"The Call of Discipleship" (Luke 14:25-35)

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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: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33).

 

So, you call yourself a follower of Christ? How well are you at doing that?

 

Today’s Gospel reading follows Jesus’ Parable of the Great Banquet. In that parable, many were invited to just come and enjoy the feast, but those invited all alike began to make excuses. One man purchased a field and wanted to inspect it. That is, he wanted to make money. Another man purchased five yoke of oxen, and he wanted to see how they would be in the field. That is, he wanted to be busy with work. And another man had just married a wife, and so he was too busy to attend the feast. Excuse after excuse. The first pled necessity. The second, inconvenience. The third, pleasure. Each man originally invited was more attached to worldly things than going to the great banquet of God’s grace and thus, they found themselves excluded.

 

In today’s Gospel text, Jesus addresses the great crowds that accompanied Him. This is important to note. Since, Jesus was not talking with His Twelve Apostles. Today, He is talking with the masses that began following Him. Now, most in the crowd are there because they are curious. They came to watch the action of this Great Healer and Preacher. They wanted to learn, but they didn’t want to actually do. So, they are certainly interested, but they are not quite committed.

 

It is to this crowd that Jesus says, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).

 

In other words, the life we are called to live in Christ necessitates our active and uncompromising participation. True discipleship is not a spectator sport. True discipleship cannot be done wearing your pajamas while sitting on the couch. True discipleship demands participation. True discipleship is costly and active. This is shocking to our modern ears.

 

This is the cross that is laid on every Christian. The first suffering is the call of abandonment to the attachments of this world. As followers of Christ, He calls us to surrender ourselves to Him.

 

Jesus does not sugar-coat His Christian calling for us. He doesn’t say things like: “Now, I want you to be happy. I want you to have a well-paying job. I want you to be happily married with kids. When you have achieved these things, you can come and follow Me.” No! He doesn’t say that. He never sugar-coats His calling of discipleship.

 

Rather, Jesus says, “Anyone who does not renounce all that he has – including his very own self – cannot be My disciple.”

 

This is our Christian calling. This is how Jesus does evangelism. He says, if you want to follow Me, you must first count the cost. He says, “Don’t take your Christian calling lightly.”

 

You see, being a Christian means living a completely different life. It doesn’t mean that we can keep all our old ways and just ask for forgiveness from God later. Yes, we all need forgiveness, but we shouldn’t knowingly sin and then just ask for forgiveness later.

 

To be a Christian, Jesus says that we must break from our old allegiances. We must break from and renounce our own self-interest and cling to Him with wholehearted and single-minded faith.

 

So, let’s look into further detail on what Jesus teaches us in our Gospel text. 

 

First, Jesus sets forth three conditions for following Him. The first of these three is that we must have a willingness to leave behind family ties including the tie to oneself. And this word “hate” that Jesus uses does sound harsh to our ears. This sounds so unlike Jesus. Doesn’t He say to love our enemies? Yes, He does.

 

But here, Jesus is using the word “hate” to shock us, His hearers, with this word to make us realize that nothing dare come before Him in the life of the disciple. Elsewhere in Matthew 10, Jesus says this, “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). So, this isn’t a matter of “hate” but is a matter of putting anything – anything – before Christ. So, we are not to love family more than Jesus.

 

The second condition is to carry his own cross. What this means is self-denial. It means the sacrifice of one’s own will for the sake of Christ. It means being willing to accept whatever suffering might result from a sincere commitment to Christ and His kingdom. This means that by confessing Jesus as Christ could mean dying for that confession.

 

The third condition for following Jesus is the willingness to give up all earthly possessions. A rich ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18) To that question, Jesus asked him if he had followed the second table of the Law: loving your neighbor. To that, the rich ruler said, “All these I have kept from my youth” (Luke 18:21). When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). But when he heard this, he became very sad. 

 

This third condition which calls for the willingness to give up all earthly possessions to follow Jesus was the demand that this rich ruler was unable to fulfill.

 

So often, people are so quick in following Jesus without first counting the cost.

 

In Luke 9(:57-62), someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “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.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

Again, this is evangelism, Jesus’ style.

 

Today’s Gospel text is quite clear and straight forward. And it is troubling. This seems to be a bit much renouncing our family and even renouncing ourselves.

