Listen here.

Matthew 5:1-12

¹ Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. ² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³   “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴   “Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

⁵   “Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶   “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

⁷   “Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.

⁸   “Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.

⁹   “Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear saints,

Jesus announces blessings in the Beatitudes. However, we do not feel very blessed, in fact, just the opposite. We feel cursed. We begin to wonder, “How could a God who promises to love us allow us to be surrounded by so much hate? How could a God who promises to care for us let us feel so alone? How could a God who promises to have mercy on us let us feel so guilty?”

Now, there are times when we feel blessed. When the sun is shining, when your spouse is smiling, when your kids empty the dishwasher without being asked, when you get a promotion with a big pay raise, when your parents let you play video games all day, then you feel blessed. You can start to think that your life is one blessing after another. God does give us those times for our enjoyment, but that is not when Jesus says that you are blessed.

So, because we feel so unblessed and cursed, we take these beautiful words of Jesus and make them into Law, into things that we should and must do. We hear these words from Jesus and think, “If I want to have God’s blessing, then I’d better do these things. I’d better be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker.” However, Jesus says that we are blessed precisely when we feel so cursed.

Jesus says that you who are poor in spirit, you who feel empty, you are blessed. To you belongs the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus says that you who mourn, those of you whose guts are wrenched by sorrow, you are blessed. Comfort will be given to you.

Jesus says that you who are meek, you who get trampled down by the strong, you are blessed. You will inherit the new creation.

Jesus says that you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, you who feel your guilt and shame because of your sins, you are blessed. You will be filled with Christ’s righteousness.

You don’t feel it, but don’t let that surprise you. As our Epistle text (1 Jn. 3:1-3) says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto you, that you should be called children of God, and so you are.”

The world will not recognize this. If you do not know the parent, how will you recognize their children? The world will not identify you as children of God because the world does not know who God is. That will change. When Christ returns, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. You will be revealed to be sons and daughters of God, and you will be like Jesus because you will see Him as He is. And even now, you hope in Him. And you are pure.

In the vision that John saw in our first reading (Rev. 7:2-17), John saw you. John saw you who have come out of the great tribulation of this world which Jesus has overcome (Jn. 16:33). John saw you who have been baptized, absolved, have had your hunger and thirst for righteousness quenched by Communion, and have washed your robe white in the blood of the Lamb. You have Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as your Shepherd.

Dear saints, you are blessed. Jesus says that you are blessed here and now. You may not feel it, but who or what are you going to trust, Jesus and what He declares or your feelings?

We are going to sing a wonderful hymn For All the Saints (#164 in your hymnal). Turn there, please because this hymn contains so much Scriptural comfort.

1. For all the saints who from their labors rest,
   Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
   Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
   Alleluia! Alleluia!

We sing blessing to Jesus for all the saints who rest from their labor because they confessed faith in Jesus before the world. This isn’t just talking about those who have died in the faith. You are praising Jesus because He has saved them, and He has saved you. You rest from your labors. You are forgiven, absolved, restored. You do not have to work and labor your way back to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might;
   Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
   Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
   Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dear saints, Jesus is even now your Rock, your Fortress, your Might. He leads you into battle against the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. In this present darkness, He is your one true Light. His light shines into your darkness and the darkness will never overcome you. Alleluia! Alleluia!

3. Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
   Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
   And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
   Alleluia! Alleluia!

You pray for yourself and for the saints who are with you and will come after you. “God, grant that we may continue to fight the good fight of faith. May we come into the unspeakable joys that await us.” The crown of life is awaiting you. Alleluia! Alleluia!

4. O blest communion, fellowship divine,
   We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
   Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
   Alleluia! Alleluia!

Those who have died in faith are not separated from you. Like them, you also are in Christ. You still struggle in this world with your sin and temptation, yet Jesus is with you. They shine in glory around the throne of the ascended Jesus. And at this altar, you will join with them as you eat Christ’s body and drink His blood which is a foretaste of the eternal banquet that is to come. Alleluia! Alleluia!

5. And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
   Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
   And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
   Alleluia! Alleluia!

When you are weary of the fight, when the war seems unwinnable, when you reach the end of yourself, hear the victorious battle song. Remember that the battle has been won. On the cross Christ, your Savior, defeated all your enemies. Be encouraged. Stand again. Fight with a heart made brave and arms made strong by Jesus’ body and blood. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dear saints, God invites you to this altar. And as you come here to receive Christ’s body and blood, you, “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” (Heb. 12:22-24).

