Sermon for Advent Midweek 3: "Our Peace Rests on Him Alone" (Isaiah 9:1-7)

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:

 

When we are young, wrapping paper on a gift means nothing. Bows are made to be thrown away and paper is made to be torn in a second. Ripping open that box and getting to the gift inside is our goal.

 

But when we are older, we pause over the wrapping paper and the bow. If it’s a child’s first attempt to wrap a gift, we admire how well he did and how secure it’s all taped. He must have used half a roll of tape to make sure it stayed together. Or, if the wrapping is a true work of art, tell them that he has outdone himself this year. It’s almost too perfect to open. The gift inside is important, but at first, we can pause to appreciate the wrapping. But as we age, we may attempt to open that gift wrapping a bit slower in hopes of re-using it next year.

 

In this third midweek of Advent, we pause to appreciate the wrapping of the gift of the Prince of Peace. He comes wrapped both in beauty and in darkness. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. That’s the wrapping of glory and greatness we expect when God gives us His Son. But He also comes with the simple wrapping of a manger quietly hidden underneath the Christmas star that speaks of peace to those with ears to hear.

 

By now, you have your plans for Christmas set in place. December 25 is so close that you can’t be guessing and wishing anymore. It’s Monday. But you still need to plan. Who is coming to your house for Christmas? When are they getting there? Is everyone staying with you? What are you eating? How are you going to balance everyone’s particular diet? Remember, everyone invited to your table will be sitting for the same meal. This takes some planning.

 

Of course, all this depends on you getting them to the same table at the same time. You’ve got the guests who always come a half hour early and then there are the ones who think that 1:00 p.m. means 3:30 p.m. And don’t forget what happened last time Cousin Sue sat next to Uncle Frank. So, plan your seating chart carefully.

 

Christmas can call for control. Maybe peace can come if we can get these people into the right place and at the right time. It’s a bit like the circus master who directs jugglers, acrobats, lions, dogs, and elephants. 

 

If everyone would only listen and do what you tell them, there would be peace. This is the hope of every grandmother who plans Christmas dinner for the whole family. Control is the theme of our peace tonight. 

 

Tonight, we finish the points on our star. We’ve been pursuing peace. Our first point at the top of the star was the pursuit of more possessions. If only we could get all we dream of, we would have peace. But God stops us with the gift of a baby born in a stable. With Him laid in the manger, we have more than enough, and we can find peace. Last week, we sought peace in the two horizontal points of the star. We were looking for peace in distance. If only we could get away to that perfect retreat. Or if only we could get away from our past, then we would find peace. But again, God catches us and gives us peace in the present. Our peace is not in a distant retreat but in this very moment. God’s peace is present even when the storm is still here. 

So tonight, we have the last two points of our star. These are the bottom points where the weight rests. To manage all that weight and all our plans, we need to take control. And if we had that control, then there could be peace. Wouldn’t it be reasonable that God would help us in this? God should want us all to get along and get through at least one weekend in peace. 

 

After all, isn’t that the very name by which we know the Messiah, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)? Wouldn’t it be fitting that the celebration of His birth would be celebrated in peace? We can hear this call for peace in the inspired writer to the Hebrews: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Through the Holy Spirit, Paul also gives clear direction: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).

 

Can we bring enough control over our world so we have this peace? Getting everyone to follow our plans can be the second of the two bottom points of the star. Control of others can become our purpose. When we are so busy getting ready for Christmas, we might ask ourselves, “Why am I doing all this? It takes a lot of work to get ready for Christmas. Why bother?” If you’re wondering that yourself, it’s time to find peace and purpose. What will be enough to give us meaning in all that has yet to be done before Christmas? Find that, and we imagine that we will have our peace.

 

But God stops our search for control and purpose. Peace is not in our tight grasp over others. Peace is not in our plans. Peace comes only through the Prince of Peace. 

 

It’s His kingdom that brings peace and His work as the Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God that gives order to our world. If we seek that peace of control, Jesus shows us another control. 

