Yeah, I Believe In Jesus, But 'My Jesus' Would Never...

Text: Matthew 16:21-28

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

If the Apostle Peter would have gotten his way, you and I would be left in our sins and damned for eternity. 

Permit me to explain. 

In last week’s Gospel reading we heard the remarkable confession from Peter where he said that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  However, in today’s Gospel reading we heard that Jesus goes on to explain exactly what it meant for Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  In other words, reading last week’s Gospel text together with this week’s Gospel text, we can understand that right after Peter’s great and marvelous confession, Jesus goes on to show the disciples just what it meant to for Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  That is to say, Jesus explained that He, as the Christ, must go to Jerusalem to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 

But what does this have to do with you and I being possibly damned in our sins forever?  Well, as we heard in our Gospel reading from today, it was hard for Peter accept Jesus’ explanation of what it meant to be the Christ, especially the suffering and dying part.  Peter was attempting to think about Jesus according to a man-centered way.   Thus, Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!  This shall never happen to you.”  Otherwise stated, Peter just made this great confession that Jesus is the Christ and then Peter hears that the gates of Hades will not overcome the church.  What confidence and joy this must have been for the disciples.  But then, Jesus goes on to ruin all of this optimism by explaining what it means for Him to be the Christ—that He is going to suffer and die and rise.  Jesus goes on to share that it is indeed necessary for Him to suffer and die at the hands of the religious leaders of the day, something that Peter certainly did not want to hear and certainly did not want to happen.  I imagine Peter mumbling to himself,

“Jesus if you are the Son of the Living God, why on earth is it necessary for you to suffer and die?  Jesus, you are God in the flesh, you are the Son of Man with authority and power, the church will be founded upon you and the gates of hades will not overcome; therefore what on earth is this talk about death and suffering?  Ugh, enough with this dreadful suffering and dying talk; what about conquering the Romans, what about victory?”

What went wrong with Peter is what goes wrong with you and me today.  We subordinate who Jesus is to how we figure things should be with Jesus.  Yes, Peter “subordinated the Christ, the Son of the Living God, to his definition of the Christ . . . Peter worked these words [about Jesus being the Messiah} his way, to what worked for him.  Peter would not let Jesus be Christ His way.  [Peter] would lay on Jesus the sort of Christ he wanted Him to be.”[1]  Therefore, if Peter would have gotten his way, Jesus wouldn’t have died on the cross, thus resulting in salvation being unaccomplished, thus resulting in you and I being damned to hell.  If Peter would have stopped Jesus from being the Messiah according to Jesus’ perspective, the results would have been disastrous for the lost sheep of Israel and for the helpless sheep of the world—you and me.

My friends, this temptation to redefine Jesus is before each and every one of us.  It really is.  If we were in Peter’s shoes we would have recoiled in horror to Jesus’ talk of suffering and death.  Like Peter we would have said to ourselves, “If Jesus is God’s Christ, then let there be an end to the defeatist talk about suffering and death.”[2]  Like Peter, we are given the great confession upon our mind, hearts, and lips that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but then we advertently and inadvertently take control of these words given to us.  We commandeer this great confession (these words revealed to us) and then redefine what they mean according to our hopes and dreams and desires.  We do this because it is the way that it is with our idolatrous hearts. 

You see, anytime that we entertain thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him we are breaking the first commandment and committing the sin of idolatry.[3]  In other words, idolatry is rather sneaky because it allows the opportunity to not totally reject the Lord, but an opportunity to simply redefine Him according to one’s own desires.  That is to say, one can add an expansion pack of supposed divine ideologies upon the Lord and not necessarily have to reject the Lord. 

This tactic of not rejecting the Lord, but redefining Him according to our own agendas is the result of the old Adam at work.  Keep in mind that your sinful nature, that is your corrupt and evil nature that you have inherited from Adam’s fall into sin, does not believe the Gospel, never has believed the Gospel and never will believe the Gospel.   The old Adam operates from the context of unbelief.  This sinful nature wants independence, not dependence.  This sinful nature wants to have everything, including the Lord underneath his thumb. This freedom and control can be cleverly attained, though, through the means of idolatry.  To put it briefly, the old Adam is sly in that he won’t flatly reject the Christ and the Gospel for the fear of being exposed.  Rather, the old sinful nature will attempt to redefine Christ into his own image.

Jesus, yeah I believe in Jesus, but my Jesus doesn’t judge anyone and loves everyone.

Jesus, yeah I believe in Jesus, but my Jesus wouldn’t send anyone to hell.

Jesus, yeah I believe in Jesus, but my Jesus embraces all forms of sexuality and lifestyles.

Jesus, yeah I believe in Jesus, but my Jesus makes me stronger, more likeable, and better by teaching me to believe in myself.

Jesus, yeah I believe in Jesus, but my Jesus mainly teaches me how to be better by obeying His commandments and isn’t really into all that cross-bearing and dying stuff. 

Jesus, yeah I believe in Jesus, but my Jesus is not going to suffer and die but overthrow the Roman Empire.

