Saints Simon & Jude Sermon -- John 15:15-21

October 28, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”

Being Jesus’ friend is a hazardous enterprise. That is what is made clear by Jesus’ own words that you heard on this day when the Church commemorates Saints Simon and Jude. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus spoke at length with His disciples. Gathered around the Passover Meal, they heard Jesus disclose things about His future and theirs. Jesus made clear that He was going to leave the Twelve, leaving both to make atonement for the world’s sin by suffering crucifixion and then to ascend in resurrected glory to His Father. He revealed what would happen after He left, what the Twelve could anticipate as they lived as His faithful followers.

Jesus’ statement to the Twelve indicates that they were being given a new status that night: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” What Jesus would undergo at the hands of the Jewish leaders and Roman officials was done for the benefit of the Twelve. They were now His friends; He was laying down His life for them. They had been made Jesus’ friends because He had handed over to them everything that His Father had delivered to Him. From that night on, there was no mystery about what Jesus was doing, about His identity, or about His purpose. After receiving what Jesus had made known to them, the Twelve were going to be sent to fulfill His commands, including His great command: “that you love one another as I have loved you.”

But Jesus discloses something about what the Twelve would encounter as they fulfilled their callings. Their status as Jesus’ friends, those to whom He had handed over all the teaching from the Father, would bring them opposition: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Hatred and enmity are what the Twelve would face, what they would experience in their lives. The cause of that hatred and enmity is the new identity that Jesus gave the Twelve: they no longer belonged to the world, but to Jesus. That difference put them at odds with the world.

The difference between the Twelve and the world was not going to be kept hidden, since what Simon and Jude and the rest of the apostles were going to do was not secret. They were going out into the world to do something very public: to take the words that Jesus had handed over to them and proclaim them in the hearing of all. That was their task. And so Jesus reminds them of the word that He had spoken about their calling: “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”

This is what friendship with Jesus would bring Simon and Jude and the others. Jesus’ words that they spoke and Jesus’ actions that they imitated would be noticed. The Twelve’s identity would be shown by what they said and did. It would be noticed just as the preaching of the Old Testament prophets was noticed. Just as Jeremiah spoke the words that the Lord gave him in the Temple, so the Twelve would speak the words that Jesus gave them. Those that heard the truth of Jesus and treasured it would also welcome His apostles who spoke the same. But Jesus promises that those who had persecuted Him for what He said would also persecute those who confessed the same truth about His identity and work. This is how it would be for the Twelve; what Jesus said is true: “A servant is not greater than his master.”

What Jesus spoke concerning the Twelve is also true about you. You also have been given a new identity. That is what Peter, one of the Twelve, describes: “According to [the Father’s] great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Such words tell what has been done for you and the benefits of that divine action. You have a new birth given to you in Holy Baptism. You have a new hope found in the resurrection of Jesus. You have a new fate that will be revealed at the end of this age. This is all yours because Jesus laid down His life for you, His friends, and has made known to you all that the Father willed, especially His great mercy for you who were ensnared by sin, imperfection, and death.

But Jesus reminds you about what comes with that identity: “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Jesus’ calling you to follow Him, His identifying you as His friends, brings opposition. You also stand at odds with the world. For what you do as Christians is not secret, just as the apostles’ work was not. No, your identity becomes evident in what you say and do. And there are many who desire not to see or hear any of it.

Jesus tells you: “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” What has Jesus commanded? What has He disclosed to you? He has told you about His identity: “I am the resurrection and the life…. No one comes to the Father except through Me…. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” He has handed over a way of life to you: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus has given you instructions on how you are to think and act in all manner of aspects of living, including very personal things: how to consider human life, how to act on one’s sexuality, how to utilize your property and possessions. Because you are Jesus’ disciples, His words shape and form you. They direct you.

But the way that you think, speak, and act runs counter to the way the world thinks, speaks, and acts. It is this way, because you begin to think, speak, and act as Jesus did. That is what Jesus reveals: “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” At the heart of this enmity and hatred is the sinfulness of the world, the same sinfulness lingering in you that requires constant repentance and restoration. There is no desire to be subject to anyone or anything. There is no love of God and His ways that would limit or constrain our independence. “Who are you to tell me what to do?” is the question directed at the Creator, the question that even spills out of our mouths from time to time.