 

In Matthew 10, Jesus asks if we expect Him to bring peace. He says that He came to bring not peace but a sword. He came to set two against three, three against two. He came to divide family members one against another. This is the very opposite of our goals of control and outward peace. 

 

We want the peace that comes from getting everyone to agree with us. But what brings peace to the world? Only Jesus brings true peace. Jesus brings peace by stepping into the middle of our troubled world and letting Himself be the center of the world’s anger. In that center, He brings us peace through the cross. Peace has come through what seems to be chaos. 

 

Being the Prince of Peace, His peace has endured thousands of years. Our best plans won’t always make it through one meal, but His peace, like His kingdom, is without end. He comes as the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father so that His peace might reign over the world. This gives us a new purpose and a new peace. The star of peace does not rest on our plans and our control. God’s peace doesn’t come by our control of others. Peace only comes by hearing His Word—the Word that comforts us. The Word that controls us. 

 

We might not be able to corral everyone at the right time and place. Our plans might not be fulfilled. But our real goal is to focus on God’s plans—the plans that have come true.

 

It’s like the story of our gifts. When we were young, we simply wanted the gift. But when we became older, it was the story of the gift that mattered. It was hearing how long someone looked for the right color or size and how the gift was hidden in the back of the closet. The gift was good, but it was the story that was the key. We find God’s gift in the simplicity of the manger and a newborn baby. But the key to peace is hearing the story of how He made our peace. He built it by the straw of the manger and the wood and nails of the cross. He made that peace through the ages of promise and the waiting of His coming. 

The gift of the Prince of Peace came by the perfect planning of God, who arranged the whole world for the birth of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

So, the gift of peace has come through the birth of the Child, the Son of God. The Prince of Peace has come with His gift of peace, and the story of that peace lives on. What will bring you peace when so many of your plans are still undone? We find our peace rests not in our work but in following Him, the Prince of Peace. He filled the manger and the cross. That’s where we find our peace. Peace rests on Him, and we rest in faith in all that He has done for us. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.   

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Advent Midweek 1: "This is My Son: Cain" (Genesis 4:1-16)

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:

 

When parents find out that they are expecting a child, hopes and expectations come along with that discovery. Parents begin dreaming about what their child will be like. They wonder what he or she will accomplish. They hope for the best. Every parent wants to be able to point out their child at any stage in their life and gladly introduce them by saying “This is my son” or “This is my daughter.”

 

But every parent has to face certain disappointment as well. Our children will not live up to every expectation we have of them. The dad who places a tiny basketball in his son’s crib may end up with a son who is not interested in playing basketball. The mom who prays nightly for her teenage daughter and tries to raise her right may still end up getting a phone call saying her daughter has gotten into some trouble.

 

Life with children does not go as we plan or hope.

 

Throughout this Advent midweek series, we will focus upon three father-son relationships found in the Old Testament. We will explore the hopes and expectations that these fathers had for their sons, and we will look at the disappointment that each father faced as his son failed to meet those expectations. Ultimately, each sermon will end by looking at the perfect Father-and-Son relationship: the one shared by our heavenly Father and His only begotten Son upon whom the Father smiled as said: “This is My Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

 

We begin our series by looking at perhaps the most disappointing son in the history of mankind – the son of Adam named Cain.

 

Adam and Eve had high hopes for Cain. This was evident not only by his name but also by what Eve, his mother, says about him. In the English Standard Version of the Bible that we use, Eve says, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD” (Genesis 4:1). However, some scholars, including Martin Luther, have understood Eve to say, “I have gotten the man of the LORD.”

 

What this could very well mean is that Eve thought that Cain was the promised Seed of Genesis 3:15 who would crush the serpent’s head and bring salvation from Adam and Eve’s sin. 

