Philippian Hymn

 

PHILIPPIANS 2

What’s the first song you ever memorized? Was it the ABC song? Was it Do, Re, Mi or Yankee Doodle? Do you remember memorizing The Star Spangled Banner, My Country Tis of Thee or God Bless America? How about A Mighty Fortress is Our God?

I ask those questions because our reading from Philippians is an early Christian song or hymn describing Jesus as an obedient servant. The hymn is not a call to imitate Christ, which would be impossible, but for you and me to be “in Christ” and to treat each other as Jesus loved his disciples.

Now, did you know that Martin Luther wrote many songs? We call them hymns. Luther’s hymns were a confession of faith, not personal feelings. They were written not to be read, but to be sung by the whole congregation. Luther’s people learned to sing them. Practices were set during the week for the entire congregation; and in the home, after the catechism hour, the family was encouraged to sing.

Luther’s most important hymns are O Lord Look Down from Heaven Behold, Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word, and A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, the most well-known of Luther’s hymns.  A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is known as the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation.” And, believe it or not, even good Catholics know and sing this hymn in their churches.

Luther also wrote hymns for Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. There are hymns that teach us about the Ten Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer and the Lord’s Supper. If you don’t know any of these hymns, ask your parents to find them on the internet, and ask them to sing along! That’ll be fun for all!

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless all children, and give their fathers and mothers the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Acts, Authority, Answer

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled Three A’s: Acts, Authority and Answer. My focus is Matthew 21: 23-27. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

When I think of Three A’s (or AAA), what comes to mind is the American Automobile Association. But did you know that there are 170 definitions for AAA, including Antique Automobile Association, American Accounting Association, American Accordionists' Association, Atheist and Agnostic Association, Area Agency on Aging, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Anti-Aircraft Artillery, a college degree (Associate of Applied Arts) and a battery size.

My Three A’s – Acts, Authority and Answer – all have to deal with our Gospel, that is, the acts that occurred before Jesus is confronted, the meaning of authority, and the answer of the chief priests and elders.

First, Acts. Chapter 21 opens with Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. As he did, people spread their cloaks or leafy tree branches on the road, while shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when some asked “Who is this?”, the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” (21:1-11).

The chapter continues with Jesus entering the temple where he expelled buyers and sellers, overturned money-changers’ tables while declaring, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers” (21:12-13).

Meanwhile, Jesus healed the blind and the lame as children shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” When confronted by indignant chief priests and scribes who saw and heard these wonderful things, Jesus cited the psalm which reads, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise” (Ps 8:2). After that, Jesus left Jerusalem. The next morning, after he cursed a figless tree, he returned to the temple. That brings us to today’s passage.

The chief priests and elders confront Jesus about “these things.” They are the acts entering Jerusalem, expelling money changers, healing blind and lame people, and the acclamations by babes for the Son of David.

Up to this point, these chief priests and elders of the Temple would not have had much occasion to clash with Jesus in the Galilean countryside, and their question had only to do with these acts within the city and temple. And so, as he is teaching, he is confronted, which fits beautifully into the scope of the passage as Jesus is Teacher. That concludes point one, acts, and begins point two, authority.

The word authority means power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior. At times, it is given by another person in authority such as the president or some local official. Authority also means grounds or warrant, as in an excellent authority for believing the claim. An expert may be called as an authority to testify in the court as an authority.

Although our text translates the word used in our passage as authority, the Greek word used, exousia, actually means power. Authority without real power is illusory. Exousia is God’s power given to Jesus, or the power Jesus gave his disciples.

This power represents the absolute possibility of action that is proper to God alone as the source of all power and legality.[2] For example, while God gives power to Jesus, He also enables others to exercise power. In Luke we read how the devil took Jesus “up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will’” (4:5-6).

God also gave power to those who arrested and killed Jesus. “Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, ‘Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness’” (Lk 22:52-53).

Power is given by God to the beast in Revelation, where we read, “The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. … Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation” (7:5,7). Yet, God’s will encompasses Satan’s sphere of dominion. And the final mystery of evil is not its power but the fact that this hostile power may still be encompassed by God’s overruling.[3]

In addition to possessing divine power, Christ also possessed the divine right to freely share his power. In the Great Commission, Jesus said to the Eleven, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Mt 28:18), and he gave it to them.

Now, lest you think that this power was simply to make church law, know that it is much more than who can receive Communion or be married. The power that Christ gave to his disciples and the Church is cosmic. We read in John, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (1:11-13). And later, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (17:1-2). Several weeks ago, we read in Matthew, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (11:27).

