"Lord, Teach Us to Pray" (Luke 11:1-13)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray…’” (Luke 11:1).

 

Prayer is one of the essential ingredients for fueling a life that is busy doing the will of God – even for God Himself. You see, Jesus, the Son of God, who is fully and completely God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, spent much time in prayer. 

§  Even at His Baptism, when He fulfilled all righteousness for mankind, He was praying (Luke 3:21-22).

§  Even before Jesus chose His Twelve Apostles, “He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night He continued in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).

§  And even when Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John atop the Mount of Transfiguration, He prayed (Luke 9:28-36).

§  And who can forget Jesus praying at Gethsemane as He spoke to His Father about His coming crucifixion at the hands of sinful men to which He would atone for the sins of mankind through His death (Matthew 26:26-46).

 

Jesus prayed. He prayed a lot. And His disciples caught on to Jesus’ prayer life. They observed the very active prayer life of their Lord and Master.

 

Now, to be sure, a rabbi, or teacher, praying was nothing new. Abraham himself prayed. As we heard in today’s Old Testament lesson (Genesis 18:17-33), Abraham prayed to God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded to God to deliver those cities for the sake of the righteous who might dwell there.

 

Prayer was nothing new. However, each rabbi had a particular way of petitioning God, and Jesus’ disciples are aware that John the Baptist had taught his disciples how to pray. And not only John, but some Pharisees had taught their hearers to pray (Luke 5:33). But for some reason, Jesus had not yet taught His disciples how to pray.

 

So, one of His disciples asks Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). It is interesting that the Lord’s Prayer or “The Our Father” is actually evoked by a request, a request by one of the disciples. And some trivia is found here. As this is the only occasion on which any of the disciples ask Jesus to teach them anything. I find that very interesting.

 

So, there is something to Jesus saying later, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-11). So, ask. Because a disciple asked, Jesus gives. He gives by teaching them and us how to pray.

 

Now, before I get into Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, it is worth noting that his version is shorter and more direct than Matthew’s version – the one we recite each Lord’s Day. So, why is there a difference? 

 

Well, Matthew’s version was part of the Sermon on the Mount. Luke’s version follows the event with Mary and Martha on the proper way to worship. It could be that each Lord’s Prayer telling were completely different events. And it could be that Jesus wanted to focus on different petitions of the Lord’s Prayer for the right occasion. Anyhow, each version does have same basic structure. For both Matthew and Luke’s account, the Lord’s prayer is a petitionary prayer, and it is used to teach us a pattern, or an outline, on how to pray.

 

First, Jesus teaches us to petition God as Father because Our Father is the giver of all good things. Now, calling upon God as Father can only happen when the Father first bestows sonship. Jesus is only able to address God as Father because of His eternal relationship as the Son of God. So, by Jesus teaching the disciples to call God their Father, He is placing them – as well as us – into that same relationship with God the Father as He has – from eternity. 

 

Only Jesus can teach them and us to pray this way, because Jesus is the One who makes us, who are poor, miserable sinners, into God’s children. We can only call God our Father because Jesus has reconciled us back to Him through His death on the cross. 

 

By Christ’s blood shed for you and me, which atones all sins, He invites us to petition God as Father. So, when you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be Your Name” (Luke 11:2). Here, we petition our Father first by who He is. God’s Name has been given to us. He gave you His Name when you were baptized in His Name, which makes you, His child.

 

“Your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2). This is what God does. He reigns. His kingdom comes in two ways. First, here, through His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments; and secondly, through eternal life given to us. This kingdom of heaven has been given to us through the King of kings, Jesus Christ, our Lord, through His defeat of the power of the devil, sin, and death upon the cross.

 

“Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:3-4). In these final three petitions, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for blessings that we need as we live out our lives here on earth. There is a need for daily bread. There is a need for forgiveness. There is a need for divine help against the temptations that will come. And the most critical of these temptations is the danger of falling away from faith and losing the eternal reward. 

 

It can be said these three final petitions correspond well with table fellowship – both temporal (now) and eternal (forever). God gives the daily bread. He gives us forgiveness. He gives us divine help against temptation.

