Tag: preaching

He Is Bringing Perfect Joy

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(Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11)

What would you say has been the single most joy-filled event or experience in your lifetime? Things like wedding days and the birth of children often top the list. A life-changing travel experience or mission trip might also rank at or near the top. A championship victory after a perfect or nearly-flawless season could be a source of joy. Is there one joy-filled occasion that stands out for you more than all others?

As you think about whatever it is at the top of your list, does it still fill you with the same level of joy as it did when you originally experienced it? Probably not. Remembering such an occasion does not fill us the way experiencing it does. The worldly joys we experience tend to fade over time.

Christians experience an entirely different kind of joy. The Third Sunday in Advent has historically been referred to as Guadete Sunday, which is Latin for “rejoice.” It is the Sunday in Advent on which the pink candle, the joy candle, is lit. As the Church shifts her attention in this season of Advent from the anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming to its celebration of Christ’s First Coming, the theme of joy is certainly an appropriate one. Joy is ours because Jesus became ours at Christmas. Perfect joy is ours only when perfect Jesus is its source.

I recently came across a definition of joy from another pastor/author that continues to grow on me: “a happiness that isn’t based on happenings.” This understanding of joy allows us to experience it independent of circumstances or situations. It isn’t a conditional feeling or emotion that depends entirely on a specific outcome.

That sets joy and happiness apart. As Christians who know joy, we can be happy even when things don’t go our way. We can be happy even in disappointment, even in sorrow, yes, even in loss. Why? That’s what Isaiah 61 explains for us.

When it comes worldly joys, somewhere in the discussion we have to include experiences of being captivated by nature. Anyone who has ever endured a strenuous hike to view a waterfall knows how rewarding it can be to arrive at the majestic waterfall – it leaves us captivated. An evening with minimal light pollution will leave us captivated by the vast array of stars littered across the night sky. A sunrise or sunset may also leave us captivated by the colors it paints as it reflects on the clouds.

It isn’t just nature that captivates us with that kind of joy. When we have the opportunity to watch people at the top of their craft performing at the highest level, it is captivating. To witness a dancer of the highest caliber glide gracefully and effortlessly, a magician shocking onlookers with an inexplicable trick, a comedian crush a gut-busting set, a band put on a once-in-a-lifetime concert – these types of performances are glimpses of greatness that are so captivating that there is nothing that could distract us in that moment. 

Captivated by Christ

When we have the opportunity to reflect on these words of Isaiah, realizing they are essentially the words of Jesus himself, how can it be anything but captivating? Talk about someone at the top of their craft performing at the highest level! There is no one greater at saving than the Savior, and Isaiah captivates us with rich images of how he would carry out his saving work.   

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion” (v1-3a).

There’s something for everyone. “Good news” for “the poor,” “bind[ing] up the brokenhearted,” “freedom for the captives,” “release from darkness,” and “comfort for all who mourn.” 

To be poor is to be without something, to lack something, and the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ richly provides everything that is needed! Paul reflected this when he wrote about Jesus, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

To live in a world covered in sin’s fingerprints is to know heartbreak firsthand. Every one of us has been on the receiving end of sin’s crushing blow, victims of sexual abuse and assault, slanderous gossip, betrayal, and infidelity, to name a few. We have experienced trauma and great loss. We are brokenhearted, but it is for the brokenhearted that Jesus came, that he might bind up our wounded hearts!

To live in a world covered in sin’s fingerprints also acknowledges that far too many of those fingerprints are mine. We aren’t only on the receiving end of the heartbreak we just described; too often we are also the cause of it. By nature we can do nothing but sin. When outside of faith, people are helplessly enslaved to sin and have no choice but to sin – it’s all they can do. Apart from Jesus, we are captive, prisoners to sin and sin’s source, Satan. And for those captives, for those prisoners, Jesus Christ came to provide freedom and release!

To live in a world covered in sin’s fingerprints is to know mourning and grieving, for even when the cause of that mourning and grieving may not directly affect us at all, it still affects us. The internet and smart phones have partnered together to saturate our heads and hearts with more stories of sadness and tragedy from all over the world than any culture has ever before been exposed to. We see citizens of other countries harmed by their own government instead of protected by it, a flood of innocent lives cut short by senseless wars, the trafficking of women and children, those in our own community bending over another garbage can hoping to salvage something for their next meal, cancer diagnoses, tragic accidents – all of it is more than our heads and hearts were ever intended to process. But even as we sit in a pool of tears, Jesus Christ came to comfort and provide for us!

How can we be anything but captivated by Christ and the saving work he came to do? Talk about someone at the top of their craft performing at the highest level! There is no one greater at saving than the Savior! 

Clothed with Christ

Not only are we captivated by Christ; Isaiah reminds us that we’re also clothed with Christ. “he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (v.10). Dressed in Christ, you’ve never looked better! Christ alone has your salvation and your righteousness covered, and by faith he now covers you with them. 

Salvation is a term that is used to frequently that we can easily lose sight of the weight of its significance. Think of the police officer wearing his bulletproof vest. In a non-theological sense, that vest may very well be responsible for his salvation. It could stop a bullet that would otherwise end his life!

If I am wearing Christ’s salvation, then I have protection even greater than a bullet-proof vest. I have something that will protect and save me for eternity. Dressed with salvation, forgiveness is assured and my name is written in the Book of Life. I have his salvation, so nothing more is needed. I am saved. I am safe.

And his robe of righteousness that also covers me means that I measure up. I am good enough. I am right with God. We have a tendency to look back and wonder if we said the right thing, did the right thing, or acted in the right way. But if I am wearing Christ’s robe of righteousness, his “right-ness” means that every right thing that has ever been required for my salvation has already been carried out in Christ.

It’s difficult to imagine Isaiah’s imagery here without considering the place of baptism in the life of the Christian, “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Paul explains that these clothes are draped upon the child of God in baptism. In baptism you were dressed with the garments of salvation and Christ’s robe of righteousness. Not only are you the best dressed, but you are also dressed completely with everything you need. I don’t need to keep shopping for another outfit to try to impress God. I don’t need to keep running back to my own closet to pretend I can find there an outfit that has fewer stains or might fool the Father with an appearance of minimal stain or blemish. I am clothed with Christ in baptism!

Now then, being captivated by Christ and clothed with Christ, what is our response? We rejoice, of course! Verse 10 is the believer’s joyful response at all of this joyful news. “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.”  The word translated “delight” is actually the same word for “joy” repeated in the original, so as to amplify the joy. The believer is saying “I rejoiced with great joy” or “I joyfully rejoiced.” Then a different “joy” word is used in the second part, which could also be “exalt” or “celebrate.” The point is clear no matter how we translate it – so long as we have Jesus Christ, we have joy, and reason to rejoice! 

Today, this week, next weekend, and throughout the season of Christmas and beyond, rejoice. Delight in the Lord.

How does one do that? I don’t just mean singing favorite Christmas hymns like Joy to the World (while that certainly can be included as a part of it!).

Delighting in and rejoicing in Jesus is not accidental. It is deliberate. It is intentional. It is planned. It is a priority. It is something we can and ought to do every day as we hit the pause button, whether in the morning or at any time of the day. Reflect and be captivated by Christ. Marvel that you are clothed with Christ (you could certainly use Isaiah 61:1-3 for reflection!). Let no other worries or anxieties rob you of rejoicing, for your joy is not a happiness based on happenings, but a joy in Jesus. A perfect joy from a perfect Savior. 

Prepare to Meet Him

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(2 Peter 3:8-14)

The story of Goldilocks and the three bears finds Goldilocks stumbling upon the residence of three bears while they are out on a walk. As she makes herself at home, she first sits down on a chair, only to find it is too hard. The next chair is too delicate. Finally, the third chair is just right. She makes her way over to the table to find one bowl of porridge is too hot and another too cold, but the third is just right. As nap time beckons, she tries out the beds. The first bed is too hard and the second is too soft, but the third is – you guessed it – just right.  

When it comes to our perception of God’s timing, we find Goldilocks’ struggle very relatable. God’s timing in life can often feel like one of two extremes – either too slow or too quick. We pray and pray and pray, and find our patience tested as we wait on God’s answers to that prayer. Or, we are caught completely off guard by an event that happened so unexpectedly, finding us unready and unprepared.

Peter described the apparent discrepancy between our perception of time and God’s when he wrote, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (v.8). While Peter isn’t writing in literal terms, he is reminding us that our view of time is vastly different than God’s, who remember, created time in the first place. When it comes to God’s timing, however, it is not too slow or too quick. No, God’s Goldilock timing is just right.

Not too slow. Not too fast. Just right. 

What that means for us as we prepare to meet Christ our King when he returns again on the Last Day is that he isn’t behind schedule. He hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t gotten caught up in his other responsibilities so that it just slipped his mind that he does in fact need to return again on the Last Day!

What’s more, as much as we dwell on the time we spend waiting for his return, we’re not the only ones waiting – so is the Lord! For what? “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (v.9). The King Shall Come… when all those he is waiting for come to repentance and turn to him in faith. When that happens, he will return.

With that assurance, our minds are settled not having to worry about whether God’s timing is late or early. When we keep that in mind, we can redirect our thoughts to the here and now – to how we live. As we wait for everything to be just right for Jesus to return, how do we make sure we’re “just right” in our living? How do we make sure we’re prepared to meet him?

Before we explore that more, let’s make sure we grasp a pretty remarkable detail about these verses. We can’t possibly miss the language Peter uses to describe what the end of the world will be like when Jesus returns. “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare… everything will be destroyed in this way” (v.10-11). “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (v.12).

Sounds like a modern-day Sodom & Gomorrah – but at least that destruction was limited to one relatively small area! The devastation Peter describes will involve the whole earth. It will take place everywhere. How terrifying!

Yet that’s what is noticeably missing from Peter. There’s no terror. No fear. This description isn’t fear-mongering on Peter’s part; rather, he is just providing us with the details of how different the world’s destruction will be at that time compared to how God poured out his devastation the first time through the world-wide flood. But nowhere does Peter pen words of fear or trepidation or terror regarding that last day. 

Nor should he, because that will not be a day of dread for the child of God. Jesus has assured us of that through Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian Christians. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Paul didn’t direct his hearers to terrify one another with this news, but rather to encourage each other. 

That same encouragement is what Peter is providing here so that we pay attention to and to prioritize how we are living in the meantime. Now believers already know that we don’t have to be afraid of that Last Day since we’re saved through faith in Jesus by God’s grace alone. So, one might naturally ask why it matters how we live up until that point. If Jesus has already accomplished forgiveness and salvation on our behalf, then why does it matter how we live right now?

Good question. Peter thought so, too, which is why he addressed it. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (v.9). There you have it. God, whose desire is to not be separated from anyone for eternity, is patiently waiting for repentance. And how you live plays a very significant part in that.

This happens in two ways. We live good lives and we live godly lives.

To better understand the first way your good lives affect others coming to repentance, consider when it is that you are most comfortable doing what you know is wrong (excluding the times you’re by yourself or you imagine no one else will find out). Isn’t easiest to engage in wrong, sinful behavior when you are in the presence of others who are doing the same thing or at least permissive of it?

One rather extreme example of this might be when we hear of mobs or very large groups of people bursting into a store to grab and steal as much as they can before hurrying out. A good number of those participating would never do that on their own, but when surrounded by a group of people doing the same thing, they become emboldened. Their conscience is quieted by a crowd of criminals. When what is wrong or sinful becomes normal and accepted in the world, it’s not only much easier to follow suit, it becomes natural.

How do we change that? Christians wake up from our sleepy, sloppy sanctified living and start being much more intentional about doing good, about doing the right thing so that the world doesn’t feel so comfortable with what is wrong.

“But it’s too late,” you reason. “It won’t make a difference,” you think. “I’m just one person.” Understand that your excuses are directed against the very words of God in these verses when he reveals that he is patiently wanting everyone to come to repentance and calling you to live a holy life that can help that happen!

So if you disagree that how you live will make a difference, you need to take that up with God and explain that you have a better solution in mind than his! Otherwise, if not, then by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s power, let’s “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12)! To “glorify God on the day he visits us” is to carry out the very repentance God is waiting on, which results in turning to Jesus and trusting in him for salvation. That is the best way we can glorify God!

But it isn’t just our good lives that ought to grab the attention of others; it’s also our godly lives. What’s the difference? There is another way your life can affect others’ coming to repentance. Through your own repentance. A godly life is one that shows the place of God in it. That means repentance. Not only are we striving to do right to lead others to repentance, but we also lead others to repentance by… modeling it ourselves.

Paul recognized God’s patience in leading him to repentance served that very purpose. “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). Paul didn’t try to hide his past or keep his skeletons in the closet. Instead, he willingly confessed his sin, realizing that God’s patience in his own life could serve as an attractive example to others. Paul wasn’t afraid to draw attention to his sin, because he knew that through it, what would really end up in the spotlight was God’s patient grace. 

The most natural place to begin getting better at repentance would seem to be in our own homes, in our marriages, and in our families. After all, those are the people who are most frequently going to witness our words and actions that call for repentance (and sadly, are the same ones who are too often on the receiving end of our sinful words and actions).

How would managing conflict within your marriage look different if each spouse started out with repentance, apologizing for what they did wrong or could have done better (and there is almost always something!)? How could we better show our children what godly living looks like by not only making Sunday morning worship a priority and giving them Jesus every day in our Lutheran elementary schools, but also – and most importantly, I would contend – showing them repentance at home by apologizing to them and in front of them when we have done wrong? We tell children they ought to do this, but we aren’t always so great at it ourselves. 

And what we’re really modeling through regular repentance is not just contrition, a sorrow over sin, acknowledging that sin IS a big deal. No, it also models complete confidence in the gospel, that God’s grace shown to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus means absolute confidence that our sins are forgiven. To live in the joy and freedom the gospel affords us is to have no need of hiding our sin or clinging to it. Instead, we can bring it out into the open, expose it, and kill it through confession, since our Savior has already nailed it to his cross and paid for it in full. It’s already forgiven – but we only enjoy the bliss of that forgiveness when we confess our sin in repentance. 

What do others see when they witness that repentance in us? A total reliance on a God of mercy and grace. A dependence on a God they can’t find anywhere else but where he has revealed himself to us in Scripture. A God who wants to be just as gracious and merciful to them when they are brought to repentance. And then, when that happens, when all those the Lord is waiting for are brought to him in faith, then that day will come, and the new heaven and earth, the new home of righteousness, will not only be ours, but it will be theirs, too! 

He Is Coming to Save Us

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(Mark 11:1-10)

“What’s he doing here?” Depending on the circumstances, that question could be asked for a number of different reasons. It could be an expression of delight if someone showed up unexpectedly and made a surprise appearance. It could also be asked out of disdain or disbelief, implying that for one reason or another, it is out of line or inappropriate for that person to be attending. Or, the question could be because the inquirer is unaware of any connection between that specific person and this unique event. Regardless of the motivation or intent behind asking the question, the one asking it is looking for an explanation as to why that person is present. 

As we begin The King Shall Come series, before we feverishly race to get to the end of the month and rush to the base of the tree to tear open presents, we want to pause during this season of Advent to ponder. We do so by starting out reflecting on that very question: “What’s he doing here?” “Why does it matter that Jesus came in the first place?” 

I am aware that if you look at the title of this post, you might be able to provide a pretty quick answer to that question and conclude that this post could be much shorter. But would you agree with me that having certain information or knowledge in your head is not always the same as having it in your heart?

We can learn facts. We can receive information about certain topics. We can be taught to regurgitate answers. But knowing something (head) isn’t the same as knowing something (heart). Through this series, we want to make sure that, regarding the coming of our King, this knowing (head) connects with this knowing (heart). 

It’s one thing to know a headline in the news about a tragedy (head). It’s sad anytime we hear reports of accidents that result in injury or death. Nevertheless, the news cycle continues, right on to the next story and to another one after that.

But when the news report of injury or death involves your family member or friend, the world seems to stop. While the news may continue right on to the next story, you’re stuck; your heavy heart is weighed down more deeply. Suddenly it isn’t just news; it’s your life. A part of your life has been directly impacted and now the head knowledge and the heart are connected.

As we look at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, it’s more than just information that is being passed onto us; what happened there impacted our whole life, even our eternal life.

The event recorded in Mark 11 is a little bit like the movie that starts out right in the beginning by showing a flash forward. As we start out the new church year and are still looking forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth, Mark takes us on a flash forward to the week of Jesus’ death. So why are we focusing on the days before Jesus’ Good Friday death while just weeks away from the celebration of his Christmas birth? We’re here because it provides a crystal clear answer to our question, “What’s he doing here?” Kind of. 

I say “kind of” because while we have the right answer from the crowds, but the answers are not given for the right reason. You know how that can happen sometimes. A student in the classroom who has not been paying attention at all suddenly gets called out by the teacher with a curveball question. Out of nowhere, the student’s long-shot answer to that question is… shockingly, totally correct! But if you press further and ask the student why that’s the answer, he wouldn’t have a clue.

So the onlookers crowding Jesus as he entered Jerusalem gave the right answer to the question we’re asking, but they didn’t really know why it was the right answer. 

Their answer to the question was, “Hosanna!” Yes – that was why Jesus had come. The meaning of that exclamation is essentially, “Save us, Lord!” That was what God said he would do through the Messiah promised by the prophets. He promised to do just that – save his people.

Their answer was also “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Yes – the crowds knew Jesus was not just your garden variety prophet or preacher, but was representing the Lord himself. As such, blessing would most assuredly accompany him, as is always the case for the Lord’s representatives in one way or another. 

Their answer to the question, “What’s he doing here?” was “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” Recall the prophecy from Ezekiel, the promise of the Shepherd King, David. Remember that Ezekiel wasn’t speaking about King David of the Old Testament, who had died generations ago, but rather David’s greater Son, Jesus. The crowds were acknowledging that the One riding into Jerusalem had come as the fulfillment of God’s promise through Ezekiel to send another “David” whose kingdom would never end.

Yes, the shouts of the crowds were all correct answers to the question, “What’s he doing here?” But they were correct in the wrong way. They were the classmate who got the answer correct, but couldn’t begin to explain why it was correct.  Yes, Jesus had come to save them… but not in the way they had assumed he would save them.

To better make sense of their understanding, we don’t really have to look all that much further than the present day conflict over Israel. The expectation of a promised temporal kingdom or state, a reality tied to real estate and boundaries and nationality and earthly government – these same expectations still exist today. 

And still today they miss the point, as they did when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The peoples’ refusal to pay attention to Jesus’ own words, their failure to understand the Old Testament prophets, has resulted in people that are still today looking for the wrong thing. The kingdom Jesus came to usher in has no border or geographical location. The deliverance Jesus came to bring wasn’t a deliverance from physical slavery, oppression, or racism. None of those misunderstandings grasp why Jesus came to save.

But it is hardly just those with Jewish roots or ties to Israel who miss why Jesus came. Like those Jerusalem crowds, people – even those professing to be Christians – can provide the right answer to the question of why Jesus came without being able to explain why their answer is correct. He came to save. Yes, that is the correct answer. 

Some, however, degrade his saving work by redefining it. They believe and teach that Jesus merely made it possible for people to be saved. They contend that Jesus made salvation possible for everyone who does their best and tries their hardest. So long as we give it our best shot trying to be like Jesus, then Jesus will generously fill in the gaps and pick up any slack for us. By that token, what Jesus did hinges on the assumption that you’ve done your best. Only then is Jesus of any benefit.

But he is no Savior who requires or depends on anything at all from us. If we are a part of the equation when it comes to our salvation, then the only thing we can be sure of is our disqualification. For all we can bring to the table even on our finest days are works that are nothing more than the filthy rags described by Isaiah.

Others wrongly conclude that Jesus coming to save means that everyone is guaranteed heaven, regardless of what is believed (or not believed!). All people everywhere, regardless of religious affiliation or any faith at all, will ultimately end up in “a better place.” Call it heaven or paradise or whatever else you like.

While that might seem a nice thought, to hold on to such a thought is to turn a blind eye to the clear teachings of the Bible that warn repeatedly of hell and souls condemned to it specifically as a result of their unbelief and rejection of Jesus. So neither of those misunderstandings of Jesus saving can be correct, no matter how much one’s heart might tell him otherwise.

What then is the correct meaning to attach to this answer that Jesus came to save? The apostle Paul seemed to have a pretty good handle on it. He wrote, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15).

There you have it: Jesus came to save sinners. What exactly is a sinner? It’s the person who acknowledges that his sin slams shut the door to heaven, leaving only the one-way path to hell and eternal suffering. Such a person confesses her wrongs and inability to do right 100% of the time as God demands. Jesus came to save sinners.   

And know that Jesus’ joy and delight is not to judge and condemn, but to save. Jesus explained, “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). Jesus came to save!

What’s he doing here? Jesus came to save! He came to save us from our sins. “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins” (1 John 3:5).

What’s he doing here? Jesus came to save! He came to save us from the devil’s work. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).

Are you a sinner? Good news – the best news of all: Jesus came to save you! Believe it!

“What’s he doing here?” Depending on the circumstances, the question could be asked for a number of different reasons. When it’s asked of Jesus, make sure we have not only the right reason for asking it, but more importantly, the right answer to the question. The King came on that first Christmas to save, to pay with his life the price necessary to save us. The King will come again on the Last Day to complete the final act of saving and whisk us away from all sin and accompanying sorrow. And who did he come to save?

He came to save sinners. He came to save you. 

Our Shepherd King Secures His Scattered Flock

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(Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 23-24)

“Just do it for me, please.” Dad was patiently showing his little boy how to use a hammer to pound a nail so he could complete a small project he had been working on. His son had practiced and practiced, but he was struggling to pound the nail without bending it. The pieces of scrap wood nearby pierced with disjointed nails protruding awkwardly made it quite evident that he hadn’t gotten the hang of it yet. Frustrated and discouraged, he was ready to give up and pleaded for his dad to just pound in the nails for him so he could finish his project. “Please, Dad, just do it for me.”

It’s not just the little boy learning to pound a nail in straight who either has the desire or the need for someone else to do something for him. Pressed for time and leaving precious little margin in our over scheduled lives, we often find it more convenient just to pay someone else to do it for us. We don’t have time to whip up a dish before the get-together, so we stop at the store and pick something up. We don’t have the patience to do the research needed for the repair job so we call a guy to do it for us. No matter the product or service, you can find just about anyone to do it for you if you don’t have the time, patience, or ability to do it yourself. 

In one area of life, however, we couldn’t manage the problem ourselves even if we wanted to – someone else had to do it for us. Forgiveness and our salvation required someone else to do it for us. Even with all the effort, practice, or money in the world, we could not secure these on our own. Our best efforts at holiness still resemble the pile of scrap wood showcasing nothing but bent and broken nails. To a holy God who set the bar of expectation at the highest level – perfection – even “good” people can do nothing but dislodge the high jump bar with every single attempt. Nike’s encouragement to “Just do it” won’t cut it for our salvation; instead, we need to look elsewhere and plead, “Just do it for me, please.”

On the final Sunday of the Church year, observed as Christ the King Sunday, we celebrate that we have just the Savior who stepped in to do it for us. As we do so, with hearts still beating with the gratitude of Thanksgiving, we marvel our Lord’s determination to gather and shepherd his flock. There is no reluctance whatsoever on his part; only resilience. There is no unwilling resentment; only unyielding resolve. We have complete confidence that Our Shepherd King Secures His Scattered Flock. 

At the time of the prophet Ezekiel’s service, God’s people were in captivity in Babylon. Why? Because the leaders God had put in place to take care of his people had done a miserable job. They failed to rebuke and correct God’s people. They themselves failed to heed any rebuke and correction they received from God’s prophets. They failed to lead by example – many kings were even unbelieving idolaters! The leaders God had placed over his people to shepherd his flock had failed. Spectacularly. Their Babylonian exile served as a daily reminder. 

I wish I could point out how much we’ve learned from that lesson of Israel’s captivity. But I can’t. It’s every bit as likely that 2,500 years later, those tasked with leading God’s people in his Church are just as capable of doing just as miserable a job – if not ever more abysmal – than those sorry shepherds of Israel’s day.

Sadly, the church today is a lot like politics – often a matter of having to choose the lesser of two evils. When a Christian is satisfied with a pastor or church that is solid on most of what the Bible teaches (but not all of it!), that ought to be a red flag. That ought to be an indicator to run away and run away fast. Why, after all, should God’s people have to settle for any approach or teaching that compromises God’s Word? Why can’t we expect a church and/or pastor to be faithful to all of it? Why can’t we expect that of our shepherds today? Indeed, we should!

Thankfully, God wasn’t content to leave the salvation of souls in the hands of heterodox leaders. No, God was the originator of the “if you want something done, do it yourself” approach. That was what he was promising his people through Ezekiel.  

Even though his people had turned away from him, God was not one to cross his arms and turn his face away from his wayward people.  No, he’s one to do something about it. And the solution he promised didn’t involve enlisting the help of someone else; he was his own solution. He promised to take it upon himself to come to the rescue of his people. God’s heart for mankind, the crown of his creation, beats with such unparalleled passion that he couldn’t possibly risk leaving the outcome in anyone else’s hands but his own. Only in taking care of the matter himself could he guarantee success. Only in taking complete ownership of the responsibility of the salvation of souls could man’s eternity be secured. 

Ezekiel prophesied as much. “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep’” (Ezekiel 34:11-12a). Appreciate how the Lord speaks here! He says “I myself.” The Lord himself doing a thing makes a difference.

It’s one thing for a friend with expertise in a certain area to offer advice or share some videos explaining how to tackle a repair or DIY project. You’d certainly be appreciative of such an offer. But you know what you’d appreciate even more? If he offered to come by tomorrow and just fix it for you! He knows what needs to be done and he knows how to do it, so rather than insert some middle man or risk you not getting it right, he comes and personally takes care of it for you.

Your Shepherd-King himself claims the responsibility of searching for his scattered sheep and shepherding them as they are brought into his flock. After all, remember that Jesus is not the hired hand, but the Good Shepherd himself (cf. John 10). 

The Lord also referenced the intimate, personal nature of his relationship with us: “I will look after my sheep.” “My” sheep he calls us! We are his! We belong to him, and he doesn’t hesitate to claim it! Embrace that identify before you go seeking it anywhere else only to be disappointed. You are his sheep. You belong to him. Rest in the safe security of that identity. 

Ezekiel then spelled out exactly how God would carry out that intimate, personal relationship with those he desired to save. “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken” (vs. 23-24). At the time Ezekiel was prophesying, David’s story had already played out. His life, his rule over Israel, and his death were already part of the history books. So who was Ezekiel speaking of here when referencing David?

When you hear the echoes of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” shouted as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the lightbulb goes on. They sang their hosannas to “the Son of David” because they were acknowledging Jesus to be the fulfillment of the greater David. This offspring of David would usher in a reign that would never come to an end. Yes, Jesus is the promised David, God dressed up in humanity so that he himself could establish and maintain the personal, intimate relationship with his own sheep by dwelling among them.

While we wait for that Son of David, Jesus, to return on the Last Day, he still secures his scattered flock – through his Church. The church I serve at has as its tagline, “Seeking the Lost and Serving the Found.” By embracing that mission, we are acknowledging that our Shepherd-King carries out his work through us. We are called to gather the sheep outside the pen into the sheep pen. We are called to gather those wandering away from the Shepherd and his Church, either literally as they disengage or become uninvolved with the life of the church. But we are also called to gather those wandering away spiritually, whether neglecting the Bible and sacraments or being swayed by false teachers. Ether way, Jesus enlists our gifts to aid him in carrying out this important work. 

How do we know it’s important? Because we know the price tag he already placed on each soul that he has redeemed. Our King didn’t conquer with an elite army. Our King didn’t conquer with a spectacular special weapon. Instead, our King conquered by offering the perfect peace offering to guarantee victory: himself.

Our sacrificial King won the battle not by littering the battlefield with the dead bodies of his enemies, but by offering up his own dead body to pay the price for our sin. The Bible describes Jesus’ sacrifice this way: “’He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls’” (1 Peter 2:24-25).

The sacrifice made by our Shepherd and Overseer provides the backbone for every other promise that God has made to us, including each of those laid out in Ezekiel’s words. If Jesus has firmly secured our salvation, there is no reason to doubt all other promises that flow from that mighty act of sacrifice.

Our Shepherd-King will search for and look after his sheep. He will rescue them and gather them together from all over the earth. He will tend them. He will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. He will see justice carried out. He will do all of these things, just as he promised.

“Just do it for me, please,” the little boy pleads to his father. He obliges because he loves his son.

“Just do it for us, Lord,” we beg of the Father. He obliges because he loves his sons and daughters. He established his kingdom by shedding his own blood, and he continues to rule over and sustain his kingdom by that same blood, offered in the sacrament and the food of his Word to feed his sheep. So as we close out another church year and start a new one with the season of Advent, let us rejoice in our King who did it himself so that he could secure his scattered sheep for himself and for eternity.

A Time for Faithful Service

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(Matthew 25:14-30)

What do you think of the master in the parable? What impression of him are you left with after reading or hearing Jesus’ story? Is he the kind of guy you respect, the kind you could see yourself wanting to spend time with, perhaps getting to know him a bit over a cup of coffee? Or does he rub you the wrong way in how he comes across in the parable? Is he a little too uptight and overly focused on the financials? Do you see him being concerned more about profit than he is about people?

Since the master in the parable represents the Lord, let’s just cut right to the chase and be a little more direct: what do you think about God? What is your view of him? How do you personally see God? When you pray to him, what is the image in your mind of God as you are speaking to him? When you call to mind the promises he speaks to you, what does he look like to you as you are hearing him speak those promises to you? What feelings do thoughts of God evoke in you? How do you describe what he means to you when you’re talking about him with others?

What you make of the Master matters. Why? Because what you make of the Master determines your service to him.

Think about your current job and all of the past jobs you’ve ever held. Didn’t the way you felt about your manager or boss impact your work? If you thought the world of your boss, then you also didn’t think twice about making sure you always did your best and even went above and beyond. But if you couldn’t stand your boss, you were less concerned about wowing anyone with your work and just cared about completing the bare minimum required to keep him off your back. The way we feel about our boss has bearing on the work we do. 

What you make of the Master matters. How you see God impacts how you serve him. If you view him as the third servant did, then what you do with the talents he entrusted to you will be tainted. Fear or guilt will either lead to begrudging toil or burying talents. Either way, it won’t produce the kind of return that God the Giver desires.

So then, how do you view God? Is it possible that you… resent him? Do you hold any sense of spite toward God because you reason that he finds some twisted joy in punishing wrong-doers? If so, where might that perception possibly come from? Might it be driven by our own guilty conscience? Could such a view of God stem from our awareness of our own shameful sins, which at times we carry out so casually? Do we attempt to make God the bad guy for punishing the sins we want to commit, imagining we can somehow shift the blame onto him? Is that how you see him?

Do you perhaps view God as the hard Master who demands far too much of you? Does he place impossible expectations on you? Do you think of him as distant and far off, like the man in the parable going on the journey? Is he out of touch? Do you suppose he cares only about results while being disinterested in you personally? 

Friend, if any of those apply, while I don’t know where those perceptions ever came from in the first place, I do know this: you’ve got the wrong guy. Such views of God don’t line up with how God is portrayed in Scripture. Think about it – would the master really have entrusted his personal property to his servants if he did not care about them, trust them, and yes, even love them? After all, he wasn’t passing along his personal property to strangers, but to his own servants.

Know this about the God who desires grace to be his calling card: his delight in you isn’t dependent upon your faithful service to him, but rather his faithful service to you. He called you to faith. He keeps you in faith. His forgiveness – and all the wealth of spiritual blessings that accompany it – are not extended to you on the basis of how faithfully you manage what he gives you; his forgiveness is extended to you on the basis of how faithfully his Son served by obediently carrying out everything necessary for your salvation. His faithfulness was flawless. That is your Master.

But your Master is even more! He’s also the Suffering Servant. Jesus not only explained the wicked servant’s sentence; he also experienced it. “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v.30). Jesus was the one who was thrown into the darkness of hell. Jesus was the one who experienced the weeping and gnashing of teeth in the place of eternal separation from his Father. Though his obedient service was flawlessly faithful, he suffered the punishment of the wicked, lazy servant. He suffered our punishment. The Master and Suffering Servant are one and the same – our Substitute and Savior.

Two of the three servants clearly viewed him that right way. We can tell by the quality of their service to him. They set out to put to work what the Master had entrusted to them and their efforts yielded a very nice return – who wouldn’t take a 100% return on any investment? They had faithfully utilized what had been given them, and the Master was delighted, showering them not only with praise, but also entrusting them with greater responsibility. “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (v.23). 

Then there was the third servant. He chose to manage what had been given to him differently. Rather than put it to work, he was concerned about losing it and facing his Master’s wrath. 

He was playing not to lose. You know when that expression is typically used of a team in any sporting event? It’s most often directed at a team that either is losing or has just lost, because rather than focusing on putting in the work to score more points to either take the lead or keep the lead, they were more focused only on keeping the other team from scoring. It rarely works out well for the team that finds itself playing not to lose. 

It didn’t work out well for the third servant, either. And the Master wasn’t buying his excuses. He didn’t hold back in calling him out bluntly. “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest’” (v.26-27). So while the servant supposed his misguided view of the Master would let him off the hook, it did the very opposite. His Master pointed out that if that truly was how he saw him, then he had even less reason to bury his talent and more reason to put the talent to work in an effort to avoid the Master’s wrath!

As we consider this parable in this time in between Jesus’ first and second coming, it is obvious to us that Jesus would have us live not like the third servant, but like the first two servants. So what does the faithful servant look like today?

Assuming we long to please the Master as the faithful servants did, what is required of us? Sometimes this parable has been used to highlight that God gifts us differently. We notice that he didn’t give the same talents to each of the servants. This is true. We do have different gifts and abilities from God. Some can organize and coordinate. Others have musical gifts. Some build and fix with their hands, some find joy in serving and/or cleaning up. The list goes on and the point is stressed that whichever unique gifts we have been given, we are to put them to use faithfully and not bury them. This application definitely has its place as we understand how God has uniquely gifted us.

But it isn’t the only way to consider the faithful service God calls us to carry out. It might also be helpful for us to think of the talents/bags of gold in terms of the responsibilities we have in our lives. Since we have numerous responsibilities across the board in our lives, whatever those responsibilities may be, God expects us to be faithful in carrying them out.

You have a job – do it well with all the strength and ability God provides. You have a house and a vehicle – take good care of them it and maintain them well. You have volunteered your time for this or that cause – follow through with your commitments and see them to completion. You have a spouse to love and serve – do so sacrificially. You are single – use it to your advantage to serve the Lord in that season of life. You have children – raise them to be grace-filled, Jesus-loving Christians who embrace the privilege of serving in Christ’s kingdom. You have neighbors – befriend and help them whenever possible. And we all share responsibilities to the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those treated unjustly, and so on. Some of us have more responsibilities than others, just as the servants had different amounts of talents. Whatever those responsibilities are, faithful service means we don’t avoid them, we don’t wait for others to carry them out for us, we don’t neglect them, and we don’t carry them out half-heartedly. 

No, because we know the Master, and what we make of the Master matters. It makes our heart sing to do a job well for him. It delights us to delight him. It fills us with joy to know that every single responsibility we have is an opportunity for us to worship him with our whole lives, to give him our best as he did for us. We think so highly of the Master who thought so highly of us as to give us the greatest gift possible in Jesus. 

What a wonder that our Master should respond to our faithfulness as he does, and that we are both the source of his happiness as well as the ones with whom he wishes to share his happiness. Your faithful service makes the Master happy. Doesn’t it make you happy to know that? Go then and put smiles on God’s face with your faithful service. 

A Time to Focus on Future Glory

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(Revelation 7:9-17)

We often need the reminder to make sure we’re living in the present. That reminder can keep us from remaining stuck in the past as we get caught up ruminating on regrets or unfinished business. Such a reminder can also keep us from an unhealthy fixation on the future life we have planned for ourselves that always seems to be just out of reach, always waiting for this to happen or that to fall into place. Those reminders are good for us so that we don’t overlook the blessing of the present, the here and now, the 24 hours that we have on this day, in this place, in this station of life where we find ourselves currently – not dwelling on who or where we were in the past and not pining for who or where we’d liked to be in the future. 

Yet, as we live in this time in between Christ’s first and second coming, we can just as easily get stuck with tunnel vision, zeroing in only on the here and now and losing sight of the “not yet” – the future that God holds out to those who are his. There are three dangers of forgetting the future and living only in the present.

First, focusing only on the present can find us unprepared and not ready for Jesus’ return. Jesus even warned against waiting until the last minute because of such an attachment to the here and now in a number of his parables, such as the bridesmaids waiting for the groom who run out of oil because they aren’t prepared (cf. Mt. 25). We want to be ready for that time.

Jesus’ warning to Christians is that it is extremely dangerous to leave our faith always on the “perennial to-do list, ” as if our good intentions to getting around to it after we finish everything else that we’ve prioritized ahead of it. We dare not let faith be our last concern in this life only to find out after it’s too late that faith is the only concern that matters for the next life, for eternal life. It will simply be too late to discover that reality after the fact. 

A second danger that arises when we perceive heaven or Jesus’ return to be so far off into the future: we leave ourselves susceptible to being overcome by a feeling of hopelessness. The discouragement, the disappointment, and the disillusionment of the daily here and now can capsize us like a tiny fishing boat being tossed about in the middle of a hurricane. We become convinced that there is no end in sight regarding our financial plight. A toxic relationship will never become healthy. My job will never be fulfilling. The chronic pain or sickness is not going to improve. I can’t fix the struggles I’m having with my child. Without reminders about the eternal hope our future holds, each of these challenges can feel like another fifty-foot wave smacking and swamping us over and over again until we finally sink. It’s just a matter of time. 

The third danger that comes when we fail to focus on our future glory may be the most dangerous: instead of holding out for the future glory that is ours in Christ Jesus, we seek out glory in the here and now. For that is what the fall into sin has made us: glory-seekers.