Christ used his power to forgive sins (Mk 2:10), expel demons (Mk 3:15) and teach (Mt 7:29; 9:8; Mk 11:28; Lk 4:36). As a believer, you have received this power, for you are children of God possessing the promise of everlasting life (Jn 1:12).

With this understanding of the divine power that Jesus possessed and shared, we turn to our passage. By what authority was Jesus doing these things, and who gave him this authority? We already know that His Father gave him authority, but his confronters are blind, and to them Jesus poses a counter-question.

Now, to us, this may seem like Jesus is employing an evasion tactic, like 99% of elected or appointed government officials use, but this is a rabbinic question and counter-question conversation used to establish the truth of a matter.[4] So, Jesus appeals to a recent example, John the Baptist, and waits for his accusers to answer.

The question showed the lack of honesty of Jesus’ enemies. For Jesus, John’s baptism came from God for He himself was baptized by John. On the contrary, they did not accept the message of John and did not consider his baptism from God.

That brings me to my third point, answer. The priests and the elders were aware of the importance or significance of Jesus’ question. After some discussion regarding John’s authority to baptize, they answered, “We don’t know.” This shows that they were incapable of recognizing authentic authority. We know why they answered Jesus as they did. The Gospels tell us that they feared looking foolish or being stoned. Yet, this did not prevent them from taking part in the death of Jesus.[5]

Their response is a pretense. Their only interest was not to lose their power over the people. As a group, they already decided that Jesus should be condemned to death (Mt 12:14). Their total lack of honesty made them unworthy to receive an answer from Jesus.

Without sounding presumptuous, as believers we know by whose authority John and Jesus acted. We also believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives eternally. Furthermore, we believe that we too will live eternally because Jesus promised that to his believers. But what bearing does that belief place on us today? How are we to live not only as individuals but also as community, as church?

We not only say we will do what God asks, but we do it daily. Jesus says repent, we repent. He commands us to carry our cross and follow him, we follow. He instructs us to let others see our good works, we show them. We love our enemies and forgive without counting the number of times. We pray, fast and give alms to the poor. We do all this because Jesus is Lord, Savior and Master. We learn from him, obey him and love him. To us, nothing matters more than doing what our Lord commands; and, we do all things without disputing or grumbling (Phil 2:14).

Friends, we are equal brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are not equal to God, and we do not grasp at being equal to Him. Even if we can’t physically get down on our knees, I ask that we recognize in our hearts, minds, lips and acts that Jesus Christ is Lord, and humbly obey whatever He commands us. And when we do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 122.

[2] Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 238ff.

[3] TDNT, 239.

[4] Albright and Mann, 260.

[5] JBC, 664.

Holy Indifference!

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled Holy Indifference, and my focus is on Philippians 1:20 and Matthew 20:15.[1] Paul wrote, “Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Jesus said, “’Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’” Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[2] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

 

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart - Down in my heart - Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart - Down in my heart to stay

 

"Down In My Heart," sometimes titled "I've Got the Joy" is a popular Christian campfire and scouting song written by a Unitarian minister, George Cooke. Cooke’s song reminds us that no matter the circumstances, Christians are to be joyful.

The word joy appears over 400 times in the Bible and more than 12 times in Philippians. Indeed, Paul had joy in his heart when he wrote this letter, but do we know why?

We understand joy as an emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. For example, a mother feels joy at seeing her son's success. Joy can be a source or cause of keen pleasure or something or someone greatly valued or appreciated. Watching Sidney Crosby play hockey is pure joy. What were Paul’s joyful circumstances when he wrote, “Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death”?

Examining Philippians in its entirety and Matthew in its greater context offers insight into the joy a Christian should feel when following Jesus.

First, Philippians. According to Acts 16:9, a vision summoned Paul to preach the gospel in Macedonia. Unlike most cities where Paul preached, Philippi had no significant Jewish population or synagogue. His relations with this church were warm and affectionate, and the Philippians consistently supported his work. You see the warm relationship they shared in Paul’s greeting. Normally, to enforce his authority, Paul included the word apostle. In Philippians, he opened with “Paul and Timothy, servants (or slaves) of Christ Jesus.”

Paul wrote to the Philippians while imprisoned. He explained his reason for writing in chapter two. Paul wrote:

“I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed, he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am more than eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So, receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”

In other words, Paul reassured the Philippians who sent gifts with Epaphroditus that their messenger, who had a brush with death, was ready to resume his apostolic work upon return to Philippi.

In today’s passage, Paul conveyed that while imprisonment seemed to be a disadvantage, it served to advance the gospel. Even nonbelievers knew Paul was imprisoned for Christ, and was not a common criminal. However, there were men who sought to cause Paul trouble, hoping to prolong his imprisonment. Quoting Job, Paul assuredly insisted that though he knew not whether his sentence would bring death or life, God would vindicate him and bring him deliverance. Paul exuded hope – the virtue that waits with eager expectation – in his desire to glorify Christ through life or death.