You who feel so cursed, Jesus says you are blessed. Jesus declares it, and so it is. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 19:1-10

¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For a long time, the residents of Jericho had watched as Zacchaeus climbed the ladder. Though Zacchaeus was small (lit. mikros), he had a big gig. The little runt of a man was the chief tax collector in the lavish, Palm Springs-esque vacation destination of the royal family, Jericho. He would make his way through the city fleecing taxes from the citizens. In all likelihood, only Zacchaeus knew how much the empire wanted in taxes from Jericho. Rome expected tax collectors to earn their wages by collecting more than was owed.

You can imagine the citizens’ disapproval as they watched, year after year, Zacchaeus’ house getting bigger and fancier, his gardens plusher, and the catering ridiculously expensive. Zacchaeus had made a pretty good life for himself at the expense of his neighbors. All the residents of Jericho knew that it was their hard-earned money that was paying for those luxuries, and they also knew that they couldn’t do a blessed thing about it.

Anyway, Zacchaeus was seeking to see who Jesus was. But it was going to be hard for him to get a view. Everyone hated him, so they weren’t going to let him get close to Jesus. And Zacchaeus was short so he couldn’t get a view from the back. [You know of course that Zacchaeus isn’t the shortest person in the Bible. Some think it is Ne-High-Miah, but they are wrong too. The shortest person in the Bible is in the book of Job, Bildad the Shuhite.]

Anyway, trying to get close to Jesus would be too risky for Zacchaeus. A huge crowd is thronging around the Man who had just healed the blind (Lk. 18:35-43). The hustle and bustle surrounding Jesus would be an opportune time for someone who was sick and tired of watching his money pay for Zacchaeus’ life of luxury to jab a knife into the chief tax collector’s back. By the time the crowd thinned out, Zacchaeus would be deader than dead and no one would care.

So Zacchaeus tries Plan B. He runs ahead of the crowd to the other side of town, finds a sycamore tree, which had branches low enough for the little pipsqueak to reach, and climbs into it. As Jesus exits Jericho, He looks up into the tree and spots Zacchaeus. The Savior looks at Zacchaeus. Though Jesus was initially passing through Jericho, Jesus invites Himself over, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. I must stay at your house today.”

So Zacchaeus does. He hurries down and receives Jesus joyfully. The rest of Jericho hates this. Jesus goes in to be the guest of the most deplorable resident of Jericho. The whole town is grumbling. But in his house, Zacchaeus gives his little speech about how he is going to give away his wealth. Half of his goods he will give to the poor, and if he has defrauded anyone (and he certainly has) he will restore it fourfold. For as much money as he had, Zacchaeus wasn’t very good accountant because this would have been impossible.

Jesus closes out the text, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

So what do we do with Zacchaeus? Do you teach our kids to be like him? Should you seek after Jesus and then make sure you do good works?

Today, our congregation is focusing on missions. But today the church also celebrates the Reformation. The Reformation was certainly a rediscovery of the Gospel. But it was more than that too.

The Reformation was also a rediscovery of how difficult it is to be saved. You see, the church in Luther’s day taught her members to be like little Zacchaeus. They taught that Jesus was nice, but to be saved, you had to get to work. Put your money in the right place. Buy this indulgence to get yourself or someone you love out of purgatory. Make a pilgrimage. See these relics.

The Reformation rediscovered the truth of the Scriptures. You cannot work your way to God. You cannot climb your way up to Him. The Reformation rediscovered that with man, salvation is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.

Sinner, the more you realize that you cannot do anything to make yourself right with God the more comfort you receive in what Christ has done for you. The story of Zacchaeus isn’t about Zacchaeus; it is about Jesus.

Zacchaeus got more than he bargained for. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but Jesus decided He was going to be Zacchaeus’ Savior. Zacchaeus climbed to try and get a glimpse of God, but he couldn’t get any higher than the branches. But Jesus had already descended to save sinners like Zacchaeus and sinners like you.

Zacchaeus climbs down from his tree, but Jesus will climb up to Jerusalem and ascend another tree. Look up into that tree because on that tree, Jesus will bear Zacchaeus’ sins and your sins. On the tree of the cross, Jesus died for all the thieving and conniving of Zacchaeus as well as for all your sins.

Salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house because Jesus – the way, the truth, and the life – was there. Zacchaeus gets to host Jesus because Jesus invites Himself over. Jesus always ends up being the true host.

