The Parable of the Vineyard Owner and the Tenants

I posted this on my Facebook page, but I wanted it in a more permanent place with appropriate tags.

I had a new experience this past Sunday, as I preached on Matthew 21:33-46 for the first time in 26 years as a pastor. This text is not in the 1-year lectionary, and in my limited time in the 3-year lectionary, apparently my senior pastor at the time, be it in Ohio or Iowa, was the preacher for this one. 

This was not the easiest text for me to preach. This text is about how the messengers God has sent to His people have at times been abused and even put to death by those to whom the messengers were sent, ultimately putting to death even the Son of the Vineyard Owner, the Son of God. Too many of my brothers in the Ministry have been wounded, abused, and driven out by those to whom the Lord sent them. At times it feels like I'm standing with Elijah, who cried out to the Lord, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

God does not work the way man does. What earthly businessman would send repeated messengers when those messengers are abused and even put to death? But God is merciful and loving. Just this past Sunday He welcomed a new messenger into a congregation whose leaders drove out a faithful shepherd of my acquaintance. That flock, and even those leaders, still needs to hear the Word. And maybe they will treat this shepherd with more dignity and respect.

And for the shepherds, those messengers who stand in the stead of Christ by His command, they receive the same comfort Elijah received: rest beneath the tree of the cross, sustenance for the journey in the body and blood of the Savior, and renewed purpose and strength to continue on.

This is Pastor Appreciation Month. Dear friends, beloved of God, please welcome and love your pastors as the gift they are from God. Treat them well. Pray for them. Keep the promises you made to them at their Installation, just as they will endeavor to keep the promises they made. Love them with Christ's love (and maybe even some of your own). They are doing the work God sent them to do, and if you have a problem with that, take it up with God, with whom your real issue resides.

HYMN: The Blood of Christ Has Paid the Price

I was at the Professional Church Workers Conference of the Southern District of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. If it weren't wrong to swear about frivolous things, I would swear that, if I were to attend a theological conference or convention more frequently, I would be among the most copious hymn writers ever to take pen to paper. Something about this environment just works for me. Maybe it's the theological environment that gets me thinking Scripturally and hymnologically (which I'm pretty sure is not a word), though I've written through some real stinker presentations in my time--not the case this time, especially with Pastor Cwirla presenting. Maybe it's just that I'm out of my daily routine. Whatever it is, I've done it again.

When I was at a Winkel last year, we prayed a prayer after receiving the Sacrament that was attributed to Johann Gerhard, and that Winkel's host tells me that the prayer is found in Gerhard's Meditations on Divine Mercy, pages 86-87. It begins with these words: "O God the Father, from now on, I cannot doubt the forgiveness of my sins because it is affirmed by my partaking of the price that was offered for my sins, the very blood of Christ." I kept the bulletin in my Everbook, thinking the text of the prayer might be good fodder for a hymn text. I have a bunch of these things in various folders, and I pull them out every so often to see if something springs forth. Lo and behold, yesterday, it did. 

Here's my latest Lord's Supper text. For now, the suggested tunes include CONSOLATION (LSB 348, which is "The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns") and DETROIT (LSB 843, which is "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive"). As always, feedback is love.

The Blood of Christ Has Paid the Price

1. The blood of Christ has paid the price,

The off'ring for my sin.

No doubt can grieve, for I receive

The life He died to win.

2. He dwells in me--my Savior, He!

In body and in blood

He lifts the meek, makes strong the weak

Through this angelic food.

3. I fear no foe nor Satan's woe,

For I with Christ am fed.

And He will keep His pastured sheep

From wolves the flock would dread.

4. I shall not shrink. I eat and drink,

And now I am refreshed.

The Spirit's aid in Christ has stayed

The weakness of my flesh.

5. All thanks and praise for all my days

I raise and raise again

To Jesus Christ the sacrificed

Forevermore. Amen.

CM (86 86)

CONSOLATION (LSB 348) or DETROIT (LSB 843)

Lord's Supper

Sermon for 10/4/26: Proper 22a

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

The Vineyard
Matthew 21:33-46

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

You know the drill. The owner of the vineyard is God. The vineyard is the Church. This vineyard lacks nothing, for God has given it everything it needs. He has given the Church His Word and Sacraments. As the Owner of the vineyard, the Lord has sent out pastors, His called and ordained servants, to preach the Word and to administer His Sacraments, so that the vineyard, the Church and her members, would bear good fruit, fruits in keeping with repentance, evidence that faith is present in the hearts of the people. God has sent His servants to the vineyard to gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown when the vineyard was planted.