 

As 21^st century Americans, it does feel a bit safe to have one foot on the dock and the other foot in the boat. But at some point, we have to make a choice. What if that boat starts to move further from the dock. Am I going to put both feet back on the dock, or am I going to put both feet into the boat? If you can’t make the choice, you are going to have a very wet future.

 

But we are Lutherans, so we don’t like making choices. The good news is that Jesus has made the choice. He has chosen you! He chose you before the beginning of the world as He would come and save you from your sins through becoming man in order to suffer and die for your sins, so that you by faith in Him would live forever.

 

Jesus chose you.

 

Yes, the Christian calling is a difficult calling. Yes, every day, Christ calls on us to renounce ourselves and renounce our self-interest. Every day, He calls on us to take up our cross, suffer ridicule for His sake and follow Him. Every day, He calls us back to our Baptism to say “no” to the Old Adam and to receive the new life that He only gives.

 

This is the calling of Jesus who set His face to Jerusalem to die for you. This is the calling of Jesus who denied Himself, who took up His cross and gave His life for sinners. This is the same Jesus who through our confession to Him forgives us of our double-minded devotion. This is the same Jesus who forgives us of our casual discipleship. He is the One who calls us. He is the One who was crucified, died, rose and ascended for you!

 

In the Divine Service, Jesus forms us as His disciples. So, as you hear His Word and receive His Sacrament, as you daily return to your Baptism, in your daily activities, the Holy Spirit works on you as He forms you and changes you. Through His Word and His Sacraments, Jesus leads us to renounce our old ways and follow Him. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Rejected Prophet Comes to Save" (Luke 13:31-35)

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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: “Nevertheless, I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33).

 

Jerusalem has a history. It has a very bloody history when it comes to God’s prophets. You see, whenever a prophet challenges the people to repent of their sins, they want to kill them. Our Old Testament reading from Jeremiah is a great example of this.

 

Nevertheless, Jesus is very determined as nothing can get in His way. He is going to Jerusalem – a city that He has chosen as His holy city, a city He has chosen to receive His special attention and His blessings.

 

But Jerusalem is also a city that has repeatedly scorned God’s special attention and has repeatedly scored God’s blessings. Time and time again, Jerusalem had rejected the men the Lord sent to deliver His messages. Nevertheless, God still longs for His holy and special city, just as He longs to gather all who time and again have rejected Him. Oddly enough when God’s holy city only deserved wrath, the Son of God will still go to Jerusalem, His chosen city, to save His chosen people – the entire world.

 

Nothing can get in the way of God’s saving plan, not even Jerusalem’s own rejection of her Savior. Jesus will not be deterred.

 

However, in today’s Gospel lesson Jesus appears to have received some unlikely friends – some Pharisees. They say to Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you” (Luke 13:31).

 

Now, why would some Pharisees wish to protect Jesus? Could they be sympathetic to Jesus? Could this be a genuine warning, or just a trick?

 

Why, all of a sudden, are there some Pharisees who appear to be helping Jesus? Or could it be that Herod Antipas had sent these Pharisees to get Jesus out of his territory?

 

We don’t know. But we do know this: over and over again, the Pharisees have rigorously attacked Jesus by provoking Him. And we do know that Jesus has accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy. So, could this be just another way to trap Jesus?

But it is more likely that the Pharisees are trying to deceive Jesus into abandoning His journey to Jerusalem. You see, if Jesus turns and runs, He would surely lose His credibility with His followers. But perhaps, the Pharisees are even more perceptive as they realize that any man who wants to be a leader of the Jews must establish himself in Jerusalem. So, any ploy that could keep Jesus away from Jerusalem would surely foil His plans.

 

If we are playing the odds, odds are that these Pharisees are not actually being helpful to Jesus.

 

But the Pharisees here have something very correct in their warning to Jesus – the threat to Jesus is real. Jesus does face a real threat of death if and when He comes to Jerusalem. And the threat may not actually be from Herod himself, who previously just wanted to meet with Jesus. Scripture doesn’t say why he wished to see Jesus. Maybe he was just curious about all the hubbub about Jesus? But then again, Herod Antipas was a man who couldn’t be trusted. Now, most likely, the threat was not from Herod himself but from the Jewish authorities who were already plotting against Jesus.

 

But Jesus already knows His fate. He has spoken clearly on His fate with His disciples saying to them following Peter’s great confession: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22).

 

Clearly, Jesus is not afraid of death. He has come to die. He knows His holy city will reject Him just as they rejected the true prophets He sent before Him. Nevertheless, Jesus is undeterred as He will go to Jerusalem to die.

 

So, certainly, those artificial threats of Herod will not deter Him. And neither will those real threats deter Him. Although Herod is certainly capable of killing Jesus, as his beheading of John the Baptist attests, but it would be Pontius Pilate who would be the one responsible in sentencing Jesus to death.

 

Undeterred, Jesus has set His face toward Jerusalem, a city with a long history of killing the prophets sent to it. Jesus will go to Jerusalem because it is His duty. Jesus will go to Jerusalem because it is the will of His Father.

“Nevertheless,” Jesus says, “I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33).

 

The Passion and cross are in full view as Jesus describes His destiny of being rejected. The goal is death. Nevertheless, Jesus’ passion must happen as it is Jesus’ divine mission.

 

You see, Jesus’ prophetic destiny of rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection must take place in Jerusalem, His holy city, the place where God dwells and atonement must take place.

 

“O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem,” Jesus says, “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (Luke 13:34a). Jesus’ lament here over Jerusalem embraces both the tragedy of Jerusalem’s sin of unbelief and spiritual bankruptcy. Yes, they had all the trappings on looking outwardly religious, but Israel was only going through the motions – with no faith behind it. They abandoned and ignored God’s Word and His Name.

 

Now, Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem also serves as the way of life for every Christian. You see, a Christian cannot be deceived when life seems to offer an easier, safer way. Now, we’d all like to avoid confrontation, embarrassment, and sacrifices for our faith in Christ. But that is not an option. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

 

So, if you remain faithful to Christ, you will face confrontation. You will face hostility from family and friends. You will face embarrassment. You will have to make sacrifices for your faith. And all because God’s Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His teachings and His commandments do not change with the times.

 

Now, the world we live in today is far different than the world of twenty years ago. Today, Christianity is no longer viewed positively by the culture at large. Today, Christianity is treated negatively and even skeptically. When society changes for the worse, it affects us. Our changing culture puts pressure on Christians and that can affect us economically. Our changing culture can lead to confusion on core issues, such as marriage and sanctity of life, even among devoted Christians. The pressures from our culture do affect us physically, mentally, and spiritually.

 

God’s Word takes these temptations of this fallen world seriously and encourages us to keep the faith. Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

 

So, even as we live in this fallen world, we should be encouraged as we continue to press on just as Jesus did on His way to Jerusalem.

 

But as we march toward the goal, we must be realistic. And the reality is this: to be a Christian requires carrying crosses. We must go on Christ’s way today and tomorrow and the next day until He brings us to His goal.

 

Jesus is not afraid to go to Jerusalem. Now, shouldn’t He reject Jerusalem, just as they rejected Him? God had tried and tried and tried to love His rebellious people. How many times can God be hurt and not give up on loving? And we’ve been there. We understand. I’m sure you have reached out to loved ones in inviting them to Prince of Peace or to another Lutheran church if they are not in the area. You have put your feelings on your sleeve. You have offered love and have been rejected. And after so many times, you have pulled back. Besides, what good is going to Jerusalem anyway? They will just reject my invite again.

 

Do we really understand? Now, how often have we rejected Christ’s love extended to us? God has made us His chosen people. He has given us eternal life and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. But how often have you rejected Christ’s love by skipping the Divine Service in search for something more exciting? Jesus comes to us here today, and every Sunday or Monday, in His Word and Sacraments. Do you understand how deserving we are of God’s wrath by rejecting His grace?

 

But Jesus suffers rejection for your sake, so that you aren’t rejected by God the Father. Jesus laments at the unfaithfulness of Jerusalem saying, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). Jesus’ stern judgment is painful to Him as He came to gather the entire world. He doesn’t desire anyone to be lost.

 

Here, we see the darkness of sin through the rejection of Jesus. But Jesus would die for the very ones who rejected Him. Again, Jesus is persistent. He desires all to be saved and He is delaying wrath for the sake of repentance. 

 

Today, Jesus gathers the true Jerusalem wherever Christ’s people are gathered around Him in Word and Sacrament. Here, you receive His blessings!