Indifference to death is difficult to understand. We associate such indifference with the depths of despair and pain, but here it arises in a letter which, more than any other, exudes hope and joy. This gives us a glimpse into Paul’s spirit and motivation – that his life and identity were wrapped up in his allegiance to Jesus. That is why he encouraged the Philippians to boast joyfully – not because of what they could do as independent individuals apart from God but because of what God was able to do through them.

Joyfully boast of what God can do through you. On that thought, let us end Philippians and turn to Matthew.

In its greater context today’s passage comes on the heels of the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. After assuring Jesus that he observed the commandments, the man went away sad, because he was not up to Jesus’ challenge to sell his possessions, give the poor the proceeds, and follow Him.

Jesus stated how difficult the rich find it to obey Him prompting Peter to reply, “We left everything and followed you. What will we have?” Jesus assured his disciples that when the Son of Man would sit on his glorious throne, they would sit on judgment thrones, receive a hundredfold of what they left behind and inherit eternal life. But before he told today’s parable, Jesus concluded, “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” This saying concludes two successive sections in Matthew, but it does not supply the meaning of today’s parable.

Now, for point of information, a denarius would feed one’s family for a day; anything less would be subsistent pay. In the parable, the master paid every worker enough to sustain his family for a day.

The first hired were paid last because the point of Jesus’ story depended on their seeing what the last employees received. Contrasting the two extremes, the first and the last, those who worked twelve hours and those who worked one, revealed that the master was strikingly generous. Every man could feed his family.

But when the last were paid, the first calculated how much more they would be paid. Against conventional expectation, they also received a denarius, the agreed upon wage. Equal payment is why the first hired grumbled about the master’s apparent injustice, expressed in their lament, “you made them equal to us.”

Equality is what is offensive and scandalous about Jesus’ parable. Equality is what is counterintuitive and remarkable about the reign of God. In God’s Kingdom there is no room for self-promotion, no occasion for competition, no basis on which one disciple can say to another, “I have no need of you” or “I am more important than you are.” The master treats all workers the same, and owing to God’s grace, there is no distinction on the Last Day. Even the apostles are simply laborers in the vineyard.

The parable was a reminder to Christians, especially those with authority, who saw themselves and their congregations as special, that like the first followers of Jesus, we are all simply laborers in His vineyard.

Finally, what do Paul and Matthew teach us today? What lessons do we learn about joy and grace? Do we feel like singing Cooke’s campfire song? Do I have joy in my heart when living through unfavorable circumstances? Do we recognize the difference between generosity and grace? If imprisoned for practicing my faith, would I acknowledge that God’s ways and thoughts are higher? When evildoers assail me and extract a pound of my flesh, am I confident about my deliverance, my salvation, my redemption? When God shows mercy to people who damaged my reputation, am I joyful or resentful? If my fate lay in the hands of those who hate me, do I prefer life, death or God’s will? In a word, am I indifferent?

By indifference I do not mean apathy or a “who cares” or “whatever” attitude. On the contrary, holy indifference means total openness to the will of God in one’s life.  In other words, whatever God wills for me, I will strive with all my heart, mind and soul to conform to His will. I will not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short one.

How did Jesus expect His disciples to attain holy indifference? How did Paul achieve acceptance of God’s will? How did a sentenced Paul bring glory to Christ? Through a constant, dynamic prayer life which led them to total confidence in God and a willingness to give themselves wholly to the Trinity.

They were indifferent because they knew God directed them. Their love for Father, Son and Spirit was so deep that all obstacles between God and themselves were removed to the point that they knew how to use things properly, for example, money, property or talent, to glorify God. They were able to do so because they recognized that all things came from God, that all people were from God. Hence, Paul not only withstood his enemies’ inflictions, but welcomed them if they brought glory to Christ and His Gospel.

As laborers in the vineyard, we have much to learn from today’s Scriptures. We have much to learn from Paul. We can all learn from others who accept their fate and witness for Christ.

Consider what we can learn from Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman raised by her Ethiopian Orthodox mother after her Muslim father abandoned them. Several years ago, her cousins claimed Meriam committed adultery and apostasy by marrying Daniel Wani, a Christian. The religious court in Sudan sentenced her to death.

Meriam was always a Christian, but the prosecution claimed she should have followed the faith of her absent father. It demanded she abandon her Christian faith and believe in Islam. The judge gave her three days to do so, but she refused, arguing she was a lifelong Christian, and could not abandon her genuine personal faith at the request of a court.

Meriam’s story is tragically dramatic because when arrested she was the mother of a young boy and pregnant with a daughter. Since the court considered her son a Muslim, he could not remain with his Christian father but rather lived in a bug-infested prison cell with his “Muslim” mother. Worse, the court did not admit Meriam to a hospital to give birth. She delivered her daughter in her cell while shackled to the floor. Shockingly, the court ruled Meriam could live for two more years to nurse her daughter. When weaned, Meriam was to be hanged. … International pressure allowed the family to emigrate to New Hampshire where they lived with Meriam's brother-in-law for two years before moving to Virginia.

Currently, Ibrahim advocates for other victims of religious persecution and women who face gender-based violence and domestic abuse. She admits that her time in prison wasn't easy, but there are others who are in worse conditions in Sudan. She says, “Sadly, this was all under the guise of the law. So instead of protecting people, the law is harming them. … I put my life at risk for the women of Sudan and for Christians live under difficult circumstances, persecuted and treated harshly. There are many Meriams in Sudan and throughout the world.”

Now, imagine if a court gave you three days to embrace Islam to save your life. It was an easy choice for Meriam, but she refused, declaring: “I am a Christian and I will remain a Christian.” Yes, heroic, saintly courage still exists in our world.

While we witness demonstrations over the tragic deaths of some individuals, why is the world silent at the barbarous slaughter of Christians in the Middle East and Africa? And while demanding respect for people like Meriam and religious freedom for Christians around the world, should we not welcome trials that test our faith? Should we not pray for deliverance and holy indifference? Should we not joyfully accept what comes as long as God is glorified? Should we not rejoice that God extends His grace to those who have labored one hour to our twelve?

God’s activity insults us when we shift our gaze from our Triune God to our fellow laborers. We must pray for strength to keep our eyes fixed on God, to avoid envious eyes and see through joyful eyes His grace at work in our world, even in the midst of trials.

I conclude with a meditation found on a Confederate soldier.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things; I was given infirmity, that I might to better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy; I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men; I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for – but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men most richly blessed.

This week, consider how blessed you are. Thank God for your trials that you too might be most richly blessed. And when you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] For references, please see my blog: https://cwynar.blogspot.com/2014/09/holy-indifference.html.

[2] Psalm 122.

Fraternal Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35)

 

I grew up as the middle boy of three sons. My older brother was one year and nine months older than I. My younger brother was one year and seven months younger.

Like boys, we sometimes disagreed, argued, called each other names and occasionally hit one another. There were unkind words, hurt feelings and sometimes aches and bruises.

When this occurred, my parents intervened and told us, sometimes very forcefully, to apologize. When we were toddlers, they made us kiss and make up. By the time we were teenagers, verbal apologies, however shallow, sufficed.

Forced fraternal forgiveness kept the peace in our family, and most likely saved my parents from the insane asylum.

In our gospel today, Peter asks if he must forgive his brother up to seven times? Seven times?! Who could forgive anyone up to seven times?! Yet, seven was the perfect number. So, Peter’s act of forgiving someone seven times was very noble.

Sometimes, do you have trouble forgiving a person who has embarrassed or insulted you? Don’t you think they need to be punished? Don’t you think you should have the chance to get even with that person? A lot of people think that way, and sometimes they make a huge mistake by trying to get even.

Jesus reminds us that because God has first forgiven us, we must forgive others not just once or seven times, but seventy times seven times. In other words, Jesus does not limit our forgiveness of other people because God’s forgiveness of us is unlimited. So, today, be as forgiving as Jesus was to those who hurt him.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless all children, and give their fathers and mothers the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Make Room for Forgiveness

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … The title of my sermon is Question, Answer and Church. My focus is on Matthew 18:21-35. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Did you know that there are more than three dozen songs by popular singers with the word ‘forgive’ in the title? There is an online list of these songs, and I have never heard any of them. In fact, I have never even heard of most of the artists on that list except for Pat Boone, Donna Summer, Paul Simon and Carly Simon. When it comes to movies, one person posted a question on an internet chat board asking for suggestions for movies about forgiveness because the best he could come up with is Angels with Dirty Faces starring Jimmy Cagney. Finally, when I looked at Goodreads for books on forgiveness, the only ones I recognized were East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. My point is that as a culture, we rarely sing about or write about forgiveness. We lack forgiveness.

That said, the best teaching on forgiveness is our passage today. First, we have Peter’s question, followed by Jesus’ answer. Finally, we need to place that within the context of Church and focus on how we practice forgiveness.

First, Peter’s question. Matthew wrote that Peter came up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (18:21).

Now, there is nothing particularly Christian about the practice of forgiveness. Whatever one’s religion or nonreligion, people request and grant forgiveness almost every day.[2] A personal example. When we take Travis outside and he’s off leash, we always make him wear an electronic recall collar. The vibration of the collar’s two prongs when pressed on the remote gets his attention faster than cooked bacon. So, last Thursday, we took Travis to the groomer. He was picture perfect and no longer smelled, well, like a dirty dog. On Friday, after the builders left the site of our new home construction, Cindy and I went out to look at the progress and take some pictures. Because it had rained for several days earlier that week, we were careful to watch our footing. There is a lot of muddy clay puddles. Of course, we let Travis come with us. I put his recall collar on his neck and put the remote in my pocket. We had finished our inspection and photographs and started to walk away from the site. My back was turned and Cindy started yelling ‘No!’ at Travis and for me to ‘Hit the remote!’ Freshly bathed and groomed Travis found the muddiest puddle on our property and he wasn’t going to be denied some fun. He took a mud bath.

Later, after we hosed the mud and stink off Travis, Cindy apologized to me for yelling, explaining that she wasn’t mad at me but at Travis. This had to be at least the seventh time he’s done something like this. This type of forgiveness involved a trivial and unintentional matter – a Golden Retriever doing what he loves. Forgiveness, however, becomes problematic only when the trespasses are more serious, when they are intentional, and especially when they are repeated.[3]

So, why did Peter ask his question and why did Matthew record it? Well, within the greater context of last week’s passage, we see that Jesus called his disciples to be different than the rest of the world and in particular to be gracious and humble. Here, the question of forgiveness raised by Peter – as a spokesperson for all disciples – shows the smallness of his faith and understanding. The topic of a Christian brother or sister forgiving another disciple of Jesus who has sinned against him or her applies generally to all who follow Christ. Although it is clear that Peter’s understanding of the scope of forgiveness is inadequate, note that by normal human standards, his offer to forgive a brother who sins against him up to seven times is not a trivial one.[4] Peter is willing to forgive up to seven times. Seven is the traditional number of perfection. Nevertheless, he is acting like a rabbi. While acknowledging Jesus’ ‘law’ of forgiveness, he wants that law, like every human law, to have clearly delineated limits.[5] Whatever normal standard is guiding Peter’s question is dwarfed and then swallowed up by Jesus’ response.

Second, Jesus’ answer. Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” (18:22). Jesus declares that forgiveness has nothing to do with moral arithmetic or record keeping. By playing with the number seven and turning it into a symbolic number, Jesus emphasized that true Christian forgiveness knows no limits.[6] As in the case of the Sermon on the Mount (5:21-48), here too does Jesus impart sweeping divine revelation: be ever and always willing to forgive! The specifics remain to be worked out in the tug and pull of Christian existence.

Jesus then spoke the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (18:23-35) which contains three scenes: the master’s compassion for the hopelessly indebted slave (24-27); that forgiven slave’s refusal to show mercy to his fellow slave who had far less debt (28-30); and the master’s angry retraction of his forgiveness and the subsequent punishment of the unforgiving slave (31-34).

There are parallels between the first two scenes.[7] Both begin by presenting the figure of one who is indebted to another. The first slave is indebted to his master, and the fellow slave owes the first slave. Both are initially treated mercilessly. Both are ordered to be sold along with family to repay the debt. Each falls to the ground begging for mercy.

To highlight the contrasts, we see in the first scene that the relationship is between the master and the slave, and in the second, between two slaves. The more obvious contrast is the amount owed. The first slave owed so much money that it would have taken him 60 million days to repay the full amount or 1,000 years imprisonment. The ratio of his debt to that of his fellow slave was 600,000 to one, for the latter owed 100 denarii.[8] Some have surmised that the former must have been a provincial governor for no one else could have access to so much money except a government official.

The third contrast is the response after the appeal for patience to repay the debt. Unexpectedly the master feels compassion for his slave and releases him, forgiving the catastrophically enormous debt. Shockingly, that slave released from the unthinkable burden, imprisons his fellow man until the debt is repaid.

Unaffected by his master’s generosity, the first slave is now summoned to him. The master’s speech reminds us that he was originally motivated because he felt compassion. Now, he is motivated to enact justice because he feels anger, and the once-forgiven slave will be imprisoned until all is repaid.

The parable strikes home because it pins the hearers to the wall with the truth of Jesus’ words. Yet, this is not a new teaching. He had already taught his disciples his own prayer adding this: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (6:14-15).

The wicked slave should forgive because it is the right thing to do, and there is no wiggle room in Jesus’ words. But, how is it possible to act with necessary justice? That, folks, brings me to my third point, Church. How and why do we live as people who can and will forgive one another?

To help answer that we look at the framework of the parable.[9] In the framework of the mind of the wicked slave, he did not see himself as someone who internalized his master’s generosity and forgiveness. Instead, he saw himself as someone who was experiencing a loss and saw his fellow slave as a man who owed him a lot of money: in today’s world, five months wages. Framed that way, it seems logical that one who owed us five months wages should be punished. In our world, it is logical, rational and understandable. But in the framework of a man who had just been pardoned for crime greater than that of Bernie Madoff, does it?

What other way could the wicked slave have viewed these matters? What framework should he have had – and to a greater degree – should members of the Church have? Obviously, he could have seen himself as someone who had just been rescued and released from an unfathomable, crushing debt that would have condemned him and his entire family to spend ten lifetimes in prison. He could have seen himself as someone to whom a stunning grace and generosity had come by way of his master’s compassion. He could have viewed his fellow slave’s debt as trivial in comparison to his own forgiven debt.

To adopt such a framework occurs only through faith. To view Jesus’ call to forgive begins by standing in the flow of forgiveness that begins with God in Christ and comes to me. Then, the second step, only through the power of the Gospel, is to allow that same forgiveness to flow from me to another who needs my mercy. The sequence of events in this parable corresponds to how the reign of God comes into the world through Jesus (4:17) and brings blessings to those who are poor in spirit and those weary for rest.[10] The gift of understanding and faith in Jesus opens up those needy ones to desire and receive the flow of forgiveness. With forgiveness received and standing in the flow of that forgiveness, disciples are able to give one another a similar gift. However, forgiveness that does not flow out from God through Christ to me and then to another is forgiveness that God has offered to me but that I have despised. Forgiveness that has been despised is forgiveness that will be withdrawn.[11]

So, how does this forgiveness work its way out in our relationships with God and one another in Christ? First, God takes the initiative in Christ. Forgiveness is never earned, elicited or merited. Second, we should distinguish between the decision to forgive another and the internal emotions that one may or may not experience in relation to another.

To forgive is to release someone else from the retribution and retaliation that they may deserve to receive. Forgiveness is a Spirit-led choice. The emotions may follow slowly or may need to be dragged out kicking and screaming into the new situation. In some situations, we may distress because of the anger or hurt that lasts for a long time. Emotions sometimes last longer than we might expect. But we should not doubt the fact of God’s unlimited forgiveness for us in Christ Jesus, nor the effectiveness of the past act of declaring the other person forgiven. Emotions may cloud the mind and heart, but they cannot trump the promises of God.

We may need to forgive others more than once for the same sin. Healing may involve repeated mutual confessions and absolutions because there is a struggle within Jesus’ disciples between the ways of the old age or the ways of the modern world and the new time of salvation into which we have been called and baptized.

And so, my friends, I ask you, is there room in your lives, hearts and minds for forgiveness? While some in our world value revenge and ruin, we make room for reconciliation and respect in and through Christ. While some raise their fists and evoke fear through lawlessness, we raise our hearts and call for forgiveness and faithfulness to Law and Gospel.

Friends, beginning today, as Christians, make room for the mercy God pours into your hearts in Christ through Word and Sacrament. As faithful spouses, loving parents and disciplined children, make room for forgiveness. When you do that, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 122.

[2] Hare, 216.

[3] Hare, 216.

[4] Gibbs, 933.

[5] Meier, 133.

[6] Meier, 133.

[7] Gibbs, 935.

[8] Gibbs, 930.

[9] Gibbs, 938.

[10] See Matthew 4:17; 11:25; 11:28-30.

[11] Gibbs, 939.

Called to Be Humble

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My focus is on Matthew 18:4 and Romans 13:6. From Matthew, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” From Romans, “the authorities are ministers of God.”

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

O Lord it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way … I can't wait to look in the mirror cause I get better looking each day … To know me is to love me. I must be a heck of a man … O Lord it's hard to be humble but I'm doing the best that I can.

"It's Hard to Be Humble," the title track of Mac Davis’ 1980 album, and the first of four consecutive Top Ten country hits, is one of the funniest songs ever written. Every pastor over age 40 has quoted it in a sermon that addresses humility.

Today, I will talk about two phrases – he humbled himself by becoming obedient from Romans and the authorities are ministers of God.

The word humble comes from the Latin word humilis meaning “lowly.” It literally means “on the ground or earth.” Because you are “of low birth or rank” you are not to assert yourself, or as Golda Meir said, “Don't be so humble; you're not that great.”[2]

In Matthew 18, Jesus extended his corrective teaching. The question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” revealed the disciples were far from grasping the significance of Jesus’ passion prediction and its implications for them as sons of God.[3] They were concerned about status based on sinful human thinking – being greater or lesser, more or less important. In chapter 20, they will ask about seating arrangements.

Jesus corrected their understanding of “the greatest” in the kingdom of heaven. In today’s language, Jesus’ description of greatness is lowly, childlike neediness as He invites His disciples to a radically different way of thinking and living in community. The image of a child or little one redefines their understanding of greatness in terms of dependence or neediness. This would have shocked and offended a first-century Jew.

The disciples were shocked and offended because although Israel loved and cherished her children, they did not serve as role models for adults. Children did not possess the positive qualities adults strive to emulate. Our Western World is not the classical world of the Ancient East where people held reason in high esteem. In that culture, people regarded children as inferior because they were not rational thinkers. Children were physically weak, subject to the will of adults, and susceptible to sickness. If they were praised it was because they possessed potential for becoming something in the future, not as a paradigm for adults.

True, the psalmist wrote, “children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”[4] However, elsewhere we read children are ignorant of God and unfit to rule. They cannot count and are unable to choose between good and evil. They are easily deceived and cannot defend themselves.[5]

Why did Jesus hold them up as an example for his disciples to emulate? It was because children, like Israel, were dependent upon God for everything. Everything – from identity to food to protection from one’s enemies – came from God. Unless his disciples turned and became like little children dependent on God for everything, not only would they not be considered great in God’s Kingdom, they would not even enter it. What a shocker!

 Jesus redefined the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven not as the independent, capable person who serves others, but one who, like a child, is the weakest, most dependent and most vulnerable. Jesus called his disciples to regard such needy ones as the most important people, worthy of virtually unlimited care and forgiveness.[6] His disciples were to serve these little ones – Jesus’ brothers and sisters – because in God’s eyes, they were the most valuable. They were the greatest in His Kingdom.

Now that we have an understanding of what Jesus said, we turn to Romans. Last week, I said Paul’s advice to the Christians in Rome was not to withdraw from the world into seclusion as an individual or Christian enclave. Instead, he encouraged them to live among others, but with a different set of values. Paul exhorted them to reconcile and win over their enemies through kindness, compassion and brotherly love.

Today, Paul addresses how Roman citizens and subjects should regard authority. After all, Christ’s death won them freedom from the law. Does that not include civil law?

Paul makes two points.[7] First, Christians may not frivolously disregard civil authority. Read the first two verses of Genesis, and see that by overcoming primeval chaos God established order So, Paul lays down that God established order, and that chaos and disorder are His enemies. To oppose order is to oppose God by supporting those forces that are at enmity with God. Freedom from the law does not mean freedom from civil law. Obey traffic laws. Pay your taxes. Respect the office.

That said, a government, whether or not it is aware that it is an agent of God for order and good, punishing evil and disorder, cannot claim for itself absolute devotion from God’s creatures. Devotion is due to God alone. Once a government makes that claim, it becomes an idolatrous opponent of God.

These verses not only describe what a government authority is but also prescribe what it is to be. Limits of power. Keep order for the common good. Obedience to God.

All well and good, but how do the readings relate to our lives today? Friday is Patriot Day, originally designated in memory of the 2,977 killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the day also encourages community engagement. In light of that, how do we apply the passages to our lives as Christians in America?

How do we – humble disciples of the Lord Jesus and authorities charged by God to keep order – serve those who are most valuable in God’s eyes because they are the most vulnerable in our society? First, who are the most vulnerable?

At some point, it is any of us, who, like these little ones, recognize that everything we are and have has its origin in God. From the color of my eyes to the language I speak. My height, gender, race, sense of humor, siblings and parents. I chose none of these. They all come from God. Without God, I am nothing.

To expand on the question requires only a day in the life of America. In addition to church work, my life experiences include schools, hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and prisons. In each of those settings, I found these little ones – society’s most dependent, vulnerable beings. I found children with profound learning disabilities and adults hanging on to the fringes of life. I visited frail elderly women forgotten by family and found housing for homeless women estranged from their families. I served meals to men suffering from schizophrenia and counseled mothers incarcerated for possession. I could make the case that any of these are valuable in God’s eyes, and they are.

Instead, I propose that our most vulnerable, dependent beings are those legally discarded across our nation, unborn infants. Since 1973, taxpayers have legally funded abortions in hundreds of clinics across America. Planned Parenthood, with assets of $2.2 billion dollars, received $616.8 million in government funding in 2018-19. Planned Parenthood affiliates around the country performed 345,672 abortions in the 2018-19 fiscal year.[8] While teens accounted for 10% of all babies aborted, women in their twenties accounted for the majority of abortions. Since 1973, 62 million unborn babies have been aborted in the United States. During the course of our one-hour worship service, 98 babies were aborted.

Are unborn infants our nation’s most vulnerable, dependent beings? Are they the greatest in the Kingdom of God? Like each of us, do they bear the image of God? How can we serve them?

Today’s verses from Romans point to the fact that there is no dimension of life that is beyond God’s concern or outside of His power or control. Those who govern are answerable to God, because there is no area of reality which can exempt itself from His sovereign power.[9] And Christians who are governed need not resort to anarchy while engaging in civil disobedience on matters that are sinful or conscientiously objectionable, such as abortion.

Our Lord’s call to humble oneself like a little child and Paul’s admonition to be subject to the governing authorities does not mean that we acquiesce to sinful activity that is permitted or promoted by any government. Humility does not ultimately depend on personal effort but on openness to God’s power. Humility invites us to make a radical choice ‘to give over all of one’s life to be with Jesus no matter what the consequence.’

Imagine following Christ in being insulted and humiliated without anyone sinning and without there being dishonor to God. Imagine real situations of Christ and his followers being confronted by evil. Left to our own choice, would we respond the way Christ did or display a justifiable reaction of outrage? In our current climate, do we cherish the degradation Christ faced, not because we perversely link religion with destruction, but because we fully embrace the full extent of Christian hope in His promises?[10]

Christians of 1^st century Rome believed Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose from the dead. They believed that they, once rebellious enemies of God, were reconciled through Christ’s death and resurrection. When the Paschal Mystery is embedded in your heart, mind and soul, you do what God asks or commands. You even deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Christ by loving your enemies with brotherly affection.

To answer my previous questions (see above), I thought of the encounter that happened at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2019. If you have ever been on the Annual March for Life in Washington, DC, you know that everyone there is protesting peacefully. Christians of all denominations as well as Orthodox Jews join together to stand up for the unborn. I am sure you have seen at least one video of a young man standing there smiling and another man beating his drum. The young man, Nicholas Sandmann, said that he smiled because he wanted the man beating his drum to know that he was not going to become angry, intimidated or be provoked into a larger confrontation. You’re also aware of the media response, investigations, lawsuits and, as Paul Harvey always said, the rest of the story.

Here’s my point. Many people said that Nicholas Sandmann did not deserve what he got; others disagreed. When we are on the receiving end of harsh criticism and hate speech, we say that we don’t deserve it. You are right. We don’t deserve to be on the receiving end of harsh criticism or hate speech. We deserve worse. We justly deserve God’s present and eternal punishment. We said this in our Confession earlier. Yet, Jesus Christ did nothing to deserve his punishment, but the Good News is that he accepted his punishment in our place for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life. Because we are sinners who do not deserve the grace of eternal life and the forgiveness of our sins, like the Christians of 1^st century Rome, we humbly do what God commands, deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Christ by loving our enemies – those who try to intimidate us with harsh criticism and hate speech – with brotherly affection. Like Nicholas Sandmann, our disposition must communicate that we are not going to become angry, intimidated or be provoked into a larger confrontation.

To do so, we must recognize like a little child that we are all equally needy and dependent on God. If you are going to pick up your cross and carry it behind Jesus, you will experience times and situations when you will be beaten down by sin and evil and Satan and find yourself in dire need. You will be like a dependent, needy child. … and when you see someone in that situation, as a disciple, you must respond to his need.

When you see people who have wandered from the fold, have you considered that you have the opportunity to bring them back with forgiveness, love and understanding? When you know someone who is experiencing a situation where he is beaten down by sin, evil and Satan, do you support him with a compassionate word and a courageous act? When you are aware of someone in dire need, do you offer to help her carry her cross? Are the least in our current culture as valuable and dear to me as they are to God?

My friends, like the disciples, are there moments you are seeking greatness even as you bear your cross and follow Christ? In short, when is the last time you prayed to be humble – humble enough to love even your enemies? If you are a parent, grandparent, teacher or coach, when did you last encourage children to seek humility? This week, I ask you to pray for humility and to love with courage, like to child embraced by our Lord, and when you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 122.

[2] http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=humble

[3] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 11:2 – 20:34. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (2010), 888ff.

[4] Psalm 127:3-5

[5] Gibbs, 892

[6] Ibid., 895.

[7] Paul J. Achtemeier, Romans. Louisville: John Knox Press (1985), 203ff.

[8] https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/abortion.htm; https://www.all.org/learn/abortion/abortion-statistics/; https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/planned-parenthood-annual-report-more-government-money-more-abortions-65786.

[9] Achtemeier, 206

[10] See Katherine Dyckman, Mary Garvin and Elizabeth Liebert, The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed: Uncovering Liberating Possibilities for Women (New York: Paulist, 2001), 202–204.