St. John 10:11-16

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Our Old Testament lesson from Ezekiel illustrates all peoples’ spiritual situation. On the surface it looks like the people in the text had gotten what their deeds deserved. God had allowed their enemies to overcome them in their own place, and take them to a far off land against their will. Certainly, He would wash His hands of them, now. That’s what you and I have wanted for people who’ve wronged us, isn’t it; that we turn the page and move on? 

We’re like that; is God? 

It seems like He might be if we read earlier in the book of Ezekiel. God was so angry with His people that He said this:

On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you. 14 I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God” (24:13, 14).

And that seems to make sense to us in a certain way. You do the crime, you do the time. It’s justice. The way God is, it makes sense. The way He made everything to be, it makes sense. We grow up in our parents’ houses with rules. If we break them, there’s a consequence (our parents’ authority is established by God too). We’re warned in Paul’s letter to the Romans, that the government doesn’t bear the sword for nothing. If we do wrong, we should be afraid of that authority (13:4). Sin has consequences. It has wages, the Bible says (Romans 6:23).

Even after that sternness, however, some time later God told His prophet Ezekiel to say to the people:

As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

I speak to a room full of sinners who have daily broken God’s Commandments (I see one in the mirror too). When we look in our texts for this morning (having come here to know God, and to number ourselves among His people), we want to see what kind of God He is. What we see is that He isn’t the kind who casually turns the page on sinners. What a comfort that is for us. No doubt, you have been troubled over your sins. I invite you to see this morning, the God Who presents Himself as the Good Shepherd.

He’d already been talking about Himself this way in Old Testament times, in the time—even—of the Babylonian Captivity (the 70-year exile of His people from Jerusalem, the time He drove them away by the hand of their enemies). Even as He was issuing the sternest of rebukes (as we read earlier), of condemnations for their waywardness, He was speaking tenderly to the terrified sinners in them, the poor in spirit, who would in some moment regret the evil and return to Him for His mercy. 

Through the prophet Ezekiel’s words, He presents a picture of Himself as the one whose job it is to care for the most helpless of creatures. Like sheep, His people are helpless without Him. They’ve already demonstrated their tendency to do the most self-destructive things. They have wandered away from His protection and His mercy to be counseled according to the wisdom of this world, and to take part in the wickedness that comes along with that counsel. 

And when God (through the prophet) talks about what they need now, He uses the word rescue. He talks about seeking them out, gathering them, bringing them back, binding up their wounds, strengthening them, feeding them, causing them to lie down (in comfort and safety like sheep in a meadow is what that means). And even with that harshness that we heard earlier, with God so angry about their sins that He seems almost to run out of ways to say how angry He is, He comes back around to talking like this, to talking like the shepherd who can’t bear to lose anyone from His flock.

And when Jesus—in our text—wants to demonstrate to His listeners just how much He cares about them, He brings up this same imagery, of Him as the shepherd who cares for His flock. 

The flock isn’t a perfect flock; He knows that. He speaks to a group of sinners who have daily broken God’s Commandments. They share the same sinful nature with those to whom God was speaking through the prophet in our Old Testament lesson. They have wandered away from His protection and His mercy to be counseled according to the wisdom of this world, and to take part in the wickedness that comes along with that counsel. As He speaks to them about laying down His life for the sheep, He isn’t trying to impress them by talking big about something he’ll never really have to carry out. He’s giving the details of a rescue plan fashioned in eternity. He will literally give His life for theirs. St. Peter talks about it in our epistle lesson with it having by that time happened: Christ also suffered for you….He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. This Good Shepherd puts Himself in front of the wolf who attacks the flock so that He might be torn to pieces instead of them.

Is God the kind of God who casually turns the page on His people? No. He turns the page on Himself instead. He gives His own life instead. 

He spoke to sinners through the prophet Ezekiel in that prophet’s day, to the same sinners through Jesus in His office as prophet in His day. He speaks to the same sinners today, even this very morning in this sanctuary. He speaks to people who are as guilty as any sinners of any time. He speaks to people who must admit their own ears that strain toward the wisdom of this world’s counselors. The people of Ezekiel’s day weren’t some kind of monsters; they were just people. They knew the true God, but also liked a lot of the ideas they were hearing apart from Him. They liked the feeling of being accepted by others who weren’t interested in God. There were so many alternatives, after all. Our first mother Eve was being tempted by the serpent in the same way. 

The people of Ezekiel’s time might not have thought of themselves as being in need of being rescued by God, of being sought out, gathered, bound up, fed, brought back, strengthened (that’s how it often is). They’d been deceived, and were thinking of themselves as enlightened, in a new way of thinking. Meanwhile, from God’s perspective their situation was so dire that the only way to reach them was with the severest discipline aimed at driving at least some of them to the point of repentance.

When you are at that point in consideration of your sins, you are in a very good place. It’s painful. You would rather not have to endure it. But it’s by God’s grace that He has brought you to this humble state. It’s the point at which you rejoice when you hear the words of your Savior in our text: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He’s the One Who never wandered like you have, never sought any peace or satisfaction or goodness apart from the source of all it—never flirted around with this world’s wisdom and accompanying pursuits, so His perfect life is laid down for your spoiled one. And it suffices.

When you think of your sins that bother you, that make you even question whether God might be at the point of turning the page on you, think of how He presents Himself in these lessons. He is the Good Shepherd who pursues the sheep of His flock—not to harm them in some way, not to punish them—to restore them to His side. He seeks them out that they might be with Him in His eternal kingdom. He lays down His life to remove their guilt—to remove your guilt, to remove the punishment that it brings. He puts it on Himself instead. He forgives your sins. God be praised. Amen.