Confrontation exists when the ways of the Lord encounter the ways of the world. It is so in your own hearts, minds, and souls. And when you abide by the ways that the Lord Jesus handed down to you through Simon and Jude and the Twelve, your practicing them becomes a living, walking presentation of the same message that Jeremiah brought to the world: “Mend your ways and deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God.” And what Jesus said would happen comes to pass: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.” This makes being Jesus’ friend a hazardous enterprise.

But in the midst of the hazardous enterprise of being friends of Jesus, there is the reminder of what has been done for you. You have been called out of the world. You have been given new birth. You have something that awaits you beyond this age. The apostle Peter reminds you: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This is what kept Simon and Jude faithful and zealous in their mission. It is what sustained the prophets like Jeremiah. It is what the psalmist clung to, saying: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” It was the source of strength for Luther and the Reformers. And it is what will keep you going in these days.

Jesus’ statement to the apostles and you stands true now: “If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.” You keep the word that the apostles spoke, the words that delivered the identity and work of Jesus, His way of life, and His promises of a glorious inheritance to you: “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Such joy is found even in the midst of the opposition, enmity, and hatred that the world has for you and all of Jesus’ friends. The confrontation will come to an end, when the Lord sends out His light and truth to lead you to His holy hill and eternal dwelling. That is the greater fate that awaits you who have been made Jesus’ friends, the ones for whom He laid down His life and raised it up again.

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

LSB Proper 24B Sermon -- Mark 10:23-31

On October 21, I was able to preach at my home congregation in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Zion Lutheran Church dedicated a new sanctuary this year. 

The weekend was also Homecoming at my alma mater, Central Michigan University. I also preached at the Lutheran chapel on campus, where I attended as a student.

The sermon text follows:

October 21, 2012 at Zion Lutheran Church & Christ the King Lutheran Chapel – Mount Pleasant, MI

“Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, ‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’” … “Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’”

Jesus’ statements about the difficulty in entering the kingdom of God follows His dialogue with the rich young man, which you heard in last Sunday’s Gospel Reading. The man came to Jesus asking a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ response indicated that perfection was required to do so, a perfection found in keeping the Commandments and in selling all possessions that one has and giving it to the poor. As you may recall from that dialogue, the rich man went away disheartened and sorrowful after hearing Jesus’ words. He did so because of the great amount of possessions that he owned. The call to give up love of what he owned proved too much for the rich man.

The rich man’s reaction leads to Jesus’ statements: “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! … It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” What makes it so difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God? Is money is inherently evil? Will only those in the lowest tax bracket enter through the gates of Paradise? No, the issue involves what the object of one’s fear, love, and trust is.

Wealth and possessions can easily become the object of fear, love, and trust. What can’t money buy? Songwriters may tell us money can’t buy love; philosophers may say that money can’t buy happiness. But wealth can make earthly life quite easy. Daily bread is purchased without difficulty. House and home are acquired with no worries of the bank foreclosing. Influence can be wielded by the proper donation or by the improper sweetener or greasing of the palm. The bank account, CD, and IRA become the gods that are feared, loved, and trusted.

This is the issue that Jesus addresses with His statements. He is concerned with what individuals have as their objects of fear, love, and trust. Jesus points out the problem when Mammon becomes the deity served. Luther puts it well in his discussion of the First Commandment: “There are some who think that they have God and everything they need when they have money and property; they trust in them and boast in them so stubbornly and securely that they care for no one else. They, too, have a god—mammon by name, that is money and property—on which they set their whole heart. This is the most common idol on earth. Those who have money and property feel secure, happy, and fearless, as if they were sitting in the midst of paradise.” (LC I:5-7)

Jesus’ statements challenged the thinking of His day, just as they challenge how we think. The reaction of Jesus’ disciples reveals that. Note the details that the Gospel Writer gives: “And the disciples were amazed at His words…. And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to Him, ‘Then who can be saved?’” Thoughts of connecting wealth to divine favor and poverty to divine curse are revealed. Luther’s words echo that as well: “On the other hand, those who have nothing doubt and despair as if they knew no god at all. We will find very few who are cheerful, who do not fret and complain, if they do not have mammon. This desire for wealth clings and sticks to our nature all the way to the grave.” (LC I:8-9)

These misunderstandings of God, His divine favor, wealth, and salvation lead to the difficulties in entering the kingdom of God. Having possessions as the objects served and trusted is vanity; it leads away from wisdom. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes addresses this: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?” The chasing after the wealth and possessions becomes a quest and crusade that ultimately fails: “As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?”

