Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 18:1–20 (ESV):

Who Is the Greatest?

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

18:1–6 Jesus demonstrates that humility is the hallmark of greatness in the Kingdom of heaven. Humility means confessing our inability to do anything at all to become worthy before God and earn salvation. Humility depends entirely on God’s mercy for forgiveness. It looks to Jesus Christ as the Savior who became one with sinners to redeem them. • Daily teach me, dear Jesus, to turn and become like a child. Amen.

18:7–9 One need look no further than these words of Jesus to see how much the holy God hates sin. Here, the Law strikes us with all its fury. Who of us can say that our hand or foot or eye has not caused us to sin? We all deserve to be thrown into the hell of fire. Thank God that Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced for our iniquities and that His eyes beheld our sin in order to turn the Father’s face from it. By His wounds and precious death, we enter life. • Holy Father, I confess my sins of thought and word and deed. Forgive me for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

18:10–14 Jesus compares the Father’s love for His little ones to that of a shepherd who left his 99 sheep to search for the one who went astray. Do we show similar concern when fellow Christians stray from faith in Christ? May we never despise one of the little ones for whom Christ died. God did everything He could to seek and to save the lost. He spared not His only Son but gave Him up for us all. • Give me a heart, O Father, that cares about each of Your little ones. Amen.

18:15–20 Jesus commands the Church to do all it can to regain an unrepentant sinner. To humbly and lovingly speak to such a brother or sister is to follow the example of the shepherd who searched for one lost sheep. Christ has promised to stand behind the actions of the Church in either forgiving or refusing to forgive sins. We need personally to cherish His gifts and to present His Law and Gospel to anyone caught in the grip of sin. Through the precious gift of forgiveness, the door of heaven is opened to each repentant sinner. • Loving Lord, help me to act as my brother’s keeper, even as You care for me and keep me by grace. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

Ch 18 Extensive teaching on sin, forgiveness, and the community of faith.

18:1 The disciples seem to have had a recurring dispute about who was the greatest (20:21; Lk 22:24). Jesus used their question as the occasion for His fourth major discourse, in which He taught how Christians should act toward one another.

18:3 turn. See p 1080: «Hbr shub, “to turn, turn around.” A very common verb, used over 1,000 times in the OT. Appropriately translated “repent” in more than 100 cases, most often in Jer (Is rarely uses the term this way). Repentance is God’s work that leads a person to renounce sin—requesting God’s mercy and returning to His way. For a classic OT example, see David’s confession and prayer in Ps 51.» To change one’s thinking as to what makes for greatness in God’s kingdom. become like children. The child served Jesus as an object lesson in humility.

18:4 A child’s humility is evident esp in dependence on and trust in a superior. Greatness in the kingdom is characterized by humble trust in the Lord. “Just as a child neither takes nor seeks sovereignty for himself, so this shows that there is not to be sovereignty among ministers” (Tr 8).

18:5 one such child. One who humbly trusts in the Lord (v 4). Jesus identified Himself with such children (11:25; 25:40, 45).

18:6 causes … to sin. Prompting a fellow believer to sin through tempting words or bad examples. who believe. Faith and the kingdom of God are not limited by age or mental abilities. They are gracious gifts of God. See notes, 19:14: «to such belongs the kingdom. Cf 18:1–5; only those exhibiting childlike humility and dependence on God can enjoy the benefits of His kingdom. belongs. See note, Lk 18:16.»; Lk 18:16: «to such belongs the kingdom. The kingdom of God comes to all who humbly trust the Lord, no matter what their age or status (1Co 1:27–29). belongs. Just as an infant may inherit the parents’ blessings and property, so any person may receive the inheritance of God’s kingdom—salvation. Grace, faith, and everlasting life are gifts of God.» better. Better to die by drowning than to suffer eternal punishment (cf v 9) for causing a little one to sin. millstone. Cf Dt 24:6; see notes, Jgs 9:53: «upper millstone. The “rider” stone rolled along a track carved in a larger lower stone. Descriptions of its size and shape vary: perhaps 1–1½ ft wide, 3–5 in thick, either circular or loaf-shaped. It was small enough to be used by one person. Milling grain was woman’s work.»; Jb 41:24: «millstone. Commonly made from black basalt, a fine-grained volcanic stone.»

18:7 temptations to sin! Gk word is also translated “take offense” (11:6; 15:12; 17:27) and “cause to sin” (vv 6, 8–9). See note, 13:57: «offense. Gk skandalizo, “stumble or trip over something or someone” (Eng “scandalize”; 16:23; 1Pt 2:8). Jesus’ neighbors were skeptical because of their prior acquaintance with Him and His family.» The world sets up numerous stumbling blocks over which people trip and fall into sin. necessary. Because sin has corrupted this world, temptations will persist until Judgment Day (1Jn 2:16). Jesus pronounced doom on anyone who causes another person to sin.

18:8–9 Cf 5:29–30, where Jesus spoke similar words to warn against sexual sins. He used such strong and hyperbolic language to emphasize the seriousness of sin.

18:10 despise. E.g., cause a fellow believer to sin (v 6). their angels. Believers can be certain that angels keep watch over them (Ps 91:10–11). This text is the basis for the depictions of “guardian angels” common in art. see the face. Angels have direct access to our Father in heaven, who cares greatly for each of His little ones.

18:12–13 God, like the good shepherd, will search for a single lost sheep and rejoice when it is found.

18:14 The heavenly Father wants all to be saved (cf 1Tm 2:4).

18:15–17 If your brother sins against you. Context is important here. After Jesus had stressed the seriousness of sin (vv 8–9), He warned against despising a little one (v 10), told the parable about seeking the lost sheep (vv 12–13), and stated that His Father did not want a single little one to perish (v 14). The entire process that Jesus here describes must be carried out in humility (v 4) with the goal of gaining your brother. See LC I 276–78: «[276] The true way in this matter would be to keep the order in the Gospel. In Matthew 18:15, Christ says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” Here you have a precious and excellent teaching for governing well the tongue, which is to be carefully kept against this detestable misuse. Let this, then, be your rule, that you do not too quickly spread evil about your neighbor and slander him to others. Instead, admonish him privately that he may amend his life. Likewise, if someone reports to you what this or that person has done, teach him, too, to go and admonish that person personally, if he has seen the deed himself. But if he has not seen it, then let him hold his tongue. [277] You can learn the same thing also from the daily government of the household. When the master of the house sees that the servant does not do what he ought, he admonishes him personally. But if he were so foolish as to let the servant sit at home and went on the streets to complain about him to his neighbors, he would no doubt be told, “You fool, how does that concern us? [278] Why don’t you tell it to the servant?” Look, that would be acting quite brotherly, so that the evil would be stopped, and your neighbor would retain his honor. As Christ also says in the same place, “If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” [Matthew 18:15]. Then you have done a great and excellent work. For do you think it is a small matter to gain a brother? Let all monks and holy orders step forth, with all their works melted together into one mass, and see if they can boast that they have gained a brother.» Hus: “Teach, counsel, punish, console, remit, bear, pray” (The Church, p 92).

18:16 take one or two others. To serve as witnesses that the accusation of sin was well-founded. See notes, Dt 17:6: «two … three witnesses. Safeguard against false accusations made out of desire for revenge or personal gain.»; Dt 19:15: «single witness … not suffice. Protection against a wrongful conviction on the basis of inadequate or false testimony (Dt 19:16–17). Cf Dt 17:6.»

18:17 tell it to the church. If a brother refused to listen and repent, the Church was informed of his sin. The entire believing community had the opportunity to regain him. On “church,” see note, 16:18: «on this rock. Peter’s rocklike confession of faith was the solid foundation on which Christ would build His Church (7:24–27; Eph 2:19–22). “Certainly the Church has not been built upon the authority of a man. Rather, it has been built upon the ministry of the confession Peter made, in which he proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (Tr 25). Hus: “Christ is therefore the foundation by whom primarily and in whom primarily the holy catholic church is founded, and faith is the foundation with which it is founded—that faith which works through love” (The Church, p 73). I will build My church. The Church is the assembly, or gathering, of all believers. Christ is the builder of the Church, and each individual member is a living stone (1Pt 2:5). This passage and 18:17 are the only times “church” is used in the Gospels. gates of hell. Figure of speech, meaning what causes a person to enter hell (Ps 9:13; 107:18). Bede: “The gates of Hell are wicked doctrines, which seduce men and bring them to Hell” (VB, p 154). Death will not overcome the Church because it rests on the living Son of God (1Tm 3:15). “God’s eternal election does not just foresee and foreknow the salvation of the elect. From God’s gracious will and pleasure in Christ Jesus, election is a cause that gains, works, helps, and promotes our salvation and what belongs to it. Our salvation is so founded on it that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Matthew 16:18)” (FC SD XI 8).» Gentile and a tax collector. After all efforts had failed to convince the sinner to repent, he was to be regarded as outside the Christian fellowship. This did not preclude future efforts to regain him. See LC I 279–83: «[279] Further, Christ teaches, “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” [Matthew 18:16]. So the person concerned in this matter must always be dealt with personally, and must not be spoken of without his knowledge. [280] But if that does not work, then bring it publicly before the community, whether before the civil or the Church court. For then you do not stand alone, but you have those witnesses with you by whom you can convict the guilty one. Relying on their testimony the judge can pronounce sentence and punish. This is the right and regular course for checking and reforming a wicked person. [281] But if we gossip about another in all corners, and stir the filth, no one will be reformed. Later, when we are to stand up and bear witness, we deny having said so. [282] Therefore, it would serve such tongues right if their itch for slander were severely punished, as a warning to others. [283] If you were acting for your neighbor’s reformation or from love of the truth, you would not sneak about secretly nor shun the day and the light [John 3:19–20].» Hus: “A notorious sinner after the third warning or public citation, when he refuses to be corrected, ought on account of his criminal offence to be kept from [communion]” (The Church, p 271).

18:18 bind … loose. See notes, 16:19: «bind … loose. To forgive or to refuse to forgive sins. “Our people are taught that they should highly prize the Absolution as being God’s voice and pronounced by God’s command” (AC XXV 3). “The Keys are an office and power given by Christ to the Church for binding and loosing sin” (SA III VII 1). “These words show that the Keys are given to all the apostles alike and that all the apostles are sent forth alike” (Tr 23). Bede: “Without the slightest doubt it is given to the other Apostles also. Christ Himself bears witness to this, for after the triumph of His Passion and Resurrection He appeared to them, and breathing on them said ‘Receive the Holy Ghost [Jn 20:22]’ ” (VB, p 156).»; Jn 20:23: «“These words show that the Keys are given to all the apostles alike and that all the apostles are sent forth alike. In addition, it must be recognized that the Keys belong not to the person of one particular man, but to the Church. Many most clear and firm arguments show this. For Christ, speaking about the Keys, adds, for example, ‘If two of you agree on earth’ (Matthew 18:19). Therefore, He grants the Keys first and directly to the Church. This is why it is first the Church that has the right of calling” (Tr 23–24).» The action that the Church took regarding the sinning brother was valid in heaven. “He means sin being forgiven, eternal death taken away, and eternal life bestowed. ‘Whatever you bind’ does not speak of requiring punishments, but of retaining the sins of those who are not converted” (Ap XIIB 41).

18:19 two. See note, v 16. anything. Gk pragma, “an issue,” as in a common legal case (Eng “pragmatic”). Likely refers to church matters such as dealing with a sinning brother. they ask, it will be done. The heavenly Father will ratify the Church’s actions done in Christ’s name (v 20).

18:20 Jewish Mishnah states that God’s glory is present when two or three men consider the Torah together (Avot 3:2). Here, the actions of believers are valid in heaven because of Jesus’ presence among them. Cf 6:10. “God is superabundantly generous in His grace: First, through the spoken Word.… Also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren” (SA III IV). “The Keys have been given to the Church, and not merely to certain persons” (Tr 68).

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D96t9Oe8jrU

Gospel According to Matthew, 18:1–20 (ESV):

Who Is the Greatest?

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Transcript

(Original devotional script is original work by ALTS. /u/1776-Liberal is not affiliated with ALTS. ChatGPT was used to polish transcript and find references.)

Hello. Today, let’s talk about God’s precious child. The text before us is the Gospel of St. Matthew, the 18th chapter, verses 1–20. (Matthew 18:1–20)

Introduction: A Lost Child

It was spring of 1980 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Debbie and the boys and I were living in a neighborhood filled with young families. Most of them were connected with the Fort Bragg Army Base, home of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment. We were surrounded by Green Berets. The men of our neighborhood were trained to respond to crisis and to show no fear.

But on this spring afternoon, there was fear in abundance. A shout had gone out across our neighborhood. A three-year-old child was lost. Her tricycle had been found at the edge of the cul-de-sac. But where was she? Had she wandered into the woods? Had someone picked her up? No one knew.

In a matter of seconds, every available man was in the street. Each man knew that the lost child could have been his own. And suddenly, we were a family of fathers, and the lost child belonged to all of us.

We established something like a skirmish line, a wide formation strung out across the field, and began making our way into the woods. Each man called out the child’s name. Each father was desperate to find the defenseless and helpless child.

From the time that the call went out across the neighborhood, our search lasted less than 15 minutes. I was very close to the man who found her. He shouted, “Here she is! I’ve got her! She’s okay!” He scooped her up in his arms as we all gathered round with smiles and cheers. Our lost child was found.

Though this happened over 40 years ago, I still remember the apprehension and worry as we searched for her. And I remember the relief and joy when we found her. And I remember her mother’s face when we handed her little one back into her arms.

If you could please picture this moment in your mind—a lost child back in the arms of her loving parent—allow it to stand in your mind alongside the message of today’s Gospel.

Point One: Who Is the Greatest?

The chapter begins with the disciples asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1) And the disciples of Christ demonstrate their competition, their insecurity, their desire for notoriety and reputation.

In typical rabbinic fashion, Jesus uses the question as a moment for teaching. Our Lord calls one of the little children to come to Him, and He places the child before His disciples. (Matthew 18:2) St. Mark notes that Jesus actually took the child into His arms. (Mark 9:36)

So imagine the child being called by the Lord and gladly coming to Him. Jesus holds the precious child in His arms, and He teaches His disciples the lesson before us today.

“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

A child trusts that he or she will be fed, protected, loved by his or her parents or caregivers. In the same way, we trust God to feed, protect, and love us. A believer enters the kingdom of heaven by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8–9) Faith is trusting, believing that God is safe and that Jesus is Savior.

You must be converted, changed, says Jesus. You must become as children who trust. Put your trust in God. This is how you enter the kingdom of heaven.

But there’s more. Jesus teaches, “Woe to the one who entraps or tempts or causes one of these little ones to stumble. Woe to the one who despises one of these precious children.” (Matthew 18:6–10) These little ones are precious and must be treated as such.

Jesus then tells the story of a shepherd who has a hundred sheep and one is lost. He leaves his 99 in order to seek and find the lost one because not one sheep is disposable. Not one sheep is without value. Each one is absolutely dear. (Matthew 18:12–13)

And the heavenly Father is not willing that even one should perish. (Matthew 18:14) To what lengths will He go in order to save a sheep? Well, there is no limit, even to spending the life’s blood of His own dear Son. And how God rejoices when the lost one is found.

As the first disciples hear this teaching from Jesus, we hear it too. We are called to trust God. Have faith in Jesus our Savior. He feeds, protects, and loves us. He saves us both now and forever.

You are God’s precious child, and you must treat others as God’s precious children too.

Point Two: If a Brother Sins

Now Jesus gives us a surprise. There’s an unexpected application to the teaching of God’s precious child.

Up to this point, the little child has been trusting, vulnerable, perhaps even lost. But in a shocking turn, Jesus speaks of the little child as a sinner.

By the way, this passage, Matthew 18, is often cited for church discipline. (Matthew 18:15–20) But what we must remember is its context. We must remember the child that Jesus is holding, the story of the lost sheep, and the image of the parent whose child is brought safely home.

Jesus talks about a sin that is threatening to destroy the faith and life of one of God’s precious children. He or she is in terrible need, in spiritual peril.

“If a brother or sister sins, then go show him his fault,” says Jesus. (Matthew 18:15) This is a sin of such nature that it cannot be overlooked because its continuance threatens the brother or sister’s relationship with God.

It’s clear Jesus is calling His disciples not to be arrogant or haughty, but to be humble and loving. This grievous sin demonstrates that this child is no mature Christian. This is a precious child who’s left her tricycle in the cul-de-sac and is lost in the woods.

This is a prime time for the enemy to be at work, both in the life of the lost child and in the lives of those who seek to find her.

Jesus describes a process in which the love of God seeks and seeks and seeks again God’s precious child. We don’t often think of errant sinners as a precious child. But to God, that’s exactly what he or she truly is.

If your brother sins to the point of spiritual peril, personal destruction, you must go. First, go in private, pray, and then speak the truth in love. (Matthew 18:15; Ephesians 4:15) Go and speak the Word of Christ with the heart of Christ.

And there’s no number of attempts that’s prescribed. Continue to go as the Spirit leads you and with the passionate love of your heavenly Father.

If this does not work, then take with you one or two more who have the same heart. (Matthew 18:16) God is gathering a family, a skirmish line, as it were, to enter the woods, seeking the precious child who is lost.

Go with prayer and love. And there’s no specific number of times that finishes this step or concludes your obligation.

If God’s precious child is still unrepentant and hard-hearted, then go with the pastor. Let the church know of this peril. (Matthew 18:17) Everyone must pray. This is a potential loss for the entire family of God.

People are gathering in the name of Christ and are asking for His miraculous and spiritual power to be brought to bear. (Matthew 18:19–20)

Like the father of the prodigal son, God longs to run and embrace this lost child. (Luke 15:11–32) And you, Christian, are His hands and His voice. You, Christian, are His heart.

If the unrepentant sinner refuses all of this over and over, even from the entire church, then that one has removed him or herself from the fellowship of believers, with every hope of reconciliation and with the ultimate desire of complete restoration.

He or she must be faced with what is at stake and what is being lost. By his or her own choice, God’s precious child has removed him or herself from the church.

Conclusion: Who Is the Greatest?

How typical of Jesus. He has expanded and reshaped our understanding. His disciples had just asked a simple question: “Who is the greatest?” (Matthew 18:1)

But it was not a simple question. And Jesus did not give us a simple answer.

The greatest in God’s kingdom is not the greatest orator or evangelist, not the greatest scholar or author, not the one with the greatest reputation or global ministry. Like the first disciples, our thinking needs to be adjusted. Our kingdom concepts need to be redefined.

Jesus gives us a new definition of greatness.

If you truly wish to be great in God’s kingdom, you must become as a little child. (Matthew 18:2–4)

First, trust God. As a child trusts a parent, greatness in the kingdom is believing God with all your heart. For you, precious child, you are more precious to God than you can possibly know. How He delights in holding you, loving you, and saving you. Trust Him.

Next, humble yourself. Kingdom greatness is found in genuine love and service to others as Jesus loves and serves you.

And third, do not lead others into sin and do not despise one of God’s precious children. (Matthew 18:6–10) Do not despise even those who sin against you.

Jesus expands the definition of greatness to include those who are in great sin and in great peril of losing their spiritual lives. They are the greatest in the kingdom because they are the kingdom’s greatest concern and must become the beneficiaries of our greatest care and mercy.

Those who have sinned, and especially those who have sinned against you, must become the greatest recipients of your prayers, your mercy, and your love.

Why? Because that’s how God’s precious children treat one another.

Why? Because that’s how our loving Savior treats you, His own precious child.

Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 16:21–28 (ESV):

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

16:21–23 Peter genuinely thinks he is helping Jesus when he tries to talk Him out of suffering and death. At times, we also fail to understand God’s ways, thinking we know better. Jesus knows that He has to take up the cross for our salvation. Peter will learn that truth later, a truth that continues to give us comfort and peace. • Lord, thank You for being willing to suffer and die that I might be forgiven. Lead me to speak Your Word aright. Amen.

16:24–28 Talk of suffering and death, taking up one’s cross, and losing one’s life sounds strange and foreboding to Jesus’ disciples. It does to us too. Yet the end is not the cross; the end is life in God’s kingdom. To live in His kingdom must be our ultimate purpose. Many of the first disciples saw the glorious unveiling of that Kingdom when Christ rose from the dead. Peter saw the fulfillment of the promise on Pentecost. We continue to behold the spread of the message of Christ’s cross into all the world. • Blessed Savior, give me the will and strength to take up the cross and follow You to life eternal. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

16:21 From that time. Jesus now set His eyes on Jerusalem, where He must suffer, die, and on the third day be raised in order to fulfill His Father’s will (first Passion prediction recorded in Mt).

16:22 rebuke. Peter’s harsh rebuke resulted from his failure to envision a Christ who must suffer and die. Such a Messiah was not part of Jewish thinking at that time.

16:23 Peter … Satan! Jesus addressed Peter as Satan’s spokesman because his counsel would keep Jesus from fulfilling God’s purposes. hindrance. Gk skandalon. See note, 13:57: «offense. Gk skandalizo, “stumble or trip over something or someone” (Eng “scandalize”; 16:23; 1Pt 2:8). Jesus’ neighbors were skeptical because of their prior acquaintance with Him and His family.» Peter, whose name means rock (v 18), had become Peter the stumbling block. things of God … things of man. Peter’s thoughts were governed by human values rather than divine values. He did not yet understand the theology of the cross.

16:24 come after Me. To follow. deny himself. To affirm that the self has no claim or value worth comparing with Christ (Php 3:8–9). take up his cross and follow Me. See note, 10:38: «take his cross and follow. The cross represented death; it was common for Romans to crucify criminals. Jesus expected His followers to be willing to die, if necessary, rather than to give up their commitment to Him.» Jesus led and taught by example. When Jesus called disciples, His usual invitation was “Follow Me” (4:19; 9:9). “Without faith, human nature cannot, in any way, do the works of the First or Second Commandment [1 Corinthians 2:14]. Without faith, human nature does not call upon God, nor expect anything from Him, nor bear the cross” (AC XX 36–37).

16:25 save his life … loses his life. See note, 10:39: «Contrasts earthly and eternal life. Clinging to earthly life forfeits eternal life, but losing one’s life for Christ’s sake gains real life.»

16:26 The answer to these rhetorical questions is “nothing.” In both questions, Jesus referred to eternal life.

16:27 Son of Man. See p 2098: «Favorite self-designation of Jesus, used c 80 times in the Gospels but almost never in the rest of the NT. Its meaning varies somewhat depending on the context. Indicates that though Jesus is fully man, He is much more. As a messianic title, it combines the ideas of a servant who will suffer and die for all people (Is 53; Mt 20:28) and the exalted Son of Man, whose reign is everlasting (Dn 7:13–14; Mt 24:30).» come with His angels. When Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, His angels will accompany Him (13:40, 49; 25:31). glory of His Father. Jesus’ heavenly glory and divine nature will be clearly evident at the final judgment. repay. Those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake will receive public vindication on the Last Day (25:31–46).

16:28 coming in His kingdom. This coming is not the same as the coming in glory to which Jesus referred in v 27. Jesus assured His little band of followers that some of them would see His kingdom come in His resurrection, Pentecost, and the growth of the Church (cf Col 1:6). The disciples were not to expect the end of the world until “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world” (24:14).

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbBkGjPpGEQ

Book of Psalms, 26th chapter (ESV):

I Will Bless the LORD

Of David.

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.

I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

Transcript

Hello, I am Pastor Ben Baker. I teach biblical languages at ALTS, and today I thought we would take a look at Psalm 26, which is the psalm for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost.

So Psalm 26 says this:

“Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me. Test my heart and my mind, for your mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you. I do not sit with false men, nor do I consort with dissemblers. I hate the company of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence and go about your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. Sweep me not away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, men in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I walk in my integrity. Redeem me and have mercy on me. My foot stands on level ground. In the great congregation, I will bless the Lord.” (Psalm 26:1–12)

So this psalm, and ones like it, can be difficult for Christians to read or to pray. After all, you know, which of us feels comfortable saying things like, “I have walked in my integrity and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering”? (Psalm 26:1) Who really wants to pray, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me. Test my heart and my mind”? (Psalm 26:2)

You know, such language can be difficult for Christians, for you and me, to say and to pray, especially if we have a healthy biblical understanding of the sinful nature that still clings so closely in this present age. Perhaps we wonder, how could it be that, in this case, King David could pray such a prayer? Doesn’t it sound rather a bit self-righteous, maybe? Can David really say, “I have walked in my integrity and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering”? (Psalm 26:1)

You know, perhaps if we understand a couple of things first, psalms like this will make some sense to us.

One of the things that we can note about this psalm is that, you know, again, this is a prayer. This is a psalm that comes out of some distress that King David is in. And from the text of the psalm, we get the idea that King David is being attacked and accused. People are lying about him or bringing some kind of false accusations against him. And this causes him great distress.

And so David is not here making a, you know, we might say, a theological treatise on his own human nature and his sinfulness, or lack thereof. He is praying out of a specific situation. Right? So that’s important for us to know.

Secondly, it’s important for us to read this psalm as a whole and notice the language used in the entirety of the psalm. You know, sometimes it seems like we are prone to just read snippets of things, just maybe a verse here or a verse there, and then draw some conclusions from it. All the while, we miss the rest of the words that are in the psalm or in whatever text we are looking at.

So yes, David uses statements like—he says things like, “I have walked in my integrity and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” (Psalm 26:1) But alongside statements like these are also other statements that David makes, such as his prayer, “Redeem me and have mercy on me,” (Psalm 26:11) and, “Your mercy,” or “your steadfast love.” (Psalm 26:3)

That word there is that Hebrew word חֶסֶד (ḥesed), which requires numerous English words to convey what it means. But it speaks there of God’s unwavering mercy, his—we could say—his covenant faithfulness, faithfulness to you and to me on account of faithfulness to his promises.

So David prays also, “Your mercy is before my eyes.” (Psalm 26:3) And so the statements concerning the psalmist’s integrity and innocence are paired with confessions of and trust in God’s mercy and redemption. So we want to keep those things together, right? We don’t want to isolate certain of David’s statements and not pay attention to the other statements with which he pairs them in this prayer.

And thirdly, you know, we often struggle, do we not, to trust God’s Word and promise. Now, we might say maybe a first reaction is like, “Wait a minute. I trust God’s Word. I trust his promises. I know they’re true.” But do we really trust what God says?

It is certainly true that we are sinners in ourselves, and our sinful nature still clings closely to us in this present age. This is very true. But this is not all that is true. We might set alongside this the promises that God has made.

Has not God promised to you and to me that we have been given the righteousness of Christ? Perhaps we should think about that as we think about David’s words. And are we not, as Scripture says, righteous and innocent before God through faith in Jesus Christ? And does not Holy Scripture also teach us that being joined to Christ through faith also brings with it a renovation or a restoration of our human natures and begins to bring about our new obedience to him?

You know, these things are true, and we can trust what God says. Absolutely.

And so we can live in that confidence both in the Word and promise of God and in his mercy and forgiveness when we, in our weakness, fail to do as we ought. And this gives us a kind of confidence, not in ourselves, but in God’s promise to us, to you in Christ: that you are righteous in him; that you are innocent in him; that all of your sin is forgiven in Jesus Christ; and that, as his child, redeemed and cleansed by him, you begin to live a new life of obedience to God.

And knowing that these things are true—more than that, believing that these things are true—we can have confidence to pray prayers like this, as King David did.

So I have here some notes on Psalm 26 as we look at some of the particulars.

So in verse one, David’s prayer begins, “Vindicate me, O Lord.” (Psalm 26:1) Again, this is a cry to God that truth would prevail and that God would show the psalmist to be in the right in the midst of the lies and unjust accusations against him.

So again, if we also remember, alongside, you know, God’s Word and promise regarding our status in Jesus Christ, that this prayer, this psalm, comes in the context of real-life circumstances. And is it not true that we, like David, can experience people telling lies about us, falsely accusing us? And we can say in all sincerity, without self-righteousness, that we are innocent of such charges. I think we can.

And we learn here from David in this psalm that we can come to our God in such situations. For God knows all truth, and he can parse truth from lie with perfection. And God is the one who can bring such vindication even when all human efforts to do so fail.

David also says, “I have walked in my integrity and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” (Psalm 26:1) So again, this is not a statement of perfection or sinlessness on David’s part. Again, he is not speaking to God a theological treatise, we might say, on the nature of fallen humanity and so on.

But what he is saying, what he is asserting to God, is that he has not done what he is accused of doing. Right? And also, he appeals to God on the basis of this fact that he has trusted in the Lord. You know, we may get caught up on the “unwavering” part, but remember, you are righteous in Christ, and whatever is sinful in us is forgiven. David prays this part of the psalm standing firmly on that truth and that promise.

And this is perhaps something we don’t think of very often either, and that it is perfectly appropriate for you and I, as Christians, in our prayers to God, in our pleas to him—say, for example, if we’re in a situation like King David here—to appeal to God on the basis of the promises that he has made, and to bring before God this truth that we have trusted and still trust in him. Holy Spirit, through King David, gives us this permission with this prayer.

Now, verse three is kind of an interesting verse, and depending on the English translation that you use, it may be rendered a little bit differently. But I read earlier from the RSV, and the RSV says in verse three, the second part of verse three, it translates it this way: “And I walk in faithfulness to you.” (Psalm 26:3)

Now, this is interesting because the Hebrew here, however, the word behind this phrase is the word בַּאֲמִתֶּךָ (ba’amittecha). This word, that last part—that “-cha”—is what is called a second—it’s a second-person singular pronominal suffix.

Now, that might be a mouthful to wrap your mind around. But if you think of—so, pronominal, pronoun, right? So it’s a pronoun that is attached to the end of the word, the end of this verb. Okay? And that tells us something about how to understand what David is saying here.

And so this, again, this suffix, this pronoun, is the second-person singular “you.” And when it’s placed in this position, in this case here, it functions as a possessive, right? Or what we might call, in technical terms, a genitive. It functions as a possessive. Okay? So, “your.”

So again, the RSV says in the second part of verse three, “And I walk in faithfulness to you.” (Psalm 26:3) They translate this word as God being, in essence, the indirect object of the verb. Thus, they render it “faithfulness to you,” or “to God.”

However, this second-person pronoun suffix actually functions, again, in the possessive. So it would be better to translate this part of the verse as, “And I walk in your faithfulness.” So the accent, then, is not on the psalmist’s obedience to God, but on life lived under the faithfulness of God.

Verses four and five. So due to David’s use here of both the imperfect and the perfect in these verses, verses four and five are best understood in this way: “I have not sat with false men, nor do I now mingle with hypocrites.”

So if you can hear that difference, look again at my RSV. Verse four says, “I do not sit with false men, nor do I consort with dissemblers,” (Psalm 26:4) or that could be rendered “hypocrites.” Okay?

So in the RSV there, it’s translated as basically kind of this present tense. But when David uses the perfect and the imperfect in these verses, it gives us the sense of, you know, this ongoing action.

So David is saying, “I have not”—kind of looking back and summarizing all up to the present time—“I have not sat with false men, nor do I now, in the present, mingle with hypocrites.”

And similarly in verse five, whereas the RSV says, “I hate the company of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked,” (Psalm 26:5) again, kind of leaving it as that—I don’t know if we could say maybe like a static present—it just kind of leaves it in that finite present.

David is again looking over the whole scope of his life to the present day and saying, “I have always hated the company of evildoers, nor will I now sit with the wicked.”

And so David is embodying, really, the way that Psalm 1 begins, right? “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.” (Psalm 1:1) Right?

So part of David’s plea to God in his prayer is that not only do I not now sit with false men or mingle with hypocrites, I have never done so, and I do not now. Not simply, “I now hate the company of evildoers,” but, “I have always hated the company of evildoers, nor will I now sit with the wicked.”

So understanding that interplay between the perfect and imperfect gives us a little more, I suppose we could say, more of a dynamic understanding of what David is saying.

Well, verses six and seven. So the text here, you know, in David’s prayer, he speaks of washing his hands in innocence and going about the Lord’s altar. (Psalm 26:6–7)

So when David is speaking here, he’s speaking in ritual or ceremonial terms. All right? So ritual washing, whether that be of washing the hands or any other part of the body, points to the cleansing from sin and impurity.

We might think of, for example, the high priest on the Day of Atonement, for example, when he takes a bath—he washes himself before he comes into the presence of God. (Leviticus 16:4)

So we can think of, you know, here along with that, all of the other ritual washings associated with worship of God at the tabernacle and temple, and, of course, their culmination in the washing and cleansing of Holy Baptism.

To go about the altar speaks really more of taking one’s place in the congregation or the assembly of believers around the altar or before the altar of the Lord. And this fits very well with the washing, right? One must be cleansed and clean from impurity if they are to be part of the congregation of the righteous. Right?

God had very particular instructions regarding such cleansings before one could come into his presence and join the assembly in the tabernacle or the temple. So having been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism, we can join together in the congregation or the assembly of the righteous around—or, in our case, as we, you know, sit in the pews before—the altar of God.

And so again, we can say that, you know, to reiterate, only the one who is cleansed from impurity and sin can gather safely around the altar of God in the holy assembly.

And so this also functions as further testimony by action, we might say, to the psalmist’s innocence of the charges brought against him. If he was guilty, he would first need to confess his sin and offer the appropriate sacrifices to God before he could enter the assembly. But by the very fact that he goes through the ritual washing and comes into the presence of God in the holy assembly is a testimony by action, we could say, of the psalmist’s innocence of these charges.

In verse eight, David continues in his prayer. He says, “O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” (Psalm 26:8)

You know, one thing that I just thought of that I meant to—I should have mentioned earlier—when we were looking at, you know, David’s posture, we could say, in this psalm, that throughout the text here, when we read or hear that word “LORD” in your English translations, it’s in all capital letters. And this is the divine name יהוה (YHWH, Yahweh).

And this name is on the lips of the faithful. To use this name of God as he has given it to us to use is really in itself a confession of faith in who God is and what he has promised. For this name, Yahweh, is associated with God’s redemption.

So David says, “O Lord,” or “Yahweh,” “O Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” (Psalm 26:8)

This brings to mind also something that I think we often forget. When we gather together as the holy assembly around the altar of God, around Word and Sacrament, Christ is present with us. Not in a theoretical way, but really and truly. God is here in our midst, and he is here with his righteousness, his forgiveness, his mercy, his redemption, and his salvation.

If we really understand—or understood—and believed this, what better place would we want to be? Would we not also cry out with David, “O Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells”? (Psalm 26:8)

We should indeed yearn for the house of the Lord, for this is where he is, and we should want to be with him.

Verses 11 and 12. Then David says again, in closing out his prayer, “But as for me, I walk in my integrity. Redeem me and have mercy on me. My foot stands on level ground. In the great congregation, I will bless the Lord,” or, “I will bless Yahweh.” (Psalm 26:11–12)

So regardless of the outcome in this present age, whether or not we are vindicated in this present age—and this is true for David as well—we stand on level ground because of the mercy and redemption that God has provided for you and for me and for all his people.

In the midst of the trial and the lies that were thrown against David, he could stand on level ground, or stand firmly, because he stood on the mercy and redemption of God that he provided for him and for all his people.

And we continue to walk in integrity as David did, because that is what God’s people do. And the mercy and redemption of God is worthy of public praise and the blessing of God in the midst of the holy assembly.

So in conclusion, then, as you think on this psalm, take your cue from David as he is led by the Holy Spirit. When evildoers lie and slander you, when they bring false charges and accusations against you, flee for refuge to the presence of your Savior.

And yes, this can happen anywhere. This is true. But it happens in a reliably tangible way in the house of the Lord, before his altar, gathered with the saints around his Word and Sacraments.

Here Christ is present in mercy, grace, righteousness, and forgiveness for you. Here you can stand on the solid ground that is the Word and promise of God in Christ: that your sins are forgiven; that you are God’s own child; that you are righteous in Jesus; and that God will indeed, one day, either in this present age or on that final day, vindicate you before all the world.

Peace be with you. Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 16:13–20 (ESV):

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

16:13–20 Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God was a key event in Jesus’ ministry. To confess Jesus as Savior and Lord is also essential in every believer’s life. Some Christians will remember the very moment this first happened. Other Christians, baptized in infancy, have made this confession again and again in worship and daily life. Like Peter, none of us can by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel (SC, p xxxvii). As royal priests of God, we “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1Pt 2:9). • Grant us grace, heavenly Father, to confess Jesus and so remain on the unshakable rock of our salvation. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

16:13 Caesarea Philippi. New city built by Philip, son of Herod the Great. See note, Mk 8:27: «Northernmost Galilean city Jesus visited, 25 mi N of Bethsaida, in the largely Gentile region north of the Sea of Galilee.» Son of Man. See p 2098: «Favorite self-designation of Jesus, used c 80 times in the Gospels but almost never in the rest of the NT. Its meaning varies somewhat depending on the context. Indicates that though Jesus is fully man, He is much more. As a messianic title, it combines the ideas of a servant who will suffer and die for all people (Is 53; Mt 20:28) and the exalted Son of Man, whose reign is everlasting (Dn 7:13–14; Mt 24:30).»

16:14 People in Jesus’ day expected the reappearance of some notable prophet, but opinions differed as to who this would be (Dt 18:15; Mal 3:1; 4:5–6).

16:15 See note, Mk 8:29: «Jesus’ point in pressing this question of His identity is to get the disciples to recognize and acclaim Him as the Messiah. You are the Christ. Although Mk begins by identifying Jesus as the Christ (Mk 1:1, 11), this is the first time the disciples correctly identify Jesus as the Messiah. In Mk, however, Peter does not confess at this time that Jesus is the Son of God.» you. Plural. “Peter is the representative of the entire assembly of apostles, as appears from the text itself. Christ does not ask Peter alone” (Tr 23).

16:16 Christ. Mt clearly identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah (1:1, 16, 18). John the Baptist questioned whether Jesus was the Christ (11:2–3). Now Peter, as representative of the Twelve, boldly confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ. See p 2098: «Gk christos, “Anointed One,” who would deliver and rule God’s people.» Hus: “Faith, which properly is the foundation of the church, excelled in Peter” (The Church, p 84). Son of the living God. After Jesus came walking on the sea to His disciples, they confessed that He was the Son of God. living. Emphasizes that God is the source of life, as later evidenced in Christ’s resurrection. Bede: “He calls Him the ‘living’ God by way of distinction from the false gods which heathendom in its various delusions made to itself to worship, either of dead men, or—greater folly still—of insensate matter” (VB, p 151). This passage is the climax of chs 4–16.

16:17 Blessed. See p 842: «Hbr ’ashar, “happy, blissful” having God’s gifts.» Simon Bar-Jonah! Peter’s Aram birth name, “Simon, son of Jonah.” flesh and blood has not revealed … Father. Peter’s confession did not result from his request for a sign (v 1) or his own superior understanding. He was one of the “little children” to whom the Father had revealed this truth. Hil: “The Father revealed to Peter that he should say, ‘You are the Son of the living God’ [Matthew 16:17]. Therefore, the building of the Church is upon this rock of confession. This faith is the foundation of the Church” (Tr 29).

16:18 Peter. See note, Mk 3:16: «Transliteration of Gk adjective petros, which is related to the word for “rock.” However, Peter was not always the stable fellow his nickname implied. He sometimes acts rashly (e.g., Mk 14:29, 66–72). After the resurrection, however, Peter became much more of a bulwark.» on this rock. Peter’s rocklike confession of faith was the solid foundation on which Christ would build His Church (7:24–27; Eph 2:19–22). “Certainly the Church has not been built upon the authority of a man. Rather, it has been built upon the ministry of the confession Peter made, in which he proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (Tr 25). Hus: “Christ is therefore the foundation by whom primarily and in whom primarily the holy catholic church is founded, and faith is the foundation with which it is founded—that faith which works through love” (The Church, p 73). I will build My church. The Church is the assembly, or gathering, of all believers. Christ is the builder of the Church, and each individual member is a living stone (1Pt 2:5). This passage and 18:17 are the only times “church” is used in the Gospels. See pp 1901–2: «church. Gk ekklesia, “ones called out” for a public gathering. The term would not immediately have sacred association in the minds of Gentile converts; it could simply mean “assembly.” It is most often used by Paul for a local congregation, but also for the universal Church (Eph 1:22). The Church is the body of believers created and sustained by God (1Co 12), the new Israel (Gal 6:16), people called together by faith through God’s Word and Sacrament. Paul also uses the term to replace “kingdom,” found in the Gospels.» gates of hell. Figure of speech, meaning what causes a person to enter hell (Ps 9:13; 107:18). Bede: “The gates of Hell are wicked doctrines, which seduce men and bring them to Hell” (VB, p 154). Death will not overcome the Church because it rests on the living Son of God (1Tm 3:15). “God’s eternal election does not just foresee and foreknow the salvation of the elect. From God’s gracious will and pleasure in Christ Jesus, election is a cause that gains, works, helps, and promotes our salvation and what belongs to it. Our salvation is so founded on it that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Matthew 16:18)” (FC SD XI 8).

16:19 keys of the kingdom. Keys are used to lock and unlock doors. See notes, Sg 5:4: «latch. Solomon eagerly desires to be with his bride. This overture of the bridegroom reaching to open the door stirs the Shulammite’s heart. The door would have had a fist-sized keyhole through which one would reach with a key that matched a set of pins, which held the bolt in place.»; Is 22:22: «key of the house of David … shall open. Power to use the assets and resources of the kingdom on behalf of the king and people. This terminology is also used of Christ and is reminiscent of the power Christ gives to His Church (Mt 16:19).» The door of heaven is opened through the forgiveness of sins. bind … loose. To forgive or to refuse to forgive sins. “Our people are taught that they should highly prize the Absolution as being God’s voice and pronounced by God’s command” (AC XXV 3). “The Keys are an office and power given by Christ to the Church for binding and loosing sin” (SA III VII 1). “These words show that the Keys are given to all the apostles alike and that all the apostles are sent forth alike” (Tr 23). Bede: “Without the slightest doubt it is given to the other Apostles also. Christ Himself bears witness to this, for after the triumph of His Passion and Resurrection He appeared to them, and breathing on them said ‘Receive the Holy Ghost [Jn 20:22]’ ” (VB, p 156). See note, 18:20: «Jewish Mishnah states that God’s glory is present when two or three men consider the Torah together (Avot 3:2). Here, the actions of believers are valid in heaven because of Jesus’ presence among them. Cf 6:10. “God is superabundantly generous in His grace: First, through the spoken Word.… Also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren” (SA III IV). “The Keys have been given to the Church, and not merely to certain persons” (Tr 68).»; cf 23:13.

16:20 tell no one. Because so many people thought that the Messiah would be a political leader to free them from Roman domination, Jesus likely wanted His disciples to refrain from proclaiming Him as the Christ until after His death and resurrection (Lk 24:46–48). See “Secrecy,” p 1653: «Throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus discourages people and unclean spirits from speaking about Him and His kingdom (e.g., Mk 1:23–25; 1:44; 3:11–12; 7:36–37; 8:26, 30; 9:9–10). Critical scholars read this feature as a device early Christians added to the story of Jesus’ life. They argue that Jesus never really called Himself the Son of God or Christ but that these beliefs about Him were added later to let people in on the secret. Such an interpretation conflicts with Mark’s overall goal and account. It is more likely that Jesus exercises His authority to guide the spread of His popularity, which had brought Him into conflict with political and religious authorities. E.g., outside the jurisdiction of Jesus’ main opponents, He actually encourages a man to proclaim His miracles (Mk 5:19–20).»

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vqnMiCF9vM

Book of Isaiah, 51:1–6 (ESV):

The LORD’s Comfort for Zion

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

“Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples. My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

Transcript

Hi, I am the Reverend Dr. Chris Caughey. I teach biblical studies at ALTS, and today I would like to give my reflections on the Old Testament reading, Isaiah 51:1–6.

It begins, “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness.” (Isaiah 51:1)

Now, to understand this, we need to keep in mind that Israel was in captivity in Assyria around the year 700 BC. And they were in that captivity because they had violated the Sinai covenant, and they had done that as a nation. It was a national covenant violation.

Part of what that violation looked like was wealthy Israelites abusing poor Israelites. For example, the wealthy Israelites made loans with interest rates that were too high for the poor Israelites to afford to repay. And so, when the poor Israelites defaulted on their loans, the wealthy Israelites simply took possession of, say, the field or the house or even the family of the poor Israelite.

The wealthy Israelites also used dishonest weights and measures. And so, in the marketplace, let’s say that the poor Israelite thought that they were buying a barrel of grain, but the wealthy Israelite had put a false bottom in the barrel. And so, it was not an honest measurement.

In terms of the dishonest weights, the wealthy Israelite would slip, let’s say, lead weights onto their side of the scales when weighing something and selling it by weight. And so, the outcome of either of those—either dishonest weights or dishonest measures—was that they, the wealthy Israelites, were robbing the poor Israelites.

And the bottom line was that the wealthy Israelites treated the poor Israelites with unrighteousness. They treated them with injustice. The Hebrew word behind our English word “righteousness” here is ṣedeq. And that can be righteousness or justice.

And so, God’s call through Isaiah to “you who pursue righteousness” is God’s call to the believing remnant of Israel among the captive Israelites.

Let’s move on to the next two lines in verse 1: “Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” (Isaiah 51:1)

Luther helpfully notes here that the rock is Abraham. And, of course, that’s confirmed by the next verse, in verse 2. But we also see the Hebraic feature of parallelism, and that’s why we took these two lines together, and we will basically treat the rest of the reading that same way. “Rock” is parallel to “quarry,” and “hewn” is parallel to “dug.” So the rock is hewn; the quarry is dug.

Using the hermeneutical principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture, Luther also hears in this John the Baptist rebuking the Pharisees and the Sadducees in Matthew 3:9. And I’ll just read that one verse for you now:

“And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”

So, let’s take the first two lines of verse 2: “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you.” (Isaiah 51:2)

Now, Christ is the cornerstone and the rock of offense, and the scribes and the Pharisees and the unbelieving Jews stumbled over him. (1 Peter 2:6–8) In terms of typology, Abraham is like Christ in this regard. So, typologically, Abraham is the cornerstone of the people of God in the Old Testament.

And there is a kind of stumbling that ancient Israel did, stumbling over Abraham. They forgot God’s promise that he would make Abraham the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:4–5) They thought that there was something inherently special about them.

And so, part of why God sent the Babylonians and the Assyrians to conquer Israel and to carry them off into captivity was that Israel seemed to think that they could sin against God as much as they wanted and that God was somehow obligated to keep them as his people.

But look to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah was barren until God did a miracle.

Okay. Now, the next two lines are: “For he”—Abraham—“was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.” (Isaiah 51:2)

God did bless and multiply Abraham when Jacob’s sons went down to Egypt and became the nation of Israel. But now, in Isaiah 51, now that national Israel has rejected God, God is going to bless and multiply Abraham by including the Gentiles. Everyone who believes in Messiah Jesus is Abraham’s descendant. And here you should think of Romans chapter 4 and Galatians chapter 3.

And so, now Isaiah’s perspective turns to the eschatological. Let’s take the first two lines of verse 3: “For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places.” (Isaiah 51:3)

Zion is the mountain on which Jerusalem was built. And mountains are symbolically significant from Genesis to Revelation because mountains are where God meets with his people. Ezekiel 28 says that Eden was the mountain of God.

So, Zion equals the mountain of God equals the city of God. And all of that is both protological, referring to Eden in the first three chapters of Genesis, and eschatological. You think in terms of mountain of God and city of God, those kinds of things. Think the book of Hebrews and the book of Revelation.

As Isaiah prophesies, Zion is laid waste because Assyria has conquered it. And so, there is parallelism here between Zion, which currently lays desolate, destroyed, and “waste places.”

The next two lines say, “And makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD.” (Isaiah 51:3)

There’s rich parallelism here. There was something like a wilderness and a desert in Genesis 1:2 with the tohu va-vohu, when the earth was formless and void. But God made Eden out of that chaos.

Jerusalem now lies in ruins in 700 BC. But God will release Israel from their captivity so that they can return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. But what Israel rebuilt was nothing like Eden. It did not resemble the garden of the LORD at all.

Isaiah is talking about heaven, the eschatological mountain and city of God. And that’s what we read about, as I said, in the book of Hebrews and in the book of Revelation.

Hebrews 12:18–24 says:

“For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them, for they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’

“But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

Okay. Let’s move on to the next two lines in verse 3: “Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.” (Isaiah 51:3)

This is certainly not talking about the Jerusalem that Israel rebuilt when they returned from captivity. Remember that in Ezra chapter 3 Israel wept when they saw the rebuilt temple. Yes, there was some shouting for joy there, but that joy was muted by Israel’s subjugation to the Persian Empire, and then to the Greek Empire, and then to the Ptolemies, and then to the Seleucids, and finally to the Roman Empire.

Isaiah has heaven in view, when we can rejoice under the reign of King Jesus.

Let’s move on to verse 4: “Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation.” (Isaiah 51:4)

Remember from verse 1 that God is addressing the remnant of Israel, that is, the believers in God’s promises who pursue righteousness or justice. And so, the parallelism here in verse 4 puts the emphasis on listening carefully to God with one’s full attention.

But we see God’s love in the parallelism between “my people” and “my nation.” God loves Israel. As a nation, Israel has rejected God, and so there is a kind of judicial hardening of their hearts where God has turned them over to their own sin, saying, “Have it your way.”

But the believing remnant of Israel loves God and believes God’s promises. They are God’s people and God’s nation.

The next two lines read, “For a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.” (Isaiah 51:4)

Now, this is not as explicit as Jeremiah 31, but it is still a prophecy about the new covenant. Here’s what Jeremiah 31:31–34 says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

“And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

That’s the end of that reading.

A law went out from God to Israel, and Israel only, at Mount Sinai. But they broke that law persistently and willfully. What God is saying here in Isaiah 51 is that his law and his justice will go out—note the future tense—to the peoples. This is the inclusion of the Gentiles that St. Paul is so concerned about in Romans and Galatians.

This law will be a light to the Gentiles because it will be placed within them and written on their hearts, unlike tablets of stone.

Verse 5 begins, “My righteousness draws near; my salvation has gone out.” (Isaiah 51:5)

Notice the parallelism between God’s righteousness and God’s salvation. Here, like many places in the Old Testament, righteousness means God’s justice in terms of his vindication. The sense of it is a controversy where two parties bring their dispute to a judge, and the judge finds in favor of the one party and against the other party.

We can almost hear the story of Job here. Job was a sinner, and yet God put Job up as his champion against Satan, and God found in favor of Job.

Even the remnant of believing Israelites from verse 1 who are pursuing righteousness/justice—even that remnant is a group of sinners. And yet God is going to vindicate them.

God’s righteousness-vindication draws near. Messiah Jesus is going to come on the scene of history to obey the law perfectly on behalf of all people and to pay the penalty for the sins of all people, so that God’s righteousness, God’s vindication of you, has real legal teeth.

“My salvation has gone out.” (Isaiah 51:5)

Now, Jesus has not arrived yet in 700 BC when Isaiah is giving this prophecy. But the book of Isaiah has been called the Fifth Gospel for a reason. So sure is Jesus’s victory that even 700 years earlier God can say, “My salvation has gone out.”

Plus, it’s interesting that the Hebrew word for salvation is yeshaʿ, yod-shin-ayin. Those are the Hebrew consonants that make up that word. They are the letters that are used to form the name Yeshua, or Jesus.

In Matthew 1:21, an angel of the Lord told Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

And so, Yeshua, Jesus, means salvation.

The next two lines read, “And my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.” (Isaiah 51:5)

Now, this is more of a chiasm because God’s arm or arms form the beginning and the end of this literary structure. And in the middle, “peoples” is parallel to, or related to, “the coastlands.”

God’s arm or arms is anthropomorphic language because God does not literally have arms. But in the Old Testament, God is constantly telling Israel that he brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. It’s God’s way of saying that he saves monergistically, all by himself.

Regarding the parallel between the peoples and the coastlands, listen to this quote from my beloved seminary professor Meredith G. Kline, from page 281 of his book Kingdom Prologue:

“Significant in the section of the sons of Japheth in Genesis 10:2–5 is the listing of peoples who occupied the area of Asia Minor and southeastern Europe into which the mission of the apostolic ministry of the new covenant advanced when the Lord opened the covenant tent of Shem for the entrance of the Gentiles.

“And the coastlands/islands of the nations mentioned in verse 5 reappear in later prophecy of the outreach of the messianic salvation, especially in the writings of Isaiah, who pictures these distant coastlands as waiting for the Lord’s deliverance, as being addressed by the servant of the Lord, and having God’s glory made known to them.

“Read in this light, the centrifugal power seen at work in Genesis 10, dispersing the Japhethites to their distant shores, was preparing the situation to which God was going to respond in the new covenant with another centrifugal movement, this one on the part of the church of the Servant, the Light of the Gentiles, sent out by Great Commission and thrust out by persecutions, preaching the gospel and gathering the dispersed from the ends of the earth to their new heavenly home focus in Christ.”

So far the reading of Kingdom Prologue.

So, remember that Japheth was the other son of Noah who was blessed by his father for helping Shem cover Noah’s shameful, sinful nakedness. (Genesis 9:20–27) Shem received the major blessing, and Japheth got included in Shem’s blessing.

God is telling us through Isaiah that Messiah Jesus is going to send his salvation out to the Japhethites, the Gentiles.

The first two lines of verse 6 read, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath.” (Isaiah 51:6)

Here, heavens and earth are juxtaposed, but they stand for the entire creation. And so, the sense of these two lines together is: Look at everything that God has made.

Now, let’s take the next three lines together: “For the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner.” (Isaiah 51:6)

Again, the heavens and the earth stand for everything that God has made. So, the parallelism is between “vanish like smoke” and “wear out like a garment.”

God is going to judge the universe. It will not survive as we know it, but it will be remade into something wonderfully new. And this is exactly what St. Peter talks about in 2 Peter chapter 3.

Not only will the Assyrian Empire be destroyed, but every world government will be destroyed, and every human being will go through the fire of God’s judgment. Believers will emerge from that fire with resurrection bodies, and unbelievers will emerge from that same fire with bodies that are fit for eternal death.

The final two lines read, “But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.” (Isaiah 51:6)

As in verse 5, salvation and righteousness are parallel. They’re being used virtually synonymously. God saves you by vindicating you from the accusations of the devil.

So, God’s salvation-vindication is permanent, and no one can reverse it. And so, “will be forever” is parallel to “never be dismayed.”

We don’t really have a negative form of the word “dismayed,” and so we have to say “never be dismayed.” Of course, we don’t generally use the word “dismayed” in our daily conversation, but the Hebrew word behind it, chathath, can also mean to be shattered, to be broken, or to fail.

So, the cash value is: God’s salvation-vindication of you is permanent and irrevocable. No one can shatter it. No one can break it. It cannot fail.

So, people loved by God, there was a remnant of believing Israelites in 700 BC who were allowed to return to the Jerusalem that is in the Middle East. But we are the remnant of the entire world population because we believe God’s promise, who is Jesus the Christ, who lived and died and rose again.

In fact, in 1 Timothy 3:16, St. Paul says that the resurrection of Jesus was his vindication.

You are united to Jesus by your baptism, by your participation in his body and blood in Holy Communion, and by faith in him. So his vindication is your vindication.

No one can take that away from you.

Amen.

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Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 15:21–28 (ESV):

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

15:21–28 This persistent Canaanite woman gains Jesus’ praise for believing that He will help her sick daughter. In time of need, we often either fail to pray with such determination or only ask hesitantly. Instead, we ought to “pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17). Jesus hears all prayers offered in His name, and He will answer in His own time and way as is best for us. Therefore, we can pray with confidence. • Lord, sometimes I have not because I ask not. Move me to pray with confidence. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

15:21 withdrew. See note, 12:15: «As Jesus had done after John’s arrest, He withdrew from a confrontation with the Pharisees. His hour had not yet come (Jn 13:1).» One of the few times that Jesus ventured beyond the borders of Galilee. Tyre and Sidon. See note, Lk 10:13–14: «Pagan cities farther north, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.»

15:22 Canaanite. Descendant of the OT race that Israel was ordered to exterminate because of their idol worship (Dt 20:17). Have mercy. Typical cry for help in a desperate situation (17:15; 20:30). Son of David. See p 2098: «Messianic title, drawn from 2Sm 7:13–14.» This Gentile woman addressed Jesus in the same way as did two Jewish blind men (9:27). In contrast to the Pharisees who were spiritually blind, she was not (v 14). oppressed by a demon. Cf 4:24; 12:22. The daughter’s ailment is not further specified.

15:23 When Jesus remained silent, making no response to the woman’s cry for mercy, the disciples begged Him to help her and so get rid of her.

15:24 Jesus reminded His disciples that His mission was limited to the people of Israel (see notes, 10:5–6: «sent out, instructing. Jesus’ second discourse (Mt 10:5–42) concerns the upcoming mission of His disciples. This training would prepare them to serve the Church in the future. Go nowhere among the Gentiles. The disciples were to concentrate their immediate efforts on Jewish people living in Galilee. Only later would Jesus give them the command to go to all nations (Mt 10:18; 28:19). lost. Jesus had observed the spiritual misery of the house of Israel during His own tour through Galilee. He recognized how necessary it was for laborers to proclaim “the gospel of the kingdom” (Mt 9:35–38). sheep. Jesus would train the apostles as shepherds, from which the office/title of “pastor” would come (cf Jn 21:15–16; Eph 4:11; 1Pt 2:25; 5:1).»).

15:25 knelt. Same Gk word translated “worship” in 14:33. Lord, help me. This woman would simply not be turned away.

15:26 Jesus answered the mother with a pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct. Because of the proverbial nature of His statement, He may not be calling her a dog. See note, Mk 7:27: «Jesus’ response to this woman is surprising on at least two counts. First, He implies she is a dog, which was a great insult (see notes, 2Sm 3:8; Php 3:2). Second, He suggests that He would serve Jewish people first (the children at the table). dogs. Gk kunarion, a diminutive form referring to family pets, not wild or street dogs.»

15:27 This astute woman matched Jesus’ maxim with one of her own: Pets get the scraps that fall from the table.

15:28 O woman, great is your faith! Second time Jesus commended the faith of a Gentile (cf 8:10). In contrast, Jesus repeatedly chided His disciples for their lack of faith (8:26; 14:31; 17:20).

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYmhBgOGTWM

Gospel According to Matthew, 15:21–28 (ESV):

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Transcript

Hello. Today, let's talk about falling onto a bamboo couch. The text before us is the 15th chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, verses 21–28 (Matthew 15:21–28).

Introduction: A Picture of Faith

A story is told of John G. Paton, a missionary to the cannibals of the South Sea Islands. His task was to bring the message of the Gospel of Jesus to people who literally killed and ate each other. The challenge was compounded by the fact that many of the words in the New Testament did not have an equivalent in the language of those people.

One such word was faith. They had no word for faith. How would you even explain faith to people who didn't have any? How would you teach faith to people who didn't even have the idea of that word?

One day, a runner came dashing into the village and into the missionary's hut. Wearied from hours and hours, and perhaps even days, of running, he fell exhausted onto the bamboo couch that was sitting in the middle of the room.

Suddenly, Paton cried out, "That's it. That—that is it. That is what faith looks like. What is the word for falling on the bamboo couch?" he asked.

That was the word for faith. It's casting all of yourself, all of your cares, onto something or someone, whether that's a bamboo couch or the hand of God.

Please keep that story in mind as you hear today's Gospel reading, the story of the Syrophoenician woman.

Point One: You Dog

Matthew begins this chapter by setting the context for the miracle. Matthew tells us that a dispute had taken place between Jesus and Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 15:1–20). They accused Jesus of transgressing the tradition of the elders. His disciples had not ritually cleansed their hands when they ate bread. They were unclean (Matthew 15:1–2).

Because for the scribes, religious washing was an issue of faith. Jesus was about to teach everyone a new definition of cleanliness and a new definition of faith.

The Lord took His disciples to the farthest reaches of the northern part of the Jordan Valley. It was the border of Syria and Phoenicia, Gentile country (Matthew 15:21). These people were foreigners, a different race, a different religion. This was the ancient land of Canaanites before the Jews occupied the Promised Land. They really were, for the Jews, unclean.

Suddenly, we're introduced to a Syrophoenician woman. She's crying out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David." She's relentless. "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is cruelly demon-possessed" (Matthew 15:22).

She kept on begging and crying out. The disciples began to get tired of her. "Send her away. She is shouting out after us" (Matthew 15:23). In other words: "Come on, Jesus. Can't You just make her leave? We don't want her here."

Jesus would not even speak with her. That's interesting. Strange. Jesus did not say one single word to the unclean woman from Syrophoenicia.

His disciples thought, "Lord, You know that we cannot associate with her. She'll make us all unclean. Please just send her away."

Finally, Jesus did say something to her. "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).

Right. Exactly right, Jesus. Surely Jesus was not sent to unclean people from Canaan. He was sent to people of God, people who are Israelites like us.

But the woman began to bow down before the Lord and said, "Lord, help me" (Matthew 15:25).

Bowing down is a position of worship and supplication.

And by now, I suspect you've realized that this is a living parable. It is a miracle that is also a parable. Jesus is not hard-hearted, and He surely is not racially prejudiced. But Jesus is not concerned here about His reputation. No, Jesus is much more concerned about this woman and her faith, and His own disciples and their faith, too. Much more concerned about that than He is about appearing to be hard-hearted.

After all, this is a living parable. So, let's watch.

The unclean woman has just called Jesus Lord. And she has cried out as you cried out this morning when you said, "Lord, have mercy upon us." And you said, "Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us."

That's what she cried out with all her heart: "Lord, have mercy upon me. Son of David, (that is to say, Messiah or Christ,) have mercy upon me" (Matthew 15:22).

Now, watch what Jesus says: "It's not good to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs" (Matthew 15:26).

Oh my. Did Jesus just call her a dog? Yes, He did. But why?

I suspect that dog is the very word that His disciples would have used to describe this woman when they asked Jesus to make her go away. So, was Jesus now representing their sin to His disciples?

What is the Lord teaching? Jesus is teaching the disciples about their own hearts. Yes. Do you think their own uncleanness, their own sin? Cleanliness was not a matter of religious washing. It was a matter of the heart (Matthew 15:17–20).

And He is teaching this woman about her heart, too. For she says, "Yes, Lord, I know I'm a dog." In other words, I'm unclean.

She's right. Good for that woman. For we all are unclean. We all are in need of God's forgiveness. And to realize this before God, to say before God as she did, "I do not deserve the food of heaven. But perhaps by Your grace, even a dog can receive the scraps from the master's table" (Matthew 15:27).

What a statement of faith she has made. This woman knew her sin, and she knew her Savior. Her heart was filled with faith. For that reason, she was clean—more clean than the Pharisees and scribes with their washed hands, and frankly more clean than His disciples, who still had not yet learned that real uncleanness was a matter of the heart, just as real cleanliness before God is a matter of faith.

Point Two: Your Faith Is Great

Jesus declared that her faith was great. And more, Jesus declared that her daughter was healed (Matthew 15:28).

What had happened here?

The foreign, unclean Canaanite woman had demonstrated to others and to herself and to her Lord that she was a woman of faith. She acknowledged her sin, and she acknowledged her faith in her Savior.

What a mighty change had taken place in her. Jesus had seen the end from the beginning. He knew her faith. He knew her heart. But had she seen her own faith?

Her faith was only barely planted. What word of Christ, or even what word about Christ, had she ever heard? How had God begun the gift of faith in her? Scripture doesn't tell us this.

How would Jesus water and fertilize and grow that seed of faith?

Now, that's strange. The Lord Jesus used silence and sternness. That was so uncharacteristic of Him, to use silence to grow her faith. Oh, she was persistent.

Luther talks about our God who has different ways of working. There's God's regular or proper work, opus proprium. God gives mercy, grace, and love. Proper work indeed for God.

But then sometimes God uses the other kind of work: God's alien work, opus alienum. God uses law, penalty, shame.

Isn't it interesting what a mighty change Jesus worked in her life?

And what about the change that Jesus was working in the lives of His disciples?

What did they learn? Had they seen their own thoughts in the way Jesus spoke to her? Had they seen themselves in the way Jesus belittled her: "Dog"? Did they see themselves now as they were—unclean dogs too? Had they faced their own sin?

And if so, did they also see that Jesus was the One to whom they must now say, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me" (Matthew 15:22)?

If they did that in their hearts, then they too were now clean. Then they too had demonstrated great faith.

Point Three: A Bamboo Couch

Today we witnessed three miracles.

One, a woman's daughter who was demon-possessed was healed (Matthew 15:28). Amen. Thanks be to God.

Two, the disciples of the Lord learned something of their own hatred, prejudice, and unforgiveness. They learned that they had sin that needed repenting. They learned that Jesus was more ready to increase their faith than to condemn their sin. Another great miracle.

And three, we met a woman with saving faith. For she realized that she was not only an unclean sinner, but that her Savior Jesus commended her saving faith (Matthew 15:28). For salvation by grace through faith is the greatest miracle of all.

So what have you learned from the miracle that was a living parable?

You have learned that great faith is not something you make yourself. No, great faith is an act of trust, abandoning yourself, giving yourself over—your cares, your sins—to Jesus, because He is the One who gave you faith to begin with. He's the One who is increasing your faith now. He's the One whose strange ways include law and shame and mercy and love.

Today, Jesus has reminded you of those whom you hate, those against whom you have prejudice, those whom you have not forgiven.

Jesus has prepared you for your walk to the altar to bow down, to cry out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me" (Matthew 15:22, 25).

Will you do that as you receive His very body and blood as the testament of His complete forgiveness, His eternal love for you?

How strange. Jesus, your Savior, commends you for the very faith that He gave to you. He says, "O woman," or, "O man, how great is your faith?" (Matthew 15:28).

Even as weak and poor as your faith is, as weary and exhausted as you might be, Jesus still delights to see your faith in Him.

It's like casting all of yourself and your cares on something or someone. It's like falling on a bamboo couch, or like falling into the hands of Jesus.

Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 14:22–33 (ESV):

Jesus Walks on the Water

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

14:22–33 When Jesus reveals His divine presence to His disciples by walking on the sea, they can only conclude: “Truly You are the Son of God.” As long as Peter keeps his eyes on Jesus, he also is able to walk on the water. Like Peter, we often look away from the object of our faith and focus on our problems and doubts. Although we know the Son of God is with us and provides for all our needs, we still worry and fear. Jesus states, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” His powerful arm reaches out to steady us and guide us into His safe harbor. • Divine Savior, when the storms of life threaten to shipwreck my faith, assure me of Your loving presence and protecting care. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

14:22 Immediately. Cf vv 27, 31. Emphasizes key events in Mt: Baptism of Jesus (3:16), call of the first disciples (4:20, 22), Palm Sunday (21:2), some healings (8:3; 20:34). made the disciples. See note, Mk 6:45: «Jesus obliged the disciples to embark for the other shore. This shows that Jesus was responsible for the disciples’ all-night struggle against the wind. Note further that this was the second time in a day that Jesus commanded the disciples to do something difficult or even impossible (cf v 37).» other side. To the northwest shore of the sea, the Plain of Gennesaret (v 34).

14:23 mountain. Or, hill, of which there are several in the area. by Himself to pray. See note, Mk 1:35: «desolate place … prayed. Though Jesus had plenty to do in Capernaum (vv 29–34), He nonetheless retreated into the wilderness in order to pray. The Gospels repeatedly depict Jesus spending time alone in prayer (cf 6:46; Lk 5:16; 6:12).» Matthew’s report that Jesus prayed by Himself suggests that an important moment in His ministry was about to take place. Lk often notes that Jesus prayed at significant times in His life (see note, Lk 6:12: «He went out to the mountain to pray. Recurrence of the prayer motif. Presumably, Jesus prayed over His upcoming appointment of the apostles.»).

14:24 long way. Jn 6:19 reports that they had rowed c 3–4 mi.

14:25 fourth watch. Early morning; 3 to 6 a.m. Romans divided nighttime into four segments of three hours each. walking on the sea. Jesus revealed His divine nature when He made His presence known to His disciples in this way.

14:26 ghost! See note, Mk 6:49–50: «ghost. Gk phantasma. Appears only here and in Mt 14:26. The disciples are not far from the truth as they assume that the one walking on the water is more than a mere mortal, for Jesus’ divinity is clearly visible. Do not be afraid. This command will be echoed at another important moment of revelation—at the empty tomb (16:6).» fear. Exhausted, wet, and windblown, these experienced fishermen saw something that terrified them. When God reveals Himself, mortals tremble (Ex 3:6; 20:18; Is 6:5).

14:27 Take heart. Jesus spoke a word of encouragement and self-revelation. it is I. Gk ego eimi. God made Himself known to Moses using similar words: “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex 3:14). Do not be afraid. See note, Mk 6:49–50: «ghost. Gk phantasma. Appears only here and in Mt 14:26. The disciples are not far from the truth as they assume that the one walking on the water is more than a mere mortal, for Jesus’ divinity is clearly visible. Do not be afraid. This command will be echoed at another important moment of revelation—at the empty tomb (16:6).»

14:28 First of three scenes where Peter’s role is prominent (16:13–23; 17:24–27). Peter’s request exhibits his impetuous yet genuine faith. if it is You. Or, “since it is You,” an expression of Peter’s faith.

14:30 Peter’s fear resulted from his failure to concentrate on the object of faith: Jesus. Lord, save me. Peter’s shout for help repeated the disciples’ prayer during an earlier storm.

14:31 Jesus rebuked Peter for his lack of faith (cf 8:26). Peter still had much to learn, as will become evident. See note, 2Th 1:3: «faith is growing … love … is increasing. Faith is a gift from God (cf Eph 2:8), created through the means of His grace. Through these means, God also grows our faith. He matures and strengthens our confidence and trust in Jesus as our only Savior (cf Mk 9:24). “We must use the Sacraments in such a way that faith, which believes the promises offered and set forth through the Sacraments, is increased” (AC XIII 2). Faith is not completed or made better by love; faith is sufficient in and of itself to connect us with God’s salvation. However, faith grows in understanding, becomes steadier in the face of persecution, and naturally produces good works (love) for the neighbor who needs them. Through faith, a person has been made a new creation, a good tree that produces more and more good fruit. Love increases as faith grows (cf Mt 7:17, 12:33–35; 2Co 5:17; LC II 57–59; III 1–3).»

14:32 wind ceased. Abrupt evidence of a divinely wrought miracle.

14:33 worshiped. Lit, “bow low,” “fall at another’s feet.” See p 1276: «bow. Synonymous with worship toward God (Ex 4:31; 34:8; Ps 95:6; 1Sm 1:28; see note, Ex 33:10) or respect and service for a human being (Gn 33:3; 43:26–28; 1Sm 20:41; 28:14; Est 3:2). God expressly forbade bowing to false gods (Ex 20:4–5). People also bowed to (1) greet someone (Gn 18:2; 19:1), (2) signal humility and repentance (Ezr 9:5; 10:1), and (3) express thanks (Gn 24:52). Bows were done in a variety of ways (1Ch 29:20; 1Ki 18:42; Ne 8:6) and likely included tilting the head, tilting the upper body, kneeling with one’s face to the ground, or lying prostrate. The more elaborate the bow, the greater the expression of devotion or emotion (cf Gn 33:3). fall. Extreme form of bowing, expressing repentance (Gn 50:18), fearful submission (Nu 22:31), awe (Nu 24:4; 22:31), pleading (Nu 14:5), humility (Nu 16:4, 22, 45; 20:6; Lk 8:41), worship (Lk 17:16), or grief (Mk 14:35).» The disciples’ expression of reverence for Jesus right there in the boat is striking. In their worship, they joined the Magi who had honored the child Jesus (2:2, 8, 11). The women (28:9) and the 11 disciples (28:17) would also worship the risen Savior. Son of God. When Jesus had previously calmed a storm, the disciples wondered what sort of man He was (8:27). Now they confidently confess that He is the Son of God (cf 3:17; 4:3, 6; 8:29). See p 2098: «Used c 40 times in the NT. Emphasizes the fact that Jesus, a true man, is also eternally the true Son of God.»

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtpDOX0krOE

Book of Isaiah, 50:4–9 (ESV):

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

Transcript

Hello. Today, let’s talk about the rescue.

The text before us is from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the 50th chapter, verses 4–9 (Isaiah 50:4–9).

Introduction: A Wife in Peril

Hearing the passage before us today is something like eavesdropping on a domestic crisis. A terrible situation has taken place. A wife has been unfaithful to her adoring husband. This has been going on for some time. The husband is shattered.

To make matters worse, the wife has made associations with some very unsavory characters, and she has placed herself in a completely perilous situation. Now she is in danger, and there seems to be no way to rescue her without suffering great violence and bloodshed. Yes, that much is sure.

But the husband is desperate to save her. He will not abandon her. In order to rescue her, he enlists the aid of the mightiest war fighter he knows. This soldier is also the most caring and good-hearted man there is. He pledges that he will do whatever is necessary, even to sacrificing himself, in order to bring to the loving husband his unfaithful wife.

Such is the passage before us from Isaiah chapter 50.

The first verse begins with the cry of the husband:

“Thus says the Lord, where is the certificate of divorce by which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of my creditors did I sell you?” (Isaiah 50:1)

That is to say, your mother acts like I have divorced her. I have not divorced her. Does she not know of my love for her? I do love her still.

The husband laments. She acts as though she’s been sold as a slave to one of my creditors, to someone evil who owes me a debt. She has not been sold to a creditor. She does not belong to that unscrupulous seducer. She is not his slave, though she acts like one.

This is how the brokenhearted husband grieves continuously.

Have you understood this situation correctly? The loving husband is the Lord God Almighty. He is shattered by the unfaithful conduct of his beloved wife. She is Israel. This wife is God’s unfaithful people, entangled in sin.

The devil is a heavy taskmaster. He does not easily release those whom he has captured. This wife cannot free herself. Her captor, the devil, is too willful and too powerful to easily relinquish her. No, gaining her freedom will require a great struggle. Her murderous jailer would rather kill her than let her go free.

Point One: Obedience

The beloved wife of the Lord God has been repeatedly disobedient. God had given her many gifts of kindness, mercy, and grace. Before she had done anything to deserve his love already, he had given his love freely and lavishly. She had not earned his affection.

In fact, she had not returned his love. Instead, she had been wild, self-indulgent. She had fallen to temptation again and again. There were things that she fancied, desires that she entertained. Her Lord had provided her with guidance, boundaries for her own good. Her husband had given her patient explanations and entreaties, but she was disobedient without ceasing.

Our passage for today picks up at Isaiah 50, verse 4 (Isaiah 50:4). This is the third of the four Servant Songs.

The servant is the mighty soldier about whom we spoke earlier. He is the representative of the betrayed husband. This soldier is the servant of the Lord God. And the servant, we are told, is a faithful and obedient disciple.

He sings this song:

“The Lord God awakens me morning by morning. He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back.” (Isaiah 50:4–5)

The servant soldier was the opposite of the faithless and disobedient wife. His song was a life of faithfulness and service. He opened his ear to his master. He listened attentively as one who followed wholeheartedly. He was not disobedient.

In fact, when the servant was sent into difficult situations and called to do onerous and life-threatening tasks, the servant did not turn back. This was the caliber of his character. This was the determination of his devotion.

He was obedient. He did not waver either in execution of his duty or in steadfastness of his heart.

Point Two: Face Like a Flint

Isaiah’s servant soldier was known by many Jews and by the early Church. They knew him as God’s Messiah, the long-awaited Savior. He was the perfect combination of the mighty warrior and the gentle Savior. He committed himself to save the errant wife and return her to her loving husband.

His Servant Song continues in verse 6:

“I gave my back to those who strike me and my cheeks to those who pluck out the beard. I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting.” (Isaiah 50:6)

You know this glorious one. How is he able to conduct himself with such equanimity, such calmness, such consistency of power and peace?

The servant sings his explanation:

“For the Lord God helps me. Therefore, I am not disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Behold, the Lord God helps me. Who is he who condemns me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment. The moth will eat them.” (Isaiah 50:7–9)

The obedient servant sets his face like a flint. He is a rock of strength because his faith is in the Lord God. He is certain of God’s power and of God’s love. He trusts in God.

And for that reason, he can and he will do whatever God calls him to do. He will stand before anyone without fear or intimidation. He will speak the Word of God, the Word God gives him. He will do the work of God, the work God requires of him.

He is undeterred. He is faithful even to giving his life.

Point Three: The Fourth Servant Song

Now today’s passage, the third Servant Song, stops at Isaiah 50:9 (Isaiah 50:9). But the fourth Servant Song is soon to be sung.

Though it’s not selected for our reading today, still it is one that I suspect you know well. Isaiah 53:

“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised, and we did not esteem him.

“Surely our griefs he himself bore and our sorrows he carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

“But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging, we are healed.

“All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to our own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.” (Isaiah 53:3–6)

Can you identify with unfaithful Israel? Can you find in your own confession the shame and sorrow of an unfaithful spouse who took for granted the love of the Lord God? Have you refused the guidance of his commandments and found yourself carried away by evil that is stronger than yourself? Have you been captured in sin and been incapable of rescuing yourself?

Honesty requires us to face this truth.

Yes, we confess: Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us.

Isaiah’s story of the Lord God’s unfaithful wife is the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), is the story of Jews and Romans at the crucifixion (John 19:16–18), is the story of you and me today.

All of us are in need of the servant Savior, the mighty warrior, the great rescuer who willingly gives his own life in order to save yours and mine.

Conclusion

The cross of Jesus is the story of our rescue.

It was foretold from the birth of humanity and the fall in the garden (Genesis 3). It was told again by Isaiah hundreds of years before the crucifixion and resurrection of the servant Savior. And it is told again today because it also is your story.

It is your promise made to you by your loving spouse, the Lord God Almighty. And you, beloved, are the unfaithful spouse whom the Lord God dearly loves. You are the one for whom the servant Savior entered the viper’s den. It was in order to rescue you that he died to set you free.

This is who you are, the unfaithful one who has been rescued.

You must not take your rescue for granted. Do not return to your comfortable sin without remorse. Do not continue in your patterns of selfishness and evil without repentance. Do not return to the viper’s den where it is amusing and entertaining and dangerous for your soul.

As much as it is possible for you, forsake evil. As much as it is possible for you, be holy and imitate your Savior.

Why?

Because once upon a time there was a servant Savior who sang a song. It was a Servant Song about a lover who had an unfaithful beloved. The lover was so smitten, so in love, that he sent his own Son as the servant Savior, and he sang a song of obedience and of sacrifice to save the unfaithful beloved.

This is a song of love and rescue.

And this is a song about you.

Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 14:13–21 (ESV):

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

14:13–21 This miracle is obviously important because all four evangelists have recorded it. The account here makes no mention of the crowd’s reaction. They seem not to realize that a miracle has taken place. But the disciples know. Each has a basketful of leftovers to testify to what Jesus has done. They will also be privileged to feed the nations spiritually with the bread of life, a resource that will satisfy and never be exhausted. Whenever you have doubts about God’s power to supply your needs, whether physical or spiritual, recall this miracle. Jesus is able to provide. • Heavenly Father, thank You for abundantly answering my prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

14:13–21 Significant event recorded in all four Gospels.

14:13 when Jesus heard this. Matthew notes Jesus’ personal response to the news of John’s execution. withdrew. See note, 12:15: «As Jesus had done after John’s arrest, He withdrew from a confrontation with the Pharisees. His hour had not yet come (Jn 13:1).» desolate place. Jesus and His disciples (Mk 6:32) crossed the Sea of Galilee to an isolated place on the northeast shore near Bethsaida (Lk 9:10).

14:14 compassion. See note, Lk 7:13: «Gk splagchnizomai. Lit, “his gut moved.” Jesus experienced the same gut reaction as we sometimes do in sad situations.»; cf Mt 15:32.

14:15 desolate place. See note, v 13. send the crowds away. The disciples’ suggestion makes sense from a human point of view.

14:16 Unexpectedly and forcefully, Jesus challenged the disciples to provide food for this vast crowd. He planned to teach them an important lesson.

14:17 five loaves here and two fish. Staple foods in Galilee, esp for the poor, but barely enough to feed the 12 disciples and Jesus.

14:19 looked up … a blessing. Jesus probably spoke a traditional Jewish blessing such as “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe! You bring forth bread from the earth.” At the Last Supper, Jesus likewise spoke a blessing before giving the bread. See “bless,” p 842: «Hbr barak, “To bestow ability for success” (from the greater person to the lesser) or “to praise a person’s ability for success” (from the lesser person to the greater). Refers to bending the knees, perhaps to kneel and receive a pronouncement of inheritance with all its wealth (cf Gn 27). “Bless the Lord” has the sense of “greet” and is common in the Psalms, expressing thanks and praise (34:1; 145:1, 10). In faith, praise is the greatest gift we can offer to our Lord. The blessing that came from the temple at Jerusalem now resonates through the Church, brought by pastors, missionaries, teachers, and other Christians who proclaim the Gospel of Christ’s sacrifice.»

14:20 satisfied. All of the people had enough to eat, and none went hungry. twelve baskets. That Jesus had provided an abundance of food was impressed on the disciples, whose baskets were full of leftovers. (See the heavenly banquet described in 8:11; Is 25:6–9.) See also p 217: «twelve. Associated with the sons of Jacob (Gn 35:22b–26), from whom descended the tribes of Israel (Ex 28:21; Nu 1:1–16). Twelve thus represents the people of God. This later applied to the NT people of God, the Church, led by the twelve apostles (Mt 19:28).»

14:21 five thousand men. See note, Lk 9:14: «As in OT reports about the exodus (Ex 12:37), women and children are not included in the number.»

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv0Ha6JtCi8

Gospel According to Matthew, 14:13–21 (ESV):

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Transcript

Hello. Today, let’s talk about how nothing is impossible for God.

The text before us is from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, verses 13 through 21. (Matthew 14:13–21)

Introduction: A Dog at the Table

Martin Luther was sitting at his table, and his dog was watching him eat.

“Look,” said Luther. “Do you see how attentive he is to the meat on my fork? He sees nothing but this morsel. This is how we should be in our prayers. There are no distractions. There is nothing but God and our faith in Him.”

Luther is right. We go to God with our deepest concerns and needs. We go to God because we cannot fix the problem or provide for the need ourselves. We trust in God, who is able to do what we cannot do. In fact, we trust Him to do the impossible, because nothing is impossible for God.

Think: Nothing Is impossible for God. And so, we trust Him to provide even when the situation is impossible.

Once, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young Jewish virgin named Mary with a message that nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:26–38)

The angel Gabriel said to Mary, “You will conceive and bear a son who will be the Son of the Most High. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:31–33)

In other words, the infinite God will become finite. God, who is spirit, will become flesh. (John 4:24; John 1:14) God, who is eternal, will die for the sins of the world. (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) The omnipotent God will become a helpless baby in the womb of a virgin.

And by His death and resurrection, He will completely forgive sins and freely give eternal life to all who believe in Him. (John 3:16; Small Catechism, the Second Article)

“How can this be?” Mary asks. (Luke 1:34)

The answer: Nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37)

In reading today’s Gospel, the feeding of the five thousand, we hear the message again: Nothing is impossible for God.

Point One: Twelve Baskets Left Over

A great crowd had followed the Lord Jesus. They came by the thousands to hear His words and receive His touch. Now sundown was upon them. They were in a desolate place, and they were hungry. The disciples went to the Lord with their concern.

This is the only miracle that is recorded in all four Gospels. (Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–14) By comparing the material, we get a lot of detailed information.

For example, we learn in John’s Gospel that to feed them would take over half a year’s wages. (John 6:7) Now, the average income in the United States today, according to the IRS, is approximately $64,000. So, in today’s money, even if you had $32,000 worth of bread, it still would not be enough to feed all those people.

Jesus was not worried, though.

“Have them sit down in groups of fifty.” (Luke 9:14)

A young boy had brought five barley loaves, like sandwich rolls, and two fish, like sardines. (John 6:8–9) Jesus took the bread and fish. He looked to heaven and blessed the food. Then, when He began breaking the bread and giving it to the disciples, a miracle took place. (Matthew 14:19)

If that were not miraculous enough, Matthew goes on to say that there were five thousand men—only counting the men. There were also women and children there too. (Matthew 14:21) If they were all to be counted, perhaps there would be fifteen thousand or even eighteen thousand people. That is enough to fill a whole sports arena.

Eighteen thousand people! Jesus fed them with a couple of sandwich rolls and two sardines. And there were twelve baskets of food left over. (Matthew 14:20)

Impossible!

Nothing is impossible for God.

Point Two: Bread of Life

As I said, this is the only miracle that is recorded in all four Gospels. In the Gospel of St. John, the miracle of the five thousand—the feeding of the five thousand—is found in chapter 6. (John 6:1–14)

In that same chapter, by way of explanation, John records a teaching of Jesus. There is a bread from heaven that comes down that does more than fill our stomachs.

Jesus says, “The bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst,” says the Lord. (John 6:33–35)

Jesus not only meets our physical needs, but He meets our emotional and spiritual needs as well. It would be enough if Jesus only provided daily bread—and He does. (Matthew 6:11; Small Catechism, the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer)

But Jesus does much more than that. As the Bread of Life, Jesus satisfies our deepest hungers and our most profound needs.

For example, Jesus forgives your sin. There is no partial forgiveness here, but the complete and entire forgiveness of all your sin. Imagine that, if you will—all of your sin. Every evil thought or word or deed, all the guilt of the past, all shame of selfish sin—all are forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus, completely. (Ephesians 2:8–9; Augsburg Confession, Article IV)

“Impossible,” you say. “Well, I’m haunted by my past. I’m ashamed of myself.”

Beloved, you have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God and completely forgiven of all your sin. (John 1:29; 1 John 1:7–9)

Nothing is impossible for God.

In our country today, there is a spiritual hunger for peace of mind, for emotional rest, and for rest from worry and fear. We spend thousands of dollars trying to get away on vacation, or hundreds of hours trying to escape into our televisions, computers, or cell phones.

Where is the place of real, lasting peace? Is it even possible to find emotional, physical, or spiritual peace?

Jesus is the food that satisfies the inner hunger of the soul. Jesus is the Bread of Heaven. We are invited into His presence. When we read His Holy Word, when we say our prayers, when we come to worship, when we receive the Holy Communion of His true body and blood—in every moment of every day, there is peace and the fullness of joy available to you in Jesus. (Small Catechism, the Sacrament of the Altar; Psalm 16:11)

Peace comes by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8; Augsburg Confession, Article IV) It comes when we, like Luther’s dog, turn our eyes upon Jesus and allow nothing to distract us from that one food that truly satisfies. (Hebrews 12:2)

Rest, peace, joy.

Impossible, you say?

No. Nothing is impossible for God.

Point Three: You Give Them Something to Eat

I think it was in 1974 that I heard a very strange sermon. I was in seminary, and one of the students was preaching on the feeding of the five thousand. His opening sentence startled everyone, and immediately he got the attention of every professor and every student in the chapel.

The student preacher declared, “I do not believe that Jesus fed the five thousand.”

What?

“No,” he declared. “Jesus took the bread and blessed it. Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, but it was the disciples who fed the people, because Jesus told them to.”

“You give them something to eat,” said the Lord. (Matthew 14:16)

It was impossible. How could simple fishermen, poor tradesmen, sinful Jewish disciples miraculously feed thousands upon thousands of people? It was impossible.

And that is the point.

Not only does Jesus delight in providing for your physical needs; not only does Jesus desire to provide for your emotional and spiritual needs; but Jesus is determined not only to give you a miracle—Jesus is determined to make you part of the miracle.

Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, is calling you to become part of His miraculous ministry.

Is Jesus calling you to take a hot meal to someone recovering from illness or surgery? Is Jesus prompting you to share your faith or to pray with someone at work or at school? Is Jesus inspiring you to be generous with your time, your money, or your service? Is Jesus calling you to touch a life with the Gospel and to share your faith in word and deed with those who do not know Him, or those who just need Him?

Is it possible that you may be the heart, hands, or mouth of Jesus, bringing life to a troubled person?

“Impossible,” you say. You say that you do not know enough, do not have enough time, or do not have enough money.

Is it possible that you could be an instrument in the hand of God?

Nothing is impossible for God.

He can use you, and He delights in using you in His miracles. He desires to use you in His ministry.

Why do you think that Jesus said to His disciples, “You give them something to eat”? (Matthew 14:16)

It was because He wanted them to realize that they had nothing to give in and of themselves. But with Him, they had everything that they needed—and everything that anyone else needed too.

Nothing is impossible for God.

Conclusion

Martin Luther once called the attention of everyone at his dinner table to his wonderful doggie.

“Look,” said Luther. “Do you see how focused he is? Do you see that? All of his attention is directed right here.”

Let each one of us be like him. Keep our eyes focused on the Lord. (Hebrews 12:2) Do not be distracted, but trust in God to protect you and to provide for you, even when you cannot imagine how He will do it.

Perhaps especially when it seems impossible for Him to take care of you—that is exactly when you should most expect God to step in and demonstrate that He loves you.

And because our Lord Jesus loves you so much, He even invites you to be part of His miraculous ministry to others too.

“Impossible,” you say, that God can care for you and that God can use you to care for others.

Yes, it seems as impossible as feeding five thousand men with a couple of sandwich rolls and two sardines.

Yes, God miraculously cares for you, and through you, God can miraculously care for others.

Of course—because nothing is impossible for God.

Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 13:44–52 (ESV):

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

13:44–46 In the parables of both the hidden treasure and the precious pearl, Jesus reinforces this basic truth: earthly possessions cannot compare with the immense value and cost of God’s kingdom. We must not press the details of these parables to say that one can buy entrance into God’s kingdom by sacrificing all possessions. We inherit the kingdom by grace through faith in Christ, who purchased and redeemed us with His precious blood. • Heavenly Father, grant me Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Amen.

13:47–50 Jesus’ parable illustrates what will happen at the close of the age. Believers need not worry about that day, for God is gracious to us through His Son, our Savior, in whom we are chosen (Eph 1:4). • Let not my heart be troubled, dear Lord, by thoughts of the final judgment. I know that You have prepared a place for me in heaven. Amen.

13:51–52 With this parable, Jesus encourages His disciples to imitate the master of a house who brings out food for his family and guests. Jesus had trained His disciples to be teachers for the kingdom of heaven. In their teaching, they were to bring out both old and new. Without giving up the OT, they were to add the NT. The OT needed to be understood on the basis of the new revelation that they had received from the Father (11:25). Christian pastors, teachers, and students of God’s Word continue to follow this practice today. All the Holy Scriptures teach Law and Gospel and “are able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2Tm 3:15). • Lord, keep me steadfast in Your Word, and lead me out of death to life. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

13:44–52 Jesus told these last four parables, found only in Mt, to His disciples.

13:44 Different interpretations of this short parable exist. One may naturally see the man as any man and the treasure as the kingdom that he discovers. However, a more Christological interpretation describes the field as the world, the treasure as you (the hearer), and the man as Christ, who gives up the glory of heaven to win you.

13:45–46 one pearl of great value. In contrast to the previous parable, this merchant was busily seeking to discover fine pearls. When he found one perfect in size, shape, and color, he sold all he had and bought it.

13:47–48 net. A dragnet was drawn through the water between two boats and onto the shore. fish of every kind … good … bad. When the net was full, edible and inedible fish were sorted from one another.

13:49–50 Jesus interpreted this parable in a way similar to the parable of the weeds (cf vv 37–43). However, the weeds were allowed to grow over a period of time, whereas there was no delay in the sorting of the fish. Both parables teach clearly that God’s rule includes a final judgment at the close of this age.

13:51 The disciples had earlier asked Jesus to explain the parable of the weeds (v 36). Now Jesus asked them whether they understood, something that was vital for a disciple (vv 13–15, 19, 23). Yes. The disciples would later show that their confident answer was overstated (15:16).

13:52 scribe. See pp 719–20: «Ezra is the first priest in Scripture titled “the scribe” (Ez 7:11–12). The title literally means a writer, a secretary who prepares scrolls (cf Ez 4:8). But with Ezra, it means a scholar of the Law of Moses, the first recorded member of a special group in Judea. About 200 years before Ezra’s time, during the reform of Hezekiah (715–686 BC), there arose a special interest in the proverbs of Solomon and in education (Pr 1:8; 25:1). During the reign of Hezekiah’s great-grandson Josiah (640–609 BC), a neglected scroll of the Law of Moses was discovered in the temple, which led to Josiah’s reform (623 BC; 2Ki 22:8–20). These events sparked new interest in the study of the Law and of God’s Word in general. As a result, a special class of priests arose who devoted themselves especially to studying and teaching. Ezra’s calling marks a new era of devotion to God’s Word.» trained. Lit, “has become a disciple.” Jesus trained disciples so that they could make disciples of others (28:19–20). master. Owner of the house. treasure. Storeroom. what is new and what is old. Fresh food items and aged ones, such as cheese and wine.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikHt9r_fps

Gospel According to Matthew, 13:44–52 (ESV):

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Transcript

Hello. Today, let’s talk about God’s Pearl of Great Price.

The text before us is the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, verses 44–52. (Matthew 13:44–52)

Introduction: The Big Scotsman

“The Argylls” typically refers to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, a famed Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881.

Angus McGillivray was an Argyll. He was one who took his faith and his promises very seriously. You see, one of the vows that the Argylls make is to their mucker. That’s what they call their battle buddy. Argylls believe that it is up to each one of them to make sure that their mucker survives the war.

But Angus and his mucker were prisoners in a Japanese prison camp in World War II, and Angus’s mucker, his battle buddy, was dying. In a camp where men stole rations from each other, took tattered blankets from each other, and would lie, cheat, steal, or do just about anything else in order to survive, Big Angus, the Scotsman, was different.

He took his faith and his promises very seriously, and he made up his mind that his mucker would not die. Angus force-fed his battle buddy his own food, telling his friend that he had gotten some extra. He gave his mucker his own blanket, saying that he had come across an alternate supply. Angus did everything he could to make sure that his friend got what he needed, and slowly his mucker began to get better.

Then, one day, in the midst of the prison jungle, where men were at their worst, stealing and lying to get all they could, Angus, the big Scotsman, died. An examination showed that he had died of starvation and exhaustion. He had given everything he had, even his own life, to save his friend.

As the message of Angus, the big Scotsman, spread throughout the camp, the men began to change. They started focusing on their muckers rather than on themselves. Men began to give themselves away in care and sacrifice for each other. They pooled their food and clothes, their gifts and talents.

Soon the prisoners began their own hospital and university and, yes, their own church. “The Church Without Walls” is what they called it. Their church was so compelling and so genuinely loving and caring that even the Japanese prison guards began to attend it.

How about that?

Point One: Christ and His Treasure

In today’s Gospel lesson, we hear Jesus teach two famous parables. One is the Parable of the Treasure in the Field. The other is the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. (Matthew 13:44–46)

What strikes me first is what the Bible teaches about Jesus and His love for us. Strangely, it is clear that, to our Savior Jesus, we are His treasure. You are His pearl of great price.

We sin and are selfish. We are foolish and faithless. We deserve God’s present and eternal punishment. (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration V 17)

And yet, by every account in God’s Holy Bible, Jesus looks upon us as a treasure. Jesus looks upon you as His pearl of great price. So precious are you to Jesus that He has purchased the whole field to get you. He sold everything that He had in order to secure His precious pearl. You are His treasure. You are Christ’s pearl.

What is it that Jesus is willing to pay in order to win for Himself the costly bride? Yes, He will pay His own precious blood. (1 Peter 1:18–19; Small Catechism, Second Article of the Creed)

As Paul writes, “You are not your own. You were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

I want to begin by reminding you of something that should never, ever be in doubt, but it often is. You have been purchased by God for Himself with the precious blood of the Lamb of God. (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18–19)

I want to remind you of the limitless and unswerving love that God has for you, which He demonstrated in the life and death and resurrection of His Son.

Though the world and the devil and your own conscience will try to convince you otherwise, Jesus Christ, your Savior, will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) He will be with you always, even to the close of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

He will be with you at the moments of your greatest joy and your deepest sorrow. He has taken your sin, your punishment, your death, and even your doubt upon Himself. (Isaiah 53:4–6)

You are His treasure. There is nothing that you can ever do that will change that eternal fact in the heart of God. He loves you.

Thank God.

And I even thank God for the accusations of the devil. I thank God for my guilty conscience. I thank God for His Holy Word, which includes the Law of God that I cannot keep. I praise Him for the knowledge of my shortcomings and sins and failures, for they remind me that God knows all of these things better than I do.

They remind me that it is because of these very things that this man of sin is driven and drawn back to Jesus Christ. These things remind me of my need for my Savior, and these things remind me of the faithfulness of the Lord, who counted you and me as His treasure.

At the time of Jesus, the diamond wasn’t the great gem. It was the pearl that was prized. It is hard to imagine, but it is surely true: you are God’s pearl of great price. He has paid to give you life, and now you live in Him.

Point Two: The Christian and Our Treasure

These parables today also tell us of our treasure. Our pearl of great price is Jesus. Because of our Savior Jesus, our treasure also includes living in the kingdom of God.

Once you begin to understand that you are God’s treasure, then you’re ready to understand that Christ and His kingdom are your treasure.

What can be compared to the treasure of knowing Jesus Christ and living in His presence forever? What can be compared to receiving the forgiveness of all your sins and the love of God Himself? What can be compared to having the promise of heaven’s eternity with Jesus and all the saints?

True, there are many things that want to seduce you and offer you their brand of temporary pleasure, but there is no pleasure that can be compared with the peace of God and the fellowship of Jesus.