Jesus invites Himself here today. The Gospel says that Jesus has come to seek you. Salvation comes to this house today as Jesus absolves you and removes your sin as far as the east is from the west.

Jesus will leave Zacchaeus’ house and walk up the steep and dusty road to Jerusalem. The grumbling of the residents of Jericho, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner,” will soon change to, “Crucify Him. Send Him out of the city to die with the rebels.” Which is precisely what Jesus came to do.

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus has come to seek and to save you. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 18:9-17

⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹⁵ Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt. In other words, Jesus tells this parable to us. We are the ones who trust in ourselves. We trust our righteousness, or – maybe to put it better – our righteousness in comparison to others’ unrighteousness.

We have to understand that, in Jesus’ day, tax collectors weren’t just your regular, run of the mill IRS agents. The tax collector in the Temple was a truly evil man. You could compare the tax collector to an abortionist going into the poorest neighborhood and becoming fabulously rich by killing the unborn. The tax collector had done some truly vile things, and he had earned the disgust he received from the Pharisee.

But the Pharisee had equally earned God’s anger and disgust. The problem is that Pharisee looked into the mirror God’s perfect Law to see how he looked in comparison to others, “Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the sinlessist one of all?”

When the Pharisee prayed, “God I thank You that I am not like other men. I am not like those extortioners, unjust men, and adulterers.” Imagine if God responded, “I didn’t ask you to be like other men. I commanded you to be holy as I am holy.”

But the Pharisee responds, “Look at all these swindlers and cheats. Why are You going to be mad at me? Don’t You have more important sins to worry about?” The answer is, “No.”

When you are confronted with your own sin, don’t point to the sins of others and try to convince yourself and God that you are not that bad. It won’t work.

Imagine that you joined a rebellion against a king and killed his advisors and judges. When you stand on trial before the king, are you going to say, “I know I did some pretty bad things, but I didn’t kill as many as the other rebels. And I killed my victims quickly. I made sure they were dead before attacking the next guy. Those other guys left your friends to suffer and die slowly”? That isn’t repentance. It is pride cloaked in humility, and it isn’t going to fly.

The Pharisee’s problem was twofold. First, He was looking at himself in comparison to other sinners. And second, the Pharisee looked at the tax collector and saw him according to his sin and not according to his need.

The Pharisee forgot that the purpose of the Temple was to make sinners, all sinners, clean and restore them to God’s mercy. God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. The truth that, in Christ, God has won and purchased salvation for all sinners. Because of this, because he had forgotten that God desires mercy and not sacrifice, the Pharisee went home damned.

Now, here’s the rub: When Jesus told this parable, it would have been unthinkable that the tax collector goes home justified rather than the Pharisee. The mindset of Jesus’ day was that tax collectors were bad news. Today, we flip it. In our minds, a Pharisee equals bad news. And you are just as quick to judge the Pharisee as he was to judge the tax collector. Your prayer goes something like this, “God I thank you that I am not like other men, self-righteous jerks, elitist, holier-than-thou pigs, or even this Pharisee.” Repent.

We should be sympathetic to the Pharisee. Imagine if you came into church and had to be in the same sanctuary and pews as the one who had robbed you and humiliated you.

The Pharisee was hurt. The Pharisee had been betrayed. He had been slandered. For all his self-righteous, pompous, holier-than-thou attitude, we know that the Pharisee had felt shame, guilt, and regret. No temptation – even the temptation to view yourself as holier than others – no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man (1 Cor. 5:13).

We are all too easily offended. We know what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. But we quickly excuse our lack of charity and love toward others and hold everyone else accountable when they look crossly at us. All of us will admit that we behave badly, and we would all like a little understanding and sympathy. But the sympathy you want from others is the same sympathy you should show to them.

Instead of being annoyed or angry when someone is rude to us, cuts us off in traffic, or even spreads a nasty rumor about us, we should have pity for and be kind to them. Of course, pain and bitterness doesn’t excuse bad behavior. But wouldn’t life be better if we did unto others as we would have them do unto us? I think Jesus said something about that.

Anyway, the Pharisee went home damned. He didn’t ask God for mercy because, in his mind, he didn’t need God’s mercy. The Pharisee looked into the mirror of the Law to see how good he was. And since he saw the tax collector in the corner of the reflection, he figured he was just fine. But mirrors aren’t for looking at others. The mirror of God’s holy and perfect Law is meant to show you how sinful and disgusting you are. The mirror of God’s holy and perfect Law shows that even all your righteous deeds are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6) – like the stuff you see through the hole of an outhouse.