One need not be led around by the Ghost of Christmas Future to learn this lesson. No, it is learned each time that the mortal life comes to an end. This is why the Scriptures are replete with statements concerning the vanity of placing fear, love, and trust in any earthly thing, especially in money and possessions. In Jesus’ teaching, this lesson is famously taught by His parables of the Foolish Rich Man and the Prodigal Son, by His statement about the Rich Man and Lazarus, by His criticism of the Pharisees who were lovers of money, and in the Gospel Reading for today.

So what is to be done after hearing Jesus’ statements? Repenting and turning away from money as an idol or false god is clear. But that is not all. Peter’s statement to Jesus shows that: “See, we have left everything and followed You.” Here is where salvation is found. Faith is placed in what truly brings benefit, in what will be helpful beyond this mortal life. That is where Jesus comes in, not simply being an instructor who tells you what is righteous or evil, but also as Redeemer, Savior, and Deliverer.

Following Jesus—having Him as the object of your fear, love, and trust—is the path to life. Why is this so? Because of what He Himself has done. Recall again last Sunday’s Gospel Reading, how Jesus answered the rich young man’s question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ response—keep the Commandments; sell everything you have and give to the poor—that is what He has done for you. He placed His fear, love, and trust in His Father’s will above all things. He delighted in the statutes and testimonies that the Father spoke. He declared all of His Father’s just decrees. Not only that, He fixed His eyes on the Father’s ways, including the way that led to humility, suffering, and crucifixion, then to exaltation, glorification, and resurrection. This is what He has done for you, so that He can be a worthy and reliable object of your fear, love, and trust.

So Jesus calls you to follow Him, just as He invited the rich young man. He places Himself in front of you as a provider of eternal benefits. Jesus unites Himself to you in Baptism, so that you die and rise with Him. He speaks pardon to absolve your guilt, so that you may share in His holiness. He sets the bread of heaven in front of you to eat, so that you are strengthened on your pilgrimage to eternal life. He grants you divine wisdom in His teachings, so that your lives will be directed toward righteousness.

Why are these things done for you? Because what Jesus said is true: “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!” Faced with the requirements to enter the kingdom of God—possession and maintenance of perfection—the question comes tumbling out of your mouths: “Then who can be saved?” Jesus’ answer shows you the way: “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” With fear, love, and trust in earthly things, entry into the kingdom of God is impossible. But with the actions that Jesus performs for you, entry to the kingdom of God is granted.

Eternal benefit is granted to you by Jesus’ work. This makes Him the object of your faith. You have His promise: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

But there also is a temporal benefit of having Jesus as the object of your faith. Because Jesus provides what you need for eternal life, then possessions and wealth need not be the object of your devotion. Following Jesus, you are freed to perform your vocations in this life, no matter where you fall in the social ladder. The gain of wealth or prestige or power need not be the focus of your heart, mind, and soul. Instead, you have a purpose in your life that exists regardless of how large the bank account is or what the W-2 will say at the end of the year. Divine favor is not shown by what your income is; rather, it is given as you are placed in this world to fulfill your callings, even the instructions to be charitable and selfless.

This is the wisdom written in the Old Testament Reading. After speaking of the vanity of acquiring wealth and trying to find satisfaction and love in them, the Teacher says: “Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.”

What the Teacher describes is the temporal benefit that comes from having the Eternal God as the object of your fear, love, and trust. No matter what status or calling in life He grants to you, your life has a purpose. It is not serving mammon or being on a quest for wealth and possessions. Your earthly status—rich or poor, first or last, powerful or weak—does not define who you are or how much divine favor you have received. You are God’s children, the ones made heirs of the kingdom of God. Now you are just spending time in this creation, enjoying the days of life that He has granted to you. You will go out of this life as you came in. But because of Jesus’ work, you will also enter into the Sabbath rest after completing your works on earth. And that is anything but vanity.

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

LSB Proper 23B Sermon -- Mark 10:17-22

October 14, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’”

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” That was the question posed by a man to Jesus. The question indicates a desire to possess something that he did not have. The man wants eternal life. He thinks that Jesus has the wisdom to direct him how to get it. For those who believe in divine judgment and reward, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is a good question to ask.