 

Physical bread is needed for life in this world now; and divine bread, which provides the life to come even now. Today’s daily bread includes everything that belongs to our entire life in this world, such as food and drink, clothing, house, home, sound body, good wife, children. And not only that, daily bread also includes our work, our craft, our occupation, and good friends, as well as a good government, and protection from all enemies, including the devil. Also, we cannot forget that Jesus Himself is the Living Bread that came down from heaven, so anyone who eats of this bread, will live forever. And the bread Jesus is referring to is His flesh (John 6:51).

 

God gives and He gives, and He gives. He gives what we need for our temporal needs – again, food, shelter, and the like – and He gives what we need for our eternal needs through Word and Sacrament.

 

And like I said, these three final petitions do correspond well with table fellowship. The forgiveness of sins balances the petition for bread. So, just as bread is the essential staple of physical and spiritual life, so forgiveness is the essential sustenance of spiritual life, and the need for forgiveness is constant and ongoing, which is why the Lord’s Supper is the regular meal that provides forgiveness. And it is only because of that forgiveness that fallen man may call on God as Father, and His kingdom comes through the forgiveness of sins.

 

And like bread that is both heavenly and earthly, forgiveness involves our relationship to God and to fellow man. And because Christ has forgiven us, we are called by Him to forgive one another without limits.

 

Both bread and forgiveness of sins shed light on the final petition: “And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4b). The Father who gives all good gifts allows even His Son to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness. So, trials and sufferings will come because we are in Christ. We will be rejected just as He was rejected. But what we are to pray here is to not succumb to that temptation. So, as we are assailed by the devil, the fallen world, and our own sinful nature, we are to pray to God our Father so that He would preserve us from falling away from the one true faith.

 

Now, taken together, these last three petitions help us be kept in the one true, saving faith, so that we may prevail and gain the victory. In short, Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayer petitions. He says that no matter the circumstance, God is honorable and gracious, as He supplies what we need. He says He is the giver of all good gifts. So, keep asking! Keep seeking! Keep knocking! God the Father is not reluctant to give. He is eager to give. He is eager to answer every prayer. All we have to do is: ask. So, when you pray, say: 

Our Father who art in heaven,      hallowed be Thy name,      Thy kingdom come,      Thy will be done on earth           as it is in heaven;      give us this day our daily bread;      and forgive us our trespasses           as we forgive those           who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,      but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom      and the power and the glory      forever and ever. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"One Thing is Needful" (Luke 10:38-42)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “But one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42a).

 

When Jesus sent out His 72 disciples, He told them that they would find food and drink in homes along the way.

 

Today, in our Gospel reading, Jesus and His disciples have the same experience. They went on their way, entered a village, and a woman named Martha opens her home to Jesus and His disciples. So, Jesus obliges and stays for supper. 

 

As Jesus and His disciples enter the home, Martha begins to hustle and bustle to the kitchen, arranging pots, pans, and firing up the stove. She is showing hospitality and her neighborly duty in preparing the dining table, the food, the drink in serving Jesus.

 

But Mary, her sister, did not join Martha in the kitchen. Instead, she is sitting at the feet of Jesus doing nothing but listening. Her posture indicates that she is a humble listener, sitting at the feet of her Teacher as she listens to His every word. As Jesus speaks, she is all ears to what is being said.

 

To Martha, Mary’s choice in not helping her out in the kitchen appears to be self-centered. It appears to her that she is not being hospitable. Martha is irritated. So, frustrated and tugged back and forth, she says to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (Luke 10:40).

 

But surprisingly to Martha, Jesus answers her saying, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).

 

So, here we have two different types of hospitality. First is Martha’s generous hospitality as she receives Jesus into her home and burdens herself with serving. Second is Mary’s hospitality as she prioritizes sitting at the feet of Jesus and He serves her with His Word.

 

Martha is burdened with many things. Mary is absorbed in being served. Now, both are being hospitable, but only one of these is needful.

 

Our Gospel text today immediately follows the Parable of the Good Samaritan. I think the Holy Spirit had Luke record this event here as a contrast to that parable.

 

Yes, we are to have radical love toward our neighbor. We are to serve our neighbor in need without any conditions. But the First Commandment (“You shall have no other gods” as we fear, love, and trust in God above all things”) and the First Table of the Law comes before the Second Table of the Law in loving your neighbor as yourself.

 

So, yes, we need to love our neighbor as yourself, but we must not forget about God.

 

Martha was right in serving Jesus and His disciples, but she misunderstood why Jesus came into her house in the first place. He came not to be served, but to serve. 

 

You see, Jesus entered this house, first and foremost, to carry out His ministry, to proclaim, to teach, to make known the heavenly Father, to reveal God’s mercy and forgiveness. Jesus is there to bring Mary and Martha these treasures.

 

Martha believed that meal preparations were the most importance, since they had to eat. She wasn’t going to let them hunger. So, Martha did care. She did attend Jesus. She did welcome Him. But she did end up ignoring Him. She ignored Him, because she was distracted with much serving.

 

After Martha urged Jesus to get Mary to join her in the kitchen, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). Here, Jesus is showing His tender affection toward Martha. Now, how often do you let the worries of this world distract you from Jesus? How often do you find yourself getting distracted with the newest crisis on the cable news? How often do you get yourself bogged down by the world?

 

So often, we can get ourselves caught up in distractions and worldly worries. So often, the distractions of this world lead us to despise preaching and His Word, instead of gladly holding God’s Word sacred by gladly hearing it and learning it.

 

Yes, we ought to be neighborly, but we are not to put Jesus behind our neighborly duties.

 

So, here’s the point of this event: Jesus says that we should not be distracted and concerned about doing good that you neglect what is most important, which is sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing the Word of God.

 

You see, the most fundamental part of hospitality is to receive and hear the preaching of the kingdom of God.

 

The one thing needful is the gift that Jesus has come to bring. And what is it? Catechesis, the Law and Gospel teaching of the Word of God. So, we show hospitality when we faithfully receive the Word of God.

 

As Martha was preparing a meal using pots and pans, Jesus is emphasizing the significance of catechesis as Mary is learning and inwardly digesting the Word of God. You see, there is a reason why Jesus said to Martha, “Mary has chosen the good portion” (Luke 10:42a). He said this because when we hear the Word of God it is like eating a meal. And unlike tangible food that comes and goes, and we eventually become hungry again, the Word of God abides forever and truly satisfies. Christ’s teaching is “the good portion” (Luke 10:42b) that will not be taken away.

 

One thing is necessary and Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. 

 

The issue here is whether one is first to serve the Lord or first to be served by Him. This is the question. This is the question of the proper approach to worship. Mary has the right liturgical theology. She sits at the feet of Jesus to receive divine service from Him. Instead of trying to serve Jesus first, she allows Jesus to serve her with His gifts. 

 

Jesus is here with us today. He is present with us in His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments. He is here to serve us His forgiveness, life, and salvation to you.

 

After Jesus left Mary and Martha’s home, He would complete His way to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise again. By His own death on the cross, He defeats death; by shedding His own blood, He cleanses us from all sin and blots out every transgression; and by His bodily resurrection, God the Father declares that He has accepted His Son’s sacrifice for sin.

 

So, how could anything ever be more important than hearing the Gospel and receiving the Sacraments? How could we ever want to neglect such eternal blessings by being pulled away or distracted by anything else when Jesus Christ Himself is present in that Word to bless us, to strengthen us, and to sustain us to life everlasting?

 

One thing’s needful; Lord, this treasure
    Teach me highly to regard.
All else, though it first give pleasure,
    Is a yoke that presses hard!
Beneath it the heart is still fretting and striving,
No true, lasting happiness ever deriving.
    This one thing is needful; all others are vain—
    I count all but loss that I Christ may obtain!

(One Thing’s Needful: LSB 536, stanza 1)

 

Let us gladly hear the Word of God spoken to you: the Good News of God’s forgiveness that is for you and for your comfort! These are the treasures that last forever and will not be taken from you when you remain in His Word!

 

So, may we never become so distracted that we neglect what matters most: His Word and Sacraments, but humbly sit and rest at Christ’s feet and listen, receiving His riches and treasures of heaven, which will never be taken away from you. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Radical Love" (Luke 10:25-37)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live’” (Luke 10:25-28).

 

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is the question at the heart of today’s Gospel text. Now, the man asking this question is a lawyer. We may immediately think of this man as a defense attorney or a prosecuting attorney. But there, you’d be wrong. That was not the occupation of this lawyer. For this lawyer in our Gospel lesson is an expert on the Torah. He is an expert on the Old Testament.

 

Now, this lawyer actually knows the answer to his own question. He’s not stupid. He’s pretty smart. But he asks Jesus this question as to see if Jesus really knows what He is talking about. So, he’s testing Jesus. But shockingly, Jesus returns his question with a question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26).

 

Now, that was not what this lawyer was expecting. He was expecting to stump Jesus, but now he has been put on the spot. So, he must answer the question that he posed to Jesus. So, he says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 20:27). Ding! Ding! Ding! This is the correct answer! To that, Jesus says, “Do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:28).

 

But this lawyer wasn’t just going to let Jesus win. He felt like a fool. He wanted retribution. He wanted to justify himself. So, he asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).

 

This lawyer wanted a legal definition of the term “neighbor.” He was not about to back down. You see, generally among the Jews, the “neighbor” was defined as a fellow countryman, one of the same race. So, his neighbor could only be a Jew and never a Gentile.

For this lawyer, it is likely that he had many friends, and knowing his occupation as an expert on God’s Law, he would be friendly with priests – those who served in the temple – and Levites – those who assisted the priests in the temple. And most certainly, this lawyer would say that the priests and Levites are his neighbors.

 

Knowing the heart of this lawyer, Jesus then tells this man a parable – a familiar parable for us – known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. A story about neighborly compassion. A story about friends and enemies. A story that was completely unexpected to a high-class Jew.

 

To him, Jesus tells of a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho on a road that would have been very familiar to this lawyer. This road would have been very familiar to everyone. You see, this road was notorious for its danger. It would be like driving in a “bad neighborhood” today where everyone knows to keep their windows shut, doors locked, and to keep aware of your surroundings.

 

So, running into robbers on this road would not have been a shock, but what happened after the robbers stripped and beat a man, leaving him half dead, well, that is what was truly shocking. So, what happened next?

 

Well, one might expect a man of God to have compassion upon a man who was stripped, beaten up and left half dead on the side of the road, but he passed by on the other side. He ignored the man in dire need of a neighbor. And why? It is likely that this priest preferred to be ritually clean than assist the man. For if this half-dead man died in this priest’s presence, he would be ritually unclean, and he wouldn’t have been able to set foot inside the temple for days or even months. So, he was putting his own self-interests before this man in need.

 

Then, a Levite also passed by on the other side, and for likely the same reasons as the priest. 

 

But then comes the true shocker. A Samaritan man saw this poor man’s condition, showed compassion for him, and actually went to this man. He not only saw the man’s condition, but he also bound up his wounds. He poured oil and wine upon him. Then he brought this half-dead man to an inn so that he could heal from his injuries.

 

For this lawyer, this was criminal. How could a dirty, rotten, no-good, sinful Samaritan be the hero in this story? How could this dirty, rotten, no-good, sinful Samaritan be the one who cared?

You see, this lawyer was seeing his neighbor through the lens of partiality. He saw very little good in any person outside his own friends. And he certainly saw no good ever to come from a dirty, rotten, no-good, sinful Samaritan. You could say this lawyer was practicing DEI: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” before it was cool.

 

But God is different. He is colorblind. He shows no partiality. He didn’t come to save a select chosen few, but all of humanity. He came to save the lawyer. He came to save you and me. You see, Jesus came to give eternal life to everyone and all by His grace through faith in Him. For as God’s Word says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

God does not play favorites. That is the character and will of God. He says in Proverbs 24:23, “Partiality in judging is not good.” In Acts 10:34, St. Peter said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.” And elsewhere, St. James wrote, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (James 2:1).  

 

So, God calls on us His children to also not judge by outward appearances but love and serve everyone unconditionally. This is radical love. And no one besides Jesus has so radically fulfilled the commandment to love.

 

Jesus, then, poses this question to the lawyer: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be the neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36). The lawyer thought for a moment and said, “The one who showed him mercy” (Luke 10:37a). And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37b).

 

So, what’s the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan? We all began with the question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). And we heard the answer: we must love God with all our heart and our neighbor as yourself. But how well are we at doing that? How well are we fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things? How well are we at truly loving our neighbor as yourself? To be honest, not really well. But that’s why you are here. You are at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church because this is a hospital for sinners. This is the place where Jesus restores us to right faith through His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments.

 

Here, in the Parable, we have a half-dead man lying on the side of the road. He is hopeless. He is stripped. He is beaten. He is bruised. He is bleeding. He is near death. He is us. This is the point of the Parable. We – you and me – are the half-dead man. 

 

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, we have been constantly beaten up by Satan, the fallen world, and our own sinful nature. We are dead in our sins. We are dead in our trespasses. We are all on the side of the road bruised, beaten, and dying. We can’t get up to help ourselves off the side of the road to safety.

 

But then Jesus shows up. The Savior who was promised to Adam and Eve right after the Fall. God the Father showed compassion by sending prophet after prophet to tell of the coming Messiah. The Messiah came to rescue us from our foes: sin, death, and Satan. Jesus is who came down from heaven who remembered us all in our low estate.

 

Jesus saw our need. He is the Good Samaritan. He is the Good Neighbor. He rescued us from the ditch of sin and death. Then He covered the wounds of our sin by wrapping around us His robe of righteousness, which gives us eternal life. He brought us to safety. Jesus shows what true love is as He took upon Himself our wounds of sin upon the cross to suffer and die, so that we, by faith in Him, would live forever.

 

In Christ alone, we are reconciled. In Christ alone, we are brought back into the Father’s love.

 

And to this, Jesus says to us: “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37b). And these words of Christ remind us just how far we are from the loving, self-sacrificing behaviors the Lord expects. But that is why He became the Good Samaritan for us. He laid down His life, befriended us while we were yet His enemies, and He promises us through His Word and Sacraments full restoration and life everlasting. This is truly radical love! Through the working of the Holy Spirit in the Means of Grace, He helps us to be more like Him as we grow in faith and love toward our neighbor. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Kingdom of God Has Come Near" (Luke 10:1-20)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, in every town and place where He Himself was about to go. And He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.’ … ‘Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves’” (Luke 10:1-2a, 3).

 

It is amazing that Jesus appointed 72 men willing to go out in His name and prepare His way. 

 

You see, Jesus had just told many people of the stringent requirements in following Him. One man said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever you go,” and to this, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” To another, Jesus said, “Follow Me.” And to that, the hearer said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” To that comment, Jesus replied, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Then, another said, “I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those in my home.” To that, Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:57-62).

 

Yes, many people are willing, but those willing are few. What Jesus is telling them – and us – is this, “If you want to follow Me, you must first consider the cost, so don’t take your Christian calling lightly.”

 

To these men, Jesus is saying that to follow Him, you must break from and renounce your own self-interests and so cling to Him with wholehearted and single-minded faith.

 

So, it is certainly amazing that Jesus found 72 men who understood the mission. But is it really amazing? It would be if Jesus were merely a man, but Jesus isn’t merely a man. Jesus is fully and completely God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

As God, Jesus was fully aware that even after telling of the most-stringent costs in following Him, He would appoint 72 men willing to go out in His name and prepare His way.

But even as Jesus appoints the 72, He adds on even more demands upon these men. He says, “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you” (Luke 10:3-6).

 

To be a harvester for God’s kingdom was a difficult task. Jesus has laid upon them strict demands. Proclaiming the kingdom of God called for dedication and commitment that, unfortunately, too few people had. Jesus makes no guarantees to the 72 that they are in for an easy time. He says that they will experience spiritual and physical dangers. He says they are to travel light. He says they are not to waste time in casual talk since their task was urgent. They were to preach the kingdom of God whether the hearers would receive them or not. They were lambs sent out in the midst of wolves. So, suffering will be their companion just as it is their Lord’s companion.

 

Our Gospel reading today sounds more like Jesus prefiguring pastors who represent Him. Is that what we are to apply our text?  Well, that certainly an aspect of this text.

§  Pastors today do bring the word of peace to wherever they go. Pastors are to reconcile to God those they speak through Confession and Absolution.

§  Pastors today are sacrificial lambs as we sacrifice money, comfort, popularity, and even safety in order to establish an intimate relationship with Christ’s flock in this place.

§  Pastors today not only pray for the sick, but we come with the Medicine of Immortality, which is Christ’s true Body and Blood that forgives sins and gives life everlasting.

§  And pastors today bring healing as we proclaim that Christ is here in His Word and Sacraments.

 

As awesome as those aspects of the Holy Ministry are, there are also some not so great aspects. Jesus did say in our text, “The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16). So, I must expect to be rejected, just as Christ was rejected. For many people who hear of the kingdom of God will end up rejecting it.

 

So, by just rejecting the 72 meant rejecting God’s only Savior, the only way of salvation. Likewise, to reject my Christ-centered proclamation is to condemn oneself to God’s eternal wrath. But still, it hurts, because I am a human, and humans focus on success rather than failure. And we all must admit that we have all responded indifferently and, at times, have rejected God’s will for your life.

 

Jesus describes the 72 as lambs, because like Him, they will be rejected and suffer the consequences of announcing the presence of the kingdom of God. As lambs in the midst of wolves, they will receive the hostility of the world and its result of violence. Like Jesus, the 72 will become sacrificial victims of the Gospel that calls for a reversal of the fallen world’s values. But by their proclamation, which is actually Jesus’ proclamation, they will show that they are not ashamed of Jesus and His Gospel.

 

Now, when Josh Leyh told me that he was interested in seminary, I was thrilled that the Holy Spirit had worked upon him. I rejoiced that he would one day join the Office of the Holy Ministry, but it never occurred to me to say to him, “You are about to be sent out as a lamb in the midst of wolves.” Instead, I said, “Go!”

 

And today, Josh, Faith and little Peter are in Fort Wayne as Josh is now taking classes at Concordia Theological Seminary.

 

Those words of Jesus, “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” are harsh words. They speak of suffering and death. Jesus here, pulls no punches. He says the ministry is hard. But He also says that the ministry is also a blessing. He says, “He who listens to you, listens to Me.” And people do listen! You and I are proof of that! The Gospel has power. The Gospel changes people’s hearts. It heals. It strengthens. It saves. And that is what the 72 found out. Upon returning to Jesus, they said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17).

 

Yes, the 72 had many failures. They often had to wipe their feet against the towns who were not willing to hear the Gospel, but they had many successes, that is why they returned with so much joy! But even among the failures and joys, it was the Holy Spirit who worked through them along the way as they proclaimed the kingdom of God.

 

But what about you? How are those who are not pursuing seminary studies to become a pastor or deaconess to respond to today’s Gospel text? How does today’s Gospel apply to all of us? Well, it certainly does.

Jesus was urgent to get the message out that the kingdom of God has come near. He knew the only way this Gospel message would get out would be to speak it and to share it. So, you may not be pursuing seminary studies, but you are called by God.

 

Jesus first called you through the work of the Holy Spirit. He called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified you and kept you in the one true faith. In the same way, the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. 

 

Through His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, the Holy Spirit richly through repentance and faith forgives all your sins, even your sin of indifference and rejection of God’s will. It is through these simple means that the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus as we grow in faith and in service to Him as Lord and Savior.

 

So, what are we, who are made children of God through faith to do? We are to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded. And behold, Christ says, “I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is our mission!

 

But along the way, Christ is with us. He does not leave us to grow the Church by ourselves. So, when we scatter Christ’s seed by sharing His Good News through our various vocations and stations in life, such as husband or wife, boss or employee, friend or neighbor, some of that seed may be choked and matted flat, and we ought to say, “Oh, what of that, and what of that?” But some of that seed waves ripe on hill and flat, and bears a harvest hundredfold, and we say, “Ah, what of that, Lord, what of that!” (LSB 586 – “Preach You the Word”). So, when you share Christ’s Gospel and it is not received, do not dwell on it, but wipe your feet, and say, “Nonetheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near” (Luke 10:11). Amen. 

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +