Category: Sermon Page

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
November 8, 2020

“The Parable of the Ten Virgins” (Matthew 25:1-13)

Today we are entering the last three Sundays of the church year. And, appropriately enough, the readings these weeks all have to do with the end times and the second coming of Christ. You see, the church year mirrors the life of our Lord, culminating in his return on the Last Day. And so the last things of this age are emphasized in the last days of the church’s calendar. But while we know exactly when the church year will end, we do not know when our Lord Jesus Christ will return. “You know neither the day nor the hour,” Jesus says. Thus the need for the church, for us, to be ready for his coming. He may return tonight or tomorrow or next year or a hundred years from now. We don’t know when. But we do know that–that he is coming back to take his church home to himself. So we want to be ready whenever he comes. And that’s what our Gospel reading today is about: being ready, whenever Jesus comes again. Jesus urges this upon us, this need for readiness, in the story that he tells us today, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins.”

The story involves a wedding procession that would accompany a first-century Jewish wedding. The customs back then were a little different from today, so I guess I need to explain. A man and a woman would first become betrothed, which was more than our being engaged, but not quite our being married. The man and the woman would not yet be living under the same roof. But having become betrothed, the actual wedding would follow after some amount of time. Which could vary. What would happen is, the bridegroom would leave his house, head over to the woman’s parents’ house, where she was living, and bring her back to his place. There would be an evening wedding procession, kind of like a torchlight parade, with the friends of the couple accompanying them back to the man’s house for the big marriage feast.

So, for instance, the girl’s friends would be stationed somewhere near her house, oil lamps or torches at the ready, waiting for the bridegroom to appear, the exact time of which could be something of a surprise. The lamp or torch would need oil to work, olive oil, most likely. So it was important that you not only would have a lamp or torch, but also oil, or else your lamp would not stay lit. Well, that’s the setting for the story that Jesus tells.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.” As in most of the parables, Jesus is telling a story to let us know something about the kingdom of heaven. This one is about how people will be either ready or not ready to meet Christ at his return. The people are portrayed here as ten virgins, ten young women. We might also translate, “ten maidens.”

“Five of them were foolish, and five were wise,” Jesus says. The term for “wise” could also be translated, “sensible.” How these five will act will be sensible, wise, because they will be ready and prepared for the bridegroom’s coming. The other girls in the story are described as “foolish.” The Greek word used here is related to our word, “morons.” They were morons, because they were not ready. They were not prepared for what was coming. They were “stuck on stupid,” as we might say. “Foolish” girls, these five.

“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” The foolish girls had lamps or torches alright, but they didn’t bring anything to keep their lamps lit! No oil! That was dumb! The smart girls know you need oil, if you’re going to participate in a torchlight parade.

So these gals, all ten of them, know that the bridegroom is coming. They’ve been told that much, and they’re waiting to meet him. But some are prepared, and some are not. This is a picture of the outward, visible church, all of whom should be in a position to greet their returning Lord. But mixed together in the visible church, there are some who are ready and some who are not. There are some in the church who are true believers, and some who are only hypocrites–outwardly associated with a visible church, perhaps, but that’s all. They may be church members, but they are not really believing in, trusting in, looking forward to, the Lord Jesus Christ when he returns.

“As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’” Well, the bridegroom takes longer than any of them expect, not early evening, but late evening, even as late as midnight. They all fall asleep, all ten of them, the wise and the foolish. But in this story, the sleeping is there only to indicate the long delay, not to show any negligence or unpreparedness on the part of the wise virgins. They were wise, after all, and they did come prepared with oil for their lamps. The foolish girls, on the other hand–they would have been foolish even if the groom had come earlier, because they had brought no oil in the first place.

The delay of the bridegroom corresponds to the relative “delay” of the return of Christ. He would not come again within the lifetime of the apostles or during the early church. In fact, we are still waiting for him today. It seems like a delay. But God is working all things out in his own good time. When Christ will return, we do not know. It could be a while yet, but whenever he comes, we want to be ready. So the question is: Do you have oil for your lamp?

“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’” The moment they had been waiting for has arrived. Time for the wedding procession! Get your lamp lit! Trim off the charred edge, and light it up! “Oops!” say the foolish virgins, “we forgot to bring any oil!”

“But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you. . . .” Apparently, they did not have any extra . . . virgin . . . olive oil. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) “‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’” The foolish girls are faced with an existential crisis. The other girls have no oil to spare, it’s midnight, and now they have to scramble to find what they need for the wedding–which they could have had, which they should have had, earlier on, if only they had not been so foolish.

“And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” Too late. There will come a time when it is too late. “The door was shut.” Ominous words.

“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” This is the danger of being foolish, being unprepared. It will be too late, and you will be shut out. And you do not want to be shut out of this wedding feast. No, for this will be the great and eternal feast.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” That’s the bottom line. Be ready. Be prepared. Don’t think that just because there’s been a delay, that the bridegroom is not coming. No, he is coming, he could come at any moment, so don’t put off being prepared.

So now the question obviously comes: How do we get prepared? You need to have oil for your lamp. Just having a lamp is not enough. Merely having some outward association with the church–even sitting in a pew occasionally–is not the same as actually believing in and trusting in and looking forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank God, the good news today is this: 1) It is not too late, and 2) the oil is free and plentifully available. First, it’s not too late. It’s not midnight yet. Jesus has not yet returned. This is the opportune time to check and see if you have the oil that you need. Listen: “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” In other words, repent and believe the gospel. Realize that you are a sinner who cannot stand in the day of judgment on your own. You need what only Jesus can give you: Forgiveness for all of your sins. Righteousness, his perfect righteousness, to stand before God on Judgment Day. Trust in Christ your Savior. That’s the only sensible thing to do. Don’t be stuck on stupid. Now is the time to receive and rely on the free gifts Christ has to give you, to be received by faith, so that your lamp will be burning brightly at his return.

And so, second, the oil is free, and it is plentifully available. It’s like the invitation in Isaiah 55: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk”–or, in this case, oil–“without money and without price.” Christ has bought all the oil you need for you, and he gives it to you as a free gift. It’s the righteousness you need, as well as the faith to believe it. That righteousness, Christ won for you at great cost, the cost of his holy precious blood shed for you on the cross. That faith, the Holy Spirit works in you through the gospel, through the means of grace. This Spirit-given faith is yours in plentiful supply, as plentiful as the Word and Sacrament you receive here week by week. Friends, there is no oil shortage. And the price could not be any lower.

Oil for your lamps? You got it! No oil shortage here! Instead, there is a free and plentiful supply: purchased by Christ your Savior, supplied by the Spirit, through the means of grace distributed here at this filling station called the church. Fill, baby, fill! And you will be ready, wise ones, whenever our Lord returns.

All Saints’ Day
Sunday, November 1, 2020

“For All the Saints, With All the Saints” (Revelation 7:9-17)

Yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day, when we remember how Martin Luther had to break with the Roman Catholic Church. Luther made it clear that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone and not in the slightest measure by our works. This teaching of justification is the central teaching of the Christian faith. It is the article by which the church stands or falls. And the Lutheran Church is still waiting for the Catholic Church to correct her errors, but she has yet to do so. So we Lutherans are certainly not about to go “home to Rome.”

Well, then, what do we do with a day like today? Because today, November 1, is All Saints’ Day. Today many churches around the world–including Catholic churches and Lutheran churches–are observing this ancient festival. Now what in the world is All Saints’ Day doing on the Lutheran church calendar? I thought “saints” were strictly for Catholics. What do we do with the saints? What we do with them is to thank God for them. What we do with them is to praise God with them. That’s what we do with the saints. And that’s what we’ll explore now this morning, under the theme, “For All the Saints, With All the Saints.”

You see, the Lutheran Reformation did not do away with everything that had been handed down in the church. In fact, the Lutheran Church kept whatever could be kept without going against the gospel. And in those practices where abuses had crept in over the years, the Lutheran Church corrected what needed to be fixed, but did not necessarily get rid of the practices themselves. And so the tradition of observing All Saints’ Day was kept in our church, with the necessary corrections being made.

The basic correction that had to be made was in putting the saints in their proper perspective. That is, the saints do not aid us in obtaining salvation, as though Christ were not enough. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession puts it this way: “We must not trust that the saints’ merits are applied to us, that because of these God is reconciled to us, regards us just, or saves us. For we receive forgiveness of sins only by Christ’s merits when we believe in him.”

However, our Lutheran Confessions do not reject the practice of remembering the saints. On the contrary, the saints are held in high esteem. The Augsburg Confession states: “Our churches teach that the history of saints may be set before us.” The Apology adds, “Our Confession approves honoring the saints.” Martin Luther himself said, “Next to Holy Scripture there certainly is no more useful book for Christendom than that of the lives of the saints.”

Now let me clarify what we mean by “saints.” In the general sense of the term, all of us are saints, you and I and all Christians. Paul addresses several of his epistles, “To the saints,” for instance, “To the saints who are in Ephesus,” “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi,” and so on. All believers are saints. The word “saint” means “holy one,” and in Christ, in his holiness, we all have been made holy. So to call ourselves saints is not bragging on our part. No, it’s bragging on Jesus, who makes us saints. It is extolling what he has done.

Luther puts it so well: “Just as we should not deny that we are baptized and Christians, so we should not deny or doubt that we are holy. It would be well to impress this deeply on people and to accustom them not to be shocked at it or hesitate to accept it. . . . For when Christians call themselves holy after Christ, this is not arrogance; it is honoring and praising God. For thereby we do not praise the malodorous holiness of our own works but his Baptism, Word, grace, and Spirit, which we do not have of ourselves; he gave them to us.”

Yes, Christ Jesus has made us the holy people of God. By faith in Christ you and I are saints. For this great fact, we praise God, to whom goes all the glory. The Bible makes it clear that it is because of Christ that God regards us as righteous, holy, saints. In the Book of Revelation, the seventh chapter, St. John is given a vision of the church in heaven. He sees a great multitude standing before the throne and before the Lamb, who is Christ. They are “clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” And then John is told who the ones in the white robes are: “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

The blood of the Lamb! This is how we become saints, holy ones! This is how our sin-stained robes are washed white as snow! The blood of the Lamb! This is how one day we will leave the troubles of this life and enter the bliss of heaven. It is all because of the blood of the Lamb. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world–the perfect sacrifice for your sins! Jesus shed his blood, on the cross, for you! His holy, precious blood is the great price that was paid to set you free, to redeem you from all sin and death and eternal damnation. By the blood of the Lamb you are free, you are forgiven. Like the saints in Revelation 7, we too have had our robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. That white robe of Christ’s righteousness was placed on you in your baptism. Now you are a child of God and an heir of heaven. This is how you and I can be called saints.

So all of us are saints, all Christians are. But the term “saints” has come to be especially associated with those who have died in the faith and entered the bliss of heaven. And especially on this day, All Saints’ Day, the church commemorates those faithful departed. Today we remember with thanksgiving those who have gone before us. We thank God for their lives, for their faith, for their contributions to the life of the church, for their example of good works done from a living faith. This is what Luther and the Confessions mean when they say that we remember and honor the saints. And they’re thinking especially of the outstanding saints, those whom history records and whose names we know. We Lutherans honor those saints of old, and we strive to follow their good example, their example of faith and good works. We also benefit from their example of being forgiven sinners who received God’s grace. That encourages us, because we know how much we need God’s forgiveness!

Think of St. Peter and St. Paul, what examples they are of God’s mercy to sinners. Jesus restored Peter after he had denied the Lord. What pardon and forgiveness that is! Paul was a persecutor of the church. Yet Paul will say later, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” See the grace of God to redeem sinners who were fighting against him. This is great encouragement and comfort to us. If God can save sinners like Peter and Paul–or David, an adulterer and murderer, or Matthew, a tax-collector–then he can rescue poor miserable sinners like you and me. God is in the business of turning sinners into saints.

Then think of how God went on to use those saints of old for the work of the gospel: Peter, preaching to thousands on Pentecost. Paul, traveling throughout the Mediterranean world to establish churches. Matthew and John, the authors of gospels bearing their names. And then there were the great saints of church history after the New Testament: St. Athanasius, who boldly confessed Christ before the world. St. Augustine, whose teaching influenced the theology of the church probably more than any other person. St. Ambrose and Bernard of Clairvaux, whose enduring hymns we still sing to this day. All of these saints lived long before Luther, but we Lutherans claim them as part of our heritage, too. We are heirs of an astonishingly rich heritage, most of which we modern Americans are not even aware of.

Then there are the saints whom history does not record, all the ones whose names are unknown to us. And all the saints whose names you do know, because they’re written into your own personal history–the sainted grandfather or grandmother who influenced you for Christ and the church. The late husband or wife who was your companion in Christ for so many years. We thank God for these dear ones whom we miss so much! Today be glad for the good gifts from God they were in your life, and rejoice that they now enjoy the unbroken joy of heaven, and that by God’s grace one day you will join them there. Yes, thank God for all the saints.

We thank God for all the saints. And we also praise God with all the saints. The holy Christian church is one great communion of saints. We in this house of God today are joining together with all our brothers and sisters around the world in one great big Sunday worship service. Not only that, we here in the church on earth are being caught up into the very worship of heaven. We join with the saints and angels in heaven, who are gathered around the throne, singing the praises of the Lamb who was slain. We even acknowledge that in our Communion liturgy, don’t we? “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name.” When we gather around this altar, we are united with all the saints of heaven in the magnificent presence of our gracious God.

For all the saints, with all the saints. Today, on this All Saints’ Day, we thank God for all the saints. Today, and every time we’re gathered here with the whole church on earth and in heaven, we praise God with all the saints. Today, on this Lord’s Day–the day when our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, in victory over sin and death–rejoice that we too have had our robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb and now are numbered among the saints.

“Inculcating the Reformation through Catechesis” (Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36)

First, let me tell you my title for this message. It’s “Inculcating the Reformation through Catechesis.” Now the next thing I want to tell you is this: Don’t let that title scare you off! Don’t worry, I’ll explain each of those terms: “Inculcating the Reformation through Catechesis.” So here we go.

The first one I’ll explain is “the Reformation.” What is the Reformation? This term refers to the much-needed reforming of the church–straightening it out where it had gone wrong–the reforming movement undertaken by Martin Luther and his associates in the 1500s. That movement started by Luther was so monumentally important in the history of the church that now, every year on the last Sunday in October, we celebrate Reformation Day. And we Lutherans are the direct beneficiaries of what Luther began.

Why the last Sunday in October? Because it was on October 31, 1517, that a young theology professor named Martin Luther posted 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. What Luther wrote there was just the start. Over the next several years, in papers and pamphlets, in debates and discussions, Dr. Luther taught and proclaimed the truth of the gospel over against the errors that had crept into the Roman Catholic Church. Called to appear before the emperor in 1521, and pressed to retract what he had written, Luther boldly declared: “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

What was the error that Luther exposed, and what was the truth that he proclaimed? The error was the medieval church’s notion that our works enter into our being justified before God. And the truth is the central gospel teaching that we are justified–that is, put right with God–not by anything that we do, but rather by what God has done for us in Christ. One of the passages that most led Luther to discover this truth was the portion of Romans 3 we heard earlier–in fact, you see it on the front of your bulletin. Romans 3:23-24: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

You see, your works, your goodness, your keeping of God’s law, will never be good enough to plead your case before God on Judgment Day. No, you and I fall far short. For you and I have sinned. We have broken God’s commandments, repeatedly. And the judgment for that is death and eternal damnation. Your works won’t save you.

But God has had mercy on us and sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to bear the load for us. Jesus did keep the law of God, perfectly. He always did the right thing, and did it as our representative, the one man who got it right, all the time, on behalf of all humanity. And even more amazingly, Jesus took the punishment that our sins deserve, bearing our sins into death, on the cross. Jesus shed his holy precious blood as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Thus God is being a just judge when he declares us sinners righteous for Christ’s sake. You are forgiven, you are free, you are redeemed from death, and righteous before God, by faith in Jesus Christ. Relying on your works won’t cut it. Relying on Christ and his works is the only thing that will.

This is the gospel truth that revolutionized Luther’s thinking. It is the truth that set him free. And once he discovered it, he wanted everyone else to know, too. That’s what set him on the road of Reformation. And by the early 1520s, it had become pretty clear in his mind. Luther could see what reforms in doctrine and practice were needed in the church. And Luther’s writings and teaching were very influential across northern Europe. Many territories and their churches, many pastors and theologians, were aligned with this Reformation movement.

But by the mid-1520s here’s what Luther was wondering: How are these gospel truths getting down to the local level? Sure, Luther and Melanchthon and their colleagues understood what ought to be done and taught to get God’s Word out straight and clear. But how was that filtering down to the average church member and average parish pastor? So in the mid-1520s, Luther and the other reformers undertook a visitation of the parishes in their territory. This way they could see how the truth of God was penetrating where error had prevailed for so long.

And what did Luther discover? Well, it was not good. The people didn’t know any Christian doctrine, and they were living like pigs, as though the gospel didn’t make any difference in their lives. And so that’s where the catechism comes in. Luther saw that what was needed was a simple, accessible, handbook of the basics of the Christian faith, to impress the truths of the gospel on people’s hearts and minds.

In the preface to the Small Catechism, Luther reflects on what he observed in the visitations and how that impelled him to publish the catechism: “The deplorable, miserable conditions which I recently observed when visiting the parishes have constrained and pressed me to put this catechism of Christian doctrine into this brief, plain, and simple form. How pitiable, so help me God, were the things I saw: the common man, especially in the villages, knows practically nothing of Christian doctrine, and many of the pastors are almost entirely incompetent and unable to teach. Yet all the people are supposed to be Christians, have been baptized, and receive the Holy Sacrament even though they do not know the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments and live like poor animals of the barnyard and pigpen.”

This was an unacceptable situation. The catechism was designed to remedy this sorry state. Luther appeals to the pastors to help with this task: “Therefore dear brothers, for God’s sake I beg all of you who are pastors and preachers to devote yourselves sincerely to the duties of your office, that you feel compassion for the people entrusted to your care, and that you help us accordingly to inculcate this catechism in the people, especially the young.”

“To inculcate this catechism”: Ah, there’s that word, “inculcate.” It’s probably a word you haven’t used all that often. But it’s an excellent word to describe what the catechism does. It inculcates the faith. If you look up the word “inculcate” in the dictionary, you’ll find it defined something like this: “to instill an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction,” or “to teach and impress by frequent repetitions.” And that’s what the catechism does. By use of brief, easily remembered questions and answers, the catechism brings home the basics of the Christian faith and impresses them in your heart and mind, ready at hand, for you to put them into practice in your life.

Now you may have been catechized and confirmed years ago. But you will never outgrow the catechism. There’s nobody in this room who knows the Bible and the Christian faith as well as Dr. Luther. Yet listen to what he says: “I act as a child who is being taught the catechism. Every morning–and whenever I have time–I read and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Psalms, and such. I must still read and study them daily. Yet I cannot master the catechism as I wish. But I must remain a child and pupil of the catechism, and am glad to remain so.”

The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession, the Lord’s Supper–these are the chief parts of Christian teaching. There are Daily Prayers, the Table of Duties, and a little exercise to help you prepare for the Sacrament. And while the words never change, you will change. You will hopefully be maturing in the faith and discovering new truths in these biblical teachings. And you will be encountering new situations in your life to which these teachings will speak. So you will never outgrow the catechism. It will serve as a roadmap for understanding the Scriptures and your handbook for daily Christian living.

So I encourage you to take advantage of the catechesis class that will be starting this week. This Tuesday, to be exact. I’ll be offering this class two times on Tuesdays: one, at 3:30 at St. Matthew-Bonne Terre, and the other, at 6:30 at Grace-De Soto. If you can’t make one on a given week, maybe you can make the other. And the classes will be recorded, if you can’t make either time. Talk to me if you’re interested, and I can give you more details. I’ve taught the catechism many, many times, to youth and to adults, and it never fails: Even lifelong church members will tell me they have discovered new insights as they have gone through the catechism once again.

Brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us in the Gospel reading today: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” And this is what catechesis does. It is a way for you to abide in Jesus’ word, to continue in his precious gospel. As you abide in his word, you will grow as Jesus’ disciple, as his follower. And through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth, to know deep down the reality of what life is all about. It is about life with God, new life now and eternal life forever, through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the truth that sets you free. It sets you free from sin, death, and the power of the devil. This word of Christ is liberating, life-giving truth. So let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

The catechism will help you with that. The catechism is designed to inculcate the wonderful gospel truths in your heart, in your mind, and in your daily living. It is a joyful thing. And this is why we are giving thanks to God for this great teaching tool today on Reformation Day, and kicking off our catechism class this week.

Lord, help us ever to retain
The Catechism’s doctrine plain
As Luther taught the Word of truth
In simple style to tender youth.

“Jesus Answers a Gotcha Question” (Matthew 22:15-22)

If you’ve been following the news lately, and you watched the presidential debate, the vice-presidential debate, the Judiciary Committee hearings, or the dueling town halls, you heard a lot of “gotcha” questions. I’m guessing most of you have heard that term before, a “gotcha” question. But in case you haven’t, let me explain. A “gotcha” question is one in which the questioner asks someone a question designed to trap or embarrass the person being questioned. It’s designed to cast that person in a negative light, no matter how he might answer the question. The classic example of a gotcha question is this: “Have you stopped beating your wife? A yes or no answer, please.” You see, no matter how the guy answers, it sounds bad. If he says yes, it sounds like he was beating her before. If he says no, it sounds like he still is.

So you heard a bunch of gotcha questions over the past few weeks. The questions were constructed in such a way as to make the person look bad, no matter how he or she answered. “When will you denounce white supremacy?” As though he hasn’t already. “Why haven’t you denounced Q-Anon?” As though he even knows what Q-Anon is. “Judge, have you ever sexually assaulted anyone?” As though she might be likely to have done that. These are examples of gotcha questions. They’re designed to get the person in trouble, any way they answer.

But then this is nothing new. People have been asking people they don’t like gotcha questions for many centuries. We see it in the Gospel reading for today from Matthew 22. There the enemies of Jesus, the Pharisees and the Herodians, try to come up with a question that will get Jesus in trouble, no matter how he answers. But today we’ll see how he turns the tables on them, when “Jesus Answers a Gotcha Question.”

The enemies of Jesus have been trying to trap Jesus for several days now. We’re in Jerusalem, during the days leading up to Passover. There are tons of people in the city, and the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Jesus’ enemies are trying to trap him with a series of gotcha questions. They tried asking him, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” But that didn’t work.

So now they’re going to try another question. But first they try to flatter him, to butter him up, so as to catch him off guard, to get him to speak more freely. Our text says: “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.’”

Well, I have to say, this is the first time I have to agree with the Pharisees and the Herodians. For Jesus is indeed true, and he does teach the way of God truthfully. He does not care about anyone’s opinion, and he is not swayed by appearances. All of that is true, but they are only saying those things to get him to speak more loosely, so they can trap him in what he says.

Now here is their gotcha question: “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Now here I need to explain why this is such a brilliant gotcha question. Notice the two groups who are coming together to ask Jesus this trap question. It’s the Pharisees and the Herodians. Now normally these two groups would not be getting together. On the one hand, you have the Pharisees, who were angry about the pagan Romans occupying their land and running the show. On the other hand, you have the Herodians, who were content to work with the occupying Roman Empire, if it would increase their own wealth and political power. Normally these two groups would be at odds with each other. But they found common cause in their hatred of Jesus. For he was upsetting the applecart. The Pharisees didn’t like him, because he had been exposing their hypocrisy. And the Herodians didn’t like him either, for he spoke of a kingdom much higher than Caesar’s. So the Pharisees and the Herodians came together on this occasion to try to trap Jesus and catch him in his words.

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” That is their gotcha question. They figure, either way Jesus answers, his goose is cooked. If he answers, “Yes, it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar,” then the Pharisees would accuse him of not being a loyal Jew, of subsidizing a godless pagan empire. And if he says, “No, as proud Jews, we definitely should not pay taxes to that blasphemous Caesar,” then the Herodians can report Jesus as being a rebellious insurrectionist. Whichever way he answers, Jesus will be in big trouble. They have laid the perfect trap. Or so they think.

But Jesus sees through what they are trying to do. He won’t fall for it. Our text continues: “But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius.” Jesus has something in mind. He’s going to turn the tables and put them on the spot. They bring Jesus a denarius, a common coin that the Romans used in their empire.

Very often, when someone asks Jesus a question, he answers them with a question of his own. As he does here. He holds up the denarius and asks them: “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” Now if you were to hold up one of these coins and look at it, you would see the image of the current Roman emperor, which at this time was Tiberius Caesar. And his name would be on there too as the inscription. So in response to Jesus’ question, they answer, correctly, “Caesar’s.” OK, pretty straightforward.

And now Jesus is going to answer their question. Remember, they had asked him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” And he has shown them Caesar’s image and inscription on the coin. So Jesus says: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Now where is Jesus going with this answer? For one thing, he is saying that it’s OK to pay taxes to the government. And we affirm that. “Render unto Caesar.” This is one of the passages that teaches us Christians to obey the government and pay our taxes, even if we’re not crazy about the current government. God has instituted civil government for our good. Romans 13 teaches likewise. “Render unto Caesar.” OK, we’ve got that.

But really that is the lesser point of this story. For Jesus’ answer concerns something much more important than rendering unto Caesar. Jesus goes on to say this: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Whoa! This is where Jesus turns the tables on his enemies. For they were not rendering unto God the things that are God’s!

How so? For standing right there in front of them is God’s own Son, who bears the image of God in his person and who has God written all over him. And they were not rendering faith and obedience unto God by believing in the one he sent, namely Jesus, and receiving him! That’s what they should have been doing, and they weren’t. In fact, they had rejected Jesus and were trying to trap him. They even were conspiring to kill him! How in the world is that rendering unto God the things that are God’s? It isn’t. And that’s the big issue, not this trick question about paying taxes to Caesar.

Dear friends, Jesus bears the image of God in his person and has God written all over him. Jesus Christ is the very Son of God, come down from heaven to reveal God to us and to win our salvation. Jesus has grace and truth written all over him, in his words of wisdom and his works of mercy. He is here for you! Christ is right here for you today! Listen to his voice! See him by faith in his presence among us. Jesus is speaking truth to you today. Do not reject him, like the Pharisees and the Herodians did. Instead, receive him as your dear Savior! Jesus lived and died and rose again for you! He bore your sins on the cross, so that now your sins are forgiven. Christ wipes away your debt of sin and gives you his righteousness in its place. Jesus suffers your death and gives you his life in its place. Freely. Nothing you have to do to earn it. It’s a gift–forgiveness, and life, and eternal salvation in Jesus name!

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world–your sin! And then ask yourself this question: “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” In Christ Jesus we see what God is like: He is just and merciful, and he loves us so much. We see God inscribing our names into his book of life. Rejoice in this, brothers and sisters!

You want to hear a gotcha question? Here it is: Who has gotcha safe and secure in his loving hands? God does, my friends. And the proof is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In his likeness we see God for who he really is. And his inscription spells out life and salvation for you and me.

On my heart imprint Your image,
Blessed Jesus, King of grace,
That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures
Never may Your work erase;
Let the clear inscription be:
Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope’s foundation,
And my glory and salvation!

“Rejoice in the Lord Always–Even in 2020!” (Philippians 4:4-13)

As you’ve probably noticed, many people have been saying that this year, 2020, is the worst year they can remember. Maybe you’ve said so yourself. I mean, think of it. The year 2020 has seen one disaster after another: The Coronavirus pandemic got everyone’s attention back in March. Then came the shutdown all across the country. The economy went south in a hurry. The whole thing stunk: People lost their lives. People lost their jobs. People lost their businesses. That was March and April. And then: “Who had murder hornets for May?” And starting at the end of May, riots broke out in many cities, burning and looting and mayhem. One thing on top of another. People were wondering what else would go wrong. What else? Hurricanes in the east. Wildfires in the west. We’re still dealing with Covid. Lots of places are still shut down. There are still more riots. And now we’re just a few weeks away from the election, and everybody’s uptight about that. It’s been reported that, whereas one year ago, 8% of Americans had symptoms of depression, now that number is up to 28%. All in all, then, 2020 has not been the most joyful year.

But now here today, St. Paul comes along and tells us: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Always? Are you kidding, Paul? Don’t you realize, Paul, this is 2020? How can anybody rejoice during this year, of all years? Easy for you to say. You lived all those years ago, all those centuries ago. You didn’t have to put up with all that we’ve had to put up with here in 2020.

Oh really? Well, actually, Paul and the folks back then did have to put up with quite a lot. They suffered a lot. Christians back in the first century encountered persecution from all sides. The Jews didn’t like them. And the Greeks and Romans didn’t, either. The persecution came in various forms: Physical violence; Christians were beaten or killed. They were economically marginalized. They were socially ostracized. So it wasn’t easy for them. Yet Paul tells the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And the message is still the same for us today: “Rejoice in the Lord Always–Even in 2020!”

Our text is the Epistle reading, from Philippians 4. It begins: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Boy, Paul is really doubling down on this “rejoice” thing, isn’t he? Rejoice! This a message we need to hear. Because, even in this horrible year, you and I have reasons to rejoice. Today I want to tell you about some of them. In particular, these three reasons to rejoice: peace; access; and contentment.

First, peace. Paul opens this letter–and basically all of his epistles–with a greeting of peace: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” You’ve probably noticed that I open every sermon with that same apostolic greeting. And now here, toward the end of his letter, Paul returns to the peace of God. And it’s the same words that I close every sermon with: “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We’re talking about reasons to rejoice, and the first one I want to talk about is peace. God’s peace. Because there is no joy without peace. But when peace is established, then joy will follow.

This peace of God–that is, the peace that God establishes and bestows–has two dimensions, objective and subjective. The objective peace that God has established is true, whether we realize it or not. God has established peace. He has made peace between himself and mankind. How? In the person of Christ.

We were at odds with God. We had rebelled against our Creator and had become God’s enemies. It started in the Garden, and it carries on to our day. It carries on in us. We too sin and go against the God who made us and who knows what’s best for us. We go our own way. We break his commandments to love him and to love our neighbor. This is sin, and it brings death. We were estranged from God, alienated from him, unable to find our way back to him.

So God took the initiative to bring us back to him. God’s will is to end the strife and restore us to life. God has done everything necessary to reconcile us back to him, to establish peace between us and him. And it happens in Christ. Christ Jesus came and made peace, in his body, on the cross. He took all our sins and rebellion and the curse that it brings, and he bore that unbearable burden for us on the cross. The cross of Christ is the peacemaking bridge between heaven and earth. Now peace has been established. It is objectively true. Christ has provided the righteousness necessary to establish our peace with God and to bestow it on us freely.

And because this peace is objectively true, it is also the basis for our subjective experience of peace. This means that now we can experience peace in our hearts and minds. When all the world around us is swirling in chaos, we still have the peace of God to stand guard over our hearts and minds and to keep our souls at rest and peaceful. The objective peace leads to our subjective experience of peace.

How has your heart and mind been during this very horrible year? Have you been letting the chaos and the madness have the upper hand? Let the peace of God rule in your heart. You have peace with God. It is objectively true. Christ has made the peace treaty, written with his holy blood. There is no greater force in the universe than that. God is at peace with you. Nothing can disturb that peace. Listen to the words of your Savior: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

So peace–peace with God, objectively established and subjectively experienced–is the first reason to rejoice. Next is access. You have access to God. You can bring your anxieties and your prayers to God’s throne of grace. Paul writes: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“Do not be anxious about anything.” It is so easy for us to become anxious, isn’t it? We worry about everything. Will we have enough money to make it through the month? Will I have enough savings in order to retire? What’s the stock market doing? Will I have a job next year? Will my salary get cut? And what about my health? Will I catch the Covid? This getting-older thing isn’t going so good. The aches and pains are just getting worse. What about the cost of my health insurance? Can I afford it? But how can I afford not to have it? What if something happens? What if. . . ?

So much for us to be anxious about. So many worries. But Paul here is reminding us that we have access to God. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Friends, turn your anxieties into prayers. Every time you feel a worry coming on, turn it into a prayer. Turn it over to God. He cares for you. He promises to hear your prayers and to do what is best for you. No matter what happens, you know that your heavenly Father is watching out for you. And accompany your prayers with thanksgiving. Recall how God has blessed you in the past, and that will bolster your faith in God’s goodness for the present and the future. Access to God is a second reason for us to rejoice.

And the third reason to rejoice is contentment. Paul writes: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Paul here is speaking of contentment. Contentment means being satisfied with what you have, no matter how much or how little you have. Your contentment doesn’t rest upon how much money you have in the bank. It may be a lot. It may not be as much as you’d like. One way or the other, your heavenly Father will take care of you. He feeds the birds of the air, and he clothes the flowers of the field. He will surely take care of you. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not with him graciously give us all things?” He will do this. He will provide for you.

Do not worship the false god of Mammon. You have far greater treasures waiting for you in heaven. This is the secret of being content in whatever situation, in whatever circumstances, you find yourself.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” This is a message we need to hear. Note: Rejoice “in the Lord.” In the world you will have tribulation. In the Lord, though, you have reasons to rejoice. What are they? Today we have looked at three of them: peace, access, and contentment. Peace: You have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace is both objective and subjective. Objectively established in the cross of Christ. Subjectively experienced, as this peace guards your heart and mind. Second, access: You have access to God’s throne of grace, to bring your anxieties and your prayers to the God who cares for you. And third, contentment: Like Paul, you and I can be content, regardless of our circumstances, rich or poor or anywhere in between, because we have far greater treasures waiting for us in heaven. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I’ll let you in on a secret: You do have reasons to rejoice in the Lord always–even in this year of 2020!

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will indeed keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.