St. Mark 16:1–8

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said to themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go and tell His disciples— and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” And they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Dear Worshippers having come on this Resurrection Day to behold the risen Christ:

A young man in Jesus’ tomb says to the women who’ve come there to finish anointing His body: You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. And then He says something even more important after that. We’re going to talk about 

1. What the women had been hoping to see

2. What they saw

3. Why it’s good that they saw what they saw

What the women had been hoping to see

Occupied is what they’d been hoping to see. Strange as that may seem, that’s what Mary, Mary, and Salome had been hoping to see—Jesus’ tomb occupied. They had a job to do. It was a task of devotion. Three days before, they’d seen the head wagging, heard the mocking of passers-by. They’d beheld for themselves the three hours of mid-day darkness (these things that happened when Jesus was crucified). They’d heard Jesus’ cry, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? —(and the one He did as He breathed His last—Mark 15:34). They’d heard the moved centurion’s words: Truly this man was the Son of God (Mark 15:39)!” 

We know they’d seen and heard it all, because Mark tells us that in His Gospel account (15:40,41). These women who had followed Him (along with many other women) and provided valued service to Him had seen the end that even most of his closest disciples didn’t see because they’d fled in fear (as prophecy had foretold they would—Zechariah 13:7; Psalm 38:11).

St. Mark carefully tells us that the women had seen Jesus’ life’s end, and then also, that they were there to see what happened with His body. They’d seen Joseph of Arimathea transport Jesus’ corpse to a tomb, against which he had rolled a stone across the entrance. The women had seen enough to know what still needed to be done with Jesus’ body according to customs (there hadn’t been adequate time as the Sabbath approached). They only wondered, now, as they walked along the road, on this third day after His death, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

Consider the profound sadness in their hoping to see an occupied tomb (they hoped the body would be there!). 

It isn’t that they’d hoped He’d die, of course. What one of the disciples said later, sums up what these women were thinking too: We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel (24:21). They’d hoped beyond hope that He’d live. They’d hoped none of the things they’d seen happen would happen—Him arrested, beaten, mocked, falsely accused and condemned, crucified, buried. But it had happened. And now, these women had a job to do, a task of devotion. In order to carry it out, occupied is what they were hoping to see—Jesus’ body there in the tomb. They would do it, and then get on with their lives.

What they saw

Unoccupied is what they saw. Imagine yourself standing on the road with them. You’ve just been discussing the large stone that covers and seals the entrance to the tomb. That wasn’t nothing. Really; How were they going to remove it? Somehow they’d get it open. But you’re with them. And you look up, and…it’s gone. 

It’s what they’d wanted (for the stone to be removed so they could do their job), and now also, considering what they were hoping to find, we might imagine that it’s the source (at least for a moment) of an anxious, sinking feeling. But one might ask them: could things really be any worse than what they’d left a few days before, and what they’d been hoping to find now? Could whatever it meant that the stone was removed be worse than this One they’d hoped would redeem Israel being dead? It just underscores the dismay, the sadness in this whole thing, doesn’t it? 

So, you’re with them. You’ve seen that the sealed stone over the entrance of the tomb has been removed. You go in with them. And it’s evident from the Gospel accounts, that even now, what the women wanted to find there was Jesus’…body. St. John records that Mary Magdalene said to someone she thought was the Gardiner, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”(20:15). 

It’s hard to imagine what they were thinking, isn’t it? They were still so devoted to Jesus. They never devolved into skepticism, concluding Him to be a fraud like the Chief Priests and elders had said (at least we don’t see it). Here’s a stunning thought: Did they think there was certain evil in this world that even God can’t overcome, before which even His anointed one was helpless? Jesus had told a parable about wicked servants killing the son (the heir) so that they could have his inheritance (Matt 21:38). Could it really be true that that could happen, without God being able to do anything about it (imagine the hopelessness in that thought!)? With that in mind, what sadness even in seeing the tomb unoccupied. Whoever had removed the stone, and whatever had happened to the body; it was still just that—the dead body of their Lord.

Occupied is what they’d been hoping to see—the body there, for them to fulfill their task of devotion. Unoccupied is what they saw—the body missing (and even that to their dismay).

Why it’s good that they saw what they saw

Glorified is what the Easter morning sight means. You continue into the tomb with the women, and you see a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side. They were alarmed. We can understand that, can’t we? St. Matthew says that this one’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. The guards trembled like dead men in his presence. He calls him an angel (28:3-5). 

So you, along with these women look to the angel; and he says to you, You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. Well, he was right about that. Everything they’d done and said up to this point indicated that. And what they had in that—in seeking Jesus, who was crucified—was sadness and fear. 

How could He really have been who John the Baptist said He was if He isn’t alive; how could He be the one Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)? How could He have been who He had said He was if He isn’t alive; how could He be the light of the world who leads His followers to have the light of life (John 8:12)? If He isn’t alive, how could He be the Christ, who proclaims of Himself, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64).” If He isn’t alive those words are every bit as fraudulent and offensive as the High Priest and his court considered them to be. 

One who can’t defeat death for himself can’t defeat it for you. If that’s the case, then, as St. Paul writes: Your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).

The women had been seeking Jesus apart from His Words that He’d said. He hadn’t said it would be important to make sure His body was properly prepared for burial; but 

• He had said that He must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).

• Even one among the Chief Priests and Pharisees—when urging Pilate to place a guard at the tomb and seal it, said: “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise’ (Matt. 27:63).

• He’d said the Son of Man would be three days in the heart of the earth just as Jonah was three days in the belly of the great fish (Matthew 12:40).

