Gaudete (Advent 3)

 Gaudete (Advent 3) – December 15, 2024

Psalm 85; Isaiah 40:1-11; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

St. Matthew 11:2-11

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

St. John the Baptist was in prison because he preached to Herod that Herod’s adulterous marriage to his brother’s wife was sinful.[1] John was also hated by the Pharisees and those of the Temple because he called them a brood of vipers.[2] St. John, as the prophesied Elijah to come, preached primarily a message of repentance.[3] He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to make the rough places plane, that is, to call people to repentance that they would be prepared to receive the Christ.

St. John also preached the Gospel. He baptized the multitudes who came to him from Jerusalem and all the region around the Jordan.[4] Holy Baptism is a preaching of the forgiveness of sins, the release from bondage to the devil, and adoption by the Father as a new creation in Christ. St. John pointed troubled consciences to Christ, the Prophet like Moses, who would die for their sins.

And yet it was not for the proclamation of Christ that John found himself in prison. It was for the preaching of the Law. It was for the call to repentance. The Holy Law of God is not just a perfunctory set of rules, independent from the call to salvation. When the Law of God first enters the heart of man, it reveals that he has not kept the Law. He has not done all that God commands. He has sinned and earned the wrath of God. As John is preaching the Law, he is revealing the rocky hills and steep valleys in the soul of man. This serves to prepare the way of the Lord by showing the necessity of making the path straight and the hills plane or level.

And the natural man, still in his sins, chaffs at this. It is uncomfortable to be told you are wrong. It is worse to be told that you are a sinner who makes God angry with your every action. And it is the worst to be told that because of your sin, you deserve damnation and the eternal wrath of God.

Now, if John only preached the Law, then all who heard him would either be led to pride or despair. Those drawn toward pride would seek only to justify their sin, finding reasons that their own actions are excusable, sensible, or even that their sins are in fact righteousness. And we are all guilty of this to some extent. “Sure, I didn’t honor my mother when I yelled at her for telling me to clean my room, but she didn’t need to ground me for it. Its her fault!” “Yeah, I didn’t keep the Sabbath holy when I stayed home from church, but I was really tired, and God loves me anyway so what’s one Sunday?” “If he wasn’t such a jerk about it, I wouldn’t have to complain to my friends about him.” And on and on.

Then there are those who would despair. These feel the weight of the Law on their hearts but refuse to find relief. “I am such a terrible sinner, God could never love me.” We, also, all have our temptations toward despair. A terminal diagnosis is the worst news we could imagine. It’s God’s fault. He is to blame for my sin, and He won’t do anything about it.

St. John’s preaching of the forgiveness of sins, the Gospel of Christ, continues even when he is in prison. He sends his disciples to Jesus as much for their benefit as his own. He wants them to know that Christ is the object of their faith. He wants them to know that Jesus is the One who is to come, the prophet like Moses, God in flesh, who will die for their sins. He wants them to be disciples of Christ, not just of John.

John sends them with a question, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”[5] They are to ask Jesus if He is the promised Messiah or if they should look for another. This question deserves three observations. First, no matter how Christ answers the question, yes or no, the question already expresses trust in whatever Christ will say. It is like Mary telling the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.[6] She doesn’t know what Jesus is going to tell the servants, but she trusts, that is she has faith, that whatever it will be is true and good. The question of John is the same. He, and his disciples, trust that whatever Jesus says is true and good, even if it means that Jesus is only another prophet.

The second observation, in light of the first, is that John and his disciples already have faith in Jesus. They trust His word above all others. There is some room for debate over whether John is only asking the question for the sake of his disciples—meaning that he already knows the answer, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God—or if John is experiencing a moment of doubt and is asking the question for his own benefit.

The text is somewhat unclear. Afterall, John is the greatest man to be born of woman and he was the first to recognize the Christ while he was still in the womb. He has known since before his own birth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And yet he stands in a long line of prophets who spoke directly with God and still experienced doubt. John is Elijah, sent to prepare the hearts of man to receive their King, and Elijah experienced doubt. He believed he was the only Christian left on the face of the earth and begged God to let him die.[7] Elijah doubted so it shouldn’t be surprising if John has a moment of doubt.

If John is sending his disciples for their own benefit, then it is a picture of God sending His ministers, pastors, to proclaim the Word of God for the sake of you, His beloved people. John is serving those in his care by sending them to Jesus. If the question is from John’s own heart, then it is a picture of God consoling His own through His Word. Either way, it is a message of consolation for the hurting heart, the sorrowful conscience.

The third observation we should make about John’s question is the title he applies to Christ. He asks if Jesus is the Coming One. It is this question that led our fathers in the faith to appoint this text for the Third Sunday of Advent, for Gaudete. Advent means “coming” and Jesus is certainly the Coming One. He is the One who came in the flesh at Bethlehem and who will come again on the Last Day. He is also the Coming One who comes to you daily in His Word and most intimately in the Holy Sacraments—Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. He brings Himself to you, joining Himself to you first in Baptism and then in the Holy Communion. There is never a time that Christ is not the Coming One. He is never only the One who came nor the One who is to come. He is and always will be the One who is coming to you.

Our Lord’s answer to John’s question is likewise twofold. He points to the miracles that were prophesied of the Christ and which He has fulfilled. When Jesus performs miracles of healing and restoration, He is not checking off boxes on a list of signs that He is the Messiah. He is showing compassion on His beloved people. He is the Light and Life of man. He cannot help but bring restoration and new life to those whom He loves because this is within His very essence. The prophecies which spoke of these miracles were given for our sake, that by them, we would recognize the Christ who is Coming.

At the same time, we would do well to note that John has not seen any of these miracles, nor did he perform any himself.[8] John must believe the report of his disciples. This is important because we find ourselves in the same position. I’ve never seen someone raised from the dead, nor the blind made to see, nor the deaf made to hear. I don’t expect to ever see these miracles and you shouldn’t either. In fact, we know that wicked men will perform miracles to deceive Christians into false religion. The demons are powerful and will inspire all kinds of signs and wonders to deceive even the elect if possible.

What John and all of us have is the Word of God. We have the faithful witness of the Holy Scriptures, inspired by the Holy Ghost, to tell us those things necessary for faith. We have the very Word of God to report all things necessary for salvation. This sure and certain Word of God serves us just as it does St. John the Baptist. In the face of suffering and even martyrdom, it strengthens you in body and soul to life everlasting. And that is why daily reading the Scriptures and committing them to memory is so important. It is not just an exercise or a work to be done. It is the very life-giving Word of God by which you are saved. We ought to view reading the Scriptures the way we see eating, drinking, and breathing. In fact, it is even more important.

“And blessed is he who is not offended because of [Christ.]”[9] Offended is not hurt feelings or disappointment. To be offended is to stumble, to fall, to lose faith. Jesus is saying, “You who do not stumble because of My Word, because of My life, death, and resurrection; You who hold tightly to Me and My Word shall truly be blessed. Sight, the ability to walk, health, hearing, wealth, and even life in this world are nothing if they are not in Me.”

Those who received these miracles of Christ were blessed by Him but that is nothing compared to those who believe in Him, who receive Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. The one true miracle of Christ is your salvation, the resurrection of all flesh on the Last Day when you will be made anew and join Christ for all eternity. This is what the Word of God has promised to those who are not offended by Christ. This is the promise of God by which you live and breathe and have your being. This is the promise in which you find rest, no matter your sight, hearing, wealth, or health. Christ is the Coming One, who has and is coming to you this day in His Holy Word.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] St. Matthew 14:3.

[2] St. Matthew 3:7-12.

[3] St. Matthew 11:10; Malachi 4:5-6.

[4] St. Matthew 3:5-6.

[5] St. Matthew 11:3.

[6] St. John 2:5.

[7] 1 Kings 19:14.

[8] St. John 10:41.

[9] St. Matthew 11:6.

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity – September 22, 2024

Psalm 119; Proverbs 25:6-14; Ephesians 4:1-6

St. Luke 14:1-11

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

When Christ our Lord went to the house of a ruler of the Pharisees for dinner on the Sabbath, he posed a question to the lawyers and Pharisees. He asked, “It is lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He is not asking them to compare the Third and Fifth commandments. This is not a question of whether it is more important to love God or love your neighbor. Rather, our Lord is asking these experts in the Word of God which is more important, the moral or ceremonial law?

When we consider the Law of God, we are right to distinguish the laws given by God to man into three categories: the civil, moral, and ceremonial laws. This division of the law is given by God, Himself when He says, “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded…”[1]

The civil law is a particularization of the moral law, given by God, to produce a certain kind of outward behavior by which the civil society might be best governed among the people of Israel, the Old Testament nation of the Hebrew people.[2] That is to say, the civil law takes the precepts of the moral law and makes them fit the particular nation of God’s people in the Old Testament.

The moral law is written in the hearts of man from the moment of creation.[3] It is the eternal will of God and it is summarized most clearly in the Ten Commandments. Our Lord summarizes the moral law even further when asked about the greatest commandment in the Law, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[4]

The ceremonial law is a particularization of the moral law regarding the worship of the Triune God. Put another way, the ceremonial law is God’s description of how man is to keep the First, Second, and Third Commandments. However, the final purpose, or the goal of the ceremonial law is in three parts: 1) to be a reminder of sin;[5] 2) a shadow of what is to come, that is, Christ Himself;[6] and 3) to guard our consciences until the coming of Christ.[7]

Everything about the ceremonial law was given so show our need for a savior and to tell us about Him. Therefore, once the Christ came, once the Son of God took on flesh and dwelt among His people, once He bore the sins of the world upon His shoulders and died to atone for them, the ceremonial law was fulfilled and no longer had a purpose. God showed the end of the ceremonial law to His people by tearing the temple curtain in half from top to bottom at the death of Jesus.[8]

Our Lord’s question to the Pharisees is the same as asking, “Which takes priority: the eternal will of God, rooted in the love of God and love toward neighbor or the temporary law given to point to the Savior who is sitting in your midst?” The silence of the lawyers and Pharisees is deafening. When phrased this way, the answer to our Lord’s question is obvious. It was probably obvious to you from the moment it was read because you’ve read your bibles and listened to sermons on this text before. But, if you allow your conscience to be silent and content not to meditate on the meaning of the question, then you do not know the Scriptures nor the power therein and your silence is as deafening as that of the Pharisees.[9] “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things.”[10]

By asking the Pharisees what seems like a simple question, our Lord is asking if they are babes requiring spiritual milk or if they are mature and prepared for spiritual meat.[11] The same Word of God is spiritual milk for the unlearned and hearty meat for the mature. These Pharisees, who thought themselves mature, are not willing to speak up, to engage with Christ. They are also not willing to put their supposed mature faith to practice as they would’ve done nothing for the dropsical man. Their faith is sluggish and immature and yet they would claim to be the teachers of Israel. In this way, our Lord is mocking the Pharisees that they would see their error, repent, and begin anew to receive the Word of God.

The same is true of us. Our Lord’s words seem simple, but they hold a deeper challenge to our spirituality and our understanding of the Word of God. Upon hearing such a question that seems simple, your soul ought to begin to wonder, “Why is our Lord asking this question?” “Is He referencing the Old Testament?” “To whom is He speaking and what do I have in common with them?” Such questions will foster the faith given to you by the Holy Spirit into a more mature understanding of God’s Word. And, guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself growing in wisdom and understanding.[12]

And should you take an honest assessment of yourself and find that you are the immature and in need of spiritual milk, then you have the example of the man with dropsy. He was likely a fellow Pharisee, though we don’t know for sure. He may have been a servant or even someone passing by on the street. The only person recorded as speaking in our reading is Christ but the man with dropsy is the only person who was not expected to speak. He stood silent before the dinner party and silent before Christ. Our Lord knew his needs without him saying a word. He came into the presence of Jesus and our Lord healed him with three straight forward actions: He took him, and healed him, and let him go.[13]

So too, Christ has had mercy on us all. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again and ascended into heaven. Such a simple, straightforward miracle for the recovery of your soul from hell. There is an infinite depth of understanding to be had in these words, but the simple truth is easy to grasp for all the immature requiring spiritual milk.

It is fashionable among Lutherans to always speak of how we are all children before God and therefore we require nothing but spiritual milk. Christ even says, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”[14] But these words are often misunderstood (at best) and abused (at worst). It would be false humility to make a show of being immature. It would be false humility to assert your rights as being more humble than someone else. It would be false humility to insist that no one is exalted. Such false humility is nothing but the height of sinful pride.

 Pride is the love of your own excellence, even if you’ve fallen in love with your excellence in false humility.^[15] “[True] humility is the virtue by which a man recognizes his own unworthiness because he really knows himself” and agrees with God’s assessment of man.^[16] It is so very easy for us to overlook our own pride because it brings results. Results make us feel better. Feeling better about ourselves causes us to love our own efforts, our own ideas, ourselves for our own excellence.

Pride is not the same as striving for excellence, or godly ambition. As a Christian, you are called to grow in wisdom and understanding of God’s Word. The entire life of the Christian is one of catechesis, growing in the Word of God. No one ever outgrows the Word of God. There is always more to learn and more to receive.

Striving for excellence is not the same as loving your excellence. Loving your excellence is thinking highly of yourself; striving for excellence for the sake of recognition from others; and seeking worldly gain solely based on how great you are. This is pride. This is sin.

Humility, on the other hand, is the basis of our salvation. The Son of God humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He took on our flesh and made Himself unworthy of salvation by bearing the sin of the world. He who knew no sin became sin for you, so that you would become worthy of His salvation.^[17] It could even be said that Christ humbled Himself so that He could learn our suffering, and having learned our suffering, He might bear it to the cross and bring it to an end.

It is because the Son of God took on flesh for our salvation that humility is the fundamental Christian virtue. It is the basis of the Christian life – humility to confess, repent, learn, grow, and receive the gifts of God with a pure heart. The Christian must always strive toward humility because such an endeavor means you are striving to live as Christ.

There is a single road between sin and salvation. Each step toward salvation is a step away from sin and each step toward sin is a step away from salvation. Thanks be to God we are not left alone on this journey. Christ died for you that you would share in His life. The victory over sin and death is won for you. The gates of eternity stand open. The days of your life on this side of glory are perilous because they contain temptations to pride. Every day presents you with manifold opportunities to turn away from salvation and indulge in your pride, the love of your own excellence; to take the highest seat of honor and stick up your nose at those less fortunate than you.

Yet every day also presents you with the opportunity to repent. Every day offers you the opportunity to look at yourself and recognize yourself for who you are. You are a sinner. Sin lies at the door, waiting to devour you.^[18] You are unworthy of salvation because your heart is willing to turn from God and indulge your flesh.

You are also a child of God. You have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who forms your prayers to be acceptable to the Father.^[19] You have received the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Because you know the mercy and love of God, you have access to the Father. You may come to Him and beg forgiveness.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] Deuteronomy 6:1.

[2] This definition comes from Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, Chemnitz’s Works, Volume 8, translated by J. A. O. Preus (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), 619.

[3] Romans 2:15.

[4] St. Matthew 22:37-39.

[5] Hebrews 10:3.

[6] Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1; 8:5.

[7] Galatians 3:24.

[8] St. Luke 23:44-46; St. Matthew 27:51; St. Mark 15:38-39.

[9] St. Matthew 22:29; St. Mark 12:24.

[10] 1 Corinthians 2:14-15.

[11] Hebrews 5:12-14.

[12] Psalm 119:105; St. John 16:13-15.

[13] St. Luke 14:4.

[14] St. Luke 14:11.

[15] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On the Steps of Humility and Pride,” Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works, The Classics of Western Spirituality, translated by G.R. Evans (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1987), IV.14 [112].

[16] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On Humility and Pride,” I.2 [103].

[17] 2 Corinthians 5:21.

[18] Genesis 4:7.

[19] Romans 8:26-27.

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity – October 9, 2022

Psalm 119; Proverbs 25:6-14; Ephesians 4:1-6

St. Luke 14:1-11

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

Sometime before being invited to dine at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, Christ was confronted by another Pharisee.[1] At that time, He was about to heal a woman who was bent in half by a spirit of infirmity in her bones for over eighteen years. It was again a Sabbath and this Pharisee tried to stop Jesus because of the Sabbath laws. Jesus called him a hypocrite and asked if he would not loose an ox or donkey on the Sabbath to drink water. If an animal should be loosed to drink water on the Sabbath, should not a true daughter of Abraham be loosed from her bonds on the Sabbath also?

Continuing His journey toward Jerusalem, our Lord came to be invited into the home of yet another Pharisee, this time a leader of the sect. It also seems that all the Sabbath dinner guests were carefully observing Jesus, scrutinizing His words and actions for flaws of which they could accuse Him. Seeing a man with dropsy, likely a temptation planted by the host of the dinner, our Lord did not wait to be admonished by the observant Pharisees. Instead, He opens the dialogue by asking if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

Our Lord’s question is not asking for information, nor testing the knowledge of the Pharisees. It is mocking their pride. These experts in the law know that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Everyone recognizes that it is lawful to heal, bless, cure, and save on the Sabbath. The questions of our Lord on this occasion leave the Pharisees caught in their own trap. If they say yes, it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, then they are admitting the fault in their sinful attempts against Jesus. If they say no, they are denying the mercy and love of God, something that, despite their actions, they claim to uphold.

After the miracle, the Pharisees are rendered incapable of responding to Jesus. They have no words to say. Anything they might say will only further accuse them. They are silent in their shame. They are like a child who stands accused of breaking the window, trying to hide the baseball bat behind his back and afraid to speak. To speak would be to admit their sin. To remain silent is to deny the love, mercy, and forgiveness of God.

In this context, our Lord delivers a teaching on humility. He is not strictly giving the Pharisees a lesson in etiquette. It is true that according to human groups, you will gain more prestige by sitting in the lowest place and waiting to be invited to a higher seat. However, having such knowledge and using it to your advantage is not humility. It is pride masquerading as humility. Choosing the lower place to manipulate your host into inviting you higher is the same as manipulating your host into stroking your pride.

Pride is the love of your own excellence.[2] “Humility is the virtue by which a man recognizes his own unworthiness because he really knows himself.”[3] It is so very easy for us to overlook our own pride because it brings results. Results make us feel better. Feeling better about ourselves causes us to love our own efforts, our own ideas, ourselves for our own excellence.

Pride is not the same as striving for excellence. As a Christian, you are called to be the best grandmother you can be. You are even called to strive to be a better salesman, machine operator, or writer than you currently are. You are called to strive to be better so that you can better serve your neighbor. As a better grandmother, you can help guide your grandchildren into virtuous lives. As a better salesman, you can better provide for your family and help connect your customers to the products they need, not just the products that will earn you a higher commission.

Striving for excellence is not the same as loving your excellence. Loving your excellence is thinking highly of yourself; striving for excellence for the sake of recognition from others; and seeking worldly gain solely based on how great you are. This is pride. This is sin. This is, in fact, the basis of sin.

Eve was drawn to eat the forbidden fruit by curiosity. She desired to taste, to know, that which had not been given to her to taste or know. This curiosity was an expression of pride. She believed the lie of Satan that God was holding something back from her and she believed that she was deserving of everything. She believed the knowledge of good and evil was the just reward for her excellence.

Humility, on the other hand, is the basis of our salvation. The Son of God humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He took on our flesh and made Himself unworthy of salvation by bearing the sin of the world. He who knew no sin became sin for you, so that you would become worthy of His salvation.[4] It could even be said that Christ humbled Himself so that He could learn our suffering, and having learned our suffering, He might bear it to the cross and bring it to an end.

It is because the Son of God took on flesh for our salvation that humility is the fundamental Christian virtue. It is the basis of the Christian life. The Christian must always strive toward humility because such an endeavor means you are striving to live as Christ.

There is a single road between sin and salvation. Each step toward salvation is a step away from sin and each step toward sin is a step away from salvation. Thanks be to God we are not left alone on this journey. Christ died for you that you would share in His life. The victory over sin and death is won for you. The gates of eternity stand open. The days of your life on this side of glory are perilous because they contain temptations to pride. Every day presents you with manifold opportunities to turn away from salvation and indulge in your pride, the love of your own excellence; to take the highest seat of honor and stick up your nose at those less fortunate than you.

Yet every day also presents you with the opportunity to repent. Every day offers you the opportunity to look at yourself and recognize yourself for who you are. You are a sinner. Sin lies at the door, waiting to devour you.[5] You are unworthy of salvation because your heart is willing to turn from God and indulge your flesh.

You are also a child of God. You have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who forms your prayers to be acceptable to the Father.[6] You have received the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Because you know the mercy and love of God, you have access to the Father. You may come to Him and beg forgiveness.

You recognize your unworthiness, and you know what to do about it. You come to God in prayer and beg for forgiveness, knowing that because of the blood of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. You can repent without fear because you know that Christ has died for you.

You are a saint. This is nothing to be ashamed of nor something about which to become prideful. You are a saint because you have been made a saint, a holy one. You are a saint of God who is worthy of eternal salvation. You are worthy of eternal bliss because you wear the robe of Christ’s righteousness. You have been called out of the darkness of your pride and into the marvelous light of Christ’s humility.[7]

You are a pilgrim, journeying with Christ through this side of glory until you are called home. You have been called to humility because you have been called to imitate Christ. You fulfill this call to humility by recognizing who and what you are in the sight of God. You are unworthy of His love, yet He loves you. You are unworthy of His mercy, yet He has had mercy on you. You are unworthy of His forgiveness, yet He forgives you. You are unworthy and yet in Christ, you are worthy of the glory of heaven.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 13:10-17.

[2] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On the Steps of Humility and Pride,” Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works, The Classics of Western Spirituality, translated by G.R. Evans (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1987), IV.14 [112].

[3] Bernard of Clairvaux, “On Humility and Pride,” I.2 [103].

[4] 2 Corinthians 5:21.

[5] Genesis 4:7.

[6] Romans 8:26-27.

[7] 1 Peter 2:9-10.

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

 The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity – September 26, 2021

Psalm 119; Proverbs 25:6-14; Ephesians 4:1-6

St. Luke 14:1-11

In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.[1]

For the third time, our Lord has come into conflict with the Pharisees over the Sabbath. This is why they are said to be “watching him carefully.” It may be that the ruler of the Pharisees invited Jesus into his home precisely to entrap him into performing a miracle. I wouldn’t be surprised if the chief Pharisee specifically invited the man with dropsy.

When our Lord asks if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, he is not looking for permission. He knows he is going to heal the man. Rather, he is mocking the Pharisees. They think they have the upper hand, that they have laid a perfect trap. What they didn’t expect was for Jesus to call their bluff. His question leaves them in silence. They are silent because they’ve been caught. They have been called to account for their deeds and yet stand silent before the Lord.

This is not the silence of reverence or the silence of awe. It is the silence of shame, the silence of sin. It is the silence of Adam in the Garden. He hid from his Lord because he was naked. To us, the silence is deafening. To God, we are but small children who, after the window is broken, stand with the baseball bat behind our backs. The Pharisees feel the weight of the Law and stand silent. Any response given would be an admission of guilt.

Then Jesus heals the man and poses a second question. “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Now the Pharisees are not only silent, but they have no answer. No longer do they withhold the truth for there is no truth in them.

Their shame is the revealing of their pride, for pride is the fundamental sin of man. Man desires to be like God and in being like God, he would become more than God. We think we know what is good. We know that suffering is always bad and to be avoided. We know a better foreign policy or tax policy. We know that happiness, leisure, and pleasure are the chief goals in life. It turns out that what we think is good are the things we like. This is the very height of pride.^[2]

We think we are smart, clever, or poetic. We think we can imitate God and by doing so please him. We, like the Pharisees, even think that we can outwit God by knowing the right answer. ‘I know what God says about humility so if I act humbly, I will be exalted.’ When coming into conflict with a brother in Christ, we must tell others about the confrontation, always admitting some mild form of blame while painting the other guy in the worst light. ‘See, I’m humble for admitting my fault but he’s the real bad guy.’

God will not be mocked. God knows the filth in your heart. God knows the greed, wrath, and sloth of your inner thoughts. God knows your humility is hypocritical for it is only a display to garner sympathy. God knows your shame and God will not be mocked.

This is demonstrated in the telling of the parable. It is not an etiquette lesson. Our Lord accomplishes three purposes in this parable. The first is again to mock the Pharisees, showing their false humility to be the height of pride. He sees the Pharisees jockeying for position and again, he mocks their pride. Neither the Pharisee sidling across the room toward the couch at the right hand of the host nor the one making a show of his ‘humility’ to sit at the foot of the table, of course expecting a promotion, avoids the sting of Christ’s parable. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. Those who seek advancement through their own means will end up outside of the banquet.

The second purpose is to reveal himself to the Pharisees. Christ is the one who descended from the Father to dwell amongst sinners. He did not spurn the virgin’s womb, but humbled himself to become man. The very men listening to these words soon have him beaten, spat upon, and executed in the most humiliating manner. He then returns to his Father, to the right hand of God, exalted on high, and crowned in glory. He who humbled himself is exalted.

Remember that he reveals himself in this parable to the Pharisees, in the home of their leader. While he is certainly mocking their behavior, he is also revealing himself to them because he loves them. We are used to Jesus showing compassion upon the tax collector and prostitute, but we must remember that Jesus loves the Pharisee also, which is very good news for you because of how much you and I are like them.

Truly, we have more in common with Nicodemus, who must come to the Lord in the cover of night than Mary who anointed Christ’s feet with pure nard and dried them with her hair in the presence of the disciples. Thanks be to God he has compassion upon the Pharisees because it means he has compassion upon you. He desires their repentance every bit as much as he desires yours. He is their shepherd just as he is yours. Christ died for the ugly sinner just as he died for the fashionable one.

Which leads us to our Lord’s third purpose in the parable: He is calling the Pharisees, and all who hear his words, to his humility. He is calling us to walk in his ways. We no longer humble ourselves expecting a reward for the reward is already ours. We love and serve because Christ has humbled himself that we would be exalted with him.

In fact, we ought to be humbled by the knowledge that we are nothing. We are worms and not men. We are dust. We are nothing compared to God. We are nothing and we have been saved by grace. The love of God, his compassion on sinners has rescued us from the pit and set us upon Mount Zion. Our feet, swollen with dropsy, have been relieved by the piercing of Christ’s feet. We are lifted up and placed in the seat of honor by Christ being lifted up on the beam of the cross. We are counted as the honored guest because Christ is the honored guest who both humbles and exalts those whom he loves.

May the gracious Lord of the banquet continue to humble each of us, that we would be rid of the shameful pride which dwells in the heart of man.

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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[1] This sermon is based on a sermon preached for my Theologia III: Preaching Small Group with Dr. Gifford Grobein during my fourth year of studies at Concordia Theological Seminary. Changes have been made to fit the context of the saints of Mount Calvary.

[2] This and the preceding paragraph are inspired by the Trinity 17 sermon by Rev. David Petersen found at https://cyberstones.org/sermon/trinity-17-2015/