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.
No comments:
Post a Comment