Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity - Lk 5:1-11

 

   Trinity 5

                                                                                                            Lk 5:1-11

                                                                                                            7/5/26

 

            During May we realized that our hot water heater was not working.  On a Wednesday we noticed a change – the water didn’t seem to be as hot as it normally was. On Thursday there was no hot water, and we clearly had a problem.

            The timing was less than ideal. I wouldn’t be able to get the plumber to come out that very day. On Friday we were going to the state track meet to watch Michael throw the discus, and then Saturday as well in the finals. I wasn’t going to pay the rates for emergency service on a Sunday. So we were without hot water for four days before the plumber could come out and work on things on Monday.  It felt like I was back in South Sudan.

            I was thrilled when the plumber finally came on Monday. But you know what I didn’t do? I didn’t go down into the basement and tell him what to do as he assessed the problem. When he discovered that the issue was the hot water heater itself – an item that thankfully was still under warranty – I didn’t tell him how he should disconnect it and install a new one.

            I didn’t do this because I am not a plumber. I don’t have the knowledge about how to figure out problems.  I don’t have the expertise about how to do the work to fix things. It would be foolish for me to start telling the plumber how to do his job. 

            Jesus was not a fisherman. But in our Gospel lesson this morning he tells the experts how to do their job. He gives them instructions that demonstrate he has no idea what he is talking about. But he uses these circumstances to reveal who he is. And then in his words to Peter we learn what he means for us.

            In the previous chapter Luke tells us about the temptation of Jesus. Next he narrates the beginning of our Lord’s ministry. The Holy Spirit had descended upon Jesus at his baptism. Now Luke tells us, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”

            The people were astonished at Christ’s teaching, because his word possessed authority. Jesus himself demonstrated his authority as he cast out demons. The people were amazed and said, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Luke tells us that reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

            This authority extended to Jesus’ ability to heal people. We learn that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Then Luke adds, “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.”

            Because of his teaching and healing, people sought out Jesus. Just before our text we hear about how people didn’t want Jesus to leave. But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

            In our Gospel lesson we hear about an instance when a large crowd was there to hear Jesus. We learn, “On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.” 

            The crowd was pressing in on Jesus as he was standing on the shore of the lake. So he got into one of the boats that belonged to Peter, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Jesus sat down in the boat and taught the people on the shore.

            We learn from John’s Gospel that this wasn’t Peter’s first interaction with Jesus. There we find that Peter and his brother Andrew had been associated with John the Baptist in Judea. John the Baptist had seen Jesus walking by and he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  Andrew was one of the disciples with John, and he went to get Peter and brought him to Jesus. When they met Jesus he said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas”(which means Peter).

            The fact that Andrew and Peter had been in Judea around John the Baptist and his work tells us a lot about them. They were obviously concerned about spiritual matters. Now they were back in Galilee, and here they once again encountered Jesus.

This background from John is helpful because we learn that it wasn’t a random stranger who asked Peter to put out from the shore so that he could teach.  He had met Jesus before and understood that he was different and special. It also helps us to understand what happened next.

When Jesus had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus, the son of a carpenter, gave instructions to Peter the fisherman about how to fish. Peter answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 

Peter’s response was a polite way of saying that Jesus’ instruction made no sense.  He didn’t know what he was talking about. Fisherman on the Sea of Galilee fished at night close to the shore. They knew that this was the best way to catch fish. Peter and his companions had done this the previous night and had caught nothing. Yet now Jesus told Peter to go out into the deep during the day and let down his nets.

Our Lord’s instruction made no sense. But it was direction that came from Jesus and so Peter replied, “But at your word I will let down the nets.”  When they did so they enclosed such a larger number of fish that their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners James and John in the other boat to come and help them. When they came they filled both of the boats with so many fish that they began to sink.

Peter and those with him were astonished at what had happened. In particular, Peter was overwhelmed by what it meant. We hear in our text that when he saw the catch of fish he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Peter realized that he was in the presence of the divine. And this recognition led him to the acute perception of his own sinfulness.  His response was, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” This is a fundamental biblical truth. God is the holy God. Sinners cannot exist in God’s presence, for sin evokes God’s wrath and judgment. When Isaiah found himself before Yahweh he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Scripture teaches that we are sinners from the moment of our conception.  Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Sinful nature brings forth more sinful nature. No one has ever had to teach their child how to be jealous or angry.  It’s just there in them. Paul told the Ephesians that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, and were under the power of the devil. He added that we “were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.”

This is what we are by nature, and then it shows forth in our lives. We see sin happening as we have jealous and covetous thoughts. We speak angry words. We lust and indulge that lust through the use of pornography or even fornication itself.  We do not trust God to provide for us. We doubt his love and care when difficulties arise.

Peter knew his sin and so he wanted to flee from God’s presence. But Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Peter acknowledged his sin. But Christ’s response was not one of judgment and condemnation.  Instead, he said, “Do not be afraid.”

Jesus said “Do not be afraid” because as the Son of God he had not entered into the world in order to bring God’s judgment. Instead, he was here to brings God’s forgiveness and salvation.

            In the previous chapter Jesus was at his hometown of Nazareth on the Sabbath. He went to the synagogue and the people were eager to hear from this well known teacher from their own town. Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah and read this text: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

            Then he said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  Jesus had been anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism. He was the Servant of the Lord who had come to proclaim good news – Gospel – to those who are trapped in sin. He had come to give liberty to the captives of sin and all that it does in our lives.

            Jesus Christ was numbered with the transgressors. True God and true man, he was the holy Son of God who committed no sin. But he took our sins – he became sin for us as he died on the cross and received God’s judgment.  The holy and just God judged your sin in Christ.

            Sin brings death. It did for Adam. It has for everyone since. Paul told the Romans that the wages of sin is death. Our sin caused Jesus to die. But Jesus was the second Adam through whom God has given us not only forgiveness, but also rescue from death because Jesus rose from the dead on Easter.

            In our Gospel lesson we hear about how Jesus causes a miraculous catch of fish. During the forty days after Easter seven of the disciples once again went fishing on the Sea of Galilee at night but caught nothing. Then as day was breaking Jesus stood on the shore and enquired about whether they had caught any fish. When they said no, he replied, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” They did so and then caught so many fish that they could not haul the net in. The event caused John to exclaim in recognition, “It is the Lord!”

            In our text Jesus says to Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Then Luke adds, “And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” The disciples – who would become apostles – left everything and followed Jesus. Jesus was crucified and buried on Good Friday. But then the apostles kept following Jesus.

They did so because they had encountered the risen Lord at so many times, in so many different places, and in so many different groups that they knew for sure that Jesus had risen from the dead. In the resurrection of Jesus they had come to understand what his death on the cross meant for them. As Peter went on to write, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” They also understood that in the resurrection of Jesus they had the hope of eternal life. Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Jesus told Peter, “from now on you will be catching men.” Fishing is a good metaphor for the work of sharing the Gospel. There is certainly a skill involved – there are techniques and equipment. There is a knowledge base about how to do it. But it is still something that you can’t control. Some days, for whatever reason, the fish aren’t biting. All one can do is keep fishing the next day.

In the same way, we recognize that we can’t control the process by which people are called to faith. Only the Holy Spirit can create faith in Christ. He does so where and when he pleases. But we do know the means by which he does so. He does it through the Gospel – the good news that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. Paul told the Romans, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” We speak this word. And then the next day, we speak this word again. We keep speaking about what Jesus Christ has done for us because we know that through faith in Christ we are saints – we are forgiven and holy in God’s eyes.

You came here this morning to hear the Gospel. You came because here the Lord delivers the Gospel to you through the Means of Grace. He did in the word of absolution. He did in the reading of his word – the Scriptures.  He is right now in the proclamation of the sermon. He will in a few moments in the Sacrament of the Altar. Through these means the Spirit delivers forgiveness and strengthens you in faith.

You keep coming back here because it is the Gospel place. And because it is, the simplest way to catch men and women for Christ is to invite them to come here. In this place they will hear the Gospel through which the Spirit creates faith in Christ. Here they will be called to be united with other sinners, who are repentant sinners and therefore are forgiven sinners. Here Christ makes us saints.

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

Mark's thoughts: Does baptism have to take place by immersion?

 

Christians in the Baptist/Evangelical tradition frequently claim that the Greek verb baptizw (βαπτίζω) always means immersion under water, and therefore baptism must take place in this manner. However, it is easy to demonstrate that such a claim is not accurate. Lexically the Greek verb baptizw means to wet with water. This can happen in a variety of ways that certainly includes immersion in water. At the same time, one can show in the Greek of the New Testament itself and outside of it as well that in no way is it true that baptizw always means immersion.

 

Luke 11:37-38 says, “While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner [literally, “he was not baptized before dinner”- ἐβαπτίσθη]. Note that in this verse, the action before dinner is described as “being baptized.” If Jesus had done the action in question, it would be literally, “he was baptized.”

 

Mark 7:1-4 says, “Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash [different Greek verb than baptizw – νίψωνται] their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash [literally, “baptize themselves” -βαπτίσωνται ]. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)”

 

We recognize that like Luke 11:38, Mark 7:4 uses the verb baptizw to describe the action expected by the Pharisees  (“baptize themselves”). Yet we learn that this baptism involves only the washing of hands. Here the action “to be baptized” or to “baptize oneself” explicitly does not involve immersion of the person’s entire body. It is only the application of water to the hands.  

 

The reference to “dining couches” is a textual question since it is not found in some manuscripts.  Even if the reading is not original, it shows that application of the verb baptizw to a dining couch did not seem strange to scribes who knew the Greek language. You aren’t going to a immerse a couch in water, but you can apply water to it. They knew that baptizw is an entirely appropriate verb to describe this.

 

It can also be shown from Greek outside the New Testament that baptizw does not always mean immerse. The following texts describe soldiers fording a body of water. They are not immersed, yet the word baptizw is used:

 

Strabo Geographica 14.3.9 (first century  B.C.) Alexander, meeting with a stormy season, and being a man who in general trusted to luck, set out before the waves receded; and the result was that all day long his soldiers marched in water submerged [baptized -  βαπτιζομένων ] to their navels.

 

Polybius Histories 3.72.4 (later third and early second centuries B.C.) The infantry had great difficulty in the crossing, as the water was [baptized -  βαπτιζόμενοι] breast-high.”

 

Finally, we see in the Didache – one of the earliest pieces of Christian literature that we have outside the New Testament – that baptizw can be used to describe the action of pouring water in the triune name:

 

Didache 7:1-3 (late first or early second century) As for baptism, baptize in this way; Having said all this beforehand, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in running water. If you do not have running water, however, baptize in another kind of water; if you cannot do so in cold water, then do so in warm water. But if you have neither, pour water on the head three times in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

 

Paul Bradshaw has emphasized the need to acknowledge that regional diversity existed in early Christian liturgical practice (Paul F. Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Methods for the Study of Early Liturgy; 2nd ed., 2002). There is little reason to doubt that baptism by immersion did take place in the early Church. However, this is not the practice reflected in early Christian artwork and archaeology. The earliest Christian artwork we have of baptism is of water being poured on the head. This is seen in the Catacomb of Callistus (third century A.D.) and its depiction of the baptism of Jesus.

The portrayal of Jesus' baptism reflects the manner in which Christians themselves were baptized. Christian art shows Jesus standing in water up to his waist, with water being poured on his head, such as at the Orthodox Baptistery in Ravenna (fifth century A.D.)

The earliest baptismal fonts that have been discovered are too small and shallow for the practice of immersion. This is seen, for example, in the baptismal font of Milan in which St. Augustine (fourth century A.D.) was baptized. The person stood in the water, and water was then poured on the head (Maxwell Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation: Their Evolution and Interpretation; Revised and Expanded 2007, 33-34).

Baptism has been performed in a variety of ways in the history of Church.. The previous paragraph describes baptismal practice through the fourth and fifth centuries as many adult converts were coming into the church from paganism. As the Christian church became established and Christian families were having children, the baptism of infants became the norm. The medieval practice became one of holding infant by the feet and dunking the child three times (immersion) into water of the font.  Medieval fonts are deep in order to enable this practice, such as seen in this font from Norman England (twelfth century AD).

It is clear that during the fourteenth century infusion (pouring water on the infant) began to overtake immersion in the western Church.  However, accounts of sixteenth century Lutheran baptismal practice vary, and most likely this reflects the reality that practice itself varied.  Graff indicates that Luther and Bugenhagen wanted immersion and that some Church Orders of the sixteenth  century followed them in this (Paul Graff, Geschichte der Auflösung der alten gottesdientstlichen Formen in der evangelischen Kirche Deutschlands 1:303).  He adds that many Church Orders only speak about “Baptism” and leave whether immersion or pouring is used up to the decision of the pastor baptizing (1:304). Strodach notes this diversity and adds that, in addition there was “superfusio, i.e., holding the naked child over the font and pouring water over him profusely” (LW 53:100).  Rietschel acknowledges Luther’s preference for immersion but adds that most often, as in Wittenberg, the superfusio over the naked child was customary, while in other places the water was poured over the head (Rietschel/Graff, Lehrbruch Der Liturgik, 564).  Rietschel goes on to point to the depiction of baptism in the Cranach Wittenberg altar piece as evidence for the practice of superfusio in Wittenberg.

Thus in an irony, the fourth question in the Small Catechism about Holy Baptism is based on the practice of immersion, even though today Lutherans not only don't baptize in this manner but would be hesitant to do so because of claims made by the Baptist/Evangelical tradition which insists that immersion is the only valid means of baptism.

Baptism is water included in God’s command, and combined with God’s Word. It does not matter how much water is used, or how it is applied. Where water is applied in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, baptism is taking place.

 

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity - Gen 50:15-21

                         

                                                                                          Trinity 4

                                                                                          Gen 50:15-21

                                                                                          6/28/26

 

 

Near the end of his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” He tells us that what was written in the Old Testament was written for our instruction. And he adds that this Scripture is a source of encouragement so that we can have hope.

These words guide our understanding when we come to a text like our Old Testament lesson for today which recounts the interaction between Joseph and his brothers after Jacob their father had died. We are instructed about how God works in ways that we don’t understand – ways that at the time make no sense to us.  We are encouraged that the God who was faithful to his promises through their fulfillment in Jesus Christ continues to be our God today. And we are instructed about the place of forgiveness in our life as God’s people.

You will be hard pressed to find a more dysfunctional family than that of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Some of these problems were caused by the manner in which they disobeyed God’s ordering found in the Sixth Commandment. When Sarah was unable have a child, she ignored God’s promise and encouraged Abraham to try with her servant Hagar. This produced the son Ishhmael. Then, when God blessed Sarah with Isaac there was strife because Sarah resented Hagar and her son.

Isaac and Rebekah were blessed by God with twins. But each parent showed favoritism toward one of the sons.  Isaac favored Esau, while Rebekah favored Jacob. In the end Jacob swindled Esau out of his birthright. Then Rebekah instructed Jacob about how to deceive his father and receive the blessing. In the end, Jacob had to flee because his brother Esau wanted to kill him.

Jacob was deceived by his uncle into marrying two women – the one he really wanted and the one he didn’t.  Once again, not following the Sixth Commandment created problems – are you noticing a theme here? Jacob favored the two sons he had with his favorite wife Rachel. In particular we learn that he gave Joseph special treatment over his other brothers. For example, he gave to Joseph alone an expensive robe of many colors. His brothers hated Joseph because of this.

And let’s be honest – the young Joseph was a punk. It wasn’t enough that his father favored him in a way that was sure to upset his brothers. Joseph couldn’t keep his mouth shut. When he had a dream that indicated that he would rule over his brothers, he told them all about it. And so they hated him even more. When he had another dream which said that his parents and brothers would bow down to him, he shared that with his brothers as well.

Joseph led a charmed life … until it wasn’t. As you know, the opportunity finally arose for his brothers to get back at him. They sold him as a slave and faked his death when they reported the news to Jacob. And then every time life seemed to be going well for Joseph, things turned bad.

Potiphar, the officer of Pharaoh, bought Joseph. God blessed everything Joseph did, and Potiphar soon realized this. In time Potiphar placed Joseph in charge of his household and everything he owned. But when Joseph resisted the repeated sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife, she falsely accused him of trying to rape her and Potiphar had Joseph thrown in prison.

In prison God continued to bless everything Joseph did, and the keeper of the prison soon realized this. He too put Joseph in charge of everything. Jospeh’s opportunity to get out of prison seemed to arrive when he correctly interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s cup bearer about his release from prison and return to Pharaoh’s service. Joseph asked the cup bearer to help him escape his unjust imprisonment by telling Pharaoh about his situation. But when the cup bearer returned to Pharaoh’s service he forgot about Joseph.

Finally, two years later when Pharaoh had disturbing dreams  that no one could interpret, the cup bearer finally remembered Joseph. He was able to interpret the dreams and explain how God was about to bring seven years of plenty followed by seven years of lack. He counseled Pharaoh to store up food during the coming seven good years in order to be ready for the seven bad ones.  Pharaoh perceived Joseph’s wisdom and how God was with him, so he put Joseph in charge of the whole project. In the end, Joseph was second in charge over Egypt.

The events in our text are a result of the fact that the years of lack affected the whole area around Egypt. Jacob had to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph’s dreams came true as his brothers bowed down before him. Finally, Jospeh revealed himself to his brothers. He brought Jacob and his family to Egypt and settled them in the good land in Goshen.

Eventually, Jacob died. And this caused fear among his brothers because they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”

The brothers asked Joseph to forgive them. They fell down before him and uttered, “Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph replied, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

          Joseph acknowledged that they had acted in order to harm him. But he said that in the midst of this, God had intended it for good. He was working the outcome that was saving many people. There was nothing new about this understanding. Joseph had described how God had been at work when he first revealed himself to his brothers. At that time he said, “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

          Joseph had every reason to get revenge on his brothers. But he understood how God had been at work through what they had done. And so he forgave them.  He said, “So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” He comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

These words were written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. God’s Word teaches us this morning that his plans and purposes for us go beyond our understanding. He tells us that we need to trust in him because circumstances that we consider to be a great hardship do not evade his good purpose for us. They are still part of God’s work in our life. St. Augustine wrote, “God is so good that he does not permit evil to be done unless he can draw great good from it.”

The way God works is summarized by Paul’s statement in Romans chapter eight: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The apostle says that for those whom God has called – that’s you – all things work together for good.

Now when you are in Joseph’s position – when you are second in charge over Egypt, and you have wealth and power – it seems easy to come to this conclusion. God meant it for good. But what about when you are in the midst of hardships that seem to have no end? That is when doubt arises about whether God really is in charge. We begin to wonder about whether God really does care. There is the temptation for anger towards God, or despair.

And so this morning we need to take a deeper look at what God is in the process of doing in our text. We see here that God is in the midst of carrying out his saving work in Christ. It is his saving work, but it takes place in ways we don’t expect.

When Jacob was fleeing from Esau he camped at Beersheba and had a dream in which there was a ladder to heaven with the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Yahweh said to him, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

God promised to give him the land of Canaan. He promised to give him numerous offspring. And he promised that in Jacob all families of the earth would be blessed. These were the same things that God had promised to Abraham. In the last of those promises, Yahweh said that the Christ would be descendant of Jacob’s line.

In our text none of these things are true. Jacob died when he wasn’t even in the promised land. He went down to Egypt and died there. He wasn’t a great nation. His entire household was only seventy people when they went to Egypt.

But these circumstances do not change the fact that God was at work. When Joseph called upon Jacob to bring the family to Egypt God told the patriarch, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.”

Jacob believed and trusted God’s word as he went to Egypt. It was not in Canaan that God made Jacob into a great nation. It was instead in Egypt that Israel developed into a numerous people.

They became a numerous people, and because they were a later Pharaoh viewed them as a threat and enslaved them. But Yahweh was at work in this circumstance as well. He displayed his saving power in the exodus as he brought Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.

In our text God is in the process of working through circumstances that appear to be the opposite of what they are. What was true of his work in bringing forth Israel was all the more true of the descendant of Abraham and Jacob in whom all nations have been blessed.  It was true of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was the fulfillment of all that God had promised in the Old Testament. He was the Son of God – true God and true man. He was the One who carried out the greatest action of God for our salvation. Yet that action was, as Paul told the Philippians, humbling himself to the point of death - even death on a cross.

When Christ died on Good Friday there was nothing to see except weakness, suffering, and humiliation. As Jesus hung in the darkness and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” it appeared that there was nothing except failure.

But in his resurrection on Easter we learned that in fact the cross was the most powerful action by God to save us.  God judged our sins in Christ so that now we can be holy in his eyes. And in the Lord’s resurrection he has defeated death and begun the life that will be ours.

Because we have seen God do this in the death and resurrection of Christ we can now trust that God is at work in our life even when nothing else suggests this.  Jesus Christ is the reason we trust that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The risen and ascended Lord is the source of our hope and encouragement in the midst of any circumstance. 

The words of our text were written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  We see that Joseph forgives his brothers.  Jesus Christ is now the reason that we forgive.

God has acted in Christ to forgive you. Baptized into Christ your sins have been washed away. You are a new creation in Christ through the work of the Spirit. And so the forgiveness you have received is the forgiveness that you share. Paul told the Colossians, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

This is the forgiveness that you speak to your spouse, children, parents, and siblings. It is the forgiveness that you share with congregation members and friends. It is the forgiveness that guides the actions of your life because God has forgiven you in Christ.

The words of our text were written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Today we are instructed about how God works in ways that we don’t understand – ways that at the time make no sense to us. We are encouraged in the knowledge that we can trust that God is at work because of the way we have seen him work for our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And we are instructed about the place of forgiveness in our life as God’s forgiven people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon for the Third Sunday after Trinity - Lk 15:1-10

                                                                                        

                                                                                         Trinity 3

                                                                                          Lk 15:1-10

                                                                                          6/21/26

 

          The Pharisees do a lot of grumbling in Luke’s Gospel. After Jesus called Levi – or as we more commonly know him, Matthew – to be his disciple, Jesus ate at a great feast in his house that was attended by many tax collectors. So the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

          Later in the Gospel, Jesus sees Zacchaeus the tax collector in a sycamore tree as he passes by and says to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus hurried and came down from the tree, and then and received him into his home joyfully. Then Luke tells us, “And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’”

          Today we once again hear the Pharisees and scribes grumble. Our text begins with the words: “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.” Then we learn, “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’”

          The Pharisees objected to the fact that Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners. And so we are interested in who exactly these people were, and why the Pharisees felt this way about them. Tax collectors in Galilee did not work for the Roman government, since there was not yet direct Roman rule in this area. Instead, they worked for King Herod Antipas. They had a reputation for dishonesty because they had the ability to manipulate the tax gathering process in order to extract extra money which they kept for themselves.

          The term “sinners” probably included a range of people. No doubt it took in individuals who engaged in public sin, such as prostitutes. But it also certainly included those who did not live according to the interpretation of the Torah that the Pharisees said a person must observe – the so-called “tradition of the elders.”

          Sinners were drawing near to hear Jesus. The judgment of the Pharisees was that our Lord should have nothing to do with them. So in response, Jesus told three parables – parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The last of these is the parable of the prodigal son. Our text today includes the first two.

          Our Lord began by saying, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” Jesus described how a shepherd would seek out a sheep that had gone astray from the flock. Why would he do this? It was because the sheep was valuable to him. He cared about it.

          This fact is seen in the man’s response when he finds the sheep: it is one of joy. Jesus said, “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” When the early church father Gregory of Nyssa preached on this text, he noted the shepherd’s action and how it showed his care. He said, “But when the shepherd had found the sheep, he did not punish it, he did not get it to the flock by driving it, but by placing it upon his shoulder, and carrying it gently, he united it to his flock”

          The theme of joy continues in the parable. We learn: “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’” After finding the lost sheep he calls people together so that they can join him in rejoicing.

          Then Jesus drives home the point of the parable.  He says, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” We learn that God’s attitude toward the lost is that he seeks them out. There is joy in heaven when a sinner repents.

          We find the same thing in the second parable about the woman who has lost the coin. When she realizes that it is lost she lights a lamp, sweeps the house and seeks diligently until she finds it.  The coin had great value to the woman and so she exerted great effort to find it.

          Then, when she found the coin, there was joy.  She called together her friends and neighbors saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Once again, Jesus emphasized the joy as he said, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

          The parables in our text this morning remind us about the character and nature of God. God is the loving God who wants to save.  He does not want to see people receive judgment and destruction. God revealed through Ezekiel, “Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.’”

          God wants people to be saved – all people. After the apostle Paul told Timothy that prayer should be offered on behalf of all people and especially rulers so that we can live a peaceful life, he went on to explain: “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

          This desire of God to save is a reflection of his mercy and love. And it is a desire that moved God to act. Paul told the Galatians, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

The Father sent forth the Son, as he was incarnate by the work of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, we are like sheep who go astray as we break God’s will. Isaiah said of Christ, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” God judged our sin in the death of Jesus on the cross. And then on Easter he raised Christ from the dead as he defeated death and began the resurrection life that will be ours when the Lord returns in glory.

God’s desire to forgive in Christ continues to be good news for us. As we live the Christian life, we stumble and fall. There are times when the old Adam gets the upper hand and directs our actions. Our feelings and emotions are fickle, and we struggle with doubt and anger.

We see these things. We know that they are wrong – that they are sin. We are moved by the conviction of the law to repentance. And the good news of our text is that God welcomes us as we return to Christ for forgiveness. Jesus says, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

As Christians your life is one of continual return to your baptism. Your baptism provides the point of reference for all of your life. Through baptism you were buried with Christ – you were baptized into his saving death. Your sins were washed away. And God’s action through water and the word always remains ready to be grasped in faith. God did it, and that Gospel gift is always true. We repent of our sin and return to the forgiveness that is true in our baptism for God rejoices over the sinner who repents.

 When Jesus was with Zaccheus he said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.” Jesus is the One who seeks out the lost.  Our text is a reminder that God alone can do this. The sheep can’t find its way back to the flock. The coin can’t find itself. Only God can do this.

He does this now through his word – the word inspired by the Spirit and through which the Spirit still works. This word is a word of law and Gospel.  It is a word of law that condemns sin and confronts its presence in the lives of all people. It is a word of Gospel through which the Spirit creates saving faith in Christ. It is through the Gospel that the Spirit works faith in those who cannot by their own will or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to him.

One often hears it said, “Well, Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.” This fact is often deployed in the attempt to say that the Church needs to be more accepting of the culture around us.  She shouldn’t be so judgmental. The Church shouldn’t be so hung up on talking about sin, and instead she should just love people where they are.

When the Pharisees asked the disciples about why they were eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus replied, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”  On the evening of Easter the risen Lord said to the disciples, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

There can be no forgiveness and salvation without repentance. The Church is not Christ’s Church if she does not speak the truth of God’s word and confront sin. She calls people to repentance, even as Christians themselves continue to repent. All people are sinners. The only question is what kind of sinner you are going to be. Christians are repentant sinners and therefore we are forgiven sinners. We are saints – we are holy in God’s eyes because of Christ.

There will be repentance and forgiveness in the life of a Christian. But there will be something else as well. When John the Baptist was preaching he said, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” The apostle Paul described his ministry after the Damascus road experience by saying that he “declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

The apostle Paul told the Romans, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

The resurrection power of the Spirit is at work in us. The return to baptism in which we find forgiveness is also a return to the continuing source of the Spirit’s work in our life. Faith does not simply express relief that sins are forgiven, and then leave things there. It also now seeks to live in ways that are true to God’s will.

So don’t just confess sin in your life. As those who are in Christ, by the power of the Spirit turn away from that sin. Reject that sin.  Put to death that sin. And instead live in ways that show forth repentance as you trust in God and love your neighbor.

The good news of our text today is that God wants to save. He seeks out the lost. He found you and called to be his own. He rejoices when sinners repent. And so rather than grumbling like the Pharisees, we give thanks that Jesus receives sinners and eats with them.

He will now receive you at the Sacrament of the Altar.  As the host he will welcome you to his table and feed you with his true body and blood. Here he will give you forgiveness for all of the ways you have sinned.  Here he will give you food for the new man so that you can go forth and live the life that bears fruit in keeping with repentance.