"He Loves Us To The End" (John 13:1-17, 31b-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:

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come 
to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

 

Jesus utterly loved His apostles. Jesus utterly loves you. He loves His whole creation.

 

Tonight is Maundy Thursday, or also called, Holy Thursday. The word “maundy” is derived from the Latin word mandatum, which means command. For it was on this night that Jesus gave the command to His disciples saying, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

 

“God is love” (1 John 4:16). John 3:16-17 sum up God’s love for us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

 

It was out of God’s love that caused Him to create the world in the first place. And His love endures forever. Jesus is the embodiment of this love. He is love in human flesh.

 

But we are the opposite of what God intended us to be. Instead of truly loving God and loving our neighbor, we are curved in on ourselves. We love ourselves. We would rather be served by others than to serve. We daily sin against the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods,” since we want to be God. We grasp equality with God as Adam and Eve did. We follow right in line with the original sin. We all want to be almighty God. This is supreme idolatry.

 

We so often fail at love. But what are we best at? We are best at being selfish. We are best at putting ourselves as the center of the universe and that everyone else should love and serve you. We use people. We manipulate people for our own benefit. A holy and just God would have every reason to give us what we truly deserve: eternal death apart from God. May we repent of our selfishness.

Because of our sinful condition, we cannot change ourselves into holy and righteous people. All we can do is possibly turn us poor, miserable sinners into sinners. Maybe, we could sin less, but we will continue to sin. And all sin separates us from God. It’s our sin that pulls us away from God’s love, while God is reaching out to us in His love. Our sinful nature wants nothing to do with God and His unconditional forgiveness.

 

For us to change, we must die and be born again as new people, with new minds, new thinking, and a new disposition. Clearly, we cannot do that. We can’t kill ourselves and make ourselves alive as holy people.

 

But God is love and as a loving God, He “desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4a). So, how does God show this love so that people would be saved?

 

We see this love in the Son of God who came down from heaven to serve, give everything, even Himself. He was born of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin and placed in a feeder’s trough. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”(Matthew 8:20). Jesus was willing to leave everything behind and empty Himself of all the glory of heaven and the treasures of the entire universe to live among us and one of us.

 

What man covets; God laid aside. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

 

We all try to serve. We attempt to lose ourselves in service to our fellow man, but ultimately, self-righteousness and a self-serving attitude win the day.

 

But Jesus loves us to the end. On that first Maundy Thursday, Jesus used that occasion to demonstrate His complete, unwavering love for them and for us, a love He bore to the very end. The Passover dinner was underway, and this would be His last. On this night, He would institute the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of our sins and to strengthen our weak faith. On this night, He knew that He would be betrayed. Yet, Jesus was still in control. Heaven’s plan was coming together. It was now up to the Son of God to see it through.

 

So, Jesus, gives His disciples an old commandment, to which He renews. He speaks the words of Leviticus 19: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), to which He had previously renewed elsewhere in the Gospels. But Jesus uses this occasion to not just speak of this commandment, but to show this commandment in action.

 

So, Jesus rose from dinner and served His disciples as a slave would serve his master and his master’s guests. He washes their feet.

 

Now, is Jesus instituting a new sacrament? No. For He says, “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). What Jesus is doing serves as an object lesson, a pattern of humility for Christians to follow, that still applies to us. You see, a true leader, a true friend, a true neighbor, is one who serves others. This act of washing His disciples’ feet tells us that a follower of Jesus will act in humble service as Jesus did.

 

This new commandment is not being spoken about, but shown. And by showing His love in action, He is giving this commandment a fresh and new quality. So, Jesus’ command was to love one another as He had loved them by lowing Himself to a servant. And from that night on, Jesus’ disciples were to practice that love in the light of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

 

This love is called “agape.” This love sacrifices for others. Jesus is the embodiment of this love. He gives and He gives, and He gives. He gives of Himself tonight in His very body and blood under bread and wine to forgive your sins.

 

Later that night, Jesus would “give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) as He would “give for the life of the world [His] flesh” (John 6:51). 

 

As Jesus hung on the cross one day later, He took upon Himself all our wickedness, all our iniquity, all our brokenness, all our pain. He reconciled you and me back to God the Father. He changed us. He took all our selfishness upon Himself. He made a way to reconciliation. He made peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20).

 

God loved you so much that He died for you. And God did not remain dead. He rose, so that you would also rise. In Christ alone, you are a new creation. In Christ alone, you are born again. This is what happened at your Baptism. It was through the water and Word that the Holy Spirit gave you a new mind with new thinking and a new disposition. 

Now, through Christ’s love, you are able to look outside yourself. You are now able to serve your neighbor in agape love – sacrificial love. You don’t ask for anything in return. You just serve out of love. You serve in loving service to God.

 

God’s heart is one of eternal love, of sacrificial love. He loved you even before you loved Him. For “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 

God loves us to the end. He loves by serving. Serving is what defines the one true God. He serves us sinners with His forgiveness in Word and Sacrament. He serves us life and salvation. May we all repent of our selfishness and receive Christ’s love through the forgiveness of sins. And may He continually empower us to “be imitators of God, as beloved Children” walking in love as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:1-2) by giving and serving our neighbor in sacrificial love. 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 1: "Coming to the Rescue" (Mark 11:1-10)

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:

Those who went before and those who followed Jesus were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10).

 

To the repeated chants of Hosanna, meaning: “Save us now!” “Save us now!” “Save us now!” Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Now, today’s Gospel reading may seem odd, since today isn’t Palm Sunday; today is the First Sunday in Advent. But it does make sense when you ponder it a bit. Advent means “coming.” And why did Christ come? He came to suffer and die our punishment. He came to save His people from their sins. He came to rescue us from our evil foes: Satan, our own sinful nature, and the fallen world.

 

With the chants of “Hosanna in the highest,” the crowds are shouting the right words to Jesus, but do they truly understand the meaning of Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem?

 

Knowing the expectations of the people, those shouting “Hosanna” likely have the wrong vision of their triumphant King. Yes, they desire a savior, but a savior from what? Most likely, the crowd expects Jesus to save them not from themselves – not from their sins, but from the despised Romans. They wanted to return to the glory of the era of King David.

 

Everyone needs a king. Even if you don’t think you need a king, you need a king. These Jews desired a powerful earthly king as their savior who, again, would lead them back to the glory days of Israel and Judah.

 

Now, as Americans, we tend to value our individual freedoms and our right to self-determination. We even celebrate our independence from a king. But from heaven’s perspective, we all need a king, a good king. You see, without a good king, left to us, all we like sheep have gone astray, everyone turns to his own way. Without a king, left to us, we live in darkness. We wander around aimlessly. Without a king, left to us, we invent ways to oppose the Creator and to harm our neighbor by making war with each other. We all need a good king who will gather us together and rule over us. 

These Jews shouting “Hosanna” wanted a king to save them. And we want a good king to save us. The good news is that we have been provided with such a King.

 

Even when we have been provided with the good King, history has shown so many self-appointed messiahs and messiah wannabes. Now, some of them have turned out to be rather harmless, while some others have turned out to be murderous and tyrannical. But they all have one thing in common: they were all fake. 

 

We all need a genuine savior. We all need a genuine messianic King. But so often, what we want is not what God has given us. So often, what we want is to select our king for ourselves. Our sinful nature wants a king who always agrees with you. Our sinful nature wants a king who never questions your desires. Our sinful nature wants a king who will never ask you to repent.

 

Oftentimes, we, like the first century Jews, are looking for the wrong king. But the good news is that God has given us the genuine King. He has given us the King we need. This messianic King is a humble King riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus of Nazareth is the One whom God the Father appointed to be the King of Israel even before the creation of heaven and earth. Jesus is the son of David, and yet David’s Lord. The King of the Jews is the messianic King for the world. And He is the messianic King for you!

 

Even if this crowd doesn’t fully comprehend what is happening, this crowd was sure anxious to see Jesus. You see, the word had spread on what Jesus had recently done. This Jesus is the Man who opens the eyes of the blind. This Jesus is the Man who raised Lazarus from the dead. The crowds thought, “Could it be? If He can feed thousands, give the blind sight, give the deaf hearing, give the mute speech, heal the sick and raise the dead, why couldn’t He also get rid of the Romans?”

 

But what most didn’t realize is that this Jesus is not just a bread king and a miracle worker. This Jesus is Yahweh in human flesh. This Jesus is God. And God is unchanging. God does not change to our desires. He gives us what we truly need.

 

As we – and the first century Jews – may have our own presuppositions on who the savior ought to be, Christ rides over those presuppositions.

 

As Emmanuel – God with us – Jesus does the unexpected. He accomplishes what is truly needed. He shows that He is the Master of Creation by riding a donkey that has never been broken in. Normally, an unbroken colt is difficult to ride, but not for Jesus. He is the Master of Creation. At a casual pace, He rides this donkey into Jerusalem as the crowd eagerly puts their cloaks on the road along with palm branches.

 

Jesus enters Jerusalem with simple dignity. He’s riding no warhorse or chariot. Still, the crowds saw in Jesus their hope for salvation and deliverance. Again, even if they didn’t truly understand what was happening, they were chanting the right words: “Hosanna! Save us now!” For Jesus came to rescue them. Jesus came to rescue us. He came to save.

 

Here, Jesus rides over our wants and gives us what we truly need. He’s riding into Jerusalem to give His people true rescue: the forgiveness of their sins. He rides into Jerusalem so that we would be declared righteous. He is riding to our rescue.

 

As we begin the new church year, we remember why God took upon Himself our human flesh in the first place. Jesus came to rescue us from our sins.

 

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He knew second by second what His week would become. He knew He would be turned over to death. He knew He would be stripped, whipped, beaten, and adorned with a crown of thorns. He knew He would be enthroned by being nailed on the cross of Golgotha. He knew His disciples would flee. Yet, Jesus, knowing He would be put through pain, misery, and death, did it anyway, so that by grace through faith in Him, you would be rescued from the powers of sin, eternal death, and hell.

 

As Christ breathed His last enthroned on the cross, Satan and his fallen angels believed they defeated God. They rejoiced. But their supposed victory was short lived, for Jesus rose from the dead three days later. Sin was overcome. Jesus lives and death is conquered. Then 40 days later, Jesus bodily ascended into heaven, where He continues to rule all things on behalf of His Church. 

 

Even right before Christ ascended, His most loyal apostles still didn’t understand as they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Even if they didn’t fully get it, they would in time. Jesus did not come as an earthly King, but as the heavenly King. He came so that we could live forever.

 

Also, as we enter this Advent season, we are reminded that Christ will come again. We are reminded that the trumpet will sound, and the voice of the archangel will be heard (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Meanwhile, we wait with eager expectation. This Advent season we look back at Jesus’ first coming in Bethlehem and give thanks. We see the climax of that first coming with His enthronement upon the cross. We celebrate and ponder this mystery. The manger and the cross are made of the same wood. Jesus came to die. He “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

 

Gentleness, humility, and meekness marked His first coming, even as He journeyed to the cross. A crucifixion is the last place one would look for an enthronement, but here is Jesus, crucified for you. All your sins were laid upon Him. And by “His wounds, you are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Christ, the good King, our rescuer, fulfilled God’s Law completely.

 

Today, we walk by faith in the Son of God, who loves us and gave Himself for us. Yet, Christ is not away from us. He remains with us. He continues to rescue us. He is still our Emmanuel. His presence is hidden in Word and Sacrament: the Scriptures, water, bread, and wine. He takes these ordinary elements and uses them to join Himself to us. Today, He comes to us through ordinary means in His Means of Grace. But in time, we will see Jesus as He is. What is hidden today will soon be seen by everyone. His kingdom of glory will surpass every expectation in its power, splendor, and majesty. 

 

In the meantime, Christ continues to come to our rescue as He is fully present with us in Word and Sacrament as He gives you forgiveness, life, and salvation! Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 17: "Not Fair!" (Matthew 20:1-16)

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:

“Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to Me? Or do you begrudge My generosity?” (Matthew 20:15).

 

Each time I read through the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, I always say to myself, “This is not fair!” You mean, despite the hours worked, everyone was given the same wage! This is not fair! We expect that the longer we work, the more pay we receive. We expect those who work fewer hours to be surely paid less.

 

This is a terrifying thought. God does what He wants with what belongs to Him!

 

As hard as it is for our old sinful nature to accept, our work really counts for nothing. This is the point of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. 

 

Jesus said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard” (Matthew 20:1-2).

 

This Master is pictured as a person of considerable importance and enormous wealth. So, there is no need for Him to do any of the vineyard work personally as He hires laborers who would be delighted for any work. So, He goes out to the marketplace to find laborers first thing in the morning. These laborers, who needed an income, were excited to know that they were guaranteed a denarius. So, off they went to the vineyard.

 

As time went on, the Master comes to realize that He needs more workers in His vineyard so that the work would be accomplished. So, He hires more workers at the third hour – 9 a.m., the sixth hour – noon, the ninth hour – 3 p.m., and the 11^th hour – 5 p.m.

 

Up until the end of the workday, every laborer is happy, since they have all been given something to do, and they knew they would receive a wage worthy of their work. 

 

We, too, know what it is like to work for the Lord all day. For many of us, we have been Christians since infant Baptism. Many of us have been Sunday School teachers or served on various church boards. You may be a faithful giver. You may be one who has had regular church attendance all your life.

 

And, like the early laborers, we don’t mind when the Master goes out and hires others later in the day. We delight knowing that more hands make light work. I’m sure the early laborers were happy knowing that they didn’t have to work as hard with more laborers in the vineyard. Like them, we delight, looking around the pews as we see fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have joined Prince of Peace Lutheran Church through adult instruction, or at the invitation of friends, or by coming as our guest one Sunday morning or Monday evening being filled with the Gospel of Christ. We even give thanks to God for those occasional deathbed conversions that we have heard about.

 

But then what does the Master of the vineyard do? “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house” (Matthew 20:8-11).

 

With possibly the exception of the first laborers, the Master has exceeded all expectations. He is very generous with His payroll as He pays everyone the same wage – a full day’s pay – no matter how long or how hard they worked.

 

You likely sympathize with those first called laborers. I sure do. They worked from dawn until dusk. They worked through the heat of the day. They are drenched in sweat. Their muscles are sore. And they are getting paid the same wage as those who worked only a fraction of the day? Worse yet, those who worked barely an hour are getting paid the same wage?! This is not fair!

 

This Master is giving the last as much as He gave to the first. Yes, we rejoice knowing more hands make light work, but is that really fair? Yes, we want more brothers and sisters in the kingdom of heaven, but should those last-minute converts receive the same reward as me, who has been a follower of Christ all my life? Or what about those who put their left overs in the offering. Is it fair that they get the same reward as me who gives to God a proper tithe? This is not fair!

 

In the Parable, the only reason that some came last, and others came first is that the Master chose to call them in that order. The last could have been chosen first. What really matters is that they were chosen. In the Parable, we see Jesus calling laborers into His vineyard. He is calling you and me as His laborers in the morning, mid-day, and even as the sun is setting. 

 

You see, God does what He wants with that is His, and He desires to be generous! Jesus and His kingdom are not about what is fair. Instead, His reign is all about the giving what isn’t fair: His grace!

 

Grace is not fair! Grace is getting what we do not deserve. Do you know what we all deserve? Death, hell, and damnation. Ouch pastor! This is true.  Our sinful nature would rather agree with those attorney commercials that proclaim, “You deserve compensation,” and with the classic McDonald’s ad which says, “You deserve a break today.” But we don’t deserve anything good, since even our best work is soiled with sin. 

 

Since the Fall of Adam, our hearts are not pure, but factories for sin. Like the first laborers, we focus on our sinful pride as we resent others. Our sinful nature leads us to compare one another, to grumble against one another, and to complain about each other. The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). This is the proper payment that we all deserve. 

 

But despite our fallen sinful nature, God is generous! I am sure thankful that God’s ways are not our ways. I am thankful that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). I am so thankful that God is God and we are not. Just imagine how life would be if humanity – and not God – were in charge? There would be no grace. There would be no forgiveness. In Christ, God the Father shows His generosity.

 

Just think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). There, God shows His lavish grace shown upon a wayward son who squandered everything – his money and his possessions – through reckless living. When this wayward son came to his senses, he came up with a plan of what he would say to his father. But he never had the chance to say the first word to his father. Instead, when his father saw him at a distance, he ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him. On top of that, he gave his son the best robe, a ring on his hand, shoes on his feet – and a royal banquet.

 

Or think about the forgiveness Christ offered to those who crucified Him. As He was nailed to the cross, even as those below were casting lots for His garments, and mocking Him, Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

 

Or what about the 11^th hour conversion. You know, the promise of paradise for the repentant thief? As the repentant thief was hanging on his cross, he came to faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). And Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

 

Jesus is truly generosity in the flesh! In Christ alone, God does – here and now – what He wants with what is His! Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom of grace!

 

In Holy Baptism, He pours out His generous forgiveness upon sinners as He makes you His own. In His Word, He speaks His abundant forgiveness as we repent and confess our sins and He absolves those sins. In the Lord’s Supper, He feeds us generously His very Body and His very Blood as He forgives our sins and strengthens our weak faith.

 

Just as the owner of the vineyard absorbed the costs of paying all workers the same wage, our Lord Jesus has absorbed the full cost of our sins, including our sins of comparing, grumbling, and complaining. In His death on the cross, our Lord Jesus made Himself last in order to make us, by His grace, first in His kingdom. We then live by faith and mercy as grateful workers in His vineyard. We live by faith in the Lord’s grace. We all receive the same favor and the same forgiveness.

 

Yes, each laborer received the same wage. It goes against everything we hold dear, against all our notions of what is right and fair. It goes against our sinful nature on fairness. And praise God for that! Praise be to God that He doesn’t operate according to our standards of what is right and fair. Instead, He does what He wants with what is His! Thanks be to God that He gives us what we do not deserve. Instead, He gives us His grace. He gives us His undeserved favor, love, and mercy because of His suffering, death, and resurrection. He gives us His blood-bought, cross-won forgiveness, life, and salvation. In Christ alone, we are truly given what is not fair: God’s amazing grace! 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 Pentecost 13: "The Most-Important Riddle" (Matthew 16:13-20)

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

Why does Jesus speak so much in riddles? Have you ever thought that? I have. And of course, that’s why I am asking.

 

To the scribes, Jesus asked, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” (Mark 3:23). To the chief priests and the elders, Jesus asked, “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” (Matthew 21:25). And Jesus spoke many more riddles.

 

But today, Jesus asks His disciples the most-important riddle: “Who do the people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13).

 

Christ’s disciples respond, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). 

 

John the Baptist sounds like a good answer. He was a man of the people. He may have appeared rugged, and he had some odd eating habits, but he was a strong man of faith. He had the courage to call sinners to repentance.

 

Elijah appears like a good answer, too. In the first century, there was major speculation that Elijah would return. Since he was taken up into heaven alive in the fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1-14), he could very well return.

 

Then comes an odd addition: Jeremiah. Well, maybe not too odd. Jeremiah, like John the Baptist and Elijah were prophets, but Jeremiah didn’t have the so-called “cult of personality” that John and Elijah owned. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. Jeremiah called on the religious leaders to repent. Jeremiah said that Jerusalem and the temple would soon be destroyed because of the peoples’ unrepentant sin.

 

But similarities are there between John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Despite their differences, they each spoke what God called them to speak. They each suffered for speaking the very Word of God. John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah sound like good answers. But none of those answers are correct.

 

So, there appears to be some confusion on this “Son of Man.” Who is this “Son of Man”? What does it mean to be the “Son of Man”? Riddle me this: “Who is the Son of Man”?

 

Then Jesus asks, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Ahh, now we are getting somewhere!

 

Then Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

 

Here, Jesus has asked the most-important question – or really questions – that His disciples would ever answer. First, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is.” Then, “Who do you say that I am?”

 

You see, Jesus wants to be known. And He wants to be known by this mysterious title “Son of Man.”

 

Jesus uses this title “Son of Man” a sum of 82 times. It’s a favorite of Jesus. It’s the favorite of Jesus. And so much ink has been spilled through history on trying to figure out what “Son of Man” actually means.

 

Well, instead of trying to figure out this riddle on our own, why don’t we actually find out if Jesus answers this riddle? And guess what, Jesus actually explains the meaning of the Son of Man.

 

As Jesus asks the question, the answer is soon revealed. In fact, I already gave it away. Did you catch it? First, of course, Jesus rejects the false definitions: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But He does give the correct definition. Did you catch it? Did you notice it? The “Son of Man” is “the Son of the living God.”

 

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).

 

Peter’s reason did not reveal this fact to him. It was God the Father who revealed this fact to Peter.

 

The disciples have not always understood. Now, they had their moments of understanding, but somehow, they would always come back to doubts and misunderstandings on who Jesus truly is. 

The disciples were in awe of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 men, plus the women and the children. Soon, they thought Jesus was a ghost walking upon the sea. They cried in fear! But when they realized the ghost was Jesus, they said of Jesus, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Then, they had a terrible moment as they urged Jesus to send away the Canaanite woman. They are an example of our roller coaster of faith. Some days, you may have faith that could seemingly move mountains, but then the next day, that faith couldn’t even move over an ant hill. So, we have our good days and our bad days. But through it all, we have faith. Ultimately, it’s not about our feelings. Our feelings are flighty. But what never changes is God’s love for you and me. We are faithful because He is always faithful.

 

Our reason and strength will fail us. So, when you are weak, He is strong. When you cry out for help, He answers you and rescues you. He answered the need for hunger by feeding the crowds with just five loaves and two fish. He rescued Peter who in doubt jumped out of the boat to see if the man walking on the sea was Jesus. He rescued the Canaanite woman and healed her daughter from demon possession.

 

Today, Jesus desires to be known on who He truly is. He may be a prophet, but He is more than just a prophet. He may be a miracle worker, but He is more than just a miracle worker. Jesus is the Son of Man.

 

So, Jesus didn’t just want His disciples to know the answer to “Who is the Son of Man” and “Who am I”? He wanted them to know Him. Jesus would not go on from that riddle until He received the answer. 

 

Back in seminary, I was involved in a group called “Apple of His Eye.” The whole idea of this group was to ask this simple and yet profound question to people, “What do you think about Jesus?” I, along with the others, passed out leaflets about Jesus one summer. We walked down the Delmar Loop, which is a business district north of Washington University and Concordia Seminary, which is a hot-spot for college-aged people. Sometimes we were ignored, but other times, we had great conversations on who Jesus is. On one other occasion, we even walked about the St. Louis Pride Festival. There, we received so many conflicting ideas on who Jesus is: an unconditional lover, a judge, a prophet, a great guy, a figment of man’s imagination.

 

So, like Jesus’ riddle to His disciples, there are still so many questions on who Jesus truly is. What do you think about Jesus? This is the same question that Jesus asks of us. What do you think of Him?

 

The question about who is the Son of Man was a mystery for centuries before Jesus. One of the most famous Old Testament accounts of this mysterious Son of Man was revealed to the prophet Daniel by the Holy Spirit: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

 

This Son of Man is One who is before time. This Son of Man is One who has been given dominion over all peoples, nations, and languages. This Son of Man is One who has everlasting dominion. This Son of Man is One whose reign lasts forever and not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it.

 

Who is the Son of Man? The Son of Man is none other than Jesus who is the miraculous Offspring of the human race in whom the Son of God became man. The Son of Man is like us. He has our flesh. He is fully and truly human. He is like you and me, except without sin. The Son of Man is poor as He has no place “to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). The Son of Man eats and drinks (Matthew 11:19). The Son of Man is reviled, suffers, and dies (Matthew 17:12, 22-23; 20:18-19). The Son of Man bodily rises from the dead. These all prove that the Son of Man is the Son of God, who has come in our flesh in order to save sinners, like you and me, from eternal death. The Son of Man came to justify us as righteous in God’s sight.

 

This same Son of Man sees the thoughts of our heart, forgives sins, is the Lord of the Sabbath, sits at the right hand of God the Father as the ruler of the universe, and He promises to return in divine glory to judge the living and the dead on the Last Day.

 

The mystery is clear. God wants to be known. He wants to be known to you and by you. Today, He comes to us in the mystery of forgiveness spoken through a sinful pastor, He comes to us through the mystery of His Word proclaimed, He comes to us in the mystery of the Lord’s Supper. He comes to us with the purpose on making Himself known as the Son of Man, who is the Redeemer from the powers of sin, death, and the devil. Again, this is the most-important riddle: who is the Son of Man? He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! 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 Pentecost 16: "God is God and We're Not!"

To watch the Divine Service for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, click here.

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]

During my vicarage year, one of my supervisor’s favorite phrases was “God is God, and we’re not!” This phrase would come up a lot during Sunday adult Bible studies when a parishioner would ask a question in such a way that it would appear that he or she was questioning the will of God.

You see, sometimes we don’t understand why God does the things He does. We don’t understand why God allowed this or that to happen. And when we don’t quite get it, just remind yourself that “God is God and I’m not.”

In fact, God Himself says just that: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

You see, God’s plans and reasons are beyond the comprehension of us mortal human beings. He settles accounts in strange ways. In fact, in today’s Gospel lesson, we hear Jesus telling us something really strange.

[The “Protestant Work Ethic”]

You may be familiar with the phrase “having a Protestant work ethic.” This approach to work and life focuses on hard work, discipline, and being frugal:

• §  “Work hard, and you’ll be paid what you deserve.”
• §  “Don’t spend more than you make.”

In the workplace of the civil arena, this is most certainly true. Many – often those in the older generations – would even say that we could use much more of that work ethic these days. They compare themselves and their work ethic against the people and work ethic of a younger generation.

God’s vineyard, however, does not work that way. God’s vineyard, His gracious reign in Jesus, is no place for Protestant work ethics or for disciples of Jesus to compare themselves to one another.

You see, God manages His vineyard by means of grace and mercy. When we are confronted with God’s management-by-mercy, though, we sinners still pervert it with our comparing. Thankfully, that does not stop our gracious landowner Lord from His grandiose giving. Afterall, God is God and we’re not!

[The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard]

Since we are so used to comparing things, God uses His parables to help us better understand the kingdom of heaven. In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus teaches us the parable of the workers in the vineyard. So, let’s unpack this parable.

Jesus teaches us: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard” (Matthew 20:1-2).

Now, the master of the vineyard is Jesus. As the master, He goes out to hire workers at different times of the day and He sends them into His vineyard.

First, we hear about the group of workers hired early in the morning. This would be at dawn, just before or after sunrise, so around 6 a.m. So, the first group of workers agree to the wage offered by the master. They were eager to work for the denarius, which was a day’s wage. They believed that the master was very fair in proposing that wage.

Then, the master continues to hire another group of workers at the third hour, which is about 9 a.m. The master noticed a group of people who were waiting for some employment, since no one had hired them yet. So, out of the kindness of his heart, he offered them a job and said, “You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you” (Matthew 20:4). So, they went.

This group assumed that they would receive a fair wage from the master of the vineyard – for a partial day’s work. Still, they trusted the master and proceeded to work in His vineyard, even if they were only expecting a partial wage.

Then, the master of the vineyard needed more laborers. So, He hired more laborers at the sixth and ninth hours, which is noon and 3 p.m. Again, these laborers were waiting to be hired in the marketplace and when they were hired, they expected only a fair wage, a partial wage.

Oddly enough at just before quitting time at the 11^th hour, which would be 5 p.m., the master came back to the marketplace and found more people waiting to find someone to hire them. He said to them, “‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too’” (Matthew 20:6-7).

Now, hiring workers this late in the day was in itself an act of graciousness and charity, so that these last workers would at least be able to feed their families that day.

Then, at the end of the day, the master up-ends all expectations. The master said to His foreman, “‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius” (Matthew 20:8-9).

I’m sure that those hired last thought that the master was very generous. And as the laborers who were hired earlier in the day looked on, they, too, were hoping for continued generosity.

“Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat’” (Matthew 20:10-12).

Instead of being satisfied in receiving their agreed-upon wage, this group just grumbles. Instead of being content, they only compare themselves with the other workers. They think that they are better and more deserving of higher wages. They are grumbling like a spoiled child saying: “This is not fair!”

But, Jesus and His kingdom is not about what’s fair. Instead, His reign works by the extravagant giving of His grace.

We can all hear the voices of the workers who were hired first, but paid last, crying out, “That’s not fair!” After all, those who worked only an hour received the same day’s wage that they received for working all 12 hours. We fallen sinners – like spoiled children – often make that same lament.

The kingdom of heaven, however, does not function on the basis of fairness or equality. We hear about this in our parable: “‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:13-16).

You see, Jesus chooses to be generous and give away His things – His blood-bought, cross-won forgiveness, life, and salvation – as He pleases. Jesus, the vineyard master, says, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” (Matthew 20:15a)

[Our Sinful Pride]

But, what about us? Do we ever succumb to comparing and complaining? Are we often like the first laborers?

In their sinful pride, the workers hired first looked down on those who did not measure up to their standard.

In our sinful pride, we also often look down on people around us – at home, at school, at work, and even in the church. We believe that others do not think, act, or speak as we would expect – as we would like. Instead of taking the advice of others, we just ignore it, since we believe that we are always right as we have a high opinion of ourselves. Instead of loving and forgiving others, we just judge and avoid them.

Or, instead of comparing others to ourselves, we compare ourselves to others as the standard. So, when we compare ourselves with others, we often conclude that we fall short of their high standards. We compare ourselves to that other person, who we believe is a better parent, a better worker, or a better student than I could ever be. Or, we say that the other person is a better Christian than I am, because we perceive that he or she has a stronger faith than me.

We often despair that we will never measure up. We may end up concluding that God loves and blesses others more than He loves and blesses ourselves.

We even compare the people of God to worldly standards, instead of seeing others in the light of the gracious giving of His Gospel. We may compare our congregation to others, due to the beauty of the building, the capacity of the sanctuary, or the sound of the choir. So, if our congregation does not measure up, we despair. And, if our congregation seems to be better than others, we become proud. Or, we may compare our congregation according to our memories by thinking of a particular pastor or of the times this church was filled to capacity or of the size of confirmation classes of years’ past.

When we get caught up in comparing, we begin to neglect God’s concerns of proclaiming and hearing His Word – His Law and Gospel – and faithfully receiving His Sacraments.

[God’s Ways are Different]

You see, Christ’s kingdom is different. The point of the parable is that God is working in ways opposite to what we, fallen sinners, expect. After all, God is God and we’re not. So, all comparisons are odious. All believers in Christ will, by grace alone, inherit the same eternal life. Why is this so? It is because the reign of heaven in Jesus is so unexpected and shockingly unlike any other reality known in the world. It’s because the reign of heaven is run on a principle of reward for Christ’s sake that looks like utter foolishness to sinful human creatures. The reign of heaven is like the situation described in the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

As God says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). In fact, God’s ways are far wiser than our ways: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

You see, God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). It doesn’t matter to God if one becomes a Christian as a child or on their deathbed. If the person believes in Jesus and trusts in His promises, this person is saved by grace through faith in Him. Every follower of Jesus will receive eternal life solely by God’s grace!

Now, how is this fair for a life-long believer and a deathbed believer to receive the same grace? It isn’t fair. Salvation unto us has come all by God’s free grace and favor! (LSB 555) “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

You see, God’s ways are not our ways. Our ways are transparent. God’s ways are inscrutable. Our ways are wicked. God’s ways are pure. Our ways are damnable. God’s ways are saving.

Thanks to God the Father’s action through His Son, there is a sense in which this claim, “Neither are your ways My ways,” is no longer true. For in His mercy, God has made His way also our way – the Way to eternal life. For Jesus, the very Son of God, is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). So, by trusting in Jesus, He leads us to eternal life!

So, just as the vineyard master in the parable absorbed the costs of paying all workers the same wage, our Lord Jesus has absorbed the full cost of our sins, including the sins of comparing, grumbling, and complaining. In His death upon the cross, our Lord Jesus made Himself last in order to make us – by His grace – first in God’s vineyard-kingdom. Now we enjoy His eternal “day’s wage” of forgiveness, life, and salvation!

We, then, live by faith in our Lord’s generous giving. We all – regardless of age, ability, how long we have been Christians, or how well or poorly we labor in His vineyard – receive the same favor and forgiveness.

God also says to us: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). So, where is God to be found? For those who seek the Lord can be assured that they will find Him where He promises to be.

So, where is He? Where should we look? Since, God is God and we’re not, He is easy to be found. He isn’t hiding under a farm field. He isn’t hiding in a cave. He is out in the open! You see, God always loses at the game of hide and seek. So, where shall we look? Those who seek Him in Scripture, Holy Baptism and His Supper do find Him. So, look to His Word and His Sacraments. For in His Word and Sacraments, we see Jesus face to face (LSB 631), who forgives our sins and gives us His free grace!

Since our Lord, the vineyard master, has first shown us His mercy and love, we live our lives showing that same mercy and love to our fellow Christians as we forgive one another when we have wronged one another.

So, if you insist on living your life constantly comparing yourself to others, our Lord’s command is clear: “Take what belongs to you and go” (Matthew 20:14). Our vineyard master, Jesus, does not want grumbling among His workers. Nor does He want His workers comparing themselves with one another.

But thank the Lord and sing His praise! He does not give you what you deserve: the wages of our sin – eternal death apart from God. He does not give you what’s fair! Instead, He gives you what you do not deserve, what is not fair! He gives you forgiveness and life with Him! So, we cling to our Messiah of mercy, our giving God, our lavish Lord. Life is about more than a day’s wage. Life is about receiving divine favor in the Lord’s generous giving. Thanks be to the Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – that He is God and we’re not! Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T