But according to the Lord’s parable, the servants saw nothing of the sort, as the vinedressers assaulted the servants, even killing some of them. Each time the vinedressers beat up or killed one of the owner’s servants, the owner would send another one. Such a succession of servants sounds silly to us because none of us would keep sending servants out, just so they could be assaulted or even murdered; that’s bad business practice. But the story is about the patience and mercy of the heavenly Father.

The Lord of the Church has, over the centuries, sent men into His vineyard to bring forth a harvest through the preaching of the Word. This is a difficult text to preach in light of October being “Pastor Appreciation Month,” as some of these servants have been abused by their hearers for doing what God called them to do, driven from the vineyard by the very sheep they were sent to shepherd. Before He sent pastors, He sent the prophets, and they were roughed up, too. You see, Satan has done some of his finest work in the Church, causing divisions within her and leading men to despise her. The Lord spoke against them and speaks against all who seek to destroy His servants and His Means of Grace. He says in the chapters following our text: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

The Lord, who knows the hearts of all men, knew that these Jewish leaders would be seething in their hatred for Him. The Word of the Lord has this effect on some people, as if the verse from Scripture really said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you furious.” The Word makes us mad, too, for God says things about us that we do not want to hear. We do not like to hear that we are poor, miserable sinners. We do not like to hear that we have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We do not like to hear that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We do not like to hear that we have ever offended God and deserve His temporal and eternal punishment. We have demonstrated to God that we do not like to hear His Law. What is worse is that, as these same cold, hardened sinners, we hold equal disdain for His Gospel and those who deliver it.

This desolation is a disease that has spread throughout Christendom, as many churches, claiming to be on fire for the Gospel, have cast it aside in favor of programs and pizzazz. Even many thought to be leaders in the Church have sold themselves and their denominations out, exchanging the pure preaching of the Gospel and the right administration of the Sacraments for gimmicks with the sole goals of filling the pews and paying the bills. Congregations and even synods come and go, but “the Word of the Lord endures forever.”

These words offer great comfort to us, for the Lord continues to plant within His vineyard. He plants new congregations. He sends His Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in hearers new and old. He has given the Word and the promise to the Gentiles, and we are blessed to receive His gifts today, for these are the true marks of the Church: His Word is faithfully read and preached, and His Sacraments are administered in accordance with the Gospel. We are the Church, and Christ is our Cornerstone; on Him alone we build. To be sure, He builds us, even as He was being crucified for our sake. For this reason, we preach a Christ who was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, bloodied, battered, and spit upon, pierced with a crown of thorns, nailed to a cross by the very people He was sent to save. We preach Christ crucified, for He willingly endured the cross for you. To us who believe, the Crucifixion is the most beautiful event in all of history, for “the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

It is indeed marvelous in our eyes, for Christ, the crucified and risen One, is marvelous in our eyes. He is marvelous in your ears, as you hear the preaching of the forgiveness of sins in His Name. He is marvelous on your lips, as you will soon taste and see that the Lord is good, coming to you in His body and blood. Truly this is marvelous, for God will never cease to send His servants to us with His gifts until He brings His harvest home. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

 

Sermon for 9/27/26: Proper 21a

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

Yes and No
Matthew 21:23-32 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
 

Today’s Gospel reading is a parable about a vineyard owner and his two sons. But more than that, it is about the battle of man’s will versus God’s will. Two sons are asked by their father to work in his vineyard. One said, “Yes,” the other said “No.” One volunteered, and the other refused. But what they said had nothing to do with what they actually did. The one who expressed enthusiasm for the task never did it, and the one who grumbled when asked actually went and worked. Jesus concluded the parable by asking the Jews which of the sons pleased his father. The answer was, obviously, the one who first said, “No,” but then went and did as his father wished. The one who first said, “Yes,” but did nothing, had no place in God’s kingdom.

Even if this parable did not have a divine message, it might still be used as a story of typical human existence. Most of the time, our lives are a battle between conflicting wills. People—and this includes all of us—people say one thing and do another. We all know this kind of behavior. And yet it is true, even in the Christian faith, that right words by themselves are never enough. Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven,”

What parent has not heard a child give a loud “No” to a request to perform the simplest chore? Name one child who willingly picks up the toys, who comes inside from playing, who is happy to go to bed. It seems as if “No” is the first word children learn. But despite that “No,” the child may eventually do what he is supposed to do. This could almost be a parable of the Christian life. There is no one who does not at first say “No” to God, only to be convinced by the sweetness of the Gospel to say “Yes.” And then, there is the reverse of this. We have all known those who can be very pleasant in saying just the right things, especially about the things God teaches in His Word, but are hardly ever serious in putting their words into action.

But to discover the truth of this parable, you don’t have to look at other people. Look in the mirror and see who you really are. This parable describes our own lives; it shows our own behavior, our struggle between that part of us which belongs to God and that part of us which remains unconverted—what we call the “Old Adam.” It may sound strange, but more than a little bit of unbeliever resides in all of us, and unbelievers are those who say “No” to God. This is the tension of the life of a Christian: we are at the same time sinner and saint. The truth is, we are like both sons in the parable; sometimes we don’t live up to our word, and other times, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we change our “No” to “Yes.”

When Jesus first told this parable, it was not so much a general parable of life, but a profound judgment against the Jews who had seen the evidence of His miracles and who knew with their minds that He was the Christ, the promised One of God, but who obstinately and stubbornly refused to believe what they knew to be the truth. And today this parable has lost none of its directness.

Without faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son and the Savior of all, there is no salvation. Our wills must be made captive to God’s will. Saying “Yes” to God at some time in our lives cannot overcome the thousand times we have said “No.” The good news this parable brings us is that God can and does change the hearts and minds of those who have said “No” to Him. If God’s Old Testament people rejected Him, it was so that He might have mercy on those who did not know Him, those who worshiped pagan idols, those who worshipped the god they see when they look in the mirror. We who did not deserve salvation have been made fellow heirs with Christ in the waters of Holy Baptism, along with the prophets, apostles, and all the saints.

But the parable of the two sons is incomplete. There is another Son who came from God and not only said He would do God’s will, but actually did it perfectly. This other Son is the Speaker of the parable, Jesus Christ, the true Son of God. This Son of God prayed that only God’s will would be done in His life: “Father, not My will, but Yours be done.” Jesus did God’s will by dying for us. We do God’s will by believing in Him and, by baptism, dying to sin with Him and rising to a new life. We pray faithfully the prayer of Jesus: “Our Father who art in heaven…Thy will be done.” We do not do what we want, but what God wants done. With Luther we know that God’s will is done without our prayers, but we pray that it may be done in us, by us, and through us. And what is God’s will? It is that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ should be preached in all the world and that people everywhere should believe on His name and be saved. As long as we live, we pray that we may do God’s will and that His will for us may always be done. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

HYMN: Oppressors Rise to Trouble Me

Two hymn texts in a week doesn't make for a deluge, but it's an encouraging development. When I posted my metrical version of Psalm 1 last week, I said something about going in order. And I have started Psalm 2, for what it's worth. But I've hit a bit of a brick wall. I think I need to check out how others have handled their Psalm paraphrases. (Robin Fish Jr. comes to mind.)

So I moved on to Psalm 3. I had a free period during my substitute teaching assignment today, and I got a decent start on a text before I had to push myself to keep going. It's the first draft, but maybe you can help me tighten it up. It's set to the tune NUN FREUT EUCH, which we know best from the hymn "Dear Christians One and All, Rejoice." As always, feedback is love.

By the way, as I look at the Psalms, I'm endeavoring to find those places where they most clearly find their fulfillment in Christ. I hope to include that in my texts, much like Luther made Christ's presence abundantly clear in his great Psalm 46 hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." It's one thing to faithfully paraphrase the source text; I'm endeavoring to interpret the source text while paraphrasing. Sometimes I'll do it fairly well; I hope you'll tell me when I've missed.

Oppressors Rise to Trouble Me

1. Oppressors rise to trouble me.

Their numbers are increasing.

They lift their godless mockery

With cruelty unceasing.

Yet You, Lord, are my mighty shield,

My glory and my help revealed.

My soul from fear is rescued.

2. They say from You I have no aid.

Their foolish claims incensed me.

By You their mindless wrath is stayed

Who set themselves against me.

So to the Lord I raised my voice.

He gave me reason to rejoice,

For from His hill He heard me.

3. In peace I lay me down to sleep.

I rise, for You sustained me.

My body, mind, and soul You keep;

In Christ have You obtained me.

I will not fear the evil horde,

For I belong to You, O Lord.

I rest in Your protection.

4. Arise, O Lord, and hear my cry!

Arise, my God, to save me!

Salvation comes from God on high.

No more may foes enslave me,

For You have struck my enemies

And drove the godless to their knees.

You bless Your chosen people.

87 87 887

NUN FREUT EUCH (LSB 556)

Psalm 3; oppression

Sermon for 9/20/26: Proper 20a

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

Heaven Is Not Fair
Matthew 20:1-16

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

The Kingdom of heaven is not the kingdom of men. That may seem as if it should be a “no-brainer,” as they say. But the way these two kingdoms are often confused tells us that we don’t understand this as well as we should. The Kingdom of heaven is not ruled by fairness, or equity, or even normal common sense. The fair thing, as the kingdom of men sees such things, is that you get what’s coming to you; you get your fair share. The world is enamored with the idea of karma. But the Kingdom of heaven doesn’t work that way.

Now, there is a place where everything is fair. There is a kingdom that is ruled with total equity. In Hell there is punishment for every sin. The fair wages of sin is eternal death; the Bible teaches that, doesn’t it? And so in Hell, things are always fair and equitable. In Hell you always get exactly what you have earned. And if that is what you demand, if that is the kind of kingdom and lord you desire, then that is what you will get.

This brings us to the parable of the vineyard owner and his laborers. The strange thing that happens here is that the vineyard owner pays more than his employees actually deserve. What wise employer ever paid his workforce, even if they were his own family, so foolishly? But that is precisely the case in this parable. And it is typical of the characters in our Lord’s parables, especially those who represent Him or the Father: they tend to behave in seemingly outrageous and even foolish ways. And that is because the wisdom of God confounds the wisdom of man. But however foolish he may appear, the owner of the vineyard is no fool. He knows exactly what he is doing. His actions are deliberate. It is not foolishness that causes him to overpay; it is generosity.

The lesson of the parable, the point of comparison, is that God is generous; He is merciful and gracious. He does not give us what our labors deserve. Instead, He gives us His own Son. He lavishes upon us that which we have no right to demand or even expect; though He is the Father’s beloved Son, His most precious possession, nonetheless the Father gives Him to us so that we might live. The Father is not foolish. He knows full well the cost of our salvation. He pays it willingly. He pays it deliberately. Indeed, this is His good and gracious will. He pays us, He rewards us, not according to the work or the deeds which we have performed—for it is not by works of our righteousness that we are saved. No. He pays us, He rewards us, according to His mercy. He pays us with His own abundant love, with boundless grace. After all, it is His to do with as He desires. And He desires you to have it and live it. And this is no exaggeration, as outrageous or foolish as it may seem. God forgives you in Christ Jesus, and He loves you as His own.

Let us consider ourselves under the terms of this parable. When the time comes for you to be paid, what will you have earned? What have you deserved? Will pay-day be a day of reckoning? Shall you, at last, be responsible for paying for your sins? No, it will be a day of grace. It will be day of reconciliation with your Father in heaven because of the death of His Son. Do not be troubled by this, as the world is troubled with what it considers foolish behavior on God’s part. Do not be scandalized by this, by the fact that God welcomes the worst and most notorious of sinners. Rather, be glad to join in! God is merciful, loving, and kind. He is patient, steadfast, and generous. He is gracious and faithful. He loves to love; that is His very nature. He loves to forgive. And so, look not to your own works. Do not look at the sins of others. Make no comparisons. Look only to the mercy of the Almighty God who came in human flesh, who loves to love you. Rejoice and take delight in the company of your brothers and sisters, a sinful-but-forgiven people, who have been brought out of the bondage of sin to freedom in Christ. Revel in the joy of grace that is not fair. Bask in the wages paid, the reward given, which you have not earned but have received from His lavish and unfailing love. Yours is a cup that is full to overflowing! There is nothing left to be concerned with, nothing left to complain about. What you have is better than fair!

Consider these things as you should come to the altar today. Come and receive what He desires to give you: the very body and blood of Christ. It is now the eleventh hour; no one knows when the clock will strike twelve. We are all beggars, as Luther said. We cannot save ourselves, and we have no right to make demands. But His love is His to do with as He pleases, and He wants you to have it. In grace and mercy, He treats you not as a hired hand, but as His own beloved, holy child. He pays you the wages owed to His perfect and worthy Son: life and salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and unity and peace with Him. These are the wages He has set apart for you even from eternity. So come and eat. Receive grace that you have not earned and do not deserve. Be joined to Him. You are the chosen. This is the inheritance of your Baptism. You are not your own, for you were bought with a price; you belong to Him. So come. Eat and be satisfied. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

 

HYMN: How Blest, the Man Who Finds Delight

You would think that, with all the free time with which I find myself afflicted, I would be writing hymns constantly. Sadly, that has not been the case. My mind has been whirling lately with all sorts of not-useful thoughts, and that's not exactly conducive to good writing. 

