The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

 The Fourth Sunday after Trinity – July 13, 2025

Psalm 27; Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 8:18-23

St. Luke 6:36-42

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Judge not lest ye be judged,”[1] is among the most abused verses of Scripture, if not the most abused. It is taken to mean there is no place for harsh or negative words on the lips of Christians, as though we are commanded to live and let live. ‘Preach only the Gospel.’ ‘Be nice and the hearts of many will be turned.’

But no one who has read the Scriptures can come to this conclusion. The Bible is full of commandments to judge and condemn false doctrine – including sin. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”[2] Every pastor is commanded not only to forgive sins but to rebuke and warn against them; as well as train up Christians for every good work.[3] This requires making judgements and condemning false doctrine and sin.

This task of judging and condemning is not just given to pastors in their preaching. The Prophet Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”[4] Psalm 119 goes so far as to command us to “hate every false way.”[5] And Christ commands the sheep to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”[6] It would be impossible to discern between a false prophet and a true prophet if you could not judge. And how do you judge this doctrine? By comparing it to the Word of God, the only inerrant and infallible rule and norm by which doctrine can be judged.

Then what is our Lord forbidding in these words, “Judge not, condemn not”? He is forbidding judging hearts, not according to God’s Word but according to our own thoughts, preferences, or opinions. It is judging without love and mercy but according to the passions of our own flesh. The synopsis, or summary, of the Gospel text this morning is “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”[7] But why should you be merciful as God is merciful? What should move, or motivate, you to be merciful as God is merciful?

First, you ought to be moved by the mercy God has shown toward you. Earlier in the sermon on the plain, Christ told us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.[8] Here, that command is taken a step further. Do unto others as you would have God do to you. Don’t get me wrong, it is not our mercy that causes God to have mercy on us. It is not our actions that cause God to grant us grace and forgiveness. However, what we do in and with that grace and mercy can certainly cause our Heavenly Father to withdraw the same.

Think of the parable of the unforgiving servant. A servant owes his master 60 million days’ wages, somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion, or over 230,000 years of work. The master has compassion on his servant and forgives his debt. But then the servant finds a fellow servant who owes him $16,000, about 5 months of work. Since he can’t pay the debt, the servant has him beaten and thrown in jail. When the master hears what he has done, he throws the unforgiving servant to the torturers and jailers until the debt is paid.

The servant did nothing to earn the compassion of his master but when he failed to show similar compassion to his fellow servant, the master returned his lack of forgiveness upon him with the same measure: pressed down, shaken together, and running over. That servant was forgiven 230,000 years of debt and yet you have been forgiven more. Your Heavenly Father sent His Only Begotten Son to die for your debt of sin and to rise again that you would no longer be a slave but a son, and that you would enjoy this inheritance for all eternity. You have been set free from the punishment of the Law and the sting of death. Such is the sweet mercy of God that has been shown to you. Such is the same mercy you’ve been called to show to your neighbor.

When we say that good works are motivated by the Gospel, this is what we mean. Though we are but frail mortals, incapable of the perfect mercy of God, we who have been set free by such a glorious love are to reflect that love in our mercy toward others. What would it say to God if you refused to show forth the mercy that you’ve been shown? It would tell Him that what He has done means very little to you. It would be an abuse of everything that He has done for and given to you. He gives you life and you would use it in service to death.

Rather, see your forgiveness for what it is. It is a new life, a new beginning, a new existence as a son of God. A son wants nothing more than a father he can be proud of and to be like his father. We have a Father who defines what it means to be a father. As His dear children, our hearts ought to desire nothing less than to be like Him, to walk in His ways and enjoy His favor for all eternity.

I’ve already hinted at the second motivation to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful. It is because of the consequences of not being merciful. When we heard of Lazarus and the rich man, I spoke of how seriously God takes sin. He hates sin. He cannot tolerate sin to stand in His presence. He also provides the antidote to the poison of sin. His great love sends the shed blood of Jesus to be for you the medicine of immortality. As seriously as He takes sin, He equally takes your forgiveness seriously.

So then, how would you like God to consider you? Do you wish that He would overlook your besetting sins, those against which you struggle but still find yourself falling into? Of course! Then you should also be willing to overlook such sins in your neighbor. Do you wish to escape the loveless judgment of hell? Then do not judge your neighbor without love. On the last day, do you want God to commend your righteous and merciful deed to your neighbor, making no mention of your sins, as He does with the sheep at His right hand?[9] Then, whenever you can, speak well of your neighbor to the best of your knowledge. Before others and in your own heart, put the best construction on everything that he does.

Do not wish that God would remember your sins no more, keep no record of your sins nor add them up, turn His anger away from you, smile upon you, and hurl all your guilt into the depths of the sea, then turn around and keep tally of your neighbor’s sins against you so that you can use them against him at the opportune time. With the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

The final motivation to be merciful as our Father is merciful as presented in our text is the burden of our own sin. You know the depth of your own sin. You know which temptations to which you are likely to succumb. In this knowledge, the temptation to lovelessly judge your neighbor is twofold. There is the temptation to judge those with similar sins. The man prone to anger is especially angered by another man prone to anger. One who steals is often the first to judge another thief. The opposite temptation is also true. It is very easy to judge someone who is tempted to sins that you are not tempted toward. Such self-righteous indignation boils over from a lack of sympathy.

Yet to be ever mindful of the burden of your own sin ought to move you to show compassion and mercy toward your neighbor. It is humbling to ponder your own sinfulness. This humility can then drive your attitude toward others. It is a somewhat slight example but think of the person who cuts you off in traffic or quickly pulls out in front of you. How easy it is to condemn them for driving recklessly. And it is true, what they’ve done is dangerous. What you don’t know is their child was just flown into the city for emergency surgery; or he has just learned of the infidelity of his wife; or he is a first responder who just received an emergency call that pulled him out of bed during his time off. And besides, who among us hasn’t missed a stop sign, unknowingly cut someone off, or even purposely broken traffic laws?

The point is that you know what it is to be a sinner, and you know what a sinner needs. A sinner needs to be forgiven. A sinner needs mercy. It is not your duty to determine the eternal fate of every person you encounter, but to love God and serve your neighbor. There is a time and place to judge and condemn false doctrine and sin, but there is also a time to remove the plank from your own eye first. Attending to your own sin prepares you with a humble heart to seek the reproof, correction, and instruction of your neighbor.

Your Heavenly Father has had mercy on you. By right, there is only One who may even call Him His Father, for Christ is the only True Son of the Father. Yet in His infinite grace and mercy, He has given to you everything that is His own, including your adoption as a child of God. In faith toward Him and in fervent love toward your neighbor, be merciful, even as your Heavenly Father is merciful.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 6:37.

[2] St. Mark 16:15-16.

[3] 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

[4] Isaiah 5:20.

[5] Psalm 119:104, 128.

[6] St. Matthew 7:15.

[7] St. Luke 6:36.

[8] St. Luke 6:31.

[9] St. Matthew 25:34-40.

Quinquagesima

Quinquagesima – February 19, 2023

Psalm 31; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

St. Luke 18:31-43

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For the third and final time, our Lord gives the Apostles a description of his Passion. He will be betrayed, mocked, spat upon, scourged, and crucified. Then on the third day he will rise. Despite three years of hearing Jesus teach and seeing his numerous miracles, the Apostles don’t understand what he is talking about. What’s more, these words of Jesus are hidden from them.

Then, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man hears the commotion. St. Mark tells us this man’s name is Bartimaeus. He asks what is going on and some men in the crowd tell him Jesus of Nazareth is coming. The crowd identifies our Lord as “Jesus of Nazareth,” as in “Jesus, the son of Joseph the carpenter.” Bartimaeus identifies him as “Jesus, Son of David,” that is, “Jesus the Christ, the Seed of David sent to save his people.”

Bartimaeus goes on to cry out for mercy. The cry, “Lord, have mercy!” was commonly heard whenever a powerful man came into a town. All sorts of people would line the streets and cry out for mercy, hoping for a little money or even simply to be noticed by the powerful man. The Apostles and the rest of the crowd probably assumed that Bartimaeus was just one beggar among many, come to gawk at a celebrity.

But when Bartimaeus asks for mercy, he doesn’t mean healing or alms or justice. We know his cry is different because he cries not, “Lord, have mercy,” but, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy!” He recognizes Jesus to be the promised Savior and cries out that he would have mercy upon him, that is, that Jesus would be the atoning sacrifice for his sins. Remember that the top of the ark of the covenant, the seat from which God judged Israel AND the place where the blood of the atoning sacrifice was poured, is called the MERCY SEAT. A cry to Jesus for mercy is a cry for salvation.

In the liturgy, when we sing the Kyrie, we also cry out for mercy. We are not crying out for a favor from a celebrity or hoping that He will notice us. We cry out for the mercy that we already know has been fulfilled. We cry out in joy, celebrating the mercy that has been shown to us. We simultaneously ask Christ to have mercy on us because of our sins and thank Christ for the mercy that He has shown us. This mercy is the shedding of His blood on our behalf. Your works don’t save you but neither does your faith. The blood of Jesus saves you. Your faith, itself a gift of God, simply receives that blood of Jesus, receives forgiveness, life, and salvation.

What do you have that is worthy of Christ’s sacrifice? Nothing. There is nothing within you that is worth Christ’s sacrifice. What then motivates Christ to die on your behalf? His love. The love of Christ is patient. His love is kind. Christ’s love does not insist on his own way, is not irritable or resentful. He does not rejoice at sin but rejoices in the truth. Christ lovingly bears all things. He humbly submits himself to death in love. He believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Christ endures the pain of betrayal, the depth of mockery, the sting of scourging, and the blackness of death. He endures all things because he loves you.

There is nothing within you that is worth Christ’s sacrifice and yet because you are created in His image, everything within you is worth Christ’s sacrifice. He loves you and all people despite themselves. His love never ends. The love of Christ never ends. He Himself is Love.

Bartimaeus was not more intelligent than the Apostles. He didn’t understand the words of Jesus on a higher level of thought. The difference between Bartimaeus and the Apostles is that Bartimaeus trusts that whatever Jesus does, it is for the Good of man. He trusts that Jesus will have mercy upon him and however that mercy is obtained, it will be the Will of God and it will be a blessing to him.

The Apostles have already shown themselves unprepared for this type of faith. St. Peter, the first among the Apostles, has vowed to prevent the crucifixion twice already and has been called Satan because of it. The Apostles have allowed their affection for Jesus to blind them to the purpose of the Incarnation.

At the end of this account, Bartimaeus follows Jesus into Jerusalem. Jesus was headed into Jerusalem to die. It would not be a stretch to think that Bartimaeus followed Jesus into martyrdom. The Love of Christ which redeems his soul then shows itself in Bartimaeus’s own faith. He becomes patient and kind, willing to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things because he can see his eternal reward.

The Love of 1 Corinthians 13 is first a reference to Christ himself. If you have knowledge of all the trivial facts in the bible but do not see how they point to Jesus, then you may as well bang on a gong. If you can speak in beautiful language and hold rapt the attention of thousands but do not speak of Christ’s death on the cross, you are nothing. If you give all your money to the poor and boldly stand up to the government to be martyred but do not have love, you gain nothing. Jesus Christ is love. With Jesus, faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains. Without Jesus, faith the size of Everest is worthless.

Only once you have established this fact, that Jesus Christ is love and only He never ends, can you see how this Love moves within your soul. We bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things for the sake of Christ. We do these things because we know that Jesus has had mercy upon us. Faith, hope, and love abide with us now because we need them now. But the greatest of these three is Love because only it endures forever. Right now, we need faith in things unseen and hope of the resurrection which is made ours in the love of Jesus. At the return of Christ, faith and hope will no longer be necessary because we will see Jesus face to face. Then, of these three, only love will remain.

Bartimaeus is changed by the Love of Christ and his soul is moved such that he can now endure all things. He knows that no amount of suffering on this side of glory can compare with the joy to come. Bartimaeus would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of His God than dwell in the tents of wickedness, even if it means his own temporal death.

Such blessed vision awaits us all. Right now, we see the reality of Christ’s love for us as though we are looking in a dirty mirror. We know God’s love in part only because we cannot yet see clearly. We speak, think, and reason like children because we cannot comprehend the fullness of Christ’s love for us. Often, we think like the Apostles. We let our affection for people, nostalgia for the past, or comfort with the status quo blind us to the purpose of the Incarnation. Affection, nostalgia, and comfort are not evil things in themselves. They are glorious gifts of God. But if they prevent the mercy of God from moving your soul so as to imitate His Love, then they have become idols. You have become an idol. Repent of such foolishness and turn instead toward the perfect Love of Christ.

And “when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”^[1] This coming “perfect” is not related to moral perfection or artisanal precision. It carries the idea of something being fulfilled or brought to completion. It is what Jesus proclaims from the cross, “It is finished.” Thus when the fulness, the completing comes, the partial will pass away. This is a reference to the resurrection. Our eyes will close in death, and we will be as the blind man. Then, we shall recover our sight. We will follow Jesus and glorify God.

When the fullness of time has come, all things will be made new and you will no longer see through a dusty mirror. You will see the fullness of Christ’s glory. You will see His love. You will see. You will know and you will be known. You will see Jesus face to face. You will understand His love.

And on that day, we will see each other. We will see the beautified faces of all the beloved saints of God. We will rejoice and cry out “Lord have mercy!” in joy and delight for the mercy He has shown to us.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Cor 13:10

In Memoriam + Susan Kay Fields +

In Memoriam + Susan Kay Fields + – November 1, 2022

Psalm 23; Job 19:21-27; Romans 3:19-28

St. Luke 2:25-32

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Although Scripture does not tell us his actual age, it is presumed that Simeon is an old man when he sings the words just read. “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.”[1] Presumably many years before, the Lord revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the coming of the Lord’s Christ. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple, Simeon joyfully took up the child and burst forth in song.

What Simeon is praying for is death. He is praying that God would release him from this veil of tears because the Word of God had been fulfilled. The Savior had been born to save the world from sin. Confident that the Christ had come to forgive his sins, Simeon tells God that he is ready to die in peace.

Be very careful not to misunderstand these words of Simeon. When he asks to depart in peace, Simeon is not asking for a quiet death. He is not praying to fall asleep with a pleasant dream and simply not wake up on this side of glory. The peace in which Simeon prays to depart is peace with God. This peace is only possible with the coming of the Savior, the coming of the Son of God in human flesh, the coming of Jesus Christ.

St. Paul writes that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in [God’s] sight…for there is no difference; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[2] To be justified in God’s sight is to be declared, to be made, righteous, and yet there is nothing to be done according to the deeds of the law for man to make himself righteous. All have fallen short. All have sinned. All have sinned first through the original sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and then through the sins of your own flesh; sins in thought, word, and deed.

What are these sins? They are the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, wrath, selfishness, dissensions, envy, murder, drunkenness, and the like.[3] Anything that is contrary to the will of God is sin and there is no one who is free from sin. All have fallen short of the glory of God.

Falling short of God’s glory would not present a problem if God was unjust. If God was unfair, unjust, and played by inconsistent rules, then sin would not matter. God would choose those whom He likes, or who please Him, and they would be saved. Those He doesn’t like; they would be damned. But the True and Living God cannot be persuaded. He cannot be bribed. He is not partial and He is not unfair. God is just.

God’s justice means that the only fair punishment for rebelling against His Word is death…eternal death. All sin is worthy of eternal death no matter how slight in your eyes because all sin is a despising of the God who created you. According to God’s justice alone, man does not stand a chance.

The evidence of sin and the consequences thereof lay before us today. Susan died because of sin. Do not misunderstand me, she did not die because God was punishing a specific sin. God is not so petty as to punish a lewd joke with a terrible disease. No; Susan died because she is human and in being human, she has participated in the sins common to all mankind. The wages of sin is death.

Thanks be to God that He is not only just. He is also the justifier of man. What does this mean? It means that God Himself is the one who took on human flesh. It means that God Himself lived a perfect life. He was born without sin because He was born of a virgin, without inheriting the sin of Adam. As Jesus walked through Galilee and Judea, teaching and healing, He was also gathering the sin of man upon His shoulders. When the Pharisees and the mob took Him to Pilate and demanded Jesus be crucified, He humbly submitted to an unjust death.

Where God is perfectly just, man is unjust. Therefore, God submitted Himself to an unjust death. The sins of man that He bore on His shoulders, He carried with Him to the cross. As Jesus Christ breathed out His final breath on the cross, He died the death that every human deserves. He endured the anguish not only of His own torturous death on the cross, but the physical and spiritual torment due to every human at every time and in every place. There is no suffering common to man which our Lord did not endure.

This same Jesus rested in the tomb for three days and then rose again. Christ rose from the dead not only because He is God, but because death had no claim to Him. He had not sinned in any way. The wages of sin is death and He had not earned death. Because of this, Jesus broke the power of death. He broke the chains of death. He ripped the teeth out of the vicious dog.

This is what Jesus means when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”[4] The death and resurrection of Jesus is the opening of the doorway to eternal life. Death no longer has dominion over those who are in Christ Jesus. Thus, when Simeon prays for a peaceful death, he is not rushing to die. He is not trying to hurry along. He is not looking for a death with dignity. He is asking that God would deliver to him the joys of salvation, that which has been promised to him in the death and resurrection of the Christ.

There was not a moment of Susan’s illness that was not torturous. Aggressive cancer is an ugly sight. It is an ugly sight because it is a visual reminder of the ugliness and the terrible effects of sin. It is the body consuming itself through growth against the will of man and the will of God. How can a just and merciful God allow such suffering, especially to one of His dear children?

Susan was a humble woman. A part of her humility was never bothering to question why God brought her such suffering. Susan’s faith, her trust in God, was an example to us all. And yet, not all of us are capable of such humility. We may question. We may worry.

The 17^th century pastor and hymnwriter, Paul Gerhardt, can help us to understand Susan’s humility, and possibly help us to imitate her great faith:

8    Leave all to His direction;

            In wisdom He doth reign,

      And in a way most wondrous

            His course He will maintain.

      Soon He, His promise keeping,

            With wonder-working skill

      Shall put away the sorrows

            That now thy spirit fill.

9    A while His consolation

            He may to thee deny,

      And seem as though in trial

            He far from thee would fly;

      A while distress and anguish

            May compass thee around,

      Nor to thy supplication

            An answering voice be found.

 

10  But if thou perseverest,

            Thou shalt deliverance find.

      Behold, all unexpected

            He will thy soul unbind

      And from the heavy burden

            Thy heart will soon set free;

      And thou wilt see the blessing

            He had in mind for thee.

 

11  O faithful child of heaven,

            How blessed shalt thou be!

      With songs of glad thanksgiving

            A crown awaiteth thee.

      Into thy hand thy Maker

            Will give the victor’s palm,

      And thou to thy Deliverer

                  Shalt sing a joyous psalm.

(Paul Gerhardt, Commit Whatever Grieves Thee, stanzas 8-11, translation as found in The Lutheran Hymnal. Text is in the public domain.)

On this side of glory, the children of God will continue to suffer because there is sin in the world. There is sin in our flesh. Satan and his demons still lurk in the shadows and still seek to destroy our faith that we would join them in their eternal suffering. And yet God never leaves us alone. What is a lifetime of suffering compared to an eternity of bliss in the presence of Christ? What is a year of cancer compared to an eternity of perfected glory? What is the pain of seeing a loved one suffer compared to an eternity of seeing your Savior with your own two eyes?

We are brought together today because of death. We mourn the loss of Susan because we can no longer reach out and hold her. We can no longer spend evenings talking and laughing together. It is just and right to mourn because death is not good. Death is not the friend of anyone. It is not a part of the circle of life.

However, we also gather today to look forward. We look forward to the day when all who have died will be raised. There will come a day when Christ returns to gather His people as a mother hen gathers her flock. On that day, all who have died in Christ, all who believe in Christ alone for their salvation, all who look to Him as the way, the truth, and the life will be reunited for all eternity. We shall open our eyes and see the face of Christ in glory.

However, on that day, all who do not follow the way, the truth, and the life will also be raised, but they will be raised to everlasting destruction. These will look to the face of Christ and see only judgement. These will only receive the justice of God, a just punishment for their sin. This eternal punishment is far worse than any human can imagine.

It is for this reason that we, like Susan, must rely on Christ. We must go to where He has promised to be—in His Word and Sacraments. We must gather with the church so that our bodies and souls will be fed on the Bread from heaven. We must train our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to trust on Jesus with everything that we have, praying that He would forgive our sins and strengthen us against the temptations of evil.

For a while, God may deny His consolations, His comforts to you. Susan certainly endured such a while. It may seem as though God is far off while distress and anguish surround you. And yet, if your faith perseveres, that is, if you trust that every act of God is for the good of those that love Him, then you know that He will find a way to bless you. When you least expect it, God will unbind your soul, releasing you from the burden of your sins, from pain and suffering. In Susan’s case, this meant calling her home to His side.

And then, with songs of glad thanksgiving, there will come the day when all His saints shall arise. With crowns of gold and palm branches of victory held high, the saints of God will sing His praises day and night. What a joyous day that will be. What a beautiful sight to behold. And all those who repent and believe in Christ will be there—with angels and archangels, with all the company of heaven, with Susan; and we will laud and magnify the glorious name of Christ forever and ever.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 2:29-30.

[2] Romans 3:20, 22-23.

[3] Galatians 5:19-21.

[4] St. John 14:6.

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity – August 28, 2022

Psalm 68; Genesis 4:1-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-10

St. Luke 18:9-14

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Two men went to church to pray, one was an Elder and the other was homeless. Before the service, the Elder came quietly into the nave and prayed, “I give thanks to you Almighty God, that I am not like other men—I am not tempted by money, women, or food, or even alcohol and drugs as this homeless man has certainly struggled with. I’ve been a member here for 35 years, I give more than a tithe, and I even fast during Lent.”

Meanwhile, the homeless man sat in the back corner. He did not make eye contact with anyone, but he also would not look up at the altar for fear that his filth would somehow stain the beautiful clothes. Instead, he wept quietly and prayed, “God, please do not be angry at me. Jesus has died for me.”[1]

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector are going to church. They are presumably at the Temple during either the morning or evening sacrifices. Every day, at 9 AM and 3 PM, public prayer services were conducted in the Temple while the atonement sacrifices were made.[2] A lamb was sacrificed every morning and every evening to atone for the sins of the people. After the lamb was sacrifice, that is, after atonement had been made and the people declared righteous, incense was offered to God. Having been atoned for by the blood of a lamb, it was during the offering of incense that individual prayer was offered. “Let my prayer rise before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”[3]

Our Lord is preaching to those who would justify themselves. He clearly intends to compare the prayers of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. One great difficulty for us in this parable is our familiarity with the Scriptures. We are just familiar enough to get ourselves in trouble.

The prayer of the Pharisee strikes our ears as immediately self-righteous and sinfully prideful. We hear the words, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men,” as being the height of self-righteousness. To do so is dangerous. Our Lord intends to compare the prayers of these two men, but He intends to compare more than the bare words. The prayer of the Pharisee could just as easily be read as a prayer of thanksgiving that God has spared him from the temptations besetting other men. To pray in such a way is good. I thank God I was not raised in a Muslim country, where I would be tempted to worship the false god of the Muhammedans. So too is it a worthy prayer to recount your pious deeds.

On the other hand, the Tax Collector is singularly focused on begging God for mercy. His prayer could even be read as a plea that God would be the sacrifice on his behalf. The Tax Collector is praying for the death of Jesus. He is praying that God would take on his flesh and carry his sins into the grave. He clearly understands there is nothing he can do to save himself. He also understands that just as the blood of the lambs just slaughtered in the Temple are not enough to save his soul. The forgiveness of sins requires the shedding of blood, and the salvation of man requires the shedding of the blood of God.

It is important to understand that the bare words of either man do not determine who returns to his home justified. Recognize that when Jesus says that only one man returns home justified, He means the other returns to his home condemned to hell. The words spoken by these men do not justify nor damn them. The words of their prayers simply reveal the orientation of their hearts.

Let us return to the idea that these men are attending the Divine Service. The words spoken, the prayers said aloud and within their hearts, the hymns sung, and the Scriptures read reveal the orientation of the hearts of the congregation. So do their actions. Seeing the Tax Collector stand in the corner, praying with his eyes cast down speaks of the humility of his heart. He is a man broken by his sin and seeking the One Being who can save him.

The Pharisee stands before all men, making sure they can hear his prayer. His prayer is oriented toward himself. This is reflected in his words in that he refers to himself seven times and never once recounts the works of God. He also does not ask the Father for anything because his heart sees himself as sufficient.

We worship the Triune God. We worship the God who has come to us in our own flesh. Thus, we physically orient our worship toward the altar. An altar is a place of sacrifice. However, our sacrifice has been offered once and for all. Now, the altar serves as that place where the benefits of that sacrifice come to us. Upon the altar sits a crucifix. This is the sign, or symbol, of the sacrifice that is distributed from that altar. The paten and chalice which sit beneath the veil are not symbols, but actually contain the Body and Blood which were shed for your salvation. They contain the answer to the prayer of the Tax Collector.

The bare words of the prayers in the parable are not enough to damn or save. The orientation of the hearts of the men praying them are what give the prayers authority. Now then, before you think I am speaking to the sincerity of your prayers, or the importance of “really feeling your prayers,” stop it. When I speak of the orientation of your heart, I speak of moving toward God or moving toward Man. God alone can change the heart of man. Therefore we pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

If you tried to orient your heart toward God of your own efforts, you will become the Pharisee. Your prayers would be turned immediately toward yourself. In fact, this is already the state of us all. By nature, each of us will turn our prayers toward man. If not praying about how great you are, then praying about how terrible you are and that it is your fault.

By God’s grace and mercy, He has called you into the true faith. He has washed you in the waters of Holy Baptism and He feeds you on His flesh and blood. By this, your heart is oriented toward Him. As such, when your pride swells and you are thankful that you are not like other men, you give thanks to God and pray that He would uphold you in this blessedness. You pray that He would grant you the ability to share this blessedness with others. You thank God that He has died for you and spared you the temptations that are so rampant in our world.

Then when you fall into despair and see the depth of your sin; sin which lies at the bottom of your heart and plagues you with nights of sleeplessness; you pray that God would forgive your sins. You pray that God would atone for your sins with His own blood. Then you give thanks that God has already done this; that He has called a sinner like you into His family. You pray that God would relieve you of your suffering or at least grant you the faith to receive it as a sign that you are loved by Him and hated by the sinful world.

Either way, you come to the altar of God to receive His gifts. You are confident of your salvation because it does not depend on you, your actions, or your words. You are confident because it depends on Christ, His death, and His resurrection.

And then, when you pray, you examine the orientation of your heart. Are you praying to elevate yourself? Or are you praying that you might diminish that Christ would elevate? Are you praying to give thanks and trust in the mighty power of God? Or are you praying that God would see what you have done?

And when you come to worship, are you coming because you are oriented toward God? Does your every action in worship speak of one who is in the presence of the Almighty God? Or do your actions speak of one who is seeking entertainment, recognition, or friendship? Do you come to the altar of God knowing that He is present? Or do you just wait for it to be over? Is there a certain gravity to the Divine Service or is it something that must be done just so you can get to the part where you might stand before others and be heard?

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

¹⁰ your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”[4]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] This is a retelling of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from St. Luke 18:9-14.

[2] Arthur A. Just, Jr. Luke 9:51-24:53, Concordia Commentary Series (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1997), 681-682.

[3] Psalm 141:2.

[4] St. Matthew 6:2-18.