The tax collector was sorry for his sins. He was humble before God as he beat his chest and cried for mercy, and he was humble before man as he stood far off. The tax collector confessed (out translation misses it), “God be merciful to me (lit.) the sinner.” The sinner. He didn’t know about anyone else’s sin, just his own. He begged for mercy and went home justified.

The tax collector threw himself to the mercy of God, and it was a good bet. Jesus came not for the righteous, but sinners. Sinners know that all thing they bring to God is sin and resistance. “Here God. All I have to give You is my sin.”

Brothers and sisters, you don’t have to be a big sinner to need forgiveness. You can be a little sinner. Your God loves both sinners with public shame and Pharisees with secret pride. You have a God who is always more ready to hear than you are to pray and who gives more than you desire or deserve.

Jesus died for you and rose again for your justification. Jesus absolves you today. He restores you and sends you home justified, declared righteous for His sake. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 18:1-8

¹ And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today, Jesus tells you this parable for two simple reasons. First, He tells you this parable so that you would always pray, and second, so that you would not lose heart. That, right there, is enough to cause us to fall on our knees in repentance.

For us, prayer is reserved for when we lose heart and despair. When we have tried everything, when we don’t know what more we can do, when every other avenue has failed – then, we pray. What Jesus offers us is so much better. Pray always so that you don’t lose heart.

Prayer isn’t an easy thing because prayer is fighting against unbelief. Prayer and faith go together. When you pray, you are trusting in God that He is in control of everything, even the smallest thing. Cast all your cares and anxieties upon God because He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7). Prayer is like Jacob wrestling with God in our Old Testament text (Gen. 32:22–30).

Fourteen years before, Jacob had stolen his brother, Esau’s, birthright. As Jacob traveled home, he learned that Esau was coming to meet him. Jacob was sure that his brother was out to kill him, and God shows up to meet him alone by the river. But God isn’t there to teach Jacob or comfort him. God is there to wrestle.

After a whole night of scrapping and grappling, God tries to get away, but Jacob holds on. Even after God touches Jacob’s hip socket and dislocates his hip – couldn’t have felt good – even still, Jacob won’t let God go until God blesses him.

This picture is also what Jesus puts forward in this parable. The widow in the parable is giving the unrighteous judge a serious beat down.

There once was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. You could not reason with this judge. You cannot appeal to the fact that he will, one day, be accountable for his actions. And he’s like the honey badger, he doesn’t give a rip about anything. If you ever ended up before this judge, there is only one way to ensure a judgment in your favor. You have to out-bribe the other guy.

Enter into his courtroom, a widow. She has no one to speak on her behalf, and she has been wronged. According to the law, she has been swindled, and she is there to get justice, but the deck is stacked against her. Because she is a woman, she has little standing in society. She has no one to speak on her behalf. She has no money to bribe this judge who is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. But this widow still has her voice. She can nag. The way Jesus tells the parable, you could almost imagine that nagging was what killed her husband.

She shows up day after day before the judge with her constant, persistent nagging. The judge’s response is despicable but hilarious, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.” That is where we get the same picture of prayer as wrestling with God like Jacob did. The phrase beat me down means, “give me a black eye.”

Now, the judge isn’t worried that this widow would physically attack him, and he’s not worried about this widow ruining his reputation. He is like the parent who has been audibly beaten down by a child asking question after question. He is sick and tired of hearing this woman day after day, night after night crying out to him demanding justice.

This is the image of prayer that Jesus gives. The words of the unrighteous judge should teach you to not lose heart.

Like the widow, when you appear in God’s courtroom, you don’t have a case against your adversaries. The devil, the world, and your conscience all testify against you that you are guilty. Even God’s Law points out your guilt. You are sinful in thought, word, and deed.

Imagine that you are a wanted criminal with all sorts warrants are out for your arrest – murder, assault, fraud, perjury, etc. – but you go strolling into court trying to get out of a speeding ticket. The judge will take a look at you and have you arrested on the spot.

But that is why the parable should give us hope. The unrighteous judge doesn’t give the widow justice based on the law, he gives her justice to get rid of her. The judge, who is a mockery of justice, still ends up ruling justly. And if that is how things work in this world which is full of injustice, how much more will God, who is just, give justice to you, His elect? Will God do justly to you, elect believer as you cry out to Him? You can bet the farm on it!

