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:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man. … Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5a, 7a).
The Lord through the Prophet Jeremiah shows us a real problem. And this problem lies in the heart of humanity. This real problem is trust. Who do you trust? And he contrasts trust in two ways: the way of unbelief and the way of faith.
So, who do you trust? Who are you really trusting in? Yourself? Your fellow man? Who is really shaping your thinking and your behavior?
When you face anxiety about your life, whether it is about finances, health and safety, where do you turn? Where do you go to get through the anxieties in your life?
All too often, we turn inward, to ourselves, with the unshakeable confidence that there is nothing I am unable to do, that there is no problem that I cannot solve. Whether it be a personal dilemma or a worldwide dilemma, you may think that you can solve whatever problem all by yourself, or with the help of fellow man.
But there are only two ways: either trusting in human abilities or trusting in the Lord. And the difference is stark. The difference results in either a blessing or a curse.
The Lord said through Jeremiah, “You are cursed if you do not trust in Me, if you only trust in human strength and wisdom. But you are blessed when you trust in Me and commit your life to Me.”
You see, the one who trusts in himself is “like a shrub in the desert” (Jeremiah 17:6a) with no water who dwells “in an uninhabited salt land” (Jeremiah 17:6d).
Certainly, there will be no prospering in a parched land. The shrub will eventually wither and die.
In contrast, the one who trusts in the Lord, and commits his life to the Lord, is “like a tree planted by water” that prospers, that bears fruit, and grows because it has deep roots in the life-giving waters. One who trusts in the Lord doesn’t worry and is never afraid if there is a drought, since it can weather anything because it has a never-failing stream of life to support it through good times and bad.
Again, who do you trust? Do you trust in yourself? Many who trust in themselves may say, “I’m smart enough; I’m good enough. People love me. I’ve got enough money. I’ve got my network of friends. I will do just fine!”
We so often trust in money, pleasure, power, and relationships. We seek control of our own choices. We seek control of our own lives. But what is forgotten here? What is left out?
If these are the things a person trusts in, God says, “Cursed are you, since they will all fail you. These things will not last forever.”
So, where is God in your life? Is He your last option among many other options? What does Jesus say about that? He says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33a). God should never be your last resort, your last option. He should always be first!
So, the Lord says, “Cursed are you!” Not only will man fail you, but by trusting in man, you have turned from the Lord. Turning from the Lord means that you are despising and neglecting the Lord.
In Martin Luther’s explanation of the First Commandment “You shall have no other gods,” he says, “Whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god.” Luther is saying that there is no middle ground between clinging to the Creator and clinging to the creature. So, directing our fear, love, and trust to something or someone other than the Creator defines our original sin.
We are all certainly tempted to trust in our wealth, our strength, or our skill to provide for our earthly needs instead of trusting our heavenly Father. So often we are inclined to pray, “My will be done,”instead of trusting that God’s will is aways best.
We fall into this trap of trusting man when we neglect prayer and neglect God’s Word and Sacrament. And we wonder why we end up exhausted, discouraged, bitter and cynical as our efforts fail. So, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man” (Jeremiah 17:5a).
But the Lord through Jeremiah also tells of a contrast. He says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:7a), for only the Lord God is able to prosper and protect you. He is the only One who will give you full life now and forever. So, not only will all others disappoint you and fail you, but your turning to others is really a turning from the Lord.
Instead of being a shrub in the desert, those who trust in the Lord are “like a tree planted by water” (Jeremiah 17:8a). Trusting in the Lord is like being planted along an ever-flowing river of water, like a palm tree planted next to the Nile River. So, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t rain. For there is always water available for nourishment. But just go a short distance from the Nile River and what do you find? You find no vegetation, because it is just dry wilderness.
So, where would you rather be planted? In the dry wilderness where you may grow for a time, but eventually wither and die? Or would you rather be planted along the ever-flowing river? Where would you rather be planted?
In other words, in whom do you trust? Now, you may be thinking, “Of course, I trust in the Lord!” But how often do you really think, “Well, I can figure it out all by myself, but if all else fails, then I’ll fall back on the Lord.”
Would you like to be anyone’s second, third, or fourth choice? How do you think that attitude reflects on your trust in the Lord?
You see, God rightly curses those who trust in themselves, and He is right in doing so. We deserve what we get by not trusting in the Lord above all things. We all deserve to be parched, to wither and die, because we do not trust in God, who always promises rest and life.
If we are all honest with ourselves, we have all failed to trust in the Lord and have failed to seek Him first. But there is One who has done all things well, who trusted in the Lord with all His heart, soul and mind. This is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He trusted His heavenly Father with all His life. And in the temptations he faced in the wilderness, Jesus trusted the Word of the Lord to take care of Him and His life.
Jesus, who knew no sin, would take upon Himself our sin as He was nailed to a tree in the shape of a cross. There, Jesus suffered as He was parched and thirsty. There, Jesus would die for yours and my sin of not trusting in God fully.
So, repent of your sin of not trusting in the Lord and trusting in yourself. And believe the good news that your sins of mistrust and lack of trust, and trust in yourself is forgiven and paid for on the cross by Jesus.
Upon that cross, Jesus took all our dirty sins of thought, word, and deed, and replaced them with His blessings. He gave us a great exchange! He poured out His life that we may have life in Him, from His body and blood. Then He rose from the dead for our justification, so that we, who cling to Him, would be raised when He returns in His glory! He rose so that the power of sin would be destroyed forever. So that we can proclaim this good news of forgiveness of sins and live our lives as forgiven sinners in Christ. Since Christ has forgiven us, we in turn forgive one another.
It is no accident that Scripture so often compares one who trusts in the Lord to a tree. Jesus was nailed to a tree. And upon that tree, His body and blood became the stream of life. For in hearing His Word and receiving His Sacraments, when the heat of this life comes, your leaves will remain green, and you will not cease to bear fruit.
Jesus is the source of life, the source of our growth and the source of our produce. Jesus is the nourishment that keeps our faith alive.
So, who do you trust? Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord! Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
No comments:
Post a Comment