So how does Jesus answer the man’s question? What is His response? “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: “Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.”’” It is an interesting response, beginning with a statement about the goodness that only God has. That statement is followed by Jesus’ restating of the standard of righteousness that God has established.

The path to eternal life seems quite clear: keep the commandments that God has given. The man who asked Jesus the question receives this answer well. It is not foreign to him. In fact, he says that he has been devoted to this very thing: “And he said to [Jesus], ‘Teacher, all these [commandments] I have kept from my youth.’” The commandments had formed this man’s piety. They were the charter for his daily living. And he believes that he has indeed done what was demanded of him. So he should receive the inheritance of eternal life.

But the man’s joyful response to Jesus’ answer ignores one of the first things that He said: “No one is good except God alone.” The commandments define what is good, right, and salutary. But Jesus’ statement indicates that the hearers of those commandments are not good; rather, only the One who gave those commandments is truly good. There is something that the man is missing here. He has not truly kept the commandments: their demands required more than the efforts that he had given. The man is not truly good, despite his belief that he had done all that the commandments required. Either the man does not recognize his faults or does not fully understand the demands of the Divine Law.

So Jesus responds to the man’s statement: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’” Jesus points out something that the man does not possess: “Here’s what you’re missing. Let Me tell you what you still need to do. Give up all that you own and donate it to those who have nothing. Then you will have great riches for eternity.” What Jesus gives in this statement is a taste of the full requirements of the Divine Law: “Let Me talk to you about where your love is. Have you kept the first and greatest commandment, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind’? Or is your love and devotion directed toward your possessions? Will you ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ by selling all that you have and giving them the proceeds? Or will you refuse to give of yourself to them?”

Jesus’ statement shows the full requirements of the Divine Law. They point out the flaw in the man’s thinking. It is true that the man who speaks to Jesus may not have committed the grave sins mentioned by the prophet: “you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth…you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him…you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.” No, this man who speaks to Jesus seems to have a desire and willingness to abide by the Commandments. Yet, there are demands that he has not met. More than that, there are demands that he would never meet. That will keep him from inheriting eternal life. And the man knows it: “Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”  

The words of the Gospel Reading show that the attempts to inherit eternal life through obedience of the Divine Law are ultimately futile. That is not to say that there should be no desire to abide by the Commandments. Striving to follow them is good, right, and salutary to do. It is the Lord’s will that they be kept. But Jesus’ statement is true: “No one is good except God alone.” And the Divine Law demands that all be like Him. In a way of speaking, the answer to the question “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is “Be like God.”

But this dialogue between Jesus and the rich man is not simply a statement of what is demanded that leaves all hopeless. A statement about Jesus is found in this dialogue. There is testimony about His character and His actions. Hear again what Jesus said to the man: “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’… You lack one thing; go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven….” These were the required actions, what the man had to do, to inherit eternal life.

But what Jesus declared to be the required actions are what He Himself has done. They outline exactly what He was doing during His life here on earth. Jesus kept the Commandments, even from youth. It was not a superficial keeping, but a fulfilling of them. Jesus sold all that He had and gave it to the poor. This is the apt description of what it meant for the Son of God to make Himself nothing, come in the form of a servant, and suffer death, all for the benefit of the world. Jesus gave the last full measure, so that we would have the riches of eternal life.

Those acts of Jesus are what we sing about, especially at Christmastide: “He undertakes a great exchange, / Puts on our human frame, / And in return gives us His realm, / His glory, and His name.” or “We are rich, for He was poor; / Is not this a wonder? / Therefore praise God evermore / Here on earth and yonder.” Jesus’ acts of obedience and humility are done for us who were disobedient and proud. But they turn us around; they bring us something that we did not possess, no matter how much we might have thought that we had done or could do what was demanded of us. The inheritance of eternal life is made to be yours because of Jesus’ work done for you.

So in this dialogue between Jesus and the rich man, the Gospel is found, not just statements of Divine Law. You ask the question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus speaks the same words to you as He did to the rich man. The answer is to be like God, be righteous like God, be good like God. This is something that you cannot accomplish. If it was left up to your own effort, you should go away from here sorrowful and disheartened like the rich man. For you know what the Commandments really require of you. But Jesus’ answer does not leave you hopeless; His statement points you to the salvation that He has won. The call that Jesus gives to the rich man is issued to you: “Come, follow Me.” And in that statement, eternal life is found.