Jesus would be rejected in Jerusalem and crucified outside God’s holy city. But this is why He came. He came to fulfill Jerusalem’s purpose: to be the place God and man would be reconciled. Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets would become the place of salvation, so that all who turn from sin and to Christ are all gathered “together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). By Christ’s rejection, we are saved, despite our all too frequent rejections of Him. By Christ’s rejection in Jerusalem, He has atoned for yours and my sins. The Final Prophet who fulfills the prophets’ prophecies has paid our punishment, our ransom, for our sins. Despite our unfaithfulness, Christ is ever faithful even to those who reject Him. So, may we repent of our unfaithfulness and receive God’s grace won for you and me through Christ’s atoning death through which He gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Our Reformation Cry!" (Matthew 11:12-19)

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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 to the crowd: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

 

On this Reformation Sunday, we thank the Lord for the long line of saints who have remained steadfast in the truth of God’s Word – the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, saints of the Early Church, the reformers of the one true Faith, and countless faithful men and women today. Each one of them, including you and me, have paid a price in remaining faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Yes, we have all paid a price. Now, some much more than others. For many, they have paid the ultimate price – martyrdom. For others, they may have lost long friendships and family, because of remaining faithful to Christ.

 

As Christians, we must be prepared to suffer for God’s truth, since we know that Satan and his fallen world hate Christ and Christ’s Church. And why is that? Why can’t we just get along?

 

One chapter earlier in Matthew 10, Jesus chose His Twelve Apostles. He gave them “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction” (Matthew 10:1). Then Jesus gave them their mission: to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand as they heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons (Matthew 10:7-8). Jesus also gave them His promise: “Everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

 

Hitched to that promise was a declaration of war: “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matthew 10:40).

 

So, why can’t we just all get along? It’s because of the enemy – Satan, his minions, and this fallen world – which doesn’t much like incursions into its domain.

 

Following His instructions to the Twelve Apostles, Jesus went on preaching and teaching. He was preaching and teaching in enemy territory – Satan’s fallen world. Jesus went on preaching and teaching, since He came to rescue and restore this fallen world.

 

As this is happening, John the Baptist is locked up in prison awaiting his execution. There, in his cell, John is wondering if, in fact, Jesus of Nazareth, is the promised Messiah, who has come to restore all of humanity. Or should his disciples look for another? To that question, Jesus says to John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” (Matthew 11:4-6).

 

Jesus then asks the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?” (Matthew 11:7b-8a)

 

Did the crowds seek someone to be swayed with the shifting winds of public opinion? No. Did they seek a man dressed in nice clothes like that of a powerful king? No.

 

What the crowds saw was the messenger preparing the way for the Christ.

 

This is what led Jesus to say: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

 

You see, when God took upon Himself human flesh, the fallen world, Satan, and our own sinful nature didn’t really appreciate it. Yet, Jesus still comes. And when Jesus comes, His kingdom comes. Jesus comes forcefully into the fallen world – a world enslaved by sin, death and the devil. And where Jesus comes, His evil foes fight back. 

 

John the Baptist experienced violence for preparing the way of the Lord. He was arrested. He was imprisoned. His severed head was placed on a platter.

 

Jesus, too, experienced violent opposition. The Pharisees and Sadducees repeatedly challenged His preaching, teaching, and healing. He was falsely accused. He was beaten and flogged. He was betrayed by His own friends. He faced the worst kind of capital punishment – crucifixion. He was nailed to a tree and suffocated to death.

Jesus’ apostles and disciples also experienced violent opposition. They were locked up. They were beaten. They were stoned. They were beheaded. They were poisoned. They were crucified. And all for simply preaching salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone.

 

But despite the violence, God’s kingdom keeps pressing forward. His royal banners forward go! 

 

You see, even though Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, He also descended into hell in victory! That third day, He rose from the dead! Then He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty!

 

Jesus came to redeem us lost and condemned sinners. He purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with silver or gold, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death so that you and I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness!

 

For nearly two thousand years, the kingdom of heaven continues pressing forward in this fallen world. And His enemy is still pressing hard against it. Those “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) are not just going to take the loss and lie down.

 

As you and I know, Satan and his fallen world are violently opposed to Jesus and His saving and forgiving ways as He works through His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments – in His Church. 

 

So, Satan and his fallen world continually attack Christ and His Church. They call Christ and His Church unloving. They seek to re-make Christ’s Church into the image of the Great Deceiver. Satan and his fallen world do not want sin called out. They don’t want to live by God’s Word. Instead, Satan and his fallen world desire to remake Christ’s Church into a lazy, go along to get along type of false Christianity. This is what we face today. This is what Christ’s Church has always faced.

 

This is why Christ’s Church must always be reformed. This is why it must always be called back to the saving work of Jesus Christ, the Church’s Bridegroom. For if we get lazy and flabby by not reading, hearing and studying God’s Word, we will form a new kind a Christianity – a false Christianity. A Christianity without Jesus. 

For if we get lazy and flabby by not joining the assembly of believers, among whom the Gospel is purely preached and the Sacraments rightly administered, we will form a new kind of Christianity – a false Christianity. Again, a Christianity without Jesus.

 

Recently, CBS Mornings aired a segment called “The State of Spirituality with Lisa Ling”[1] in which she interviewed a transvestite “Lutheran” “pastor” named Drew Stever. In case you are lost, Drew is a woman cosplaying as a man. And in case you are further lost, pondering how a transvestite can be a pastor. And to calm all fears, this “pastor” is not in fellowship with us. 

 

In the interview, Lisa Ling said to Stever, “There is a lot of people who say that according to the Bible, God made man and woman, and that couldn’t be any more clearly defined. How do you respond to them?” To that question, this confused “pastor” said, “[The Bible] is hard to relate to modern-day times, because it wasn’t written for 2024. It was written for then.”

 

The thing is, God’s Word never changes and that is the message of the Reformation. In fact, that is the motto of the Lutheran reformers: “VDMA”, which is a Latin acronym for “The Word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 2:24-25). If God’s Word did change, we would have no sure and certain hope. We would be tossed to and fro by wind and waves. But thanks be to God, His Word never changes. So, His eternal promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation are sure. 

Like the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, saints of the Early Church, and the reformers, we ought to commit fully to the purity of our Christian doctrine. For in that doctrine, we hold the great truths taught by Holy Scripture, such as God’s creating and preserving power, our justification by grace through faith in Christ alone, Christ’s presence in His Means of Grace, the clarity of God’s Law in the moral issues of our day, and of our sure forgiveness won for us through the crucified and risen Christ.

 

On this Reformation Sunday, may we take our stand and never budge from God’s truths as He teaches us in His Word. Christ says: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15). This is our Reformation cry! So, may our ears be joined to right understanding and saving faith! Let our hearing be joined to His saving Word and our hearts to His Word! Amen.

 

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

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[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDtGbosAbFA&t=73s

"Come, Follow Me" (Mark 10:17-22)

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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 Jesus, looking at [the rich young man], loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, see all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’” (Mark 10:21).

 

You may not consider yourself to be rich. But if you have a refrigerator and a car and you can afford to go out to eat ever so often, you are considered “rich” by worldly standards. 

 

You see, an American family at the official poverty line has an income that puts them in the top three percent of the world’s people. If your income is the average household income that would mean that you are not merely a one-percenter compared to the world; an average American household income puts you in the top of the one-quarter of one percent in the world.[1]

 

So, no matter where you are: as a cashier, a factory worker, a banker, a farmer – you are rich. But that is okay. There is no sin in having money. And Jesus loves rich people, including you and me. Rich people need the love of Jesus.

 

One day as Jesus was setting out on His journey, a rich man, like you and me, ran up to Jesus and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17)

 

It appears that this man has figured out the answer to his own question, but he wants Jesus’ approval. You see, this man assumes that he has the necessary ability to easily reach eternal life.

 

So, Jesus responds to the question saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). Now, Jesus is not arguing with the man or trying to one-up the man. Jesus is getting to the heart of the issue. It was certainly rare in Jewish circles to address a man as “good,” since “good” was reserved for God. 

So, does this indicate that this man believes that Jesus is divine? Or could this be ironic? Or simply flattery? We don’t know. But Jesus continues getting to the heart of the issue.

 

He says, “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’” (Mark 10:19).