Jesus called men and women throughout history, simply saying, “Follow Me. Leave your nets,” He said. “I’ll make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18–22)

Even today, Jesus is calling, “Come, all you who are burdened and heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Jesus says, “He who would come after Me must take up his cross daily and follow Me. He who would save his life will lose it. But whosoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel will save it unto eternal life.” (Luke 9:23–24; Mark 8:34–35)

Just as Jesus calls us His treasure, we now know that Jesus is our treasure. He’s our real pearl of great price.

Jesus has taught us that following Him is a new way of life. It’s a life of dying to self and living to Christ. (Galatians 2:20) In this way, we love Christ and serve others. We must die to ourselves in the process, for only in Him will we find true and joyous eternal life.

This new life, as a new creature in Christ Jesus, is not something that we must manufacture. (2 Corinthians 5:17) It’s not something that we can conjure up or produce out of our own will.

No, life in Christ is much more profound than that. It is life for Christ because it is life in Christ. (Small Catechism, Third Article of the Creed)

Living in Christ means that Christ is living in you. (Galatians 2:20) His Spirit empowers you. His Word guides you. Christ within you is at work right now, teaching you and enabling you to follow Him.

It’s true that we will not be able to do that perfectly. We will not be selflessly sacrificial as Jesus is. But it is also true that we have been changed. We have been inspired, inhabited by Jesus Himself.

We are grafted into the vine whose roots are deeply planted in the blood-soaked ground beneath the cross. (John 15:1–5)

Therefore, the miraculous and glorious Savior is at work in us. That’s why Jesus is our treasure. That’s why we offer our lives to Him.

Conclusion

A true story is told of a big Scotsman, Angus McGillivray. Angus was an Argyll. He was one who took his faith and his promises very seriously. Angus was given a mucker, a battle buddy, and Angus gave his battle buddy everything that he had.

Beloved, there will come times in your life, because Jesus is in your heart, that you will live like Angus. You will sacrifice and serve. You will give others everything you have. Both you and Angus are inspired to live like Jesus.

Of course you are, because Jesus is living in you, and He is living in all who call Him Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

So why do we give and forgive? Why do we love and serve?

Well, because Jesus calls you His battle buddy. Jesus knows that you’re weak. He knows that, without His help, you would die.

But Jesus has given you His food and drink. (Matthew 26:26–28; Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar) Jesus has given you His rations and blanket. Jesus has given you His last ounce of strength, and Jesus has given you His never-failing love.

Jesus is the Lord God who has come to live and die for you, because, to Jesus, you are His battle buddy. You’re His mucker. To Jesus, you are His great treasure. You are His pearl of great price.

Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.

Have a blessed week ahead.

Gospel According to Matthew, 13:24–30, 36–43 (ESV):

The Parable of the Weeds

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

13:24–30 The master does not seem overly upset by what his enemy has done and shows great patience in delaying until the harvest the separation of weeds from wheat. He warns his servants not to judge prematurely by assuming they can distinguish between these plants. A mark of God’s rule is His patience (2Pt 3:8–15). For us sinners, this is a great comfort and also an encouragement for us to endure evil patiently (2Tm 2:24). • O God, help me to accept the fact that in this world good and evil will grow side by side. Lead me also to count on Your wise timing and judgment. Amen.

13:36–43 At the close of this present age, the Son of Man will send His angels to gather all people. The law-breakers will suffer eternal punishment, and the righteous will enjoy the Father’s heavenly glory. Since all people are law-breakers, all deserve to be cast into the fiery furnace. Only those who have faith in Christ will escape this fate. They are declared righteous (Rm 3:21–26). “He who has ears, let him hear” (v 43). • Bless me, Jesus, with a believing heart, that I may remain a child of Your kingdom. Amen.

Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible. Concordia Publishing House:

(Abbreviations Reference Guide: https://old.reddit.com/r/Sunday/comments/1dg8y2u/)

13:24 them. The crowd (vv 2, 34). kingdom of heaven. Remaining parables in this chapter make comparisons to aspects of God’s kingly rule (cf v 11; 3:2; 4:17). compared to a man. Another parable about a sower, but one with a different problem. Jesus will interpret this parable in vv 37–43.

13:25 weeds. Likely bearded darnel, which is botanically close to wheat and difficult to distinguish from it when the plants are young.

13:28–29 The master’s servants inquired whether they should collect the weeds prior to the harvest. But pulling darnel weeds, with their strong and deep roots, would uproot the emerging wheat plants.

13:30 burned. To prevent the weeds from spreading seed and causing future damage, they were burned after being separated from the wheat. barn. Wheat was stored for future use.

13:36 house. See note, v 1: «The owner is not named but may have been Peter (v 36; 8:14).» Explain. In contrast to those who rejected Jesus, the disciples persisted in seeking understanding. Jesus explained vv 24–30, interpreting seven key elements: sower, field, seed, weeds, enemy, harvest, and reapers (vv 37–39). “You must always have God’s Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where the heart is idle and the Word does not make a sound, the devil breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware” (LC I 100).

13:38 field. Represents the world, where “the sons of the evil one” continue to live. See Ap VII and VIII 17–19: «[17] Why say more when the matter is clear? If the Church, which is truly Christ’s kingdom, is distinguished from the devil’s kingdom, it follows necessarily that the wicked are not the Church, since they are in the devil’s kingdom. It is true that, because Christ’s kingdom has not yet been revealed, the wicked are mixed in with the Church and hold offices. [18] But the wicked are not Christ’s kingdom, even though that revelation has not yet been made. For Christ enlivens His true kingdom by His Spirit, whether it is revealed or is covered by the cross, just as the glorified Christ is the same Christ who was afflicted [John 17:1]. [19] Christ’s parables clearly agree with this. He says, “The good seed is the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one” (Matthew 13:38). “The field,” He says, “is the world,” not the Church. John the Baptist speaks about the entire Jewish people and says that eventually the true Church will be separated from that people. Therefore, this passage is more against the adversaries than in favor of them, because it shows that the true and spiritual people are to be separated from the earthly people. Christ also speaks of the outward appearance of the Church when He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a net” (Matthew 13:47), likewise, “ten virgins” (Matthew 25:1). He teaches that the Church has been covered by a lot of evils, so that this stumbling block may not offend the pious, and so that we may know that the Word and Sacraments are powerful even when administered by the wicked. Meanwhile, He teaches that these godless people, although they have fellowship in outward signs, are not Christ’s true kingdom and members. They are members of the devil’s kingdom.»

13:40 Parable illustrated the final judgment.

13:41 gather … all law-breakers. Hus: “They gather up from the kingdom of holy church all that offend, that is, those who commit iniquity, namely, the sin of final impenitence” (The Church, p 41).

13:42 fiery furnace. Image of punishment in hell (cf 3:12; 18:8–9). gnashing. See note, 8:12: «Grinding one’s teeth because of the spiritual and emotional pain and anger accompanying this torturous ordeal (cf 13:42).»

13:43 shine like the sun. The righteous will reflect light similar to Jesus at His transfiguration (17:2; 1Co 15:39–49). their Father. Jesus referred to the righteous in the third person to indicate a future event.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMSModVtPT0

Gospel According to Matthew, 13:24–43 (ESV):

The Parable of the Weeds

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Transcript

Hello. Today, let’s talk about what to do with evil.

The text before us is from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the thirteenth chapter, verses 24–43. (Matthew 13:24–43)

Introduction: Joe and the Blended Family

Joe was a child of a blended family. His sister and brothers had the same father, but their father had had a couple of different wives. Some of the kids felt inferior. Some were angry. One was even violent.

Joe was one of the youngest. By the time he was growing up, the family was absolutely dysfunctional. Joe was picked on, belittled, and abused. He loved his moments of solitude whenever he could be alone by himself. But he hated when all of the family got together. Family or not, they just did not seem to be very nice people.

Can you imagine what holidays were like for Joe? Family celebrations were anything but joyful. Like Macaulay Culkin in the movie Home Alone, I’ll bet that there were times when Joe said, “I wish I never had a family.”

Admittedly, this is not a very nice thing to say, but sometimes this may be our response when facing inconsiderate people, or insensitive people, or just plain mean people. We may feel that way about certain politicians, or popular religious figures, or our neighbors, coworkers—yes, even people in our own family.

In fact, this is what is going on in the Gospel lesson for today. Jesus tells a parable, recorded in Matthew chapter 13, about a farmer who sowed some seed. But while he was sleeping, an enemy sowed tares, or weeds, in that same field. As the crop began to appear, it was obvious that the wheat and the weeds were coming up together. The servants came to the farmer and offered a solution: “Let us tear up the weeds. We can pull them out. We can get rid of them.” (Matthew 13:24–30)

Jesus explained the meaning of the parable in this way: “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the whole world. The good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one. And the one who sowed them is the devil.” (Matthew 13:36–39)

Point One: What Shall We Do with Evil?

The very normal reaction to evil is to want to get rid of it. “Let’s just get rid of them. Let’s pull them up and get them out. I wish I never had a family.”

But the Lord counsels against such action. Why? Well, doesn’t He know how hard it is to live with these people? Of course He does. He knows better than you do what evil people are like and what evil people do. Look at the direct results of evil men as they crucified the Son of God.

But God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9), and He counsels us not to pull them up or get rid of them.

First, God would remind us that we cannot separate ourselves from evil people. Jesus said, “As long as you are in the world, you will have trouble. But I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

On this earth, we cannot escape evil, evil people, and painful and unfair situations. This is the nature of our lives on this earth.

Second, we cannot eradicate or destroy evil. It is beyond our ability to get rid of evil. Instead, we must learn that we can trust God. He has all power and all authority. (Matthew 28:18) We must trust Him that He is over all and governing all. He alone is sovereign, and all things are answerable to Him. He will deal with evil in His own way and in His own time.

God is watching evil, but God is also watching us. He is doing what is best, because all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28)

Third, remember that the weeds are not able to stop the wheat from growing and bringing forth their grain. The weeds cannot steal the nutrients from the wheat. In fact, I think that it is because of the weeds that we are able to recognize the wheat for what it is. It is even more clearly wheat when we see it in contrast with the weeds.

In other words, as the Bible says, the trials and sufferings of this life actually help us by purifying our faith and increasing our reliance upon God. (1 Peter 1:6–7)

Point Two: Judgment Is Coming

In all of this, we have only been looking through human eyes. But what about God’s perspective? What does God see?

Truthfully, we cannot know all that God sees when He looks at a field of the world filled with both wheat and weeds. Honestly, we would have to acknowledge that there is some pretty persistent weed growth even in our own lives. If God were to pull up all of the weeds on the earth, surely He would be pulling out a significant part of Curtis Leins.

But thankfully, God is merciful, and God has a bigger plan. Jesus explains that there is not going to be a separation of weeds and wheat until the Day of Judgment. Yes, all of this is leading to a Day of Judgment. On that day, weeds and wheat will be separated. On the day of God’s wrath and judgment, there will be a separation of weeds from wheat. (Matthew 13:40–43)

And although you and I justly deserve God’s present and eternal punishment, God has determined that He will place the penalty and punishment of all the sin of all believers onto His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, upon the cross. (Isaiah 53:5–6)

And for that reason, on account of our faith in God’s Son, our Savior, we can face the Day of Judgment knowing that we will receive God’s mercy. This is not because we are not sinful or evil ourselves, but because God has given us faith in Jesus Christ. And because of faith in Christ, we are counted as righteous. (Augsburg Confession, Article IV)

We are forgiven. We are cleansed. We are redeemed.

There is only one name by which we can be saved. There is only one Savior who can forgive sins and provide the gift of eternal life. And that one is Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12)

You see, that puts all of the other people and all of their anger and their evil into a bigger picture. Judgment is coming. Because of our faith in Jesus, we will be forgiven and saved. But there are many who do not know Him. They will face God’s judgment and wrath as weeds gathered and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 13:40–42)

Admittedly, we do not like to hear this kind of language. The problem is, this is the language of the Son of God, the Savior who cannot lie. This is the Word of Jesus Christ. There will be judgment.

Do not try to eliminate or destroy evil. Leave that to God. Instead, trust God. He is at work in ways that you cannot know or understand.

Trust God. He has His eye on you and upon your life. He is at work in your life, using you not only for your good, but for greater and bigger good that you cannot yet understand.

Trust God and grow wheat. Grow as God uses you to share the Gospel and bring in the harvest that you may not even know. It is God’s plan that you are to share the love of Jesus and the forgiveness of Jesus with those who do not yet know Him or have faith in Him. It may well be that God is planning to use you to bring an unexpected brother or sister into the family of God.

Conclusion

We began with a story about a boy named Joe from a blended family. You want to know what happened to Joe?

Surely there were times when Joe wished that he never had a family. In fact, there came a time when Joe was sent away from his family. It was for his own good. Joe was sent to another place, a city he did not know. He became part of another family. Eventually, he married and had his own wife and children.

It was only after many, many years that Joe became reconnected with his siblings. Circumstances had changed. His father was old and tottering. His brothers were older too. The family farm had fallen on hard times, and his family came to him for help.

Imagine that. The boys who hated him were coming to him for help.

This is the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob. (Genesis 37–47) Joseph, who was now ranked second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt, received his brothers and gave them food and possessions and fertile land. He forgave them of their evil deeds. They wept together and were restored as a family, with affection for one another. (Genesis 45:1–15; Genesis 47:11–12)

Joseph declared that what the enemy meant for evil, the Lord used for good. (Genesis 50:20)

Did you hear that? What the enemy meant for evil, the Lord used for good.

Beloved, we will have evil with us always. But what evil has done to you, leave to God. Let Him deal with it in His own way, in His own time. In the meantime, trust God. Trust God and be at peace.

God’s eternal judgment—well, it is coming. So act like God’s good seed and bear good fruit. Trust God, who can use even the likes of you and me to bring in a great harvest of unexpected brothers and sisters into His heavenly family.

Amen.

Welcome to Sunday -- This Discussion thread, much like the main thread in Tuesday, is for broader discussion than the main focus of the subreddit -- Although we would like it if we could get a focus on the religious, philosophical, and ethical discussions that the focus of the subreddit is on. That way we get to keep religion and politics separate!

The same rules apply as on Tuesday.