Nevertheless, there's something in me that wants to write, even if my brain and heart have not been particularly cooperative. I've got a Psalter sitting on the shelf next to my recliner. While I haven't opened it as much as I should, I opened it recently to the logical starting place: Psalm 1. I was tempted to turn to others--Psalm 25, for example, though it seems my "enemies" have been winning victory after victory lately--but my obsessive compulsive tendencies sometimes make me take things in order.

I don't know that it's particularly good, and it doesn't really say anything new. But I wrote a metric version of Psalm 1, and I share what I write, good and bad. So here's Psalm 1. We'll see if this is the start of a long-term project. 

Feedback is love.

How Blest, the Man Who Finds Delight

1. How blest, the man who finds delight

And meditates both day and night

In God's great Law. He will not stand

With sinners, that ungodly band.

2. He stands, unwithered, as a tree.

His work shall prosper gloriously.

Refreshed in that baptismal stream,

With sweetest fruit his branches teem.

3. The godless shall be blown away

Like chaff upon the judgment day.

They perish there before the Lord,

While saints receive their great reward.

LM (88 88)

Tallis' Canon

Psalm 1

Sermon for 9/13/26: Proper 19a

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

Forgiven
Matthew 18:21-35
 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

It seems like Peter always knows what is truly in the sinner’s heart, and he is never afraid to say it boldly. This time he says, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” In other words, how long do I have to put up with my neighbor? What is the bare minimum I have to do to love my neighbor as myself? Yeah, I know that God is merciful to me, but how long must I be merciful to my brother? This is a dreadful way of thinking! And yet we all debate within ourselves hoe much to forgive our brothers. We must all learn some repentance today, before we are thrown into hell’s prison forever.

That’s what Jesus says. But don’t try to make Him say that God’s forgiveness really depends on how well you forgive your neighbor, as if you could forgive your neighbor as much as Jesus forgives you. Jesus knows that God’s mercy rests entirely on the Father giving His Son over to death, and He applies that work to you through Word and Sacraments. God has paid the penalty for sin by killing Jesus on the cross. All your debt is paid. What you owe, Christ bought with His innocent blood as the price. Though you deserved to be cast into the fires of hell until you’ve paid every last cent, Jesus bore the punishment in your place. He paid the whole amount of debt for every man, woman and infant: from the vilest murderer to the meekest child. Jesus rescued you from ever thinking there is anything you have to do or give or show to gain a place in God’s kingdom. So do not believe for a moment that your Savior will withhold God’s grace until the sinner makes full repayment for his sins. That’s already been made.

But also don’t believe that He wants you to cast off a repentant brother or make someone suffer even a moment longer before you give them forgiveness. Jesus speaks today the way a king would if, having forgiven one servant an incredible amount of money, he then finds out that that same servant turned around and had a fellow servant put in prison for a debt far less than what was owed the king. If you tell a repentant brother or sister in Christ that you cannot be reconciled to them, in essence, you’re saying that one of you belongs in hell. Be careful who you say that to, because it might not be your brother who belongs there.

It is the pastor’s lot to stand in the middle of these two errors. Pastors hear the sins that people confess. They watch the lives of God’s people fall apart because of sin. They hear criticisms and accusations and complaints, sometimes against the pastor himself, against his family, against the ways in which he faithfully performs the duties God sets before him. Still, a pastor stands before the altar and says: “I forgive you all your sins.” He hears your sins and he forgives, admitting poor sinners like himself to Christ’s altar. By the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ in bread and wine, your sins are done away with, forgiven and forgotten by God. Learn from the Ministry our gracious God provides for you! Pastor Williams will faithfully speak those words to you, as I did this morning. Learn from how God deals with you; learn from Him how to act toward one another, how to love one another, how to forgive one another. Learn from your Savior as He takes your sins, dies for them, and pours out His forgiveness.

Pay attention to the Gospel that has been set before you. Has there ever been a time when a sinner comes with repentance and confesses and does not receive absolution from God? If you don’t know the answer to that, you have not been paying attention. Every pastor who has served you—both those who have served you full time and those who have filled in during vacancies and illnesses—every pastor has promised to forgive repentant sinners, and a pastor should and must be removed from the Holy Ministry if he doesn’t forgive repentant sinners as Jesus has commanded him to do. So come and learn the Gospel of Jesus. Learn that, when you sin, the Lord will use your pastor to hear your confession and speak forgiveness. He will use your pastor’s mouth to preach to you that Jesus died so that you will live. Your sins now belong to Jesus, and He calls them all forgiven. He will feed you with His body and blood, bringing forgiveness, life, and salvation to your lips. From these, you learn to use your lips to forgive others.

Like Peter, your pastor is under orders to forgive as often as you come repenting. And if you are not yet strong enough to let go of the sins someone has committed against you, confess your weakness and your lack of faith and love. For the sake of Jesus, and in His stead, your pastor will say, “In the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins.” He will urge you to receive the Holy Supper. And with such forgiveness, we, who ought to pay forever, will “sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us,” no matter how many times we have to do it. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

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

 

Sermon for 9/6/26: Proper 18a

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

Greatness in Weakness
Matthew 18:1-20
 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Last week, we heard Jesus tell His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Shortly after, Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face shining like the sun, His clothes as white as light. A few verses before today’s Gospel begins, we have another Passion prediction, when Jesus said, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.”

After all that, one would be tempted to think that the disciples would have questions about His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection. But that is not what they asked. Instead they asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Some of them had seen Jesus shining brighter than the sun, talking with Moses and Elijah. All of them had heard Jesus talk about His coming suffering, death, and resurrection. And this is the question that comes to their minds?

Jesus knew a good teaching opportunity when it happened. Calling to Him a child, He said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus took the opportunity of their question to teach them that greatness in the kingdom of heaven is totally different than in the kingdoms of this world.

You might be tempted to think, “Ah, the innocence of youth. That is what Jesus is teaching. He is pointing to a child because children are so innocent.” When they are all decked out in their Sunday best, children can look pretty innocent. But any parent will tell you that you must teach children to tell the truth because children are natural liars. You must teach children to share because they are selfish by nature. Children may look innocent, but they are not. As King David wrote, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

So why did Jesus use a child as an example of the greatest? What is so special about them? What can they do for the kingdom? What can they do for Jesus? The answer of course is nothing. That’s just the point, isn’t it? Children have no capacity for entering the kingdom of God. We think of Jesus with the children, but those children never came on their own. Scripture tells us that people brought even infants to him that he might touch them. Someone brought the infants. They didn’t crawl up on their own. And that’s the point. When it comes to the Kingdom and a right relationship with God, there is no room for human initiative, effort, self-promotion, or self-justification—none at all!

So Jesus taught His disciples that the one who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who needs the most help. The one who is totally helpless is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. This is the opposite of this world, where the one who gives the most help is the greatest. The one who is the most helpless comes under God’s protection. Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!” The holy angels themselves defend God’s children. Our Father gladly answers says, “Yes,” when we pray with Luther, “Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.” So the helpless are the greatest; they are perfect candidates for grace.

This sinful world seeks greatness through power. Jesus Himself said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.” That is the way of the world: get power and use it to control others. The one who uses power most effectively is the greatest. But Jesus points to a helpless child as the standard of greatness. The one who is the most helpless, the weakest, the humblest, the lowliest, the most reliant on Jesus: that one is the greatest.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, beloved of our Father: last week we heard that followers of Christ bear the crosses set before us. And there are and always will be times when the burden beats you down. The flaming darts of the evil one are especially fierce. Those who suffer these attacks are the little ones of whom Jesus speaks, the ones who are the greatest in the eyes of our Father. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Yours is the kingdom of heaven.

So how do you become like a little child? You are born from above, born anew, in the waters of Holy Baptism, where God makes you His own child, where the Spirit works faith in you. He restores your childlike faith: faith that relies on Jesus alone instead of on your own reason or strength. And our Father gladly feeds that faith with the body and blood of His Son for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of that faith. In this way you are able to bear your burdens with courage and patience. As the Lord said to St. Paul in the midst of Paul’s suffering, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul answers, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

When you were at your most helpless, when you were dead in trespasses and sin, our Lord treated you as the greatest in the kingdom. He took on your weakness, carrying your sin. He died so that you would live. And He rose so you would have eternal life with Him forever. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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