Satan had convinced Adam & Even not to remain content with who God had made them to be in the world God had made for them. They believed there was a level of glory that God was hiding from them, keeping them from attaining a status more in line with his. The fruit was the key. They were deceived into believing it promised them the glory they were seeking. So, unsatisfied with the glory they already had by being created in God’s perfect image, they longed for a greater glory. And the result? The glory they had was smashed to pieces, obliterated into nothingness, gone, along with the gloriously perfect world God had given them. 

We daily pick up where our first parents left off, glory-seeking as if on a treasure hunt that promises untold riches and wealth if we can just secure the glory we seek. “But glory is the last thing I am interested in,” you say. “I dread being the center of attention or being recognized. I would much rather defer to someone else more interested in such things. Glory does not interest me.” So you say.

How then do you justify your workaholism? The paycheck that affords you a new _______, or the successful title, promotion, or recognition, or simply the praise others heap on you for being a hard worker – what is that if not all ultimately about serving your own glory? What of your child’s athletic, academic, or extracurricular achievements, diploma from a prestigious university, or high-paying career? Are those things so often the topic of your conversations for their own sake, or are you simply glory-seeking through your kids? Are you early or on-time for everything because you’re so considerate or respectful of other people’s time, or do you glory in that reputation? On the flip side, are you habitually running late for everything because of one excuse or another, or is because self-glory has you convinced that your time is more valuable and important than everyone else’s? 

If we aren’t interested in glory seeking and self-glory, why then, is it so hard to pay another a compliment? Because it draws attention away from us (or we’re just naturally better at pointing out others’ flaws). Why are we compelled to identify the tiniest shortcoming in a project or job done by someone else? Because we could have done it better. Why is it so hard to apologize or admit that we were wrong? Because our glory, our reputation, our pride, would be damaged. Do we defer recognition because we’re genuinely humble, or because our glory is in wanting to be known and recognized for our humility?     

It is the deceptive nature of this third danger of neglecting to focus on our future glory that makes it such a threat. We actually begin to believe, just as Adam and Eve did, that we can search out and secure some sort of glory this world might offer. But it is nothing more than a mirage.

And if we spend our here and now pursuing a mirage, then the Holy Spirit is being robbed of the opportunities to feed and strengthen our faith. The stronger our faith, the more we yearn to receive a true and lasting glory, a glory that is no mirage, but is a reality secured for us through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is our glory, and so it is no surprise to see him at the center of the vision shared with us through the eyes and pen of John in Revelation. Do you wish to see what glory looks like? Look no further than the verses from Revelation 7.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (vss. 9-12).

Now imagine that right in the middle of this glorious scene, this happens: an individual objects to all of the glory being directed at the Lamb and demands that he, too, be recognized for certain highlights in his own life. Absurd!

But as absurd as that is, is it any more ridiculous than any attempt at glory-seeking right here and now? Why should the here and now on earth be any different than the not yet of heaven? Why should be think ourselves worthy of any glory whatsoever when the only mark we hit consistently in our lives is that of unholiness and imperfection? 

What makes this glory depicted in Revelation so remarkable is that it even overshadows and covers our every foolish attempt at seeking self-glory in the here and now. Notice what everyone is wearing: “Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (vss. 13-14).

A white robe. A white robe made pure and clean by the blood of the Lamb. The blood shed on the cross, the blood given to you in the Sacrament – that blood alone cleanses and purifies you. It washed away your sinful glory-seeking and all other pride along with it. That is the only reason anyone is able to stand in the presence of the Lamb and worship him, and that is the reason this whole scene is punctuated with praise and adoration in the first place – because of what the Lamb has done for all people, including you and me. 

And friends, we wear that robe not just in heaven, but also here and now, through faith in Jesus. We are righteous right now. We are holy right now. We, to a degree, are covered in this glory right now.

Why should we ever foolishly seek an inferior glory that the world holds out to us when we have the superior glory of Jesus Christ to claim as ours not just in the future, but in the present? Here and now. When we are robed in that glory, we get it. We get that serving Jesus is a joy, not a burden. That’s why we long for this scene: “Therefore, ‘they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence’” (v.15).

Yet even now we have the joy of serving him day and night with our whole lives. While we have to wait for the complete joy and bliss of the full glory that waits for us in heaven, we don’t have to wait until then to experience the joy of serving him and others here and now!

And to spur us on toward perseverance and endurance while we serve here, we take to heart the picture of serving God eternally in a world without the worries or woes that plague us here and now.  “‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (vss. 16-17). 

Yes, we live in the time in between, but that doesn’t mean we live unaware of what waits for us. Quite the opposite. It is precisely because we know what waits for us that we are encouraged. That is why we continue to focus on a future glory that is ours, spurred on even by a foretaste of that glory in the present, as we are God’s glory-bearers here and now. 

A Time for Steadfast Faith

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(Daniel 6:10-12, 16-23)

Those living in California are familiar with the damage that raging wildfires can cause. Those living in Florida have experienced the path of destruction a hurricane can leave in its wake. In other parts of the country, flooding can leave entire communities in ruin. Knowing the potential damage that such disasters can bring is exactly why residents are encouraged to prepare by taking every precaution they can to protect themselves and their property.

But the time to prepare is not during the disaster. A homeowner cutting back the brush around his house and hosing everything down while the wildfire is surrounding him has waited too long. The resident trying to board up his windows as the rain is pelting and the wind is hurling objects all around him has waited too long. Filling up and laying down sandbags as the floodwaters have already begun seeping into the home is a waste of time. No, if a person wants a chance at being able to handle disasters, the best time to prepare and be ready is before it arrives!

That explains why the edict King Darius decreed didn’t derail Daniel after it had been given: he was prepared. There was no emotional tug-of-war internally over the correct course of action for Daniel, no wondering what he should do or how he should handle it. Should he just play it cool for the thirty days of the decree and not be so overt with his faith? Should he pay external lip service to Darius, while internally retaining his faith in God? If he backed down in any way, though, what would that communicate to others about his faith and his God? Would that be tantamount to a denial of his faith?

Daniel’s decision had already been made; he was prepared because his practice had already been established. “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (v.10). The decree was announced, and Daniel… did nothing different. He prayed three times a day, “just as he had done before.”

And it most certainly wasn’t only his practice of praying three times a day that stood out, but his believing lifestyle altogether that was evident to others. It was surely Daniel’s practice of his faith that prompted his envious enemies to craft the specific prohibition against practicing other faiths – they knew such a decree would be a slam dunk against Daniel.

His devout life was even evident to the king, who twice – right before sealing Daniel in the den and then again the next morning – referred to the God Daniel served “continually” (cf vss. 16, 20). This was just typical Daniel, standing out in a heathen culture because he didn’t hide his faith at all. His devotion to God and worship of God was not an occasional observance that others witnessed once in awhile, but the norm. Daniel was ready for any storm in life, because his steadfast practice of faith prepared him for anything. 

During this time in-between, as we conduct our lives between the two comings of Christ – his birth and his return on the last day – can we not only see the importance of being prepared, but also make real changes in our lives to put it into practice? Are there ways, like Daniel, that we can be more grounded in God in the day-to-day, so that when the next bomb drops – literally or metaphorically – we’re actually ready, and not scrambling for dear life as if we don’t have a clue what to do or where to turn?

Most reading this would likely agree that more time in prayer and in the Word of God would be a tremendous blessing in our lives. So why is it that we wait to turn to those things until the wildfires, the hurricanes, and the floods of life start wailing on us? Why are we spiritually trying to board up our windows as Satan starts swinging instead of preparing beforehand? Let’s use this time in-between to prepare, to bolster up our faith so that we are immovable, steadfast, rock-solid in Christ when things turn south.

On Reformation, we recognize and appreciate the “Daniels” God has provided for us throughout history to remind us of the importance of steadfast faith. Martin Luther was one such individual. Once the the Holy Spirit unlocked for him the precious truths of Scripture so that he understood and embraced that his salvation was by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus alone, revealed through Scripture alone, there was no turning back. The good news became clear to him: righteousness wasn’t a matter of required obedience that could be earned, but rather a free gift that could only be given through faith in the perfect life of Jesus.

Once Luther came to know and believe these theological truths, his life would be a reflection of them until his dying day. He taught and preached. He wrote and instructed. He debated and defended. He was steadfast, so that when the heavy hand of the Roman Catholic Church dropped on him, he wasn’t about to back down. Steadfast faith stood strong in the face of severe opposition from some of the most powerful authorities on earth. 

Now is the time for steadfast faith. But let’s be more specific so that we understand why so many blessings are attached to that kind of faith. A steadfast faith is only as good as its object. In other words, what really determines the outcome is not just how strong and steady a faith is, but to what, or whom, that faith is directed. In whom is it placed?

A cancer patient might have all the confidence in the world that using a special shampoo will cure his cancer. Someone might be 100% convinced that playing the Lottery using the numbers of her family’s birthday months will ensure that she wins. I could make sure that I have my lucky socks on so that my job interview guarantees I get the job. But you also better be prepared to be let down by that shampoo, those numbers, and the socks. They have zero ability to reward your confidence, your faith in them. 

Did you notice how wishy-washy the king’s faith was in Daniel’s case? How ironic that he would authorize a decree that for thirty days no one could pray to or worship any other god or man other than him, only to turn around and appeal to Daniel’s God to deliver him from the lions! He wanted to cover all his bases, demanding that he alone is worshipped, while allowing for the possibility that if there is by chance another god out there – like Daniel’s, for example – that he could be acknowledged as well. 

That’s not at all an uncommon approach many have to religion and spirituality today, is it? “All religions are basically the same; just change up some of the names and places and a few of the teachings. As long as you have a strong faith in your god, I can have a strong faith in mine, and so can they, and we can all leave well enough alone.” It’s no different than shampoo, lottery numbers, or socks – they’re powerless to do anything, no matter how much you might believe it. 

But finally, only one God saves – Daniel’s God delivered him. That same God – and only that God – delivers all who trust in him, including those who recently joined our church family. Our instruction didn’t consist of a study of world religions so that they could be familiar with everything under the sun that is taught about any given deity or path to spiritual enlightenment and then pick and choose as needed throughout the rest of their lives, depending on the situation. 

No, they learned more about the only true God from the only reliable source in which he has chosen to reveal himself: the Bible. There alone can we find a God who is radically unlike any other god portrayed in other religions. There we find a God who gave himself up, a God determined to make the necessary sacrifice for your salvation. In the Bible we find a God more interested in serving than being served. We see a God who longs for us to rest in and rely on his work on our behalf, rather than trying to run ourselves ragged pretending we could please him or earn his affection with our goodness, as Martin Luther wrongly believed before discovering the good news about Jesus having done it all for him. 

Only a steadfast faith in the Jesus who came to save will not be disappointed. He always delivers – even if not in the manner by which he delivered Daniel – from death. He may deliver that way, or he may allow sickness or injury into our lives and then deliver us through those things. Or, finally, he may use those same trials to deliver us home to heaven. But the true God – Jesus – always delivers. Always. So a steadfast faith in him is not misplaced.

So let’s board up the windows now, let’s fill up the sandbags and clear the brush away from the property, so that when disaster strikes in our lives – which has a 100% chance of taking place at some point – we’re ready. Let’s reinforce our faith to be so steadfast that nothing can shake it. How?

Those joining a local church family are taking an important step in that direction. They are committing to the support, encouragement, and growth that they will both receive and help provide in a congregation. And as we collectively grow closer to Jesus and his life and work becomes more intricately woven into ours, faith is fortified and multitudes of blessings emanate from that kind of faith. As we endure storms ourselves, our faith better prepares us, and our faith-filled friends and church family support and hold us up – and we do the same for others as we all grow together. That is what a steadfast faith looks like, and in a shaky, unsettled, tumultuous world, who doesn’t need that?

Now is the time, as we wait for Jesus to return, to invest more, not less, in our faith. Now is the time to strive for a steadfast faith that is already in place so that when the disasters come, you’re ready, and when Jesus returns, you’re ready. In this time in between, let us join the ranks of the Daniels and the Martin Luthers and let Jesus’ church be a place of refuge and strength, where God’s people strive for a steadfast faith that mirrors our Savior’s steadfast commitment to us. 

A Story of Liberal & Lavish Invitation

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(Matthew 22:1-14)

How can God possibly convince you? What illustration, what picture, would be enough for it to sink in how good it is to be in Christ’s kingdom? What does it take so that your view of Christianity and Christ’s church is so much more than just a social club or service to tap into when you need it, but so much more? Think about what it would take for that to sink in, because God wants you to know how really great it is to be in his kingdom.

So Jesus tells a story. This story shares some similarities with previous stories – parables – we’ve heard from Jesus, but also a few unique elements. One that stands out: the party! “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son’” (v. 1-2).

Mind you, this is not just anyone in the neighborhood throwing a party – this is a king. This is someone with the resources to put together a spectacular party! Someone in that position, for an occasion like that – a wedding reception for his son – is able to spare no expense in spoiling all of the guests gathered to celebrate his son’s marriage.

The king even makes sure his servants are highlighting his extensive preparations when he sends them out to personally follow up on the invitations he had extended. “Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet” (v.4). He was not throwing some party on the cheap, holding out and hoarding the best of the best for himself sometime down the road, but was planning to serve the best beverages, choicest cuts of meat, and every delectable treat one could ever hope to sample. It was all going to be there!

And it’s all right here – right here in Christ’s kingdom to which we believers belong. That – this – is the kingdom Jesus is portraying in his parable, and while it certainly includes the fullest measure of what is waiting for us in heaven, by no means are the blessings of the wedding banquet off limits to us until then! While the blessings of being in this kingdom are many, I want to highlight just a few that repeatedly seem to top the list for many believers: hope, peace, forgiveness, and love.

A familiar statement popped up again in a recent devotion. I’m not sure who is credited with coining it, but here’s the reminder of one of the great blessings of being in Christ’s kingdom: “Many people see only a hopeless end, but you have an endless hope.”

In a society that has more resources than it’s ever had at its disposal – in terms of stuff, support, treatment, etc. – it seems to take so little for people to slip into hopelessness. Yes, in recent decades we have done a poor job of teaching younger generations the value of resiliency and how to handle adversity, but there’s more to it than that.

If we don’t have the God of hope in our lives, then should it surprise us that so many are feeling hopeless? Let’s not make it more complicated than it needs to be! Paul captured the blessing of hope in the closing thoughts of his letter to the Christians in Rome. To those who had more than enough earthly reasons to feel hopeless, as persecution in the early church raged, he wrote, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Without the “God of hope,” where else would we expect to be hopeful? But with him, hope overflows – a hope that is fueled by the certainty of the full-blown wedding banquet waiting for us in the future. And that hope is related to another blessing of being in this kingdom: peace. 

Will peace exist in the middle east when terrorists stop attacking Israel and Israel stops retaliating? Is peace merely a matter of putting down weapons? Of course not. Fear and terror of what could happen at any moment in the future would continue to exist on both sides.

That’s because peace isn’t found in the absence of war and aggression; it’s found in reconciliation. It is found only when two sides have completely hashed out their differences and restored and repaired their relationship. But as long as something – anything – stands in the way of that, there is no reconciliation, and therefore no peace. 

When we are riddled with guilt over what we’ve done wrong, we don’t need someone to merely brush it off and say that what we did was no big deal. No, we need something more. We need reconciliation. We need assurances that what we’ve done doesn’t stand between us and that person. We only have that in Jesus, who alone is able to assure us that because of his saving work, because of the forgiveness he came to secure for us, no sin or guilt remains between a Holy God and a sinner like me. The assurance Jesus gave to his disciples after his resurrection is also our assurance: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). You are at peace. Jesus says so, because Jesus made it so. And just as your peace is related to the hope we have, so is your peace the result of another blessing of being in the kingdom: forgiveness.

Notice how beautifully that forgiveness is depicted in Colossians: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14). We have been rescued! We were dominated by darkness, but having been brought into the King’s kingdom, a kingdom characterized by forgiveness.

It’s what sets this kingdom apart from all others. Other kingdoms are established by a show of might or political gamesmanship, but not this one. This one is far more powerful, for it is based on the authoritative pronouncement of God himself to the whole world, that his forgiveness through Christ means he doesn’t hold our sin against us. 

But what should prompt all of this? Why should the likes of any of us be able to rest in the hope, the peace, and the forgiveness that belong to us in this kingdom?

Simply because the God who is love loves you with a love that will never burn out or be bored of you. His is an eternal love, put into action before creation, carried out at Christ’s crucifixion, and continues to all in his kingdom.

Jesus’ disciple John, who preferred to be known not for his great sermons, his special privileges as being in Jesus’ inner circle, or any of his own accomplishments, but to be known simply as the disciple Jesus loved, wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

In Christ’s kingdom we have all of these blessings – hope, peace, and forgiveness – because God loves us. In light of these reminders, doesn’t Jesus’ description of the lavish wedding banquet seem like a gross understatement? How could any worldly illustration – even Jesus’ own parable – possibly come close to adequately describing the blessings God lavishes on his people?!?

Yes, Jesus’ story is one of a lavish invitation to a never-ending party that nothing else will ever come anywhere close to imitating. But Jesus’ story tells us even more: everyone is invited. All are welcome! No one is excluded from being invited to the banquet! How liberal is God with his invitation, to exclude no one and include everyone?!?

The details in the parable capture this quite well. The king had already sent out invitations, but he didn’t just sit back and wait for people to show up. Rather, in addition to sending out the invitations, he took the initiative to follow up with all of those who had been invited to remind them of the invitation and urge them to now come and join in the festivities, for everything was ready.

If you’ve ever planned a party or an event – whether it’s been for just a small group or a large one – you know this is no small thing. It’s a lot of effort to make sure all of the details on the invitation are correct. Then, how will the invitations get distributed? Will you mail them with a stamp, send out an email and hope it doesn’t go into their spam, or create an event on social media? Will you invite via a phone call or text message?

There are so many ways to get the word out, which also means so many more ways for the word to get lost, ironically making follow up as necessary as ever! And who of us hasn’t wanted to pull out their hair trying to do that (or from the other perspective, been the ones responsible for causing others to want to pull out their hair because of our lack of response!)? Getting a response from people at a time when ghosting has become acceptable behavior is no easy thing! So see and appreciate what great lengths the king went to in his invitations, sending his servants out multiple times to follow up.

When one goes to such great lengths to plan and prepare a party and thoroughly extend invitation upon invitation, it makes it all the more inexcusable that any should react as they did. Some simply ignored the invitation. Others were preoccupied with other priorities, heading off to work or tending to a project at home. Still others did the unthinkable and murdered the messengers.

Recall that we witnessed this same behavior in the last parable Jesus told of his vineyard. However, this time Jesus included what it looked like to “bring those wretches to a wretched end,” to use the words from the last story of Jesus. He describes it here. “The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city” (v.7).

Yes, there will be punishment for those who reject Jesus’ offer of free and full salvation. While some may conclude that such punishment is unnecessary and that God goes too far and way over the top in carrying out such punishment, they forget that consequence is simply what we brought on ourselves way back at the first sin.

We brought it on ourselves. What’s more, remember that’s the very thing God sent out the invitation to rescue us from! So if we refuse his rescue, then we have just chosen for things to be the way we always deserve – to be punished ourselves for our sin and cut off from God’s grace forever. To those who reject God’s gracious invitation, God will give them what they want instead. 

But for those who do by faith accept his invitation, we notice from this parable that there’s also only one way to get into the banquet: you have to be wearing the wedding clothes.

The king saw one guest who was not properly dressed and he was dismissed – thrown out of the party! He didn’t have on the right fit. The only appropriate dress wear in Christ’s kingdom is Christ’s perfection. His holiness. His righteousness. Anyone who insists on wearing his own good efforts, noble intentions, or positive thoughts and vibes, will end up on the outside looking in. 

So after the invitations went out, who are those left out? Only those who chose not to attend the banquet and those insisting on getting in on their own terms.

So it is with the kingdom of God. The invitations literally could not have been sent out more liberally! They went out to everyone! Not only that, but the appropriate attire – the credit of Christ’s perfect life through faith – is also offered to everyone in attendance. And don’t forget the rich blessings of being in attendance: hope, peace, and forgiveness, all driven by the King’s love for you. How lavish & liberal is the king’s invitation?!?

Who are you in this parable? Wherever you are in life, there is a role depicted in the parable. Are you rejecting the invitation and/or those messengers who bring it? Preoccupied with other things that you don’t have time of the party? You want to come to the party but you insist on getting in on your own terms? Feel like your guilty past means you didn’t make the guest list? All are invited! The servants were sent out repeatedly to others with the invitation? At times we fall into different roles in the parable, but as we wrap up Jesus’ stories, let us make sure we take him up on his invitation. Not only does our eternity depend on it, but we don’t want to miss out on the party – then or now! And it’s so easy for us to miss out if we take for granted what is included in Christ’s kingdom.

The story is told of a family who wanted to travel to America for the chance at a better life. After saving up, they spent all they had on tickets for the family to travel on an ocean liner to America. Friends and family provided bread and cheese for the family of four. Dad figured they could stretch that out to last the ten-day trip and then they’d be much better off after arriving in America.

After six days of cheese & bread sandwiches, their little boy couldn’t take it anymore. Dad mercifully scrounged together enough change for the boy to go to the ship’s store and buy an apple. After quite a bit of time had passed, the boy hadn’t returned and dad, being worried, set out to find him.

As he left the lowest tier of the ship and climbed each level, accommodations became increasingly luxurious. Eventually the father made it into the the grand dining room, where he discovered his son sitting at a table surrounded by an amazing spread of food. “What are you doing?”, dad lamented. “We can’t afford that! I’ll be arrested and we’ll be taken back home!”

As the son replied, he took out the change his dad had given him and returned it, explaining, “Dad, all of the food is included in the price of the ticket. We could have been eating all of this for the past six days instead of cheese bread sandwiches!”

So often that describes how we go through life. We settle for cheese sandwiches instead of tapping into the banquet that God provides for us. Realize how lavish the party is in Christ’s kingdom, and rejoice that you’ve been invited by taking advantage of all of the blessings he provides! Oh, and don’t forget to pass along to everyone else that they’ve been invited, too!

A Story of A Determined Harvester

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(Matthew 21:33-43)

They were a camping family. They knew the outdoors. Their experience level could be considered way above average in terms of handling different types of geography, weather, and wildlife. Being outdoors was almost as natural to them as the daily routine back home, even for the kids.

All of this explains why the parents didn’t bat an eye at giving the okay when their thirteen-year old asked if he could go for a hike, even though they were camping in bear country. When he returned from his hike, everyone was pretty excited when he shared that he saw a bear on his hike, from a safe distance, of course.

The following day his parents again granted him permission to go on the hike, as he was excited by the possibility of seeing a bear again. This time he came back even more thrilled, because not only did he see the bear again, but it had even chased him very briefly this time.

While the parents were certainly a bit more apprehensive about letting him hike the same trail for a third time the next morning, not only were they were both confident in his experience ability to take care of himself, but they also reasoned that after two days in a row, the probability of a third bear encounter a was extremely low.

They were understandably shaken up then, to say the least, when he stumbled back into camp with cuts and scrapes and his clothes all disheveled. Sure enough, once again he had come across the bear’s path, but this time it charged at him and attacked him. He couldn’t get out his bear spray in time to deter the bear, but once he fell to the ground and played dead, eventually the bear became disinterested, left him alone, and wandered off. He was extremely fortunate to get by with only very minor injuries.

What would you think of those parents if they were to let their son go on that same hike a fourth time (let alone the third time!)?

Now, as you consider your answer to that question, how does your view of those parents compare to your view of the landowner in Jesus’ parable from Matthew 21, verses 33-43? Both were knowingly putting others at risk! While the actions of the tenants in Jesus’ story are of course inexcusable, at what point does the landowner bear responsibility for knowingly putting others in harm’s way by sending additional servants – and eventually even his own son! – back to the vineyard? Surely in today’s world he’d be looking at a lawsuit from the other servants or the families of those injured or killed! What justification could there possibly be for such action?

Surely the most shocking element of Jesus’ story is the landowner’s insistence on continuing to send servants after seeing how the tenants treated the servants he sent previously! The landowner appear to be completely irresponsibly, negligent – reckless, even!

But is the “irresponsible landowner” the only view of the vineyard owner can have, or do the details of Jesus’ story possibly provide a different perspective? Consider all the measures the landowner took in the first place. He’s the one who planted the vineyard on his plot of land – it belonged to him, not the tenant farmers. In order to keep the vineyard protected, he built a wall around it, complete with a watchtower to monitor everything. He even had winepress built on-site to make it as easy as possible to press the grapes into wine, so that they wouldn’t first have to be transported somewhere else for that step.

One could say the landowner went to great lengths to set up his vineyard to be successful. And what was the purpose behind all of it? “When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit” (v.34). He simply wanted fruit. That was, after all, the goal. It’s why he got into the business in the first place, so that his vineyard would bear fruit. 

When we keep that in mind, is he so crazy after all for sending additional servants to collect what was his? He simply wanted his business effort to generate a profit. He wanted to see the results of the blood, sweat, and tears he had put into the vineyard.

Moreover, if we put the best construction on the landowner’s continued efforts at sending additional servants, he was giving the tenants multiple opportunities to do the right thing. Each group of servants was another chance for them to realize their mistake, change their ways, and treat the servants well while sending them back to the landowner with an abundant harvest. So not only did the landowner care about his fruit, but also the tenants tending his fruit. He wanted them to do the right thing and serve faithfully in his vineyard. 

What does this parable of Jesus teach us about God? God is a determined harvester. And from that truth, we can draw out two applications for today: 1) don’t belittle the fruit collectors and, 2) do bear fruit. 

Don’t Belittle the Fruit Collectors

“Belittle” is an understatement for how the tenants treated the fruit collectors! Jesus’ parable states, “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way” (v.35-36). The tenants didn’t just tell the fruit collectors to bug off or go fly a kite. They could have just refused to let them into the vineyard at all. But instead they went to the extreme in their treatment, beating, killing, and stoning them. To do so was not just an injustice against the servants who were merely acting on behalf of the landowner, but a direct assault against the landowner himself!

Jesus is clearly addressing his listening religious leaders through this story, as the parable calls out Israel’s past – and present – penchant for persecuting prophets. In that regard, the Old Testament isn’t just a history, it’s essentially a RAP sheet listing the crimes Israel was guilty of committing against the prophets God sent to collect fruit. Again and again God’s people incriminated themselves in their treatment of God’s prophets. In every season of Israel’s history, God patiently sent one prophet after another to speak messages of repentance and promises of comfort for those who turn back to God. And in every season of Israel’s history, God’s prophets were belittled, rarely listened to, but often attacked and even killed.

The culmination of this was unfolding in the present during Holy Week as the prophet Jesus spoke this parable to those who would yet again fulfill it when they would murder God’s only perfect prophet on Good Friday. And, in the verses immediately following this Matthew reading, Jesus’ listeners knew full well that he was accusing and convicting them. “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet” (v.45-46). 

Do we realize how Jesus’ story accuses and convicts us as well? Or do we presume that since we’ve never been guilty of assaulting or murdering a man of God that this cannot apply to us?

But have we belittled those God has sent to serve us with his Word? Have we despised the preaching of his Word and reception of his body and blood by tending to other cares and concerns in this world as of much greater priority? Have we ignored attempts of elders to minister to us by not even responding to their efforts to do so? Have we downplayed when the pastor cares enough to call to our attention that we’ve been noticeably absent from regular worship? Have we ignored invitations to study his Word together and deepen our faith? Assuming you are a member of a congregation, have you forgotten that you were not forced into membership in that congregation, but willingly chose to be under its spiritual care?

Though we may convince ourselves otherwise, we have blood on our hands when we belittle God’s efforts at sending his servants to collect fruit and minister to us. It’s so easy for us to convince ourselves of how unlike those rebellious, stubborn OT Israelites we are, and that we’d never stoop to their level. But are we better or worse off if we learn nothing from their example and exhibit what is the same attitude of heart toward God, but refuse to admit it? 

What does that kind of attitude deserve? At the close of Jesus’ parable, even his enemies determined those tenants ought to get what they deserve: “‘Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied’” (v.40-41a). They condemned themselves! And if we confess our guilt of the same sin, then we, too, are condemned. We, too, deserve to be brought to a wretched end! There is nothing more wretched than hell and being eternally separated from God and his love – and we’d have no one to blame but ourselves because we admit that’s the sentence that such actions deserve!

But there is more to Jesus’ story. As with other parables, there is a son. The landowner finally sent his own son, thinking his own flesh and blood would surely be respected. Instead he was rejected. Instead he was murdered.

That, thankfully, was by God’s design. Yes, someone had to get what those wicked tenants – what we – deserve! But the one paying that price was not at all the one who deserved it. The Son, Jesus, died for the tenants. They thought they’d kill him and get the inheritance, but the truth is, Jesus came to die to give them an even greater inheritance: heaven. The Son died to satisfy the Lord’s wrath against rebellious sinners. The Son died to satisfy the Lord’s wrath against you and me. 

So we will never bear it. We will never feel it. We will never experience what it’s like for wretches to be brought to a wretched end, even though it’s the wretched end our own actions deserve. Jesus did that for us. And what does he need from us in return?

Do Bear Fruit

Well, he doesn’t need anything, but we can’t but help give him everything. Our firstfruits. Our best. The harvest he longs to have from those that he took such care to bring into his vineyard. We have no fear of repercussion for our sin, as our punishment has already been carried out. Now we are free to bear fruit. 

And oh, there are so many ways for us to bear fruit, aren’t there? So many ways for us to express the depth of gratitude that God hasn’t cast us out of his vineyard, his kingdom, but lovingly keeps and protects and serves us here. Think of the fruit we can bear individually and together! Think of how God uses that fruit to invest back into his kingdom and build it up!

Rather than simply listing all the different ways we can bear fruit, let us consider how we can participate in one particular way: mission work. God bears so much fruit in and through us as we carry out his mission to make the good news about Jesus known everywhere. He does that through us individually and as we work together as Christians to carry this out (here’s an awesome example!). Your prayers will bear fruit in mission work. Your offerings will bear fruit in mission work. Your lips will bear fruit in mission work, as you tell others about Jesus, or consider full-time ministry to lead and equip others to do so.

However you can, in as many was as you can, bear fruit! God will take our fruit and build and bless his vineyard, his kingdom, through it!

A Story of Spiritual Insincerity

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(Matthew 21:23-32)

Can you imagine how hard it must have been for them? How excruciating to have had to utter the words! Surely it went against ever fiber of their being to have to give such a reply, but after having analyzed it from every angle, the best response the know-it-all religious leaders could give to Jesus’ question was, “We don’t know” (v.27).

How true it was, though! They didn’t know. Hardened hearts were not willing to accept the spiritual things that only the Holy Spirit can reveal, and so they truly didn’t know the answer to Jesus’ question. 

Nor did they wish to, which shows us how stubborn a thing unbelief is to overcome. Each possible response they considered showed them to be in the wrong. Either response would have taken them at least one step in the right direction closer to faith in Jesus.

But unbelief is a stubborn thing. It doesn’t wish to be overcome. It prefers to remain blind. It prefers to remain in the dark. It refuses to be humbled or corrected. So rather than acknowledge it is in the wrong, it offers uncertainty as a suitable middle ground.

We see it today. Nonbelievers are content to live in limbo, refusing to believe one thing or another on the basis of “How can we really know for sure?” Or, they deflect their responsibility in investigating Jesus’ claims or the veracity of the Bible by accusing Christians of believing themselves to be superior to everyone else because they’re so sure they’re right and everyone else is wrong. So they hang out in the middle, shrugging their shoulders like the chief priests and elders, while echoing their disinterested “we don’t know.”

And these are the same ones who want to point out how readily they would believe if they simply had any proof of God’s existence. To them, just as he did to the chief priests and elders who refused to acknowledge the proof right before their eyes speaking to them, Jesus says, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (v.27).  

Jesus is never one to waste words, not when he knew his time on earth – as well as theirs – was limited. For that reason he chose to steer the conversation in a different direction. Rather than trying to satisfy unbelieving ears with some sort of appeal that would legitimize his authority, Jesus instead focused on the greater issue that had to change before anything else: the unbelief in their hearts. To address that issue – the biggest issue by far in anyone’s heart, Jesus told a story. 

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go” (v.28-30). Jesus’ parable is short and to the point. It would seem to be rather straightforward, and especially relatable to anyone with their own kids, or who has ever been around kids, or who has ever been a kid – so yes, relatable to all of us. At the end of the day, a person may have good intentions, but good intentions by themselves don’t yield good results. 

Jesus’ listeners rightly guessed the answer to his follow-up question, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” (v.31). They knew the son who ended up actually following through with the father’s request was the one who did what he wanted. While the father would have most certainly been irritated, by the son’s initial refusal to do what told him to do, in the end, the father would have been happy to see the son end up doing the work. Perhaps there would be some additional conversation about how out-of-line it was for the son to say “no” to his father in the first place (a conversation that seems to be far too infrequent in our society today), but ultimately the son did the work he was told to do, even if after initially bucking against it.

On the other hand, how disappointed must the father have been when the other son’s initial, “Okay, I will” resulted in nothing but further inactivity! At least if the other son had done nothing, his inactivity would have matched his initial response. But what a different thing it is when expectations are raised, only to be dashed again! What a different thing it is when someone agrees and then doesn’t follow through. 

What exactly was Jesus’ point for his listeners then? What message did he wish to get through the thick skulls of the chief priests and teachers of the law? They knew Jesus’ teachings. They knew Jesus’ claims. They knew that others, too, were aware of what Jesus was calling for from his disciples – to repent and believe in him.

But since their hearts were hard, they rejected Jesus’ invitation, convinced they were already carrying out what the father, what the LORD, had called them to do: obey and embrace the law along with its “do’s” and “don’ts” as a means of satisfying the Father. In essence, they thought their lives were already a reflection of the perfect son who knew what the father wanted and proceeded to carry it out. But they missed that they weren’t at all carrying out what the father had asked: to believe in the one he sent, the Savior, Jesus. 

It was a different story, however, for the tax collectors and the prostitutes. They were the other son. They looked at what the religious crowd was portraying as far as the father’s demands, and they didn’t even bother pretending to say “yes” to such high demands. They knew such expectations were impossible for the likes of them. They knew they had no chance in following through with such lofty expectations, so they just presumed they’d always be on the outside looking in when it came to meeting religious qualifications. 

But when Jesus comes along and shares the exact same message – “repent and believe in me,” there was a different result. The very same ones who in their own minds were the “No way” sons and daughters to the father’s request were quick to follow through with what Jesus called them to do: believe he was the Savior.

Jesus shared their outcome with the chief priests and teachers of the law: “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (v.31).

The chief priests and teachers of the law were doing what they thought the father – God – was asking of them, but in reality they were doing what they in their own self-righteous hearts wished would have been the way to satisfy the father. In that regard, it wasn’t at all the father they were really aiming to please, but their own sense of self-righteousness.  

What does this have to do with us today? After all, when was the last time you came into contact with a chief priest or teacher of the law? Well, actually, we see them anytime we look in the mirror. What do I mean?

In the simplest sense, who can keep track of the number of times we’ve been the son who says “I will” and then doesn’t? We take the time to comment under the prayer request post that we’re praying or we text back the praying hands emoji, but we don’t take the time to actually pray the prayer we promised. We ask someone in need to let us know if there’s anything we can do to help, and when they lay out the specifics of how we could actually help, we fail to follow through. We commit to serving or volunteering in this or that role with a full understanding of what is being expected of us, only to not do what we said we’d do, and instead make excuses or keep putting off what we agreed to get done. It’s not the son in the parable we want to be, but it’s the son we so often are.

We’re that same son even when we do the right things we should do… but for the wrong reasons. Remember, those confronting Jesus did actually focus on obedience and following the rules. They were concerned with doing the right things, and they were sincere about it. But their reasons were sincerely wrong. Their doings and obedience and rule-following were not Christ-compelled gestures of overwhelming appreciation and thanks that stemmed from a vibrant heart of faith overflowing with gratitude. No, their doings and obedience and rule-following were prompted by perfectionist tendencies that believed the lie that peace with God was earned – or even could be earned – by hard work and dutiful effort on their part. As far as they were concerned, the attitude behind that effort didn’t matter. As long as it got done, that’s what God was looking for. 

When instead of joyfully jumping in we resentfully allow ourselves to be “roped in” to service and ministry, we might as well have come clean right from the start and instead been the son who said, “I will not,” because God isn’t looking for a church built on begrudging acts of service. When worship becomes an appearance that must be made to be seen by others instead of an eager acceptance of the King’s banquet invitation to be fed the divine food that satisfies our souls, we are the son who says he will, but doesn’t. When the days sandwiched between Sundays are lived out as if they were our “time-off” from Christian living instead of the actual time to punch in and put in the work of living out our faith, we are the son who says he will, but doesn’t. In so many ways we are the wrong son in this parable!

How much we need a third Son – God’s Son! He alone is the Son who not only said, “I will,” but also carried out the Father’s will perfectly. What’s more, he knew his purpose so well and realized his mission that he invited others to test him as they followed him, listened to him, and watched him carry out his work. His invitation then is still extended to us today – “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father” (John 10:37).

To those still claiming “we don’t know,” Jesus says, “Fine, put me to the test and see! But if you see me doing what my Father commanded – in a way no one else ever has or ever could, then you have all the reason you need to believe in me!” 

And near the last hours of his, as Satan was preparing to use Judas and Jesus’ enemies to carry out God’s plan and purpose on the cross, Jesus explained why it had to happen: “so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31).

This is the Son we need, the son we could never be, the Son who did all that the Father commanded – including the covering of our own failures as sons and daughters by giving up his very life on the cross! This is the Son in whom there is no insincerity or deceit, but only perfect obedience, carried out with a perfect heart, filled with perfect love for the Father. This is the Son through whom we have forgiveness and a place with our Father here and now, and home in heaven.  

Because he did, we are on the receiving end of that same perfect love, a love the Father has for us because of the perfectly sincere Son, our Savior, Jesus. There is no place for “I don’t know,” no place for “I’m not sure.” There is only absolute certainty in the perfect sincerity of Jesus, carried out in his perfect life, death, and resurrection, for you.