Romans 8:31b–33, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”

Believer, you are justified by God. God has made you, His elect, baptized children just. If God declares that you are just, who could dare say otherwise? And because God declares that you are just, you can have the boldness to cry out to God for justice.

Last week, ten lepers cried to Jesus for mercy. All ten were healed, but nine went on their merry little way and healing was all they got. One, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus and got so much more. Jesus told that Samaritan leper, “Your faith has saved you.” That man was saved declared just by Christ, elect by God. And so are you, believer.

Because of what God has done for you by sending Jesus to die for your sins and raise again for your justification, you can boldly pray to God asking Him for justice.

Pray. Wrestle with God. You can demand that God keep all of His promises to you. You can nag Him. You can take even swings at Him and try to give Him a black eye. Go ahead. He can handle it. In fact, that is what faith always does. Faith says, “God you have made a promise to me. You have promised to be my God. You have promised to deliver me from this world full of sin and disappointment. Do it.” And He will. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 17:11-19

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

They were far off, as they should have been. These ten lepers are being devoured by death. Their skin is rotting, so they should be separate from the rest of society. Together the little congregation of ten lepers lift up their voices, “Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us.” When they cry out for mercy, what were they asking for? Did they want some food, water, or money? Were they crying out for healing? Did they know that Jesus was a miracle worker and had cleansed lepers before? We don’t know, and maybe the lepers didn’t even know themselves.

What is important is that they were asking the right one – Jesus – for the right thing – mercy. God in His mercy answers imperfect and imprecise prayers in exactly the right way. In fact, “Have mercy,” is the perfect prayer. “Lord, have mercy,” distills everything you need down to a single petition. Mercy is always what you need.

When you feel guilt over your sin, “Lord, have mercy.” When you, or someone you love and care about, is sick, “Lord, have mercy.” When your bank account is deep in the red, “Lord, have mercy.” When your car breaks down again, “Lord, have mercy.” When a hurricane kills hundreds in Haiti and is swallowing up a region of our nation, “Lord, have mercy.”

When you stub your toe. When you are running late for that important appointment because you had to scrape frost off your windshield. When you are worried that beets are going to fall out of the truck, smash through your windshield, and kill you. Whenever you don’t know what to pray, when you can’t find the ‘right’ words, when you don’t see how anything good could come from a particular situation, “Lord, have mercy,” is always appropriate. Because that petition is asking God to be who He says He is. The most common description of God throughout Scripture is that He is the God who has mercy (Ex. 34:6).

Jesus sees the lepers. He doesn’t ignore them. He doesn’t walk by on the other side of the road. He hears them and answers, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Now, their leprosy had made them unclean; they couldn’t go to the Temple unless they were healed. So their going is actually evidence of their faith. They obey Jesus expecting that they are going to be healed and begin the necessary steps to be declared cleansed (see Lev. 13:2-14:32) – a process that took around three months. You had to do all the right sacrifices and certifications. Then, and only then, could you return to your family, your job, your worship.

But one of them doesn’t go. It is somewhat surprising that he doesn’t go, but he couldn’t do what Jesus told him to do anyway because he was a Samaritan. No matter how healed he got from his leprosy, Jesus could have made his skin fairer than Snow White, he wasn’t going to be declared clean and fit to enter into the Temple and worship.

This Samaritan starts off to Jerusalem with the other nine, but as he travels, he notices that he is clean. The disease is gone, his body healed. So he returns to Jesus which looks like he is disobeying, but he’s not. This Samaritan realizes that Jesus is the Messiah, the one to whom the priests and sacrifices and Temple were pointing. He returns to Jesus the true, great High Priest, to the Temple built without hands (Mk. 14:58). He falls at the feet of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world who has shown him mercy.

What about the nine? Why didn’t they return? They had been cleansed. They had been healed. They too had received mercy. But they disappear, and we have no idea what happened to them.

Martin Luther has an interesting theory about why. The theory fits in well with the context of the beginning of Luke 17 (our text from last week) where Jesus says, “Temptations to sin  (scandals, things that destroy your faith) are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.”

Luther’s theory goes like this: These nine, cleansed Jewish lepers come into the Temple to show themselves to the priests and tell their story.  “We cried out for mercy to that Jesus guy, and He just told us to show ourselves you and, wholla.” But the priests, out of their bitterness, hard hearts, and unbelