“Above All Things…”
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Law knows that you know how to love yourself. That is
why it tells you to love the Lord your God with all your being and to love your
neighbor as yourself. Every sin we commit is based on self-love. Like Eve
before us, we think we know what is good for food and capable of making us
wise. Eve knew the threat of the Law: “In
the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” She knew it was true,
that God was faithful to His Word. But she wanted that fruit. Her desire
blinded her to reason. In the same way, we know what God commands, but our flesh
demands to be gratified. If we could truly “fear,
love, and trust in God above all things,” then we would not sin. We would
not put our own desires before the will of God.
Repent. You know how to love yourself. You cannot bargain
with God, but the devil is happy to satisfy the Old Adam. He’ll give you
incredible bargains: no interest and no payments until after you’ve died. He
just wants you to take the forbidden fruit; however you want to justify it is
fine with him. The bottom line is this: you want an evil thing for selfish use.
You want the flesh of another, honor and praise from men, possessions and
leisure that corrupt—fruit from a tree that God said is forbidden. Repent. The
God of Abraham is not like the devil. Nothing escapes His notice. If you have
loved yourself or anything else more than Him, you have broken the Law; you
have sinned.
The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that our lives
in Christ are to be merciful and full of good works. The Good Samaritan is a
perfect example of how to keep the Law. If we ask the Lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” the answer is
obvious: everyone is my neighbor. I am to help all of them. I am to sell
everything that I have and give it to the poor. That is the standard. That is
the Law, and it is good and true. But it always accuses because we are not
perfect; we are not without sin. We have not loved perfectly. According to our
fallen flesh, we can’t. We don’t even know how. I’m supposed to sell
everything? Then how do I feed my children? How do we remain healthy? How do I
get to work? It is an impossible standard for fallen men. Even so, it is the
standard, and if we are judged by that exacting standard, we are condemned.
There are no loopholes. Everyone is your neighbor. Repent.
Hope is not found
in the Lawyer’s question: “Who is my
neighbor?” The answer to the lawyer’s question is that we are to love
everyone: no exceptions, no prejudices, no excuses, no limits. And we fail.
Instead, hope is found in our Lord’s question: “Which of these proved neighbor to the man?” One man proved himself
neighbor to the man in the ditch. Only one had mercy. That one is Jesus. Yes, Jesus
is an example for us, for He shows us how the Law is lived. He shows us what
love is. But more than that, He lives that love for us. He gives that mercy to
us. He has compassion on us. He intervenes. He comes to earth to bear our
burdens, to love us, to fulfill the Law for us, to give His life as a ransom
for our bodies and souls. The Law passes by on the other side. It cannot help
you. It will only ever accuse you of your failure. It cannot heal or forgive.
Jesus comes to you as you waste away in your sin. He washes your wounds. He brings
you to this holy house and feeds you the medicine of immortality. He pays for
everything with His own blood, and He promises to come back. He loves His
neighbor. He loves everyone without exception, prejudice, excuse, or limit. He
welcomes all men to Himself by perfect grace, in holy love. He is your neighbor,
and you are His beloved. 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.
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