For what will it mean for you to follow Jesus, to be a disciple of Jesus, to be one who belongs to Jesus? It means the reception of the new identity and status and life that He issues to those who are His. For following Jesus, becoming a disciple of Jesus, being in fellowship with Jesus brings salvation. It is bestowed to you when you are united to Him in baptism, incorporated into His body, the Church. It is granted to you in the participation in His sacrificial death as you eat of the Lord’s Supper. It is issued to you, as you are called and recognized as His people. What is given in these things? The righteousness of Jesus is given to you, the holiness of Jesus is given to you, the perfection of Jesus is given to you. Salvation is not found in what you have done, but what has been done for you.

Ultimately, Jesus’ answer to the question “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” will either bring despair or hope. It will bring despair when focusing on the demands of the Divine Law and comparing them against your feeble efforts in life. But it will bring hope when seeing that what was demanded is what Jesus has done for you. Then Jesus’ gracious call to follow Him is the most pleasing words that you hear. It is the call that grants you to receive His righteousness to be counted as your own.

Because you have that new identity given to you by following Jesus and being His disciples, you have the inheritance of eternal life made to be yours. You are members of the Eternal Father’s household. This is what Jesus’ fulfilling the Commandments, His giving Himself in sacrifice, and His bestowing of gifts bring to you. So you are called to receive His great legacy, a place in the Father’s house for eternity.

This is what brings joy after hearing the dialogue in the Gospel Reading today. It lets you say: “I have cannot do anything to inherit eternal life, but You, Lord Jesus, have made that inheritance to be mine. Your actions have brought me salvation.” Or you can repeat the words of the hymnist which you sang: “All righteousness by works is vain; / The Law brings condemnation. / True righteousness by faith I gain; / Christ’s work is my salvation. / His death, that perfect sacrifice, / Has paid the all-sufficient price; / In Him my hope is anchored.”

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

LSB Proper 22B Sermon -- Mark 10:2-16

October 7, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart [Moses] wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

The Lord God’s design is clear. He desires that all should have a companion that corresponded to them. It was so from the very beginning. Looking at His creation, the Lord God said: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” Being alone was not meant to be. The Lord God was not going to have that occur within the creation that He Himself calls good. Though the Man created could give names to every living creature, “for Adam there was a not a helper fit for him.” So the Lord God goes about perfecting and fulfilling His creation, making it precisely what He desired it to be.

The Lord God’s design is the reason why He performs the unique act of creating a helper fit and suitable for Adam: “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man.” This is the divine will enacted and executed. Receiving this helper, Adam rejoices: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Receiving this one who is corresponding and proper, man enters into the relationship with woman that the Lord God established: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

This is the establishment of marriage. It is from the very beginning, part of the Lord God’s perfect design for His creation. Marriage has been part of mankind’s identity, what man and woman have been created to participate in. But since sin has entered creation, as the same helper made for man ate of the forbidden fruit and the man ate as well, the Lord God’s design is left unfulfilled. It is not that the design is flawed. Rather, those who are meant to be directed by that design are.

This is what we experience in this world. Sin drives us away from and keeps us from fulfilling what the Creator has established for us. It manifests itself in different ways: (a) people refuse to believe that the divine design is that woman is the helper fit for man, but seek a helper that is not proper; (b) others refuse to find their husband or wife as a good gift from above, showing hatred and disgust instead; (c) others see their husband or wife not as a helper or partner, but something to be mistreated or coerced; (d) still others break the bond that the Lord God has established. Each of these acts and more leave the Lord God’s design unfulfilled.

This is the stark truth that Jesus puts right in front of the Pharisees who confronted Him. You heard this confrontation in the Gospel Reading: “Pharisees came up and in order to test [Jesus] asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’” They seek Jesus’ statement on the matter: Will He say that it is permissible for a man to rid himself of the fit helper that was given to him? But the answer that Jesus gives shows the problem that such an act brings: “And Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart [Moses] wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’” And when Jesus speaks to His disciples privately, He doubles-down on the position: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Jesus’ statements show that divorce is antithetical to the Lord God’s design. It is not meant to be. This was never part of what had been established. The commentary given about what the creation of woman as a helper fit for man accomplished makes this clear: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Divorce brings a tearing apart, a rending of the one flesh that had been created through marriage. It is sinful, a failure to complete and fulfill what the Lord God commands, institutes, and establishes. But that judgment is not leveled against divorce only, it applies to all the other matters that stand opposite of the divine design: marital infidelity; spousal abuse or exploitation; dishonor and strife; seeking a partner that the Lord God did not create as proper or suitable. These are all sins that flow from the hardness of human hearts, our hearts. They are all violations of what the Lord God established. They are numbered among the “every transgression or disobedience” which “received a just retribution.”