Dear friends, when we hijack and redefine Jesus according to our own definitions and agendas, we become the mouthpiece and tool of Satan.  This is surely what Peter did to Jesus by attempting to redefine the mission, work, and person of Christ.  This is what you and I do when we take Jesus’ words—His Biblical truths about Himself and His mission of the cross—and simply run with them according to our own schemes.  Indeed, defining Christ according to our own man-centered opinions, desires, hopes, and dreams, rather than letting Christ simply speak for Himself through His Word is doing the work of Satan.[4] 

Keep in mind that Satan in the wilderness attempted to “lure Jesus into a path of power, toward the goal of seizing glory, away from lowliness and obedience,”[5] away from suffering and dying for sin.  Peter, in the same way denies the path of suffering and death, he does not see it as a plan of the Lord’s salvation, and thus he does the work of Satan.

What shall we say and do in response to this sobering reality?  Repent; may the Lord grant repentance to each and every one of us for our attempts of confiscating Jesus and putting Him into our debt.  May we be granted the eyes to see that this sin is most definitely the fruit of the stubborn and rebellious sinful nature.  Right here and right now is yet another opportunity for the old Adam together with all of its sins to be drowned and put to death. 

My friends, Peter with his hijacking actions towards Jesus was not some “mighty hero of [the] faith, prince of the church, number one pope.  . . . [That is to say,] you cannot be a bigger sinner than Peter with his satanic Christology.  Nevertheless, Jesus did not give up on Peter”[6] and He does not give up on you today.  Consider this, Jesus rebuked Peter to get behind Him not only because Peter was dead wrong but because Peter would not stand in Jesus’s way of the cross.  Peter would not stand in Jesus’ way for it was necessary—despite what Peter’s opinion was—for Jesus to suffer, die, and be raised again.  In other words, despite Peter’s road block, despite Him trying to redefine Jesus’ mission and purpose, and despite Peter’s sin, Jesus resisted this temptation, cast Peter and the temptation aside, and kept His appointment with the cross.  Why? Because Peter needed redemption for His sin; because you and I need forgiveness for our sins. 

The bottom line is that Peter’s confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God is the confession that prevails.  To put it another way, Jesus does not act according to Peter’s definition of who He is and what Peter thinks He should do.  Jesus also does not act according to our own sinful definitions of who we think He is, or who we think He needs to be.  He is Lord and we are not.  He is not handcuffed to our definitions.  He did not yield to Peter’s objections but cast Peter’s objections and the temptations of Satan behind Himself, and walked directly into the suffering, pain, death, and sin of Mount Calvary; and He considered it well worthwhile.

Baptized Saints, the good news is that Satan is indeed put behind Jesus and the definitions of who mankind thinks Jesus should be do not stick to Him, keeping Him from His divine mandate of the cross.  Neither the forces of the evil one nor human denial could keep Christ from the cross; the cross that He went to for Peter, for you, and for me.   

Take comfort dear saints, it was necessary for the Christ to die.  God planned it, Jesus carried out the plan with complete and total faithfulness, because it was and is necessary that He suffer, die, and be raised—for you; for your idolatry, for your past sins, for your present sins, and for your future sins.  It was necessary for Him to suffer, die, and be raised for your forgiveness and so that He might clothe you in righteousness, and declare you His own for all of eternity. 

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

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[1] Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 261.

[2] Jeffrey Gibbs,  Matthew 11:2-20:34: Concordia Commentary (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2010), 839.

[3] A.W. Tozer. Knowledge of the Holy. Full-Proof Ministires, http://www.full-proof.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Tozer-Knowledge-Of-The-Holy-b.pdf (Accessed December 29, 2012), 5.

[4] Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis, 262.

[5] Jeffrey Gibbs,  Matthew 11:2-20:34: Concordia Commentary, 839.

[6] Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis, 262.

If Jesus Is Not A Life Coach, Your BFF, A Wise Guru, Or A Political Revolutionary - Who Is He Then?

Text:  Matthew 16:13-20

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

Jesus was coming into the region of Caesarea Philippi.  It was a region that had royal wealth and power.  It was also a region filled with idols and Greek culture.  It was within this context though that Jesus poses this question to His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Before we examine the disciple’s response and answer to Jesus, let me ask you this same question.  Who do people say Jesus is today?  Is Jesus a mascot that cheers us on in this life as we stumble in sin and valiantly get up to fight another day?  Is Jesus a life coach who trains us and shows us how to live, kind of an example that one must follow? Is Jesus a best friend forever—a BFF—who merely cuddles little lambs? Was Jesus an overconfident Jewish Rabi preacher that found the true and secret path to right living?  Was Jesus a mere carpenter who was crucified by the Jews? So, who do people say Jesus is?

Like today, there were many opinions in the first-century on Jesus’ identity.  Like today, most of the opinions in the first-century were based on guesses, personal uninformed opinions, political and national hopes, and vacuous conjectures.

After asking the question of, “who do people say that I am,” Jesus directs this question to the disciples.  He says to the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter, who typically was a pretty emotional guy that operated on gut reactions, responded to this question by saying,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Now, did you just hear this confession by Peter?  Do not be too quick to gloss over it.  Even though Peter uses very few words and does not use extravagant language and does not formulate his answer to Jesus in an academic thesis, it is nonetheless direct and true in every respect.[1]  In other words, “The confession of St. Peter can hardly be improved on [for] it was given to him from the highest source.”[2]  Listen to it again.

“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Notice that this great confession does not confess that Jesus is a mere mascot for a political revolution, or a life coach, or a best friend, or a wise guru, or a motivational speaker, or a good role model, or a mere carpenter, or merely a good teacher.  No, He confesses that Jesus is The Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

Why this confession is simply so profound for you and I to consider today is that Peter did not garner this confession from all the opinions and thoughts about Jesus from the day.  He did not take a public opinion poll, issues surveys, or work with a focus group to derive the identity of Jesus.  Peter also did not dream this confession up on his own, because this confession is not derived from flesh and blood, but rather revealed to Him from the Father in heaven. 

My friends, when it comes to the identity of Jesus: the opinions of Oprah and Dr. Phil; the assertions of popular contemporary songs; the sentiments of sports athletes; the beliefs of movie stars; and the views of philosophers, really hold no weight for Jesus’ identity for Jesus’ identity is not derived from mankind, but is revealed from heaven. 

In a word, Peter is confessing that Jesus is the Messiah; the anointed one of God.  He is confessing that Jesus is not just one person among many, but “the one climatic figure in whom God’s purpose is finally being accomplished.”[3]  Peter is confessing that Jesus is the one that Israel had been waiting and looking for.  Peter is confessing that Jesus is the one that was promised in all the Old Testament scriptures.  He was the one anointed to do something remarkable.

But this now leads us to ask the questions, ‘Do what?  What was Jesus anointed to do?  What does the Christ do and for whom does He do it?’ 

At this point in Matthew chapter sixteen, “Jesus knew that the disciples would not [fully] know [and understand] the answer to that question until after He suffered, died, and rose from the dead. [In other words, they would not fully understand every implication of what Peter had just confessed, until all the events of Jesus’ ministry unraveled.]  That is the reason that Jesus gave that odd little instruction near the end of today’s reading.  He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.  He did not want the disciples to teach the wrong understanding of what it means to be the Christ.”[4]  Thus, even though Peter’s confession was spot on, the disciples did not fully comprehend everything that the Christ was anointed to do and accomplish.

Today, you have heard the great confession of Peter from the written Word of God, the confession that was revealed to Peter by the Father.  Unlike the disciples in our text though, you have had the privileged to hear, what the radio announcer Paul Harvey says is, ‘The rest of the story.’  Indeed, God’s Word has proclaimed to you the rest of the story of Christ, so that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in His name.[5]  Otherwise stated you have heard that Jesus went to the cross where He was crucified, died and was buried—for you.  You have heard the words that Jesus is not in the tomb—that He is not among the dead.  You have heard that Jesus ascended and sits at the right hand in glory and power.  Therefore, dear friends, today, who do you, say that Jesus is?

Baptized saints, may we confess today that we believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is our Lord, who has redeemed us,  lost and condemned persons, purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that we may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.  This is most certainly true.[6]

This confession of ours and Peter’s confession is most certainly pure gift, for we cannot believe or confess Jesus as Lord or come to Him unless the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel and enlightened us.  Thus, Peter’s confession and our confession is a pure gift that does not come from all the conjectures and opinions of mankind, but it comes as a revelation to us, a gift to us from the Lord. 

Not only is this confession a great gift to Peter and to us, for we could not derive such a confession by our own thoughts, but this great confession of who Jesus is, is that which the church is built upon.  In others word, Baptized saints, do you realize that this church and the church at large are both built upon this great confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God?  Yes, according to Jesus in our Gospel reading from today, this confession that came out of the mouth of Peter and the confession that has been revealed to you and me is the strength of the church and the foundation upon which the church stands.  Thus, like the hundreds of Christians that have come before you, you are here because of what Christ did for you; you are here because the Holy Spirit through the Gospel has called you, enlightened you, placed this confession in your mouths, and placed you in the Christ’s church; the church that is gathered around and upon who Jesus is.  What this means is that the strength of this church is neither in your individual will-power nor your cumulative strength, but it is upon the great confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God—for you and for me. 

Practically stated, this church and the church at large is not built upon bricks, wood, steel, church councils, paid staff, church polity, constitutions, by-laws, Robert’s Rules of Order, programs, ministries, socials, friendships, relationships, activities, and so forth, as important as these things sometimes are.  The church is not even built upon a forged Jesus who is only a mere example, mascot, moral teacher, life coach, and so forth.  Truly, the church is not built upon you and me, it is not built upon a plastic counterfeit messiah, for a church that is built upon these things cannot stand and will not persevere.  Rather, the church that is called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, is built upon the solid and sturdy confession of who Christ is.  Yes, upon this confession of who Jesus is, nothing will overcome the called church.  Indeed, “it has the strength of God himself to overcome the gates of Hades.”[7]

You and I must keep in mind though that Jesus does not say that there will not be sorrow, danger, and pain for the church.  For indeed history has shown us that Christ’s bride, the church, has been beaten and bruised by the world.  With that said though, Jesus does say that the final victory will go to the ‘the called out’ church.  That is to say, the Gates of Hades are wicked false doctrines which seduce people away from the truth of the Gospel into the pits of hell; however, no scheme of man can change the fact that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the Living God.  Even more, the events of the past, present, and future cannot change this objective assuring fact that Jesus is the Christ who suffered, died, rose, and lives today.  The church rests upon this.  By the same token, Satan and his evil cohorts cannot defeat the church; the church will never be defeated by the hosts of darkness, no matter how dark it may get, because blood was shed on the cross and the tomb is empty—for you and me.  Take comfort dear flock for the powers of sin, death, and the evil one shall not prevail against the church, for the church is founded upon the Lord and giver of life; it is founded upon the crucified and resurrected Christ—for you and me. 

Blessed saints, all in all, Jesus Christ is the power and wisdom of God.  He is our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He is the cornerstone of the church and the cornerstone of your faith for this life and the one to come.

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

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[1] R.C.H. Lenski. Matthew: Commentary on the New Testament (Hendrickson Publishers, 2001), 622.

[2] Norman Nagel.  Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 261.

[3] R.T. France,  The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), 618.

[4] James Batchelor, “Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost Sermon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Hoopeston, IL” http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3863 (22 August 2014).

[5] See John 21:21.

[6] Explanation of the 2^nd Article of the Apostle’s Creed according to the Small Catechism.

[7] Sermon Studies on the Gospels: Series A, Richard D. Balge, ed. (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House), 288.

More Than Mere Bread Crumbs For Dogs

Text:  Matthew 15:21-28

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

She was a dog.  Worse than a mere lap dog, but one of those yippy dogs that circles your feet eagerly looking for attention and crumbs of food; the kind that that incessantly jumps up and down clawing your leg; the kind that you just want to kick. Yes, this woman who came to Jesus and the disciples in our Gospel reading from today was loud.  She came before Jesus shouting and crying out to Him.  She croaked flamboyantly like a raven, shrieked with an ongoing annoyance, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.”  Yes, she was not only a showy irritation, but she had serious family problems as well, for her daughter was tormented by a demon. 

There are two equal and opposite errors into which we can fall in regard to demons and the devil.  “One is to disbelieve in their existence; the other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.  They [demons] are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”[1]  In other words, we are to be babes in evil.  We don’t go around looking for evil.  However, even though we are to be babes in evil, we are very conscience that evil does in fact exist.  What this means is that demon possession and things of evil are no light matter to us.  While scripture is clear that no one will snatch us from the Lord’s hand,[2] we also know that demons rarely come uninvited into one’s life or family.  For example, “We dangle our fingers in shark infested waters with every sin.  To open the internet to a porn site is to open a portal for the demons to come into your home.”[3]  To dabble in the occult, whether it is calling demonic spirits through a Ouija Board or dabbling in television and music media that embraces occultism is definitely something to be alarmed by.  Furthermore, to harden your conscience so that you can enjoy a particular pet sin, knowing that you will repent later, is to invite evil into your life as well.  Indeed, sin not only has eternal consequences, but sin also wreaks havoc in the now.  Indeed, the evil one is intent on killing, stealing, and destroying you and your faith.

The particular woman, in our Gospel reading from today, has definitely experienced the mayhem of sin in her life.  Her daughter was tormented by a demon and she was desperate for reprieve as shown by her dramatic pleading for help towards Jesus.

“Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David!” she cried.

She certainly had no strategy to fix her predicament; no plan; no particular action strategy that Jesus needed to follow.  She simply was before Jesus; laid bear with her hellish circumstances.

The disciples though, are neither impressed nor the least bit interested in her or her story.  She is a Canaanite woman who is not of the sheep of Israel, she is very loud, and it seems that the disciples are uncomfortable with the amount of attention she is bringing about.   Thus, the disciples urged Jesus to simply give her what she requested, so that they could be rid of her.  Yes, they wanted this ongoing annoyance gone, away from their presence. 

‘Jesus, give her what she wants, so that she will shut up!’

In response to the disciples’ question, Jesus said that He came for the lost sheep of Israel, thus implying that He was not some wandering miracle worker who traveled from problem to problem, but rather the Messiah of Israel who was on a mission of redemption for all mankind.  Indeed, Jesus certainly did not heal and fix every single problem during His ministry, for if He would have, He would never have gotten to the cross of salvation. 

Overhearing Jesus’ response, the woman nevertheless is driven to further desperation.  Dropping to her knees she resorts to the simple plea, “Lord, help me!”  To which Jesus says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

A lot of ink has been spilt trying to discern Jesus’ words of, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  Was Jesus testing the woman?  Was He trying to see if she really knows His identity?  Was He attempting to confront the disciples’ judgmental opinion of her?  Was He making a theological point?  While we could indeed spend many hours attempting to discern Jesus’ response to her, the greater importance for us to take note of is how this woman responds to Jesus. 

How did the woman respond then?  How did she react to what seems to be this trash-talking going on right in front of her face? “Did she tuck tail and leave?  Did she shrug her shoulders and go away, seeking out a different cure from a different source?  ‘Oh well.  I tried.  I’ll try something else.  This Jesus-guy is a jerk who doesn’t want to help.’ Did she do what many of us would do and tear into Jesus, giving Him a piece of her mind?  ‘Now see here, you arrogant, self-righteous”[4] Messiah. Who do you think you are?  You don’t know me and what I’ve been through.  How dare you judge me!’

“My brothers and sisters in Christ: these are things we would do.  These are things we have done and still do.  [For example], many self-professed Christians are just looking for an excuse—any excuse—to not come to the one place where Christ calls them to be on a Sunday morning to feed them and nourish them with His life-giving Word and Sacrament.”[5]  Indeed, there are times where we want to be offended by the Lord and by His church so that we can excuse ourselves from the Lord’s presence.  ‘I’m offended; therefore, I won’t attend church.  I’m offended by a Jesus that doesn’t bolster my self-esteem; therefore, I will find a different representation of Jesus that will put my conscience at ease.’ 

“How did this Canaanite woman respond [though]?  Take careful note: the woman does not get discouraged, but instead acknowledges her sinful condition and speaks back Christ’s own words, boldly holding Him to His eternal promise of mercy, deliverance, and providence for all.  She doesn’t deny her sinful reality or try to justify herself.  She owns up to all of it.  ‘Yes, Lord, you’re absolutely right.  I’m a lowly dog who deserves nothing.  But even lowly dogs are recipients of good and gracious masters, who feed the dogs with the table scraps.’”[6]  

My friends, the woman does not use her setbacks to victimize herself; she doesn’t excuse her sin and the predicament of her child being tormented by evil.  She accepts the fact that she is a ‘nobody;’ she accepts that she is a dog underneath the table.  She accepts the fact that she is a beggar.  There were no phrases like: ‘yeah but’ or ‘that sounds intolerant’ or ‘gee that is not a loving thing to say.’  Rather, she accepted the classification.

Like the woman, are we not driven to the same place each and every Sunday morning at the Divine Service?  Each and every Sunday do we not confess at the beginning of our service that we are by nature sinful and unclean, that we do not deserve a seat at the table, but rather are dogs under the table?  Indeed, dear saints, we confess that we have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  Truly, in our confession of sin at the beginning of the service we are not excusing and justifying ourselves, we are not rebuking the Lord, but we are rightly taking the blame for our sin.  We are confessing that God would be perfect just to damn us for our sins.  We are confessing that He is the Lord and that we are not. 

In our confession of sin we are confessing that we have indeed played with fire in our own lives in the past week.  We are confessing that we have put our marriage, family, and lives at risk with deeds of darkness by abusing our own body with neglect of health, excess use of food, drink, and drugs; using our ears and eyes to incite cravings for the body of one who is not our spouse; injuring our neighbor through murderous words; perverting the Lord’s name, a name placed upon us at baptism, when we use it as a cuss word; and ultimately exulting the unholy trinity of ‘me, myself, and I’—believing the lies that our sin is good and that righteousness is evil. 

“Repent, my friends.  Throw yourself upon the mercy of Christ.  Not only can He save you, [just as He saved the Canaanite woman], but He has.  He has taken your sins upon Himself.  He has suffered the punishment you deserved, in your place, as your scape goat.  He has declared you righteous and placed His name upon you.  He will hold you to His promises”[7] because He cares—for you.

“For in Him, you are not a Gentile, nor are you a dog.  You are His bride.  You are His chosen one declared immaculate and radiant, worthy of His love,” [8] because He is indeed rich in mercy—for you.

Because the Lord does not reject you who have a broken spirit and a contrite heart; because He does not despise and vile you who have been crippled, wreaked, crushed, and torn down—you can call Him Son of David and ‘My’ Lord. 

Furthermore, since He has pulled you and me out of hell and death unto Himself, He gives us so much more than mere bread crumbs.  He gives you His risen body and blood, which is poured into your mouths and set upon your tongue, making you a part of Him.  He heard the woman’s cry for help, gave Himself to her, thus resulting in the desertion of the demons.  So, it is with you as well.  He gives to you, to your soul, and sends all sin away, declaring you righteous for His name sake.    

Dear Saints, you are not left with evil and the devil has no power over you.  You are not left in your helpless cries, for the Lord has answered you in His Word—it is finished.  You belong to Jesus.

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

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[1] C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. (page and publisher data is unknown).

[2] See John 10:22-30.

[3] David H. Peterson, Thy Kingdom Come: Lent and Easter Sermons (Fort Wayne, IN; Emmanuel Press, 2012), 49.

[4] Jason Zirbel. “A Lesson in Blind Love”_http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3857 (16 August 2014).

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Peterson, Thy Kingdom Come: Lent and Easter Sermons, 50.

[8] Ibid.

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You Can't Walk On Water, You've Got To Stay In The Boat

Text:  Matthew 14:22-33

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

Fear is an unpleasant emotion.  It is caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous.  Fear is caused from the anticipation that something will cause pain to an individual and potentially put an end to the individual. 

More specifically, there are indeed a lot of things that can cause fear to you and me.  Terrorist attacks, spiders, death, being a failure, war, criminal violence, nuclear war, being alone, the future, flying, heights, clowns, snakes, public speaking, hospitals, and funerals are several examples that most certainly create fear in our lives. 

When fear happens though, our breathing rate is accelerated, our heart rate increases, our muscles constrict, goose bumps may form; there is also an increase in alertness thus leading to sleep disturbance and possibly butterflies in the stomach.  And don’t forget that fear can bring about screaming, that is, loud shrieking cries. 

This fear may then visibly manifest itself by you and me adapting to fearful things or running away from fearful things.  We may also have anxiety attacks or we can pretend that the danger does not exist.  We can also use drug treatments to eliminate fear or go to psychologists for cognitive behavioral therapy in order to process fear. 

Regardless of the tactics one uses to respond to fearful things and the emotion of fear itself, the fact remains that there are things in life that are dangerous and bring about calamity in our lives.  No matter how much therapy, no matter how much avoidance, and no matter how much adaptation we implement, there are things in our lives that indeed threaten us and will most certainly destroy us.  For example, it has been said that there are only two things that are certain in this life, that is, ‘death and taxes.’  It is true that there is no escaping taxes that attack your wallets and purses, and there is also no escaping death.  However, while taxes may only impede your financial goals, there is finality to death.  Last time I checked, no one has found a medical cure for death; death that is a result of this world tainted and perverted by sin; death that is birthed from your sin and my sin.  Yes, when it all comes down to it, beneath the fear of terrorist attacks, spiders, nuclear war, flying, snakes, and possibly clowns is the sting of death and the finality of life as we know it.  Yes, death, which is birthed from sin, drives us to fear because it is a grave threat that is out of our control. 