 

The name Cain comes from the Hebrew word meaning “to possess” or “to acquire.” Martin Luther puts himself into Eve’s head and imagines her thinking this: “I remember what we have lost through sin. But now let our hope and speech be of nothing else except winning this back and keeping possession of it. For I have gotten the man of God who will obtain that lost glory for us again.”[1]

 

Now, those are some high expectations! Contrast that to his brother, Abel, who gets no such welcome from his mother and whose name means “vanity” and implies something that is worthless or cast aside. The names of these two brothers reveal the hopes and expectations of their parents. But Adam and Eve were only setting themselves up for more disappointment. Cain was no savior.

 

Perhaps it was the lofty expectations placed on him that gave Cain his selfish pride that is revealed later in this history. More than likely, however, his selfish pride was simply a result of the sin that had been passed down to him from his parents. Whatever the reason, it is made clear in Hebrews 11 that Abel possessed true faith in God and received God’s favor while Cain’s offerings were rejected because his heart did not belong to God.

 

Envy and anger filled Cain’s heart and mind, ready to devour him like an animal crouching and waiting to attack its unsuspecting victim. Cain is warned by God to resist sin and to repent, but instead, when sin pounces, Cain gives in and pounces upon his unsuspecting brother, taking his life and becoming the first murderer.

 

Can you imagine the pain and disappointment of Adam and Eve when they find out what Cain had done? The son they thought would save their lives instead became a taker of life. They had to come to grips that the curse of their original sin had been passed down to their own children. And it continued to be passed down to their grandchildren, and to their great-grandchildren, through every generation up to and including our own.

 

“By the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” Romans 5:19 tells us. We are all sons of Adam, and we have inherited the same inclination to sin that lurked in the heart of Cain. And as Jesus says in Matthew 5(:21-22), we are all as guilty of murder as Cain. Everyone who becomes angry with their brother is liable to the judgment of murder. Anyone who insults his brother or says to anyone “You fool!” will face the same condemnation that Cain did: exile from God.

When it comes to keeping God’s commandments, we have all been huge disappointments. Our offerings have not always been made with hearts full of faith and joy but out of grudging compulsion. We have harbored anger and envy in our hearts toward others. We have imagined that we are not our brother’s keeper, not responsible for the well-being of others. We are more concerned with ourselves. As children of God, we have fallen well short of expectations.

 

This is why the Psalmist instructs us: “Put not your heart in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to earth; on that very day his plans perish” (Psalm 146:3-4).

 

Adam and Eve were wrong about Cain being the promised Seed. But God’s plan was still intact. The Savior would indeed be a son of Adam – true man – but would also be the Son of God. Into our world of hatred and murder was born our God of love and life. From the moment Jesus was a little child, the spiritual heirs of Cain sought to take His life. Because He lived His life as a perfect offering to God, others grew envious and angry toward Him. Eventually, they succeeded in spilling His blood. Two hymns bring the story of Cain and the story of Jesus together.

 

“A murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay” from My Song Is Love Unknown (LSB 430:5). For Cain and for all murderers since him, including you and me, the Lord and giver of life is murdered so that we might be given life.

 

“Abel’s blood for vengeance pleaded to the skies; but the blood of Jesus for our pardon cries” from the hymn Glory Be to Jesus (LSB 433:4). God tells Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). The blood of Abel cried out for justice for himself. But Hebrews 12 tells us that Jesus’ blood cries out not for Himself but on behalf of the whole world. “You have come … to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22a, 24). Jesus became our murdered brother so that He might keep us from everlasting death.

 

Jesus is the true Son of Adam whose shed blood and broken body are the perfect sacrifice accepted by God the Father to wash clean our murderous hearts and make us children of God. “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man (Adam), much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).

 

Because of Jesus, our perfect brother, your heavenly Father is not disappointed in you. Instead, through your Baptism, He looks down upon you with approval and love and says gladly: “This is My son” – or “This is My daughter, with whom I am well pleased.” Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

 

---

[1] Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis, vol. 1 of Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis: Concordia, 1958).

Sermon for Pentecost 10: "The Race Before Us" (Hebrews 11:17-12:3)

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:

The beginning of any half-marathon or marathon is a party. As you begin running, you are swept along by thousands of runners as you witness crowds lining the streets cheering you on through positive reinforcement with chants and music. The runner begins to believe that he or she could run forever.

But as the miles pass by, the crowds begin thinning out. Soon, it is just you and your fellow runners. And the runners begin to become further apart along the course. Eventually, even the best runner hits a wall. It could be from lack of training, it could be from lack of nutrition, or it could be from lack of sleep. Physically and psychologically, you’re busted. You’re done.

Twice, some years ago, I ran the Indianapolis 500 Mini-marathon. I wasn’t the best runner, but as I made my way toward the finish line, I would see runners pull to the side. One of those times, when I was not in my best running shape, I had my doubts. But I was determined to finish the race. You see, I wanted the trophy at the finish line. Eventually, I just tuned out my mind and put one foot in front of the other. The miles eventually passed by and those crowds at the beginning of the race returned at the finish, even when you are not in the front of the pack. The party I witnessed at the start line returned to cheer on the runners at the finish line.

Today, on this Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, we are reminded that as Christians, “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” as we “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

[The Race of Faith]

Last Sunday, upon my installation as your pastor, I joined the race of faith that you have been on here at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. This race of faith is not an easy one. Oftentimes, it is grueling. We are cheered along by the faithful, but oftentimes the jeering of the unbelieving world makes even the most devout Christian wonder: “Should I continue? Maybe my life would be easier if I would follow the cultural trends?”

As we heard preached last week by Pastor Cumming, Hebrews 11 is known by many as the Faith Hall of Fame as it features the Heroes of the Faith. We hear of the great deeds of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the list goes on. They believed in God’s promise of a coming Savior and for that trust, they were counted among the righteous. This is inspiring to any Christian. This text offers hope, comfort, and encouragement to any Christian.

But oddly enough, as we heard in today’s epistle from the Book of Hebrews, people of faith bear witness to God more clearly through their suffering than their accomplishments. We see this in how the apostles refused to deny their faith in the crucified, risen, and ascended Jesus when they faced the imminent prospect of persecution and death. Through the Holy Spirit, the writer of Hebrews proclaims this of the Old Testament saints: “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword” (Hebrews 11:35b-37a).

Others just lost their occupations and became destitute due to their faith.

In America, persecution of Christians was once thought of something that only happened “over there.” But, little by little, persecution of Christians is becoming a mainstream idea.

When Christians are faced with public hostility for our confession of faith, we are too often tempted to withdraw from the battle in the public domain, or even give in to what the culture demands. We are lulled by false hopes of social acceptance and economic prosperity if we only give in to the culture by denouncing the Christian faith. This is what the sinful world desires. The sinful world wants every Christian to denounce their faith in Christ.

And, overall, the wider Christian Church here on earth has not helped the situation as so many denominations have abandoned Christian doctrine in hopes of increasing the numbers in the pews.

So, whether we are persecuted or not, we are all engaged in a contest, which is the battle against Satan and the powers of darkness. This is part of our vocation as Christians, the good works that God enables in us by what we do and what we suffer.

For those Heroes of the Faith in Hebrews 11, they all lived in fearless service to God in public life. By faith, they achieved much against impossible odds and powerful opponents. They were all confident in God’s protection and reliant on the power that God provides for them in their weakness.

We, too, are included with those saints of the Old Testament era and the New Testament era. We are included as the congregation that stretches back in time, encircles the world, and reaches out into the future and up into heaven. We are all a part of an eternal community, known as the communion of saints, which includes all the people of God in the Church Militant — those living today — and the Church Triumphant in heaven.

Like those who came before us, the Red Sea was no barrier to faith. The walls of Jericho were no barrier to faith. What appear to be hopeless odds are no barrier to faith. For all of them, faith soon became sight.

For those saints who experienced mistreatment and persecution, don’t feel sorry for them. They valued earthly comfort little compared to the eternal Christ. Earth’s safety was secondary when placed alongside eternal salvation. Through thick and thin, they would not deny their Lord! Faith endures in the face of suffering.

[The Great Cloud of Witnesses Look to Jesus]

All of these descriptions of faith were not about the faithful person. These descriptions were ultimately about faith in Jesus Christ. These Heroes of the Faith looked ahead to the Savior that God was promising. They didn’t know who the Savior would be. But they trusted in God and His word and they believed.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Again and again, God’s people will face sufferings and persecutions at all times and all places. But Jesus endured the ultimate suffering. 

Like that half-marathon or marathon race, we, too, have people of the faith surrounding us on all sides, like a huge crowd in a public place. This crowd is like “a great cloud” that envelops us. These witnesses are hidden from us now and are only seen by faith. But we still hear their voices as they testify about God in word and deed through the Scriptures. We hear the voices of the prophets and apostles in Scripture who support us and urge us on as they wait for us at the finish line.

So, we run with endurance the race that is set before us. But how do we run this race? How do we endure? Well, we endure by “looking to Jesus,” just as the great cloud of witnesses did. Jesus is just as present with us as He was and is present with those before us as “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 2:2).

Jesus is the One and only Champion. This list of Heroes of the Faith culminates with Him. Through His obedient life, suffering, and death, He opened up the way into God’s presence by taking our sins upon Himself. He is the “author” of the race. He is both the founder of faith and its content. He was the first to run the race to the end. By faith in Christ, we are perfected by His sacrificial death as He protects us and He brings us to the goal of the race by His offering for us and by providing for us with His very flesh and blood. So, by running the race of faith, we wholly depend on Jesus from its beginning to its very end.

Here in the Divine Service, the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus is before us. He is here for us to see with the eyes of faith.

By faith, we, too, look to Jesus. And, by faith, we see Him, we behold Him, here, in our midst, through the Means of Grace — Word and Sacrament. By faith, we see our joining to the Lord’s death and resurrection in the waters of Holy Baptism. By faith, we trust that the forgiveness of sins proclaimed is Christ’s forgiveness. By faith, we discern Christ’s Body and Blood under the bread and the wine. By faith, we recognize that the Word proclaimed is the only sure and certain Word that grants eternal life. By faith, we witness God’s consoling love in our hands and in those of others.

Jesus is in our midst in His Word and Sacrament. The race is set before us. We continue to run, but this race is already won! We have the victory and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Lent 5: "It's All About Jesus" (Luke 20:9-20)

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:

[Intro]

What people say about Jesus tells a lot about that person. Some say: “Jesus was just a miracle worker.” Others say: “Jesus was just another prophet among the prophets.” Even others: “Jesus was a man who hung out with sinners, so I’m comfortable in my sin.” Who is Jesus?

As C.S. Lewis has famously said, Jesus “is either God or a complete lunatic suffering from that form of delusion which undermines the whole mind of man.” Lewis also said Jesus “produced mainly three effects – Hatred – Terror – Adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.” So, Jesus is either God, a lunatic, or an evil man. Who is Jesus? Today on this, the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Jesus proclaims to His hearers on who He truly is.

Just prior to today’s Gospel text, the Jewish religious establishment challenged the authority of Jesus, saying: “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it that gave you this authority?” (Luke 20:2). You see, according to Jewish Law, the chief priests, scribes, and elders had divine appointment. So, they ask Jesus, where does your authority come from?

This question is what leads Jesus into telling the Parable of the Wicked Tenants to the people – those who believe Jesus’ teaching and to the Jewish religious establishment who rejected His teaching.

[The Parable of the Wicked Tenants]

Jesus began the parable saying: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while” (Luke 20:9b).

From the start, we see a vineyard. Now, what does a vineyard require? For sure, time and patience. For a vineyard to produce quality wine, it takes months or even years. So, each vineyard requires tender loving care. We also see that the owner of the vineyard is trusting His tenants to keep producing the fruit needed to make quality wine.

But when the time came to receive some of the fruit of His vineyard, the tenants would not give back what belonged to Him. Instead, “the tenants beat [His servant] and sent him away empty-handed” (Luke 20:10b). But the owner of the vineyard is patient as He keeps sending servants. But with each servant, they receive the same rejection. Now, each servant represents God’s prophetic activity during the Old Testament times, when the prophets called people to repent and to show fruits of repentance, but that call fell so often on deaf ears. Instead, these servants are beaten and sent away (Luke 20:10); beaten, treated shamefully, and sent away (20:11); and wounded and thrown out (20:12).

Eventually, the owner of the vineyard hoping against hope says, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him” (Luke 20:13).

Now, for some in the audience, this should have perked their ears. You see, Peter, James, and John have heard this before. By “this,” I mean “beloved Son.” For them, a lightbulb should have gone off, since they previously heard the voice from heaven proclaim about Jesus: “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him” (Luke 9:35). But for the others in the audience who weren’t on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus would explain the meaning of the parable.

You see, the preparatory catechesis is over. The prophets accomplished what God sent them to do, but now it is time for God’s own Son to visit the vineyard. But the abuse suffered by all of God’s servants will fall upon His own beloved Son so this Scripture would be fulfilled: “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell upon Me” (Psalm 69:9; Romans 15:3). So, it is the hour for the Son to be killed.

The tenants say: “This is the heir. Let us kill Him, so that the inheritance may be ours” (Luke 20:14). So, they threw Him out of the vineyard and killed Him. This is Jesus also predicting His own death outside the Jerusalem walls. The wicked tenants wanted the vineyard all to themselves. They assumed that the vineyard would be theirs due to the owner’s absence.

[The Rejection of the Stone]

The meaning of the parable is clear. Jesus is talking about Himself! It’s all about Him! But, at this point, He breaks off the parable and interprets the significance of His own death for salvation history. He asks, “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:15-16). Here, Jesus echoes Isaiah: the fruitless vineyard that has become a thicket of thorns must be destroyed (Isaiah 5:5-6). Equally clear is Jesus’ own answer to His question: “He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:16).

Since the Jewish religious establishment are unable to be good stewards of God’s vineyard, God the Father – the owner of the vineyard – will give the vineyard to tenants who would care for the vineyard. These new tenants would begin with the Twelve Apostles who, through their commission, reconstitute the Church as the New Israel.

When the Jewish religious establishment heard this, they respond in fear saying, “Surely not!” (Luke 20:16). You see, the killing of the Son, the killing of the wicked tenants, and the transfer of the vineyard to others must happen.

The audience wants to know the end of the story, but do they? Do they really want to know how this ends? Knowing this, Jesus asks them in the form of a question, “What then is this that is written:

          ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?

Everyone who falls on that that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him” (Luke 20:17-18).

For everyone there, they knew exactly what Jesus was saying, for they were familiar with this Jewish proverb: “If a stone falls on the pot, woe to the pot. If the pot falls on the stone, woe to the pot. Either way, woe to the pot!” The stone always destroys the pot.

Jesus speaks the question, but He gives no answer, because the events of the next few days will provide that answer. But the people and the Jewish religious establishment already have had the answer for a long time in the Scriptures. They should have known that according to Moses and all the prophets, it was “necessary that the Christ suffer these things and enter into His glory” (Luke 24:26).

This is what must happen to all the prophets. However, the rejection of this Prophet – Jesus – is different. What is so extraordinary about Jesus’ imminent crucifixion is that His rejection is the means by which He will become the cornerstone and is therefore a reference to His glory! So, by the stone’s rejection by the builders – the Jewish religious establishment – is the stone’s exaltation as the head of the corner.

The coming crucifixion of Jesus will become the ultimate stumbling block for all people as St. Paul was inspired to write: “We preach Christ crucified – a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23).

[The Tenants Today]

So, what does this Parable mean for us today? That was then, what about now?

We now live in the time of the Church, since Jesus has risen from the dead and has bodily ascended into heaven. So, who are the stewards until Christ returns on the Last Day? We are.

When looking at this parable today, we see Jesus letting the vineyard to us. His servants are faithful pastors who preach Christ’s saving Word of Law and Gospel. And as it was then, is now, many of these faithful pastors today are treated shamefully by today’s tenants who would rather hear what their itching ears desire (2 Timothy 4:3), instead of God’s unchanging truth, for He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Christianity has always been about Jesus. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Jesus is the entire reason the Christian Church exists to this very day and very hour and we are His stewards. So, let us not fall into the mindset of the wicked tenants in the parable who claimed the vineyard for themselves. You see, everything we have is only by God’s grace and favor. So, we cannot claim the paycheck we receive as our own doing, in fact, that paycheck is a gift from God. Remember, it is God alone who provides for all our needs of body – food, clothing, shelter, and the like – and for our soul – the forgiveness of our sins – so it is our vocation to give back what God asks of us: the fruits of our faith: repentant hearts, and our time, talents, and treasure.

Likewise, when a church wavers from its commitment to the confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world, it takes the place of the wicked tenants. You see, the most important question Jesus asked His followers was this: “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). Since Christ has ascended to the Right Hand of the Father, numerous Christian denominations have walked away from their confidence in the trustworthiness of God’s Word as revealed in the Scriptures. As a result, they are no longer comfortable with the teachings of Jesus and have become the wicked tenants in believing they own the vineyard. But the fact remains that Christianity is all about Jesus and He will come again.

Jesus is the Truth. So, anything that conflicts with the truth of God’s Word, that is a lie. The truth of Christ is objectively true. It is truth aside from how we may feel about it. The truth of Christ does not rest on the shaky foundation of human feeling, emotion, or opinion, for He is the cornerstone.

In ancient times, the cornerstone was used at a building’s corner to bear the weight or stress of the two walls. So, if that stone would be removed, the entire structure would fall. So, upon Jesus rests the entire structure of God’s kingdom.

[The Stone Gives Life]

Jesus is the Stone and He says that everyone will either be broken or crushed. By everyone, Jesus means everyone. We will all be crushed.

For even the most devout follower of Christ must fall into the brokenness of repentance in order to be raised again as new beings, as living stones in Christ, the temple of God. As poor, miserable sinners, all of us, no doubt, have had this experience. We have fallen on that Stone and have been broken. Christ has pulled us up short and stopped us in our path. Through faith in Christ, he has humbled us as He leads us to confess our sin to God and to the neighbor we wronged. He has caused us to see the shoddiness of our thinking and the ugliness of our living. His Word that is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), cuts us to the core. But Christ picks us up. And, oh, the bliss of recovery under His gentle care! What we first regarded as a degree of punishment turns out to be the first step in the healing process as He forgives all repentant sinners. Thus, there is Gospel in what appears to be entirely Law.

But upon those who refuse to trust in Jesus as their Lord comes the crushing blow of judgment. Those who stumble over Jesus will receive the judgment caused by their rejection of Him, and when the stone falls on them, they will be utterly crushed and grounded into powder. You see, although God has a love and patience beyond the farthest reaches of our imagination, God teaches us in His Word with the possibility that one can spurn God once too often. We are reminded that with the assurances of God’s love, that “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

So, the Parable of the Wicked Tenants tells us not only of God’s judgments, but also tells of God’s love and patience. He sends and sends – and keeps on sending. Finally, He sends His Son – His beloved Son. We do right to perceive that the parable is spoken against us. But we do wrong if that’s all we perceive. We need to perceive also that the parable is spoken for us as a word of hope, that it tells us of a God who keeps on sending in our behalf and even goes as far as to send His own beloved Son for our salvation! No one could take Jesus’ life away from Him, only He can lay down His life, so that He may take it up again (John 10:17).

So, who is Jesus? He is the very Lamb of God who put His face toward Jerusalem in order to suffer and die on a cross, so that He would win for all who cling to Him the vineyard, which is the Church, the place of joy, and from the fruit comes the sweet wine of His Means of Grace – His undeserved forgiveness in Word and Sacrament – and the joy of salvation. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +