The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

 The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity – August 31, 2025

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.

After being cast out of the garden, Adam knew his wife, Eve. She conceived and bore a son named Cain. She then bore another son named Abel. Cain was a worker of the fields, like his father, while Abel tended the flocks. One day, these two sons went to sacrifice to God but only the sacrifice of Abel was accepted by the Lord. On account of this, Cain’s face fell and he grew angry.

Our first question of the text should be, ‘why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted by God but not Cain’s?’ The Letter to the Hebrews gives us the definitive answer.[1] Abel offered his sacrifice in faith while Cain did not. This is the bottom line, the fundamental truth of the differences in their sacrifices.

At the same time, Scripture presents us with a few more details. Cain offered the fruit of the fields, likely a grain offering, while Abel offered a sacrifice of the firstborn of his flock. Both types of sacrifice, gain and the blood of animals, will later be instituted through Moses, but the greater of these sacrifices is the sacrifice of an animal. Again, the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.[2] By this we know that the sacrifice of blood, the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins, is the greater sacrifice. Even Adam and Eve would’ve had this knowledge. When the Lord gave them the promise of a Savior, the Son of a virgin who would destroy death and the devil, He then sacrificed an animal and covered them with clothes of skin. By the shedding of blood, their nakedness was covered, their sins forgiven.

Our second question of this text should be, ‘why was Cain angry?’ If the difference was in the orientation of Cain’s heart, his lack of faith in the sacrifice, by what right is he angry with God? Even though we know that the sacrifice of blood is greater in the eyes of the Lord than the sacrifice of grain, both are acceptable sacrifices in the eyes of God. Therefore, Cain’s anger arises from his perception of an injustice committed by God. In Cain’s eyes, God is being unfair.

In this, we can sympathize with Cain. Our thoughts are not the Lord’s thoughts, and our ways are not His ways,[3] and all too often they seem unfair. We experience this in life when the wicked prosper but Christians suffer. We experience this in the words of Holy Scripture when the Lord rewards Abraham for pretending Sarah is his sister, or when He declares, “Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated.”[4]

We know from the Scriptures that God cannot be unjust. Any injustice that man perceives in God is the result of a lack of understanding on man’s part, not a lack in God. He is the very definition of justice, righteousness, goodness, and love.[5]

Returning to Cain, the conflict arises not because Cain perceives an injustice in God but because he blames God for the injustice. Rather than seeking the Lord and His righteousness, Cain becomes embittered toward God. He begins to resent his Creator. Yet even in this state, we see the mercy of God. He comes to Cain and asks, “Why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”[6]

The Lord is calling Cain to repentance and guiding him into the way of truth. It is as though God was saying, “Cain, what reason do you have to be angry? No, I did not accept your sacrifice today because it wasn’t offered in faith. Learn from this moment. Learn not to trust in the quality of your sacrifice, nor in your rank as firstborn, nor in the strength of your arm. Place your trust in Me, the One who is truly Good and from Whom all good things come. If your trust is in me and not your sacrifice, then your sacrifices will gladly be accepted. But if not, then satan is waiting to consume you. Your anger will overcome you, and it will be too late to stay your hand.”

But these words did not penetrate Cain’s stony heart. He had hardened himself against the Lord. He had set his mind on killing Abel. Now, generally, Cain’s plan to kill Abel is described as an act of envy. Cain was angry at Abel because Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God. There is truth in this observation. Cain was almost certainly envious of the attention his brother received from God. But a closer read of the text reveals something even darker. If Cain’s anger is the result of a perceived injustice in God, then who is the primary object of his anger? Is it not God? It would follow that Cain’s murderous plan was not directed at Abel but at God. He wanted to destroy the object of God’s affection, hurting God for hurting him.

When God comes to Cain and asks where Abel is (another plea and opportunity for Cain to repent of what he has done), Cain says, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”[7] In effect, he is saying, “God, don’t you know where Abel is? Isn’t he your beloved son? Since you accepted his sacrifice, aren’t You supposed to be watching out for him?” Rather than repenting, Cain is doubling down on blaming God for the current situation. To Cain, it is God’s injustice that killed Abel.

Now, horrified as we are with Cain’s actions, and you should be, consider the times in your own life when you’ve acted as Cain and not as God. Both God and Cain think themselves justified in their actions but only One of them is right. God comes to Cain seeking the latter’s repentance and a restoration of their relationship. Cain doesn’t even respond to God in the first conversation and proceeds to hurt God by attacking the object of God’s affection. When the Lord again offers the opportunity for repentance, Cain does nothing but passive-aggressively attack the Lord. He shifts all blame onto God. For this, Cain is condemned and cast out of the presence of the Lord.

It is here we also see the connection to our Gospel text. The Pharisee loudly extols all of his righteous deeds to God and expects the Lord to reward him. The tax collector humbly begs for God’s mercy for he knows that he is a poor, miserable sinner. Both believe themselves righteous but only one returns to his home justified. One finds his justification in his righteous deeds. The other finds his justification in the mercy and atonement of the Lord. One believes his righteousness is a work of his own hands. The other finds righteousness in the shedding of the innocent blood of the Lamb of God.

According to our thoughts and our ways, the Pharisee is clearly the one who goes home justified. He has done all of the righteous things. He prays loudly so that all can hear and see his righteousness. According to our thoughts and our ways, it would be a great injustice for the Pharisee to be condemned.

Now the tax collector is a wicked man. He makes a living by cheating and stealing from his neighbors. Worse yet, from cheating and stealing from his kindred, from his fellow Judahites, to support the pagan government of Rome. Yet he comes into the Temple to humbly beg for the mercy of God, that God would make atonement for his grave sins and save him from eternal damnation.

The comparison to Cain and Abel is not to think of Cain as the Pharisee and Abel as the tax collector. Both the Pharisee and the tax collector are Cain. They are the two roads laid before Cain. The Pharisee is the sin lying at the door waiting to consume him. The tax collector is the repentance to which the Lord repeatedly calls Cain – both before and after the murder of Abel. “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways.”^[8]

Since the fall of our first parents, sin has been crouching at the door for every one of you. It is waiting for the opportune time to pounce upon your soul and drag you into the depths. But the Lord is patient. The Lord is kind. He has descended into the depths of your flesh to raise you from destruction. There is no depth of sin at which point Christ cannot reach you, no crevasse of the earth into which the blood of Christ, which speaks better things than that of Abel, is not able to cover your sin.

This does require humility. It requires humility not to trust in yourself or your own evaluation of your sins. Original sin has corrupted even your conscience. Alone, our conscience cannot be trusted to rightly discern between sin and righteousness. Our conscience must ever be formed by and checked against the Word of God. The renewal of your mind which comes with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, will never be complete on this side of glory. It requires humility to submit yourself to the Word of God for His ways are not your ways and His thoughts are not your thoughts. It requires humility to trust that God is good, and He will provide for you the escape from your sins. In fact, He has provided the escape from your sins when He humbly submitted to the death of a criminal. In His goodness, He provides for the needy. He bears us up and is our salvation. Blessed be the Lord.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Hebrews 11:4.

[2] Hebrews 9:22.

[3] Isaiah 55:8.

[4] Malachi 1:2-3; Romans 9:13.

[5] Psalm 92:15; Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 3:4.

[6] Genesis 4:6-7.

[7] Genesis 4:9.

[8] The Apostolic Fathers, “Didache 1:1,” 3^rd edition, translated and edited by Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 345. 

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity – August 11, 2024

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.

We must all recognize that there is more of the Pharisee in each of us than there is the Tax Collector. This is because the temptation to justify ourselves is so great.

Sure, on the one hand, we might look at the Pharisee and rightfully point out that he prays in such a way as to make sure everyone else can hear him. We might also point out that while he thanks God that he is not like other men, he doesn’t really ascribe this difference to God. The Pharisee does not say that God is the reason he isn’t tempted toward these sins. Instead, it seems pretty clear that although the Pharisee is thanking God, he is saying that he is a good and pious man because he has worked hard to be a good and pious man.

Seeing these things, we might say to ourselves, “Thank God I’m not like that self-righteous Pharisee! I know better than that!” And that is why I say there is more of the Pharisee in each of us than we realize. This is the same sin as the Pharisee.

It is a good and God pleasing thing to thank God that you have not fallen into grave sins – extortion, embezzlement, adultery, or murder. But equally important is realizing that the reason you haven’t fallen into those sins is not that you are strong, but that God has preserved you from them.[1] Every one of us is moments away from falling into the worst sins imaginable. The only thing protecting you is the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the depth of the depravity of the human condition.[2] There is no woman that is incapable of having an affair. There is no man that is incapable of killing another person – man, woman, or child.

The stakes of the parable seem much lower, but I can tell you they are not. The Pharisee – that pillar of the community and known by all to be pious and kind – prays to the Lord in praise of himself. He seeks to justify himself by his actions and he wants God to recognize his efforts. The result, as Jesus says, is that he goes back to his home a pagan. He eventually goes to his home in hell, just the same as the unrepentant extortioner, thief, adulterer, and murderer. The blasphemer is equally condemned.

The Tax Collector is a great sinner. He has turned his back on his people, stealing from his neighbors, his cousins, his family, all for selfish gain. He has tied himself to the pagans who have invaded his country, and he supports their wicked sacrifices to demons. He is the man no one wants his son to become.

But the heart of the Tax Collector has been turned toward God. He has heard the Word of God, and it has convicted his heart of sin.[3] He has seen the sins in his life. He knows there is nothing he can do to be free of these demons.[4] For this reason, he prays to the Triune God, “Please, be merciful to me, for I am the worst of all men.” He does not ask for God’s pity. He doesn’t ask for a handout from God or reassurance that everything will be ok. He doesn’t ask God to change the situation around him. He doesn’t even ask for the strength to become unlike other men because he knows that even changing his ways won’t save him from the fires of hell.

The Tax Collector asks God to make atonement for him. He asks God to spill the blood of God’s own Son on his behalf. He asks for Jesus to bind the demons in his soul and cast them into the abyss, making way for the Holy Ghost. He finds himself in the Temple asking that God would cleanse him and make him the temple of the Holy Ghost.

This is the lesson for today. In the Book of Leviticus, as God is establishing the worship by which He would be present with His people, we read,

Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.[5]

Then immediately, we hear,

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.[6]

Aaron offered sacrifices to the Lord according to God’s good pleasure. His heart, and the hearts of the people, were oriented toward God, knowing that it was not their obedience to God that made atonement, but that God had provided them with the offering which He Himself would receive.

The sin of Nadab and Abihu was that they thought any sacrifice would do. They thought any fire could be used to sacrifice to God. They thought so little of their own sin that God would excuse it because He had already come to dwell with His people.

Do not make the mistake that you are immune to these temptations. There is the crass dismissal of God’s law, like that of Nadab and Abihu, thinking so very little of your sin. Then there is a more subtle temptation, akin to that of Cain. Both Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices to God but only Abel’s was received. Why? Because Cain’s was not offered in faith.[7] Cain placed his trust in the sacrifice, not on the gracious God who would receive it. This subtle temptation is to think that because your name is on the membership roles, because you are here this morning, because you tithe, because you are well liked, because you aren’t like other men (not even like Cain, Nadab, Abihu, or even that Pharisee), you are saved. There is no human on this earth who is incapable of the greatest sins.

Rather, are you like the Tax Collector? Are you frightened of your sins? Are you in mind of the fact that hell is real and could really swallow you whole on the last day? In this case, repent of the sins clinging to your flesh. Follow the example of the Tax Collector and confess that you are the sinner, the worst mankind has to offer, and plead that God would have mercy on your soul.

Recognize also, that God has had mercy on your soul. He has given you a gift greater than you can imagine. The very blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, was shed to forgive your sins. The atonement, for which the Tax Collector prayed, has been made. The same God who warned Cain against the sin waiting to devour him; the same God who came to dwell with Moses, Aaron, and the children of Israel; the same God who descended into mortal flesh shed His blood to cover, to make atonement for your sins. It is then this same God who comes to you today. He comes in the Word read and even more intimately in His Body and Blood. The very Body and Blood of Jesus that you receive from this altar is the blood of the atonement, the Body broken and blood shed on the cross. It is the same and it gives you the answer to the Tax Collector’s prayer. The Lord has had mercy on you.

In + Jesus' Name. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 121:7-8.

[2] Romans 3:23.

[3] Psalm 86:11.

[4] St. Matthew 12:29.

[5] Leviticus 9:22-24.

[6] Leviticus 10:1-3.

[7] Hebrews 11:4.