But where sin entered His creation, the Lord God does not stand idly by. No, He comes with an answer to it. This is what Jesus accomplishes. Mankind violates the divine commands, but a Redeemer is given for them: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery…. Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Atonement for the guilt of transgressing the Law of God, even the laws concerning the institution of marriage—that is what Jesus provides.

Because of what Jesus provides, a new institution is established. The Man, the Perfect Man, the Man who is exactly as the Lord God designed, takes for Himself a wife. A helper fit for Jesus is not created for Him; rather, by being a Helper fit for humanity, Jesus creates by Himself the Church. From His side, His side pierced in crucifixion, the Church is created. Jesus binds Himself to her, a bond that is not broken. Through Baptism, people are united to Jesus in a way that surpasses even the most faithful vow-keeping by husband and wife.

What is seen in Jesus’ acts of redemption is the exact opposite of “writing a certificate of divorce and sending [a wife] away.” There is plenty of indecency to be found among us, not only in what we do to the institution of marriage, but to all of the Lord God’s design for life, property, reputation, even faith and worship. There are innumerable grounds for each of us to be put away. But what does Jesus do? “[He] loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Jesus has no thought of severing Himself from the Bride He has. Instead, everything is done to keep the bond together. Jesus gives absolution for those who had transgressed and disobeyed the Divine Law. It is even for those who have dared to separate what God had brought together.

The Father acts in a corresponding way toward His Creation. Despite the shambles that we make of what the Lord God has established and all our efforts that leave everything unfulfilled, He still grants us access to them. He acts according to His character, that which we professed in the Collect of the Day: “Merciful Father, Your patience and loving-kindness toward us have no end.” Though the first man and woman—and we ourselves—violated the divine commandments, the Lord God still grants men and women to enter into marriage. What was established at the beginning continues to happen: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Not only does the Lord God permit individuals to be joined together, His promises concerning His institution remain. They are for those who have been united to Him through Jesus’ redemptive work and strive to fulfill His divine design for them. The words of the psalm prayed at innumerable weddings of the Lord God’s people speak of that blessing: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”

You who are redeemed by Jesus have again heard His words concerning marriage. Recognize all the sinful schisms that have taken place within marriages. Recognize where you yourselves have failed to fulfill the divine design. Then ask again for help to be faithful and obedient: “Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may always think and do those things that are pleasing in Your sight.” Receive the assistance that He gives when you are tempted to be anything but what you are designed to be. Receive the absolution that Jesus, the Faithful Husband to you, has earned by being the propitiation for your sins. Then hear again the blessing pronounced when you were bound together: “The almighty and gracious God abundantly grant you His favor and sanctify and bless you with the blessing given to Adam and Eve in Paradise, that you may please Him in both body and soul and live together in holy love until your life’s end.” For Jesus “helps the offspring of Abraham,” including you who have become one flesh with Him for eternity.

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

LSB Proper 20B Sermon -- Mark 9:30-37

September 23, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“And they came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.”

James wrote to fellow Christians about all sorts of discord that was among them: “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” How true those words are! They describe the condition that befalls many groups of individuals. Think on what you have experienced or what you know about groups: corporations, fraternities, political organizations, families, even congregations. Each of them stresses a uniting bond that is meant to be developed and nurtured: business objectives, friendship, a platform, welfare, the mission of Christ. As the uniting bond is maintained, then the goals are met.

But what transpires when the uniting bond is not maintained? What occurs when individuals who belong to that group begin to pursue personal agendas or emphasize their own status over the groups’ interests? Discord, strife, and schism all arise. The division often rises because one or more individuals in the group believe that they are of better quality or worth than the other members. Their own desires should be met, whether that benefits the other people who are bound with them. That is what James speaks of: “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

And just what does that disorder look like? What are the vile practices that exist? James fleshes them out: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” The elder’s words give a vivid description of what boils up in the hearts of those who are full of jealousy and selfish ambition. Acting on those thoughts leads to the disorder and vile practices.