The disciples in our Gospel reading from today are no strangers to fear.  Let me explain.  The disciples in our narrative were in a boat while a storm raged on in the Sea of Galilee.  There is no doubt about it that they were battling the wind, the waves, and the rain; however, it was not primarily these things that incited great fear among the disciples.  You see, the disciples thought for sure that they had seen a ghost.  Yes, off in the distance was someone coming towards them!  Were they actually seeing someone walking on water?  Was this even possible?  How could they make sense of this?

“It is a ghost!” they stated with terror!

As you and I know, it was not a ghost at all, but the Lord Jesus Christ coming towards them. 

As Jesus came closer to them though, the disciples were deeply troubled.  As it has just been stated, they spoke a weird mystical response, “It is a ghost!”  They also cried out in fear.  They assumed that whatever being was appearing before them in such close proximity could not bring good news for them.  They realized that they were in the presence of something beyond their understanding, and they were afraid of such power and mystery.  They did not know who it was.[1]

Although today’s Gospel reading is certainly not a parable, but a real historical event, we can still identify with the disciple’s fear.  In other words, it is worth noting in today’s Gospel reading that it was Jesus walking on water who was responsible for inciting fear in the disciples.  Sure they were battling the wind, waves, and rain, but it was Jesus that drove them to utter fear as He walked towards them on the water.  Therefore, what do we do when it is the Lord that brings about fear in us?  Sure death, the devil, the world, and sin all have a way of inciting fear in us, but what happens when the Lord insights fear in us? 

My friends, because we are simultaneously sinners and saints, our sinful nature is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; truly, it cannot.  In fact, when we encounter God’s perfect Holiness, we confess like Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”[2]  Because we are sinners, the presence of God is a terrifying thing.  In other words, according to our sinful nature, when we encounter the Lord in His Word, we come to realize that we are not the Lord who walks on the water, we come to realize that we are not the Lord who is in control, and we come to realize that we are not the Lord who is authoritative.  We operate in a completely different paradigm than the Lord?  Surely, as we encounter the Lord of the Holy Scriptures we quickly come to learn that He does not operate according to our rules of nature and according to the way we believe things need to be.  Yes, when things do not happen according to our strategies and when things happen out of our control, it can most certainly incite fear in us, especially when we have set certain expectations on the Lord.  In a word, when our expectations of the Lord are not met and when it appears that the Lord does not function according to our agendas, according to our rules, and according to our ideas, it can actually inflame terror in us. 

Christ Jesus in our Gospel reading certainly shatters the expectations and worldview of the disciples by walking on water, but He quickly grants them comfort.  Jesus Christ is indeed ‘Lord’ and not some sissy savior.  He does bring about a Holy awe, as He should.  Yet, in our Gospel reading, He didn’t leave the disciples in their fear, but immediately spoke to them the sure and comforting words, “It is I; do not be afraid.”  Because they were troubled, Jesus calmed them with the words, “Take heart.”  Because they did not know who He was, Jesus responded with the words, “It is I.”  Because they were fearful, Jesus responded with the words, “Do not be afraid.”  In these reassuring words, He reveals Himself to them and then gives them all that they need. 

Is it any different for you and me today?  In the midst of our fears of: terrorist attacks, spiders, death, being a failure, war, criminal violence, the future, flying, snakes, hospitals, sin, death, the devil, the world, and the Holy-Righteous Lord Himself—the words of Christ are spoken into our ears, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Yes, these words are true and bring us comfort, for Jesus Christ certainly came to mankind by being born into the crashing waves of this world.  He walked through the midst of the blowing winds of sin, temptation, and the devil towards the cross where all the calamity of life was conquered.  The Christ conquered death, sin, the devil and satisfied the wrath of God—for you.  Through His death on a wooden cross you were saved.  Furthermore, the Holy Spirit called you by the Gospel, sanctified you, and has placed you in a holy boat, the ark of the church.  Yes, you have been baptized into the name of Jesus and placed in the church where you are daily and richly forgiven of all your sins and kept in the true faith.  The church, this church, is a safe haven and a place of salvation and certainty in the midst of a world of chaos and uncertainty.  Here in the Lord’s holy church you are in the living presence of Christ where you are clothed, fed, sustained, and given the words, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 

These powerful words of Jesus should have been enough for the disciples; however, as is typical, they were not enough for the Apostle Peter.  The Apostle Peter, not being sure that it was Jesus walking on water said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  Yes, Peter doubted if it really was Jesus on the water and then he made this silly request of wanting to walk on the water towards Jesus.  It was not enough for Peter to stay in the boat with the simple words of Jesus, but Peter required additional proof beyond Jesus’ comforting words. 

“This is where we see Jesus do something that is quite consistent with the actions of God throughout the Bible.  Sometimes, when God’s people ask for something stupid, God gives it to them in order to give them a learning experience.  Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter, being the [impulsive] guy he is, got out of the boat and walked to Jesus on the water.” [3]

“Now, instead of just standing there with Jesus, Peter began to look at his surroundings.  The wind was very threatening.  Peter sank into the water.  The terror returned.  Peter cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’”[4]

Thankfully though, Jesus ‘reached out’ His hand and took hold of Peter and brought him back to the boat. 

Baptized Saints, “Peter’s faith is not being held up as an example to emulate.  His weakness is being showcased, in order that, in direct contrast, Jesus’ identity and power and grace might be seen more fully.  There is nothing admirable in his example, nothing bold about his desire to get out of the boat.”[5]  In other words, like Peter we are prone to leave the boat, the church, and venture off.  The Lord indeed speaks words of comfort to us in the boat, that is, the church; however, like Peter we are often times not content with the simple word of God within the church and want some sort of personal sign and validation.  Tragically, we find ourselves wanting more than the clear and comforting Word of God within His church; we want bigger experiences, we want something spectacular, and we want to walk on water ourselves.  Like Peter, we are easily distracted by the waves, the winds, and the storms of life, thus becoming easily terrified resulting in us sinking below the water.  Frankly, we don’t belong outside of the boat, for we cannot endure the waves and winds, and we most certainly can’t walk on water. 

Thankfully though, the Lord is patient with us.  When we find ourselves sinking in these situations that we have created ourselves by leaving the boat, crying out in fear, “Lord save me!” the Lord indeed does save us by reaching out to us and dragging us back to the boat, the place where He graciously restores us and comforts us with His gifts. 

Today, you are here in this church and are in the boat.  Thus, in the midst of all the chaos, hear the words of Jesus for you, “Take heart, it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Yes, in this world and in your own lives there will surely be plenty of waves, winds, and storms, but take courage dear flock for Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the devil and holds you in the church in the one true faith until the Last Day.

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

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[1] Jeffrey A. Gibbs. Concordia Commentary: Matthew 11:2 – 20:34 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2010), 761..

[2] See Isaiah 6.

[3] James T. Batchelor. “Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Sermon for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Hooperston, IL” http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3851 (9 August 2014)

[4] James T. Batchelor. “Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Sermon for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Hooperston, IL”

[5] Gibbs. Concordia Commentary: Matthew 11:2- - 20:34, 763.

Compassionately Driven - For You

Text:  Matthew 14:13-21

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

The disciples were faced with a large dilemma.  There were over 5,000 people gathered around Jesus.  To be precise, there was probably more like 15,000 people due to the scriptures only counting the men and not the women and children.  These 15,000 people though were growing hungry as implied by our text today.  You see, the crowds of people were in a desolate place where there was no food.  No vending machines.  No concession stands.  Furthermore, it was getting dark and once the darkness of night would fall upon them, it would be difficult for them to be excused to find shelter and more importantly food.  Therefore, the disciples felt a sense of responsibility to the people and their welfare, which led them to come to Jesus insisting that the people be excused so that they could make their way into the villages for food and shelter.  Yes, from a human and commonsense perspective, this indeed makes sense.  It would have made sense for Jesus and the disciples to stand up and say, “That is all there is for today folks.  We will see you tomorrow.  It is time for you to go home now and get a bite to eat.”  Problem solved.  Crisis avoided. 

This all seems like a logical conclusion to dismiss the people; however, the disciples are faced with yet another dilemma.  That dilemma is that Jesus doesn’t live and operate within the boundaries of what the sensible thing is to do.  In a word, the disciples’ dilemma of hungry people is met with Jesus’ compassion.  You see, Jesus went out to this deserted place after He received the news of the death of John the Baptist.  This place was desolate; however, in spite of His best efforts to withdraw by Himself from public activity, the people followed Jesus out to this desolate place.  Among the people were many sick that were transported to where Jesus was.  Thus, Jesus did not want to dismiss them for He had compassion on them; His heart was moved at the sight of the crowd that had followed Him.  They need not go away.  They must stay with Jesus, for the Gospel of Mark states that they were like a sheep without a shepherd. Yes, they needed to stay with Jesus for He was the good shepherd and they were needy people who could not help themselves.  Indeed, many of them were physically sick and ‘all’ of them were spiritually sick.  They were strength-less people who had been transported into this distant uninhabited place.

What of their hunger though? 

Well, as you heard, Jesus simply tells the disciples to give them something to eat. 

But what will they eat?

Keep in mind that they were in an isolated place.  Taco Bell was not open ‘til 11:00 PM and there was not a 24 hour Seven-Eleven. This said, the disciples did have a few resources at their disposal though.  They had two fish and five loaves of bread.  That is approximately two to three bags worth of groceries; only enough to feed one family and possibly two if one distributed the food frugally.  Therefore, should the disciples take the scales out, divide the food up into15,000 equal bite sized portions?  Should they just distribute the food to those that were in real need?    

No.

Rather than the people returning back to their homes to acquire food or going hungry, Jesus has the means to take care of them Himself.  Otherwise stated, He takes what is limited—the five loaves and two fish—and then tells the crowd to sit on the grass.  After blessing the food, Jesus then distributes the food.  Miraculously the food is multiplied and these helpless, strength-less, and hungry people are fed by a tremendous bounty of food.  They are filled.  The Lord made 15,000 stomachs full and over 12 baskets of food were left over. 

Do you see what is happening in our Gospel reading?  I am sure some of those who ate the meal from Jesus got it, while others probably didn’t get it until later on.  Did you though pick up on what happened?  Take a moment and consider what happened at this miracle.  Jesus said that the people were like a sheep without a shepherd.  They are sitting on green grass next to water.  Does not today’s event of Jesus feeding the 5,000 plus people on the green grass, next to still waters, remind you of Psalm 23?  “As the 5,000 and more went home, pondering what had happened, the light was to go on. 

‘Hey, that Jesus, He is something else.  Green pastures, still waters, food when there was none, and us all sitting down in families around Him just like our forefathers around the tabernacle.  He is the one, the Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel.”[1] He is the one Messiah who is compassionate to sheep like us, we who don’t have a shepherd.

Yes, Jesus was the Good Shepherd that was spoken of in the Old Testament, He was and is the compassionate Shepherd-Messiah who indeed serves His sheep and suffers with them.  This miracle not only served the physical needs of the people, but served as an event to reveal, verify, and testify that He is the Son of God.  These miracles are intended to grant faith to the people of the story and grant faith to you and me right here and right now in the twenty-first-century. 

This Gospel reading from today clearly shows and reveals to you and me the character of the Christ by not only showing us that He is the Messiah and that the miracle points to His divinity, but that He really is compassionate.  Yes, we can clearly see that He healed the sick and filled the stomachs of the hungry because He is compassionate and “through him the Father shows his compassion.”[2]  Truly, the Gospel reading testifies and reveals to us that Jesus is compassionate towards sinful mankind.  However, this compassion is not merely limited to this story in the New Testament and these specific people in the New Testament.  Rather, this disposition of compassion is a pattern that emerges in the Gospels and is a disposition that has lasting and present ramifications for you and me right here and right now.  You see, for one to be compassionate or to have compassion they are moved in the seat of their affections.  They are moved in their emotions and actions because they suffer with another.  To be compassionate is to feel another person’s pain and emotion, and to be filled with tenderness towards another suffering individual.  Otherwise stated, the way that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, looks at mankind is so much different than the way we look at creation.  Where we see a burden and suffering people and attempt to dismiss these troubled ones like the disciples saying, “Please just go home;” Jesus though swells with compassion and reaches out. There are other times where we do feel compassion for a neighbor who is strength-less and needy, but then we find that our compassion is limited to mere sympathetic feelings due to our inability to physically fix or remedy their predicament.  Jesus’ compassion though for sinful, sick, helpless, and strength-less mankind is so much more than just a sentimental feeling; rather, His compassion drives Him to do things.  Jesus’ compassion drives Him to heal, provide, and sustain.  This compassion drives Christ to restore everything that is broken, warped, wrong, and dying due to sin. This compassion drives Christ to not only feed the hungry, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, but also go to Calvary for people like you and me who hunger and thirst for righteousness; people like you and me who are damned and dying in the desolation of sin.  Yes, the same compassion for the people that drove Jesus to heal and multiply fish and bread is the same compassion that drove Christ to the cross to redeem mankind from sin, death, and the devil.

This compassion not only results in the historic events of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ for the whole world, but this compassion extends to you here in this church, Zion Lutheran Church.  In other words, it is true that at Calvary’s cross Jesus died for the sins of the world; mankind and creation did not receive what is due, but rather the words, “It is finished.”  Like a river from Calvary’s Cross, the Lord’s compassion come to you in this church.  Like the endless and multiplying bread and fish, there is no shortage of forgiveness and grace for you.  As Jesus fed the 5,000 plus individuals through His clueless disciples by having them pass out the bread and fish to the crowd, Jesus still gives His gifts to sinners so that they may share them with other sinners.  Let me explain.  “At the beginning of the service, you confess your sins before God and each other.  Then, even though I am just as much a sinner as any of you, I still forgive your sins with the forgiveness that Jesus Christ has given to me.  As I stand here in this pulpit, I am simply one sinner telling other sinners about Christ’s salvation.  [I am one beggar pointing other beggars where the warm bread it.  I am one beggar distributing the warm bread in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ.]  Furthermore, as I consecrate the bread and the wine of the sacrament, I am a sinner who relies on Christ’s promise to take up residence in the bread and wine with His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins.  Just as the multiplying of the fish and loaves had nothing to do with the disciples who delivered the meal to the crowds, so also the source of forgiveness, life, and salvation has nothing to do with the pastor.  Instead, it all depends on Jesus”[3]—for you. 

Yes, this compassion of Christ extended to the people of our Gospel reading and drove Jesus to the cross.  But it still keeps coming; His compassion extends to you not with bread and fish but with Water, Words, Bread, and Wine.  Like that unending, limitless, multiplying bread and fish, this grace of God is anew for you each and every Sunday from this church, your church that you are a baptized member of. 

Baptized saints, you are washed in the name of the Triune God, absolved by the Word, and fed by the body and blood of the Lord—for the forgiveness of your sins.  Like the multiplying bread and fish, this grace continually comes to you for the Lord is full of compassion and abounding in steadfast love to you. 

Yes you are people who are in a desolate place, but take comfort dear sheep, for the Good Shepherd has compassion on you and for you. 

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

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[1] Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004),  192.

[2] Jeffrey Gibbs, Matthew 11:2-20:34: Concordia Commentary Series (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2010), 749.

[3] James T. Batchelor, “Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Sermon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hoopeston, IL” http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3843 (2 August 2014).