• He had said one time: I lay down my life that I may take it up again (John 10:17).

According to His Words, the women (and the disciples) should have been seeking more that one Who was crucified. 

They should have been seeking One Who is risen. 

That’s the next thing the angel told the alarmed women in the tomb: He is risen! He is not here. 

Everything changes with that news, doesn’t it? God is no longer dead. That dread in the thought that perhaps there is evil that even God can’t overcome, before which even His anointed one is helpless, that the Son could be helplessly killed for His inheritance; it isn’t true! Not even the grave that comes to us as sinners can overcome Him. He has authority to lay down His life, and authority to take it up again (John 10:18). 

Luke tells us the angel said to women: “Why do you seek the living among the dead (24:5)? It was as if to say, Don’t you know who this is that you are seeking? 

• He is the one who defeats sin by taking your guilt upon Himself.

• He is the one who defeats the death that your sin has brought, by taking that death upon Himself.

• He is the one who defeats the grave that follows death, making it a transition to eternal life.

There isn’t any more need for sadness or fear, is there? Christ is risen! Your sins are removed.

There isn’t any hope or any joy in a crucified Lord who isn’t risen. He doesn’t demonstrate anything by dying. All of us will do that. We’ll do it because the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). He demonstrates something very important by rising, though. His death goes in a different direction. It doesn’t end in defeat; it ends in victory. 

And that victory isn’t just His; it’s yours too. Your death will go in this same direction because through faith you are connected to Him. He has removed for you the curse of death. You will rise to follow Him. Your faith isn’t in someone who’s dead; it’s in the One Who was dead and is alive again. 

HE IS RISEN! 

[HE IS RISEN INDEED!] 

ALLELUIA! 

Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto everlasting life. Amen.

John 8:46-59 

[Jesus said,] “Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 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?” Jesus answered, “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.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Whoever is of God hears the words of God. We can hear God’s Words and not hear the Words of God; we can ignore what they really mean (or misinterpret them). There are two great things that God is doing for us with His Word: He 

• Condemns us as sinners; He makes us see we’ve failed to meet the requirements of His Law, and He

• Comforts us with additional news. He has, through a blood sacrifice, met our Law requirements that had condemned us, so that we are free and clear.

That’s what everyone should be hearing who hears God’s Word—the Law and the Gospel. That’s what it is. That’s the message.

You might get hung up on that word: condemn, right? It’s NEGATIVE! It’s another way of saying we deserve hell. Ouch! Could it really be all that serious?

The men in our text certainly had that perspective. The Jews here are really the Scribes and Pharisees from earlier in the chapter. The conversation they have with Jesus gets a little complicated (talking past each other). What’s really important to them is that they’re ancestors of Abraham’s. He’s what comes to their mind first when Jesus says, “…if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Ah!—they think. Now, we’ve got Him. If there was some way to keep from dying, Abraham would have known it. But he died like everybody else. So much for this wi-i-ize teacher, Jesus.

It was hard for them to accept these certain words of God, the ones that say they’re condemned as sinners. It was hard because they felt safe as Abraham’s descendants. Jesus had said to them one time, Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham (Matthew 3:9). They tended to diminish the significance of their sins, and to figure that God would consider them to be good enough people—especially because Abraham was their forefather. They were refusing to hear the condemnation God wanted them to hear in His Words, for their good.

It’s interesting how Jesus handles that in our text. What He does, is, He gets real about Abraham—not criticizing him—but demonstrating that he’s really just another human being like them. He’s stained by the same sinfulness that everyone else has inherited from Adam and Eve. He doesn’t have any righteousness to lend to them. In fact, the thing that is truly great about Abraham is his acknowledgement that he’s a condemned sinner whose salvation is in the One God has promised—the Messiah or Christ. Jesus says it like this: Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” He was seeing it through faith. He was absolutely convinced that God’s promise of a Savior in his family was real. In that faith, he went to the land God showed him (as talked about in our Old Testament lesson), though there wasn’t anything there in that time to demonstrate the promise’s fulfillment. He simply believed. He trusted in Christ purely on the basis of God’s promise. He was a man who was truly hearing the Words of God.

The people in our text were refusing to hear in God’s Word the condemnation of the Law. And here’s the thing: then the Gospel meant nothing to them (what good is it to be saved if you’re not condemned in the first place? Why’d they need Jesus when they didn’t really think they were that bad of sinners?). 

We tend not to like this idea that we’re condemned. We don’t like seeing ourselves that way. With all the way-worse people around, we have to be ahead in some way, we think. How can God look at me in the same way He looks at…(and then we think of this person and that person). He must be seeing my goodness, isn’t He? I’m a respectable person! We alternatively interpret God’s Words about condemnation. We rearrange them so their bite isn’t quite so painful. God requires that I forgive people? But even He knows that there are some people I’m just not going to be able to forgive. He understands. We have refused to hear in God’s Word the full condemnation of the Law, too, haven’t we? It irritates us to hear about it. We’ve side-stepped it, given it a friendly interpretation for ourselves.

Not truly hearing God’s Words can be done a different way, too. Maybe you have refused to believe for yourself the comfort of the Gospel. You have continued to feel hopelessly condemned for your sins, even though you’ve faithfully and sincerely confessed them, and even though God has spoken to you His forgiveness in Christ. And that’s the way you have refused to hear the Words of God. He has presented Jesus to you, as He does in our text—as the one for Whom Abraham longed, He Who is one with the Father—saying, I AM, like in the Old Testament. He has shown you this Great High Priest from our epistle lesson, the Lamb of God without blemish, Whose blood purifies your conscience, redeeming you from sin and death. But you have refused these Words of God. You have continued to feel the weight of guilt. You have taken no joy in God’s mercy. Then the Gospel is meaningless to you because you have excluded yourself on the basis of not keeping God’s Law. You have refused to hear the comfort that God intends for you in His Words. But there isn’t any further revelation to come. He has already said what you need to hear—that every sin is accounted for in Christ’s sacrifice.

The sins of refusing to hear in God’s Word the Law’s condemnation and the Gospel’s comfort are accounted for in the One Who was made to endure that condemnation’s full weight for every sinner, who Himself perfectly fulfilled its requirements, but upon Whom all of its punishment landed. You can’t justify yourself according your works and the Law; that’s just a deception that leaves you condemned. There isn’t any point in pursuing that. If that’s your plan, then plan on feeling the full weight of God’s wrath and punishment. But if you have recognized the futility of that plan and instead want God’s mercy, it’s available to you in Christ, Who already endured the law’s condemnation for you. 

If you’re hesitant to believe that God could really forgive even your sins, then look upon Christ in our text. Listen to His Words, really hearing them for what they are. Consider the meaning of His statement: if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. Another way of saying it might be: If anyone holds on tightly to the promises about Me—about God’s grace established in Me as the One Who makes real what the Old Testament sacrifices foreshadowed, he will never bear the burden of his or her guilt before God. It has been fully accomplished. 

That’s the message that’s present for you in God’s Word. Nothing more is required of you, because it has been fully accomplished in Christ. Your forgiveness is fully accomplished. God be praised. Amen.

Lent 4/St. John 6:1-15 

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 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?” 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. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

What if Jesus had gone about this all differently? Kind of a provocative opening question, isn’t it? What He did in this well-known text, was to provide miraculously, food for the thousands who had gathered, 

• demonstrating Himself to be the prophet who is to come into the world (as the people said at the end),

• demonstrating Himself to be God in human flesh—the One Who can solve any problem.

That’s what He did.

It’s interesting to see Jesus address something like this. He looks up and sees the crowd, and notes (in a way) to His disciples, that people are in need. 

This isn’t the only time that sort of thing is written about Jesus. St. Matthew records that one time, when [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (9:36). Now, on that occasion, He was talking about the crowd’s spiritual situation. He goes on to say to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (9:37,38). He’s talking about preaching the Gospel to bring people to faith so they can be forgiven, and saved. Jesus’ concern for these two different crowds is presented the same way whether it’s an issue of bread for their bodies, or the bread of life that he provides for their souls. It’s important for us to see that here. 

Jesus’ solution to that problem of needing Gospel preachers to reach the lost for Him is interesting too; the solution is, pray earnestly. It isn’t a problem with a human solution; it’s a problem solved only by God.

We’re capable of human solutions of a certain sort. We find out we don’t have any milk to make pancakes (something I happen to like on Saturday mornings), we run to the store and get some. Our child skins her knee on the driveway, we go to the cabinet and get a band-aid. By God’s grace, scientists have found cures for diseases. We’re capable of human solutions of a certain sort. 

In our text we see that our ability to provide solutions has limits. Jesus asks a question of His disciples for which He knows they have no answer: “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He asks it so that they will struggle. He wants them to see what they can’t do. The answer is the same as it was in that other account (the one about the need of spiritual help for those sheep without a shepherd). The answer, again: pray earnestly. Now, Jesus doesn’t say it like that here; the message ends up being the same though. These humans won’t…work this out somehow. No amount of calculating or arranging will produce an answer. There won’t be a human solution to this; it will have to be from God Himself. In our helplessness, then, we put our trust in Him. We reach out to Him with our concerns and needs. We pray earnestly.

We asked, What if Jesus had gone about this all differently? What if instead of solving the problem like He does, He had instead said, “I can handle this for you. You just need to put me in charge of it, okay? Ask Me to do it, I’ll do it.” But the disciples sort of set that aside, as if any old person had said it. They go on with their calculations, brainstorming, worrying, maybe even plotting and scheming in some sinful way to come up with an answer. Jesus reminds them, “I’m here. I’m willing.” But they set that aside, and keep on with their own strivings. Wouldn’t Jesus have used that as an occasion to condemn their unbelief, like it says He did after His Resurrection, when He appeared to them in the Upper Room (Mark 16:14)? In that situation, too, they’d been reluctant to believe that He could rise from death like witnesses had said He’d done (like He Himself had said He would do). They’d refused to recognize in that weak moment, that He is the all-powerful God, capable of anything!

Now, we know that Jesus did this miracle in our text that demonstrates His divinity. He never put them in the situation of ignoring His help, or anything; He went ahead and did it. But He did want them to wrestle for a moment with the idea that they need to rely on Him in this life (and regarding the things of the next life, for that matter). The Gospel writer John says He asked this question to test them. He wanted them to have it as a matter of instinct that they would turn to Him for all of their needs. 

We float out the hypothetical idea because it puts us into the picture a little more. Jesus is at our disposal like He was at theirs. He’s eager to help us like them. He wants us, as a matter of instinct, to turn to Him for all of our needs. 

Isn’t it true that you and I have neglected to do this as we should? We have had Jesus standing next to us, saying, “I can handle this for you. You just need to put me in charge of it, okay? Ask Me to do it, I’ll do it.” But we set it aside as if any old person had said it. We have gone on with our calculating, brainstorming, worrying, maybe even plotting and scheming in some sinful way to come up with an answer. Jesus reminds us in a text like this, “I’m here. I’m willing.” And isn’t it true that we have neglected to cast our anxieties on Him (1 Pet. 5:7), as He invites us to do?

The devil doesn’t want us doing this; we know that. He’s want us to be thinking things like: 

• How could I have made such a mess of things? I have to get this all sorted out before I even think about bothering God with it. Or maybe:

• How can I go to Him when He knows all things; He knows my thoughts and my deeds? He might even consider me His enemy right now. I certainly don’t deserve His help; I got myself into this trouble.

If those thoughts are your thoughts, consider the one in our text who looks up and sees that crowd and resolves instantly to meet the need of every person in it. And consider that that same person sees you with every one of your needs in this life. The compassion with which He provided food for their bodies, even as in His preaching He saw to the needs of their souls is the same that He directs toward you this morning. He directs it in the form of His Spirit-filled Word that nourishes your faith. It invites you to confess your sins and receive His forgiveness. In an even more concrete way, He invites you to the communion rail to receive from Him the very thing that made atonement for your sins—His true body and blood along with bread and wine. He reminds you there, that you’re Baptized into His death—connected to Him so that His righteousness is considered by God to be your righteousness.

The one Who sees you in the crowd and longs to meet your every need is the one Who became needy for you. The fact that He never neglected to put Himself in the Father’s hands, praying constantly, right up to time of being unjustly arrested and tried before sinners, makes atonement for every shortcoming on your part. Every sin is forgiven in this one Who meets the needs of body and soul. Go to this Savior in confidence with your burdens that He might remove them as promised. He is the one Who can solve any problem. God be praised. Amen.

Lent 3 | St. Luke 11:14-28 

Now [Jesus] was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. But 

he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings 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.” 

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

This text has some arresting details in it, right? There’re demons involved. There’s violence; some real headline-grabbing stuff. And then there’s this little thing that appears to be tacked on at the end of all of it: an exchange between Jesus and a certain woman. 

That’s what we’re really going to be looking at this morning. 

Just as Jesus’ message to His friend Martha one time had been that the one thing that is needed is His Word, so also to the woman in our text. He says it like this: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

We see in this text that Jesus is the all-powerful God Who overpowers our most powerful enemy, Satan. Jesus even talks about Satan as a strong man—a bully, kind of—who guards his own palace. It might be surprising to hear Him talk about Satan having that much power in this world. But Jesus called Satan the ruler of this world in John’s Gospel (12:31). St. Paul called this world the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13); so it isn’t so surprising to see Satan pictured this way in our text, as having control over people, who are helpless before him according to their own power. 

But Jesus calls Himself, one stronger than he, who attacks [the strong bully] and overcomes him [and] takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Certainly, that’s what Jesus did through an unlikely sort of victory by means of a cross and grave. Through His own innocent death (as foreshadowed in the Old Testament sacrifices), He removed Satan’s power over us. He released us from imprisonment (the possessed man reminds us of the imprisonment, doesn’t it?). In the same way that that man who’d been helpless was now free—free to speak, to praise God, so also are we set free from our slavery to sin and death. We are free to be the Lord’s people, forgiven through the blood of Jesus. Our freedom is an eternal freedom in God’s kingdom.

But our enemy, Satan, remains a dangerous enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, St. Peter writes (1 Peter 5:8). 

What this means in your life is that he tempts you to sin against God, and aims to separate you from Him in this way, paralyzing you with guilt and fear. He knows those things that make you vulnerable like your first mother Eve was in the Garden. He works on those things. If it’s sexual things, he’ll work on those. If it’s a struggle you have forgiving someone who has wronged you, that’ll be it. It’s greed for some people—wanting more and more of what they haven’t been given. Some have a tendency to judge other people, or to gossip about them. Satan hopes that the result him getting you to sin on a regular basis will be that you’ll either stop believing that God will forgive your sins, or at least that you will stop caring about whether or not He will. 

We must take very seriously Jesus’ statement in our text about our dangerous enemy. The impression we get about the person who, having been released sees the enemy return much more powerfully, is that he was complacent. He didn’t consider there to be any real threat. There wasn’t any need to take any precautions. And, the enemy came back and took over. Jesus is warning that that can happen to you, even though you sit here this morning as His people, eager to hear His Word.

Keeping that Word is the key to all of this, even though it seems, again, like some little thing that was tacked on to the end of the text. When Jesus talks about keeping His Word, you should think about what St. Luke writes of Mary—Jesus mother, after hearing the shepherds’ words about what had been told them concerning the Christ-child, it says: Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart (2:19). It says the same about her when Jesus and His parents were returning to Nazareth from being at the Temple in Jerusalem when He was twelve: And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart (2:51). Keeping God’s Word is treasuring it. It’s considering it to be something so valuable that you’d never want to be without it.

It’s not hard to understand why Jesus would want you to treat it that way. It’s through that Word that the Spirit brought you to faith—connected you to Jesus as your Savior (The Spirit works through the same Word in Baptism as well, of course). The Word brought you to the realization that you’re a sinner in need of God’s grace. Even though that isn’t a happy realization, you have to say along with St. Paul in his letter to the Romans (Chapter 7), that the law is good. Through it you recognized that you had a problem that needed solving, and for which you had no answer. God wouldn’t accept you as you were by nature. You were apart from Him, having inherited sinfulness from your first parents.

But even as you, in a way (a’ la Paul), treasure the realization of your need as a result of knowing the law, you treasure in that same Word the good news of what meets that need. God has made you righteous in His Son. He has been kind to you in the most profound way. When you needed someone who could overcome the bully who owned you, God sent His only-begotten Son as that stronger man. He overcame the strong man by laying down His own life for you (Talk about a message to treasure!). God says in that treasured word, through the prophet Isaiah: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool (1:18). He’s talking about your heart that had been stained because of your sinfulness—unsuitable for God’s kingdom. In Christ, it has been made as pure as anything could be. This is the Word of God that, heard attentively, and kept gratefully, makes one blessed.

So, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” He says in this text: Whoever is not with me is against me. Keeping His Word is what it is to be with Him. Through the Word the Spirit sustains your faith. Keeping the Word is being blessed, is being connected to the Savior, is having faith that remains unto eternal life. 

But it might make you uneasy to hear it said that being against Christ is as easy as not keeping—not treasuring, not being devoted to His Word continually. Against Christ is certainly not where any of us wants to be; but as you have strived to keep (to treasure, to devote yourself to) Christ’s Word, the strong man (your greatest enemy, Satan) has prowled around with it as his intention to get you to devote yourself to anything other than Christ’s Word. You need “you time,” he’s said. Christ’s Word’ll still be there. Your devotion to it’ll be all that much greater if you put it aside for a while and explore some other things. Then, you can come back to it fresh, having grown in other ways in the mean time. He’s clever, isn’t he? But the growing that happens is a growing apart from God. When you aren’t being continuously counseled by God, the domain of darkness is providing your counselors. That counsel is the poison that leads away from God’s kingdom and toward the death and punishment that we all deserve for our sins. 

But your faith is in the Stronger Man. He demonstrated His complete devotion to God’s Word as He was experiencing your temptation from Satan in the wilderness. He wouldn’t hear of anything other than that Word. Each time He quoted it faithfully against the bully who sought to overcome Him, He was making amends for every unfaithfulness on your part in regard to God’s Word, and in every other matter. There isn’t any sin or anything that excludes you from God’s kingdom so long as Christ is your Savior. He is more powerful than your most powerful enemy. His Word is your daily strength. 

Let that Word bring joy to you this morning as you receive from Christ His true body and blood along with bread and wine in the Supper. He says to you that what He gives you is for the remission of your sins. The strong man had hoped to be dealing with you alone, without Christ, like a lost lamb apart from the flock—weak and vulnerable. Instead, he deals with you as you stand behind the Stronger One, fortified with the food of immortality. Under these circumstances, the bully who was a very real threat to you is entirely disarmed and at the mercy of the most powerful one Whose blood is your forgiveness and salvation. God be praised. Amen.

Other Lessons:

2 Samuel 22:1-7

David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon 

the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 

“For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of the grave entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon 

the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 

Ephesians 5:1-9

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us
and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this,
that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true). 

Quinquagesima-Baptism of Jesus/St. Matthew 3:13-17 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Dear Fellow Redeemed:

God had revealed Himself on Mt. Sinai with Commandments, requirements for people—even requirements beyond their ability to fulfill. 

There was good reason for them to have the burden of these commandments staring them in the face. 

• For one thing, in addition to their conscience, they could know (now in writing) what true godliness actually looks like.

• Also, they needed to be brought to see who they really were (sinful heirs of their first parents), and to recognize that the One God was sending was necessary for them.

You know, Jesus told that parable of the tenants, in which a landowner leased His vineyard out to tenants. When he sent servants to receive payment, they were beaten and killed (the prophets are the ones the servants represented). Then, the landowner sent his own son, who they also killed (this represented what Jesus’ listeners were preparing to do to Him). 

But God gave His law that shows people their sinfulness because it was critical that they receive this Chosen of God, and trust in Him as their righteousness before Him—the one Who brings forgiveness and salvation (otherwise, how could they be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth as is God’s desire?). They needed to know that they weren’t going to be in God’s eternal kingdom without this Savior God was sending.

In our Old Testament lesson for this morning, God is reiterating through the prophet Isaiah, that He sends His chosen, Who says among other things: 

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you.” 

It’s all good that He’s saying about this One Who is coming (who wouldn’t want that kind of interaction with God—especially knowing what we really deserve from Him?). He will be humble and patient with sinners, this prophecy foretells. He will bring justice and liberty to those who are imprisoned by their sinfulness. 

Isn’t it pretty clear, also, that God’s revealing of Himself at Jesus’ Baptism is a Gospel revelation. It’s a statement to people: 

Do you want to have God’s goodness and mercy rather than His anger and punishment? Here is where it is to be found; it’s to be found in this one upon Whom the Spirit descends as if to say, “It’s this One’s righteousness that I can bestow on any sinner who desires to have it. It’s in this one about Whom the Father says, ‘I am well pleased.’” And, after all, if with this one the Father is well pleased, then so is He well pleased with anyone who is clinging to Him. 

Do you want the Father to be well-pleased with you, dear sinners? Then cling to this Jesus. 

This is made plain in Scripture: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). And a little later in that same chapter of John’s Gospel: whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life (3:16).

So, we have Jesus’ Baptism in our text on this Sunday known as Quinquagesima (or, about fifty days before Easter). Jesus comes to John, who has for some time in the Jordan River, been baptizing people who have heard his preaching about repentance, and about the Christ—God in human flesh, who comes to take them by the hand and keep them. By the work of the Spirit through this preaching, the people have come to desire God’s forgiveness for their sins, and to trust in the coming Christ. They have come to be baptized because they have sins they need to have removed from them. They need the good conscience before God (St. Peter says in our epistle that Baptism brings this—1 Peter 3:21).

But Jesus comes to John already having that good conscience. 

That’s why our text says, John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 

It’s kind of an interesting moment, isn’t it? Jesus is doing something that we only do because we’re sinners; and yet, He has no sins that require it. 

What gives? Why is He coming to be Baptized? 