 

So, why did Jesus choose these commandments? Well, it’s likely that these commandments were the ones that the rich young man was most sure that he has kept. We all have our favorite commandments that we believe we have never broken. We say those things all the time: “I’ve never murdered anybody.” “I’m a faithful husband.” “I’m a faithful wife.” “I pay my bills.” “I have never cheated anyone.” “I don’t gossip.” “I take care of my mom and dad.”

 

Our sinful nature gives us the thought that we can keep God’s Ten Commandments without too much trouble. Our sinful nature believes we are quite sure that we have a good moral record.

 

So, the rich young man says what you might say to Jesus, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth” (Mark 10:20).

 

Without a blinking of an eye, this rich young man says he has fulfilled each of those commandments. He says He has fulfilled the Second Table of the Law. He claims that He has loved his neighbor as himself since his youth. He claims he is perfect. He claims he has not sinned.

 

For this rich young man, God’s Law did not terrify him, since, according to him, he has kept the Law.

 

Then Jesus lovingly looked at the rich young man and said, “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” (Mark 10:21).

 

Like this rich young man, our possessions can weigh us down so that we pay too much attention to the wrong things. Like him, our possessions can get in the way of following Jesus. So often, your possessions, your riches, are standing in the way of embracing Jesus’ friendly, kindly, gracious invitation: “Follow Me.”

 

Now, money and possessions are not evil in themselves. Jesus is not saying that we must give away all that we have to the poor in order to inherit eternal life. That would not be wise, since we need material goods for survival. But Jesus is using this to get to the heart of the issue.

 

Jesus, here, is answering this rich young man’s question by zeroing in on his one great fault: he loved his wealth more than he loved God. He has made his wealth his idol – his false god. He feared, loved, and trusted in his material wealth above all things.

 

So, to inherit eternal life, this rich young man needed to rid himself of his idol – his false god. And after he rid himself of his idol, he was to go and follow Jesus. This rich young man desires eternal life, but in order to have it, he must put God first in his life by following Jesus.

 

So, what are you willing to give up?

 

The triune God is a jealous God as He wants you all to Himself. So, just as Jesus looked up at the rich young man and loved him, He also looks up at you and loves you. 

 

By bringing up the commandments, Jesus is not playing gotcha. He brings up the commandments as a reminder that we fail in keeping them, even if we think we can. But as soon as we put anything as more important than the one true God, the dominoes fall as we break each commandment one by one. So, whoever fears and loves anything else in heaven and upon the earth will not keep any of the commandments. The triune God takes no pleasure in those who have other gods. 

 

You see, everything flows from the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods” (Exodus 20:3). Flowing from the First Commandment, we do our neighbor no harm, injury or violence, nor in any way oppress our neighbor regarding his body, wife, property, honor, or rights. We honor father and mother, masters, and all in authority, and are subject and obedient to them, not for their own sake, but for God’s sake.

 

God is angry and punishes those who despise Him and His commandments. On the other hand, God abundantly rewards those who love Him and keep His commandments. So, what do we do? We respond to Jesus’ invitation: “Come, follow Me.”

 

So, don’t let anything get in your way, or derail you, or distract you, or point you in another direction. Jesus says this isn’t about what you have or don’t have. It isn’t about what you ought to do or should have done. What matters is following Jesus.

 

You see, Jesus loves you so much that for yours and my sake, though He was rich, He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The Son of God had all the riches of heaven, but He lowered Himself by becoming man, taking upon Himself human flesh, so that He could give you your undeserved inheritance: eternal life.

 

Jesus is with us today in His Means of Grace as He forgives yours and my sins and strengthens our faith through His Word and Sacrament.

 

Jesus fulfilled the Law, suffered and died our punishment for not obeying God’s Law upon the cross for you and me. He rose, so that we would also rise from the dead.

 

So, how much would following Jesus cost you? Jesus says: “A person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take His cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds His life will lose it, and whoever loses His life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:36-39).

 

So, following Jesus means to go His way. And His way may not be easy, according to our sinful nature. For He says, “Enter by the narrow Gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the Gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

 

For us rich people, to follow Jesus is to find eternal life by losing everything – but receiving more! How do you think you are following Jesus if you are paying more attention to something else all the time?

 

But Jesus, who loves you, calls you, and invites you saying: “Come, follow Me!” Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

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[1] https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines