and diseases but to speak to the wind and the sea and they obey...that is something altogether different! It shows exactly who Jesus is, the Son of God in human flesh.
Finally, the last section tells us what happened when Jesus and the disciples get to shore once more. There they are met by two demon-possessed men. They ask Jesus if He has come to torment them before the appointed time and they ask Him not to drive them out back to the pit but into a herd of pigs. This Jesus does setting the two men free from their demon possession. Again Jesus shows He has power over demons and yet the people of the region ask that He leave.
Up to this point Jesus has been shown to have power over sickness, winds, sea, and demons and yet He is not welcome anywhere He goes. Those who follow Him likewise are left without house or home. They have been called to follow Him, but who is up to the task? Apart from Christ none are up to the task. Including Christians. We rely upon Jesus to forgive us for clinging to our earthly securities and not to Him alone. Thank God we are not saved by what we give up but by what Christ gave up on our behalf!
The text for today follows on yesterday's reading from Matthew 8. Today we read verses 18-34 which recount Jesus' teaching about following Him (18-22), Jesus' stilling of a storm (23-27), and Jesus' healing of two men possessed with demons (28-34).
After the healings of yesterday's reading a scribe came up to Jesus and told Him that he would follow Jesus wherever He might go. Jesus' response is troubling, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." In other words, Jesus tells this man that to follow Him means a life of struggle, hardship, the cross. One wonders what this scribe did after that. Scripture doesn't tell us but I wonder how long this brief interchange haunted his thoughts.
After that Jesus got into a boat and a great storm arose and He and His disciples traveled across the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus was sleeping. These seasoned fishermen were scared out of their minds and woke Jesus. He then calms the storm with His Word and the disciples are astonished with the result that they ask themselves "What sort of man is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?" This is the key question. They have seen Him heal people of all sorts of maladies and diseases but to speak to the wind and the sea and they obey...that is something altogether different! It shows exactly who Jesus is, the Son of God in human flesh.
Finally, the last section tells us what happened when Jesus and the disciples get to shore once more. There they are met by two demon-possessed men. They ask Jesus if He has come to torment them before the appointed time and they ask Him not to drive them out back to the pit but into a herd of pigs. This Jesus does setting the two men free from their demon possession. Again Jesus shows He has power over demons and yet the people of the region ask that He leave.
Up to this point Jesus has been shown to have power over sickness, winds, sea, and demons and yet He is not welcome anywhere He goes. Those who follow Him likewise are left without house or home. They have been called to follow Him, but who is up to the task? Apart from Christ none are up to the task. Including Christians. We rely upon Jesus to forgive us for clinging to our earthly securities and not to Him alone. Thank God we are not saved by what we give up but by what Christ gave up on our behalf!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Oct 4, 2009
Today's Gospel reading from "The Treasury of Daily Prayer" (CPH 2008) is Matthew 8:1-17.
The first four verses recount Jesus' healing of the leper. Leprosy was a disease that resulted in someone being driven out of the society. A leper had to live alone removed from his family and friends. It was a death sentence. The fact that this leper approaches Jesus shows that he is convinced that Jesus will help him. For a leper to approach another person was against the law. Moreover Jesus shows His incredible love and compassion by touching the leper. This would have made Him unclean and exposed Him to the disease itself. But for this Jesus came. He came to take upon Himself man's sin and uncleanness. He would go to the cross to defeat it.
In the following verses (5-13) we find another example of Jesus' healing compassion. This time it is a centurion whose servant was suffering from some unnamed malady. Jesus says that He will come and help but the centurion says that he is not worthy to have Jesus come to his house. At this Jesus is astonished for this man shows great faith that Jesus is able to heal his servant with just a word.
In the remaining verses (14-17) we get one more healing story. Peter's mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. Jesus goes in and touches her and she is healed. After that people bring many who were oppressed by demons and Jesus casts them out and heals all those who were sick.
In this pericope we clearly see that Jesus has power over demons and illnesses of various kinds. Moreover He has no need to touch a person with His hand to heal them. He can simply do it by speeking a word and yet many times He chooses to touch them with the same hands that He will allow to be nailed to the cross in order to set us free from sickness and death.
Yet if Jesus is Lord of life and died to set us free from sickness and death why do we continue to get sick and die? You can find Christians in hospitals all over the world. Why is this if Jesus is what the Christian Church says He is? Such a notion assumes that Jesus promised that He would do this for everyone in this life, but where does He ever promise such a gift? What Jesus does promise is that by His death and resurrection He has paid the penalty for all of the sins which we do commit and in the world to come we will be raised with a body that is no longer succeptible to the diseases which causes so many people to suffer and die in this life.
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