These are the issues that are present among you. They are the hazards that hover around you and the groups that you belong to, even in this congregation of people who belong to the Lord. It has been for millennia. In ancient Judah, the jealousy and selfish ambition of those who would not abide by the Lord’s ways and hear His prophets led to the plot of murder against Jeremiah. So you heard in the Old Testament Reading: “I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, ‘Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.’” The same condition was found among the Twelve Disciples, as you heard in the Gospel Reading: “They came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.”

Both of these narratives reveal the problems of jealousy and selfish ambition. The people of Judah wanted to be self-determinative, to decide what was good and righteous for themselves. It led to their idolatry and apostasy. The Twelve wanted to determine rank among themselves, to decide which of them was worth more or should be considered greater. And in both incidents, the jealousy and selfish ambition—sinful thoughts—led to discord and vile practices—sinful actions. And so it is for you, because of your sinful thoughts that lead to your sinful actions.

But what is descriptive about you—that reality of imperfection and sin and unrighteousness—is not descriptive about the Lord Jesus Christ. That is made clear in the Gospel Reading for today. What did you hear concerning Jesus? What description was given about His heart and mind? First, there was the statement about what He would undergo: “The disciples went on from there and passed through Galilee. And [Jesus] did not want anyone to know, for He was teaching His disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And when He is killed, after three days He will rise.’” Jesus would be the victim of people’s jealousy and selfish ambitions. Yet, He goes to suffer that fate willingly. He undergoes humiliation as His desire to bring salvation to the world.

Second, you also heard about the response Jesus gives to the argument that His disciples were having: “He sat down and called the Twelve. And He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” Jesus speaks to the thoughts of greatness that the Twelve were having. He takes their thoughts about rank and honor and turns it on their head. Where is greatness found? Not in jealousy, but humility. Who will be first? Not the one following selfish ambition, but the one who follows the path of servitude. And in these words Jesus discloses His own character and the thoughts that will drive His actions. He will act in a way that does not breed disorder and every vile practice, but will bring reconciliation and virtue instead. For that is what Jesus’ life brings to this world and to humanity, what He brings to you.

Jesus’ statements to the Twelve reveal the wisdom that come from above. It is the wisdom that stands in contrast to the world. It stands in contrast to your own nature. And what is this wisdom from above like? This is what James writes: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” These are the words that speak of Jesus’ character. They tell of what He is like for you who are the very opposite. And there is a result of this: “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” That is the result of Jesus’ work that culminates in His offering Himself in humble sacrifice for you: the harvest of righteousness comes and is made to be yours by His making peace between God and mankind.

So the message comes to you this morning: Repent. Acknowledge your own jealousy and selfish ambition. That truth accurately describes you. Confess how you have engaged in disorder and every vile practice: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.” What the Lord says stands true: “He yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us.” He is concerned about your salvation, especially for you who have been given His Spirit but who also manifest the existence of everything opposite of it.

But that message of repentance is coupled with more statements about the Lord’s character that He exhibits toward you: “But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” There is an answer to the jealousy and selfish ambition that plague you. It is the receipt of the grace that the Lord offers to you in the manifold ways that His Gospel is given. All is not lost; the Spirit’s work is wrought in you. And the great work that is accomplished by the Spirit is the bringing of Jesus’ character to you—the righteousness that flows from His humility, from His service, from His making Himself nothing so that you can possess His greatness.

Jesus has fulfilled His promise. What Jesus said would transpire has taken place: He was delivered into the hands of men who killed Him, but He has been raised to life on the third day. What Jesus said about greatness has been accomplished by Him: He has been last of all and servant of all. This was done for you. It was done to answer and remedy the jealousy and selfish ambition found in you. Where these are found, there Jesus’ compassion and humility have been placed. The harvest of His righteousness has been sown in you. It is meant to be yours. And it will be as you humble yourselves to be recipients of goodness in the ways that Jesus has instituted: Gospel preached, baptism administered, absolution offered, meal eaten.

This is how the Lord brings to pass the promise He has made: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” It is how you are changed: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.” Let those be the words that describe you, as you receive the wisdom that Jesus had brought from above. As you receive what Jesus brings and the work that His Spirit produces in you, then you will not be full of disorder and every vile practice. Instead, you will be conformed to the image of your Lord: “peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” That is the condition that you will want to befall you and this congregation.

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