We know that He took upon Himself our human flesh, even born in the natural way (though conceived by the Spirit in righteousness; we said that in the Creed earlier). He comes to be baptized just as we do. But it’s true that the purpose of His Baptism isn’t identical to ours. He doesn’t need the forgiveness, or the deliverance from death and the devil, or the salvation that the Catechism says are the benefits we get in our baptisms. 

But, here’s the thing: on the cross the Father is going to consider every sin to be His sin. God’s perfect Son takes your burden, and my burden, and the burden of every sinner, even undergoing, therefore, their baptism. Sinners are baptized; so is this one Who not only became flesh (John 1:14), but through a great exchange with the world, by God’s grace according to an eternal plan, became the most heinous sinner ever (guilty of every person’s sin, though He has none of His own). 

When you were Baptized, you were baptized into Him. The Bible says you were baptized into His death (Rom. 6:3), meaning that the forgiveness that He earned at the cross He earned also for you. The Bible says that in your Baptism you have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27) like someone would who was putting on a garment of righteousness to cover his sinfulness. God has made a commitment to you in your Baptism. He has caused you to enter into a fellowship with Christ and to become His child. Everything is taken care of, you see.

Now, this is not pleasing to the devil, who would just as soon have you for all eternity. He would have you doubt this connection to Christ that He has established with you in your Baptism. He would have you doubt it on account of your continuing sinfulness. 

How can that Baptism be worth anything, he asks you, when after God has made you His own dear child and caused you to enter into a fellowship with Christ you have continued to 

—think those hateful thoughts about your neighbor, and 

—make His Word such a low priority in your life, and to 

—be so selfish and unappreciative of His blessings, and to 

—be so untrusting of Him in the more difficult moments of life?

You have ruined this covenant. It no longer applies. God gave you a very generous opportunity; you have destroyed it.  

Isn’t this the epitome of where guilt leads? Doesn’t it lead to our questioning of our place before God in light of our sins? 

Surely your Baptism can’t withstand this. Surely there was a responsibility on your part to hold up your end of the bargain, to succeed fully in the new life of the Spirit that was supposed to come from it. But you have failed in it over and over and over again.

Certainly, that is the case. He’s right. And if you have been reluctant to admit that to yourself up to this point, then hear the words of the Psalmist, who says: They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one (14:3), and again: Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you (143:2). If your plan is to storm the gates of heaven in your own name—insisting that God should consider you righteous on your own merits, then prepare to find there, God’s anger, and judgment, and condemnation. It surely waits for you if that is your plan.

But if it’s God’s mercy that you want, then think of what He says through the prophet Isaiah in regard to His covenant: 

For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you (54:10).

God’s clear Scriptural message to the humble who despair of their own righteousness, who recognize their guilt and helplessness, is exemplified in the prophet Jeremiah’s words: 

“‘Return, faithless Israel,
declares the Lord.
I will not look on you in anger,
    for I am merciful,
declares the Lord;
I will not be angry forever.

Only acknowledge your guilt,
    that you rebelled against the Lord your God
and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,
    and that you have not obeyed my voice,
declares the Lord (Jeremiah 3:12-13).  

This is the God of Whom the Psalmist writes: 

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared (Psalm 130:3,4).

And, again, from our Old Testament lesson this morning:

“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you.” Those are the words of the one Who is baptized in our text on your account, and on account of every sinner in the world’s past, present, and future. This one proclaimed by the Father and the Spirit at His Baptism is the one into Whose death you are Baptized, into a fellowship with Him that makes you God’s child despite your sinfulness. You have God’s goodness and mercy rather than His anger and punishment. You have His forgiveness in Christ.

Receive it, then, with joy this morning at the communion rail. Christ takes your hand there, that He might keep you. You are a citizen of God’s eternal kingdom because of this One He has sent. God be praised. Amen.

Septuagesima/St. Matthew 20:1-16 

[Jesus said], “The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the 

same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, 

‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 

But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Just prior to our text, Peter had said to Jesus, “…we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus had asked for this level of devotion, that they leave their things behind and follow Him. 

You are asked for that sort of devotion, too. You are asked to avoid this world’s wickedness (that it often insists is actually righteousness, and scorns you for avoiding it)—but also to avoid the things about this world that are good and wholesome—if they should encroach upon your devotion to God’s kingdom (even father or mother…son or daughter Jesus said one time—Matthew 10:37). It can be a difficult thing to have this devotion, can’t it?

Jesus had been talking about how difficult it is for certain people to get into the kingdom of heaven. That thought of some being excluded seems to be what got Peter thinking about his question. 

Think about this for a second: some won’t make it into God’s eternal kingdom. The word equal comes up in this text. We’re so used to thinking of everything being equal. To many that means (even concerning eternity), that everyone will go to heaven (except maybe the worst people). Equal means something else entirely according to Jesus in His Parable of the Vineyard.

The real issue in our text is summed up in this statement: each of them also received a denarius. But when we think back on what happens in the story, the equally paid workers had not worked an equal number of hours, not done an equal amount of work. In fact, between the ones hired first and last there was an eleven hour difference. Yet the pay was the same.

And our first thought is: that’s not fair! 

The earliest-hired workers in the parable certainly thought so. When they’d seen the ones last-hired making also the denarius that was promised to them, they’d presumed something. 

• Boss must have had a change of heart about the deal he’d made with them. Perhaps he’d been out enough during the day to realize just how hot it was, and how difficult the work had been. That must have been it; he must have reconsidered paying them only a denarius for such hard work.

• In fact, he must have decided that to be the right wage for the those he’d found late in the day and brought in to work only about an hour.

• From there, presumably, he’d adjusted everything so that those last hired would get the denarius, those in the ninth hour a little more, those in the sixth hour a little more, going all the way back to themselves.

• They would make significantly more than those hired last; that’s only fair (those last ones had barely done anything, after all!).

• That must be what’s gonna to happen, they thought to themselves.

Of course, Jesus’ parable is a story that uses something about life in this world to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven is like. The purpose of it is to shock us in a certain way. It’s demonstrating to us that God is more gracious than we even would have thought. 

With that in mind, think about Peter’s question: “…we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 

This might be the latest in sort of a thread of conversation Jesus and the disciples had been having. Recently, they’d asked, 

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest,” He’d answered (surprisingly).

Jesus’ parable is skillful in that it initially leads the listener to focus on the workers’ contribution. Through the dispute about payment, and all of the hiring talk and everything, it at first appears that what’s important is how much work the first hired did compared to the last hired (“Who is the greatest” —in other words). In this story, it’s a red herring, though. While we’re busy comparing ourselves to those tireless workers and thinking of how important we are and how deserving we are of good things from God (after all, we were baptized in the church as children—many of us, and have always been the good church people; we might even say (like Peter), we have left everything and followed Jesus)—while we’re busy thinking this, the real point is escaping us. The whole thing’s been about God, and what He’s done.

What’s really important is the vineyard master’s relentless pursuit of anyone He can find throughout every hour of the day to bring with him to His place. The way Luther describes the Lord’s manner in the fourth verse of his hymn, Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice reminds us of what this man does in the parable:

But God beheld my wretched state 

Before the world’s foundation,

And, mindful of His mercies great, 

He planned my soul’s salvation.

A father’s heart He turned to me,

Sought my redemption fervently;

He gave His dearest Treasure.

The vineyard master’s bringing of the men to work in his vineyard isn’t even about their work. That’s why in the end, what they all get from it is the same. He didn’t really need them; it was they who needed Him. They needed him to be mindful of his mercies great, and to turn to them with a father’s heart, and to seek their redemption fervently, and to give his dearest treasure. 

Jesus’ answer about the greatest being the one humbling himself like a child is reflective of what happens in the parable too. A little child’s work wouldn’t compare to what was done all day long by the ones first hired. But again, what they did wasn’t the important thing; it was the generosity of the one who put them there. 

We tend to think that how we are and what we do makes God obligated to us—to give us good things in life, to give us the kingdom. Going to that same hymn, Luther’s, Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice—the third verse, we’re reminded of our real situation before God:

My good works so imperfect were,

They had no pow’r to aid me;

My will God’s judgments could not bear,

Yea, prone to evil made me;

Grief drove me to despair, and I

Had nothing left me but to die;

To hell I fast was sinking.

The tragedy that’s brought out in the parable’s grumbling workers is in not seeing themselves like Luther portrays in that verse. They think (like we do naturally) they have done something that obligates the master to them; but if we're thinking of what they represent in God’s kingdom, it’s only they who owe a debt (like in the hymn verse), one they could never work enough to repay. 

They are you and me in that sense. 

But even though this was the case, the master went to find them (like the previous hymn verse says: having beheld their wretched state before the world’s foundation, and having been mindful of His mercies great, He planned [their] soul’s salvation. With a father’s heart, He sought their redemption fervently, giving them His dearest treasure). He went to find them so that He could give them a gift they could never deserve (like God did for us when He gave us faith through the Spirit’s work in Baptism or though the Word). 

They think they’ve been diminished in being made equal with all the others. But there isn’t anything better than what the master is offering; and he wants everyone to have it.

We have left everything and followed you. What then will we have? You have been asked to devote yourselves to Christ and His kingdom. You have been faithful in this sometimes—entirely by the Spirit’s leading. On account of your Baptism (or your coming to faith through the Word) you have been like someone who was found in a marketplace by a generous master who took you to be in his vineyard (there isn’t any greater situation that could have been offered to you). He has even made you useful among his things, and promised you whatever is right. But he isn’t obligated to give it, and nothing you do there will obligate him. 

My good works so imperfect were, They had no pow’r to aid me—Luther’s words in the hymn do such a good job of describing your situation before God as a sinner. If you were to think that because of how you are or what you’ve done, you are earning His kingdom, He would be forced because of that presumption to say to you, take what belongs to you and go. And that would amount to the wages of sin, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23).

Instead, consider yourselves to be like those workers who were hired at the last hour of the day—not having any illusions of the master owing them anything; but appreciative of anything he would give. Luther was right in describing yours as a wretched state in need of salvation. To see oneself like this is in accord with Jesus’ declaration that the greatest in the kingdom is the one humbling himself like a little child. 

When the master says to the grumblers, I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you—think of what that represents when it comes to the kingdom of heaven. It means forgiveness. That’s what God has chosen to give to every sinner, though not one could ever deserve it. As Luther wrote in the hymn, He gave His dearest treasure. He gave His only-begotten Son to take the place of sinners. That was His dearest treasure. 

And there isn’t any sinner who isn’t included in what Christ earned with His suffering and death on the cross. The Father chose to give the same mercy to every sinner. That’s the kind of equality that happens in God’s kingdom.

Seeing what the master has for you, will you, now, knock it out of his hand insisting that your deeds deserved more? Your leaving of everything to follow Him can never be seen as earning that requires payment for services rendered; instead it is your receiving of a blessed invitation to escape the worst in return for the absolute best. It is the opportunity for the last to be made first entirely by God’s grace. You are the recipient of God’s dearest treasure: forgiveness in the blood of Christ. God be praised. Amen.

Other Lessons for Today:

Jeremiah 1:4-10 

The word of the LORD came to me, saying “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, LORD GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 

But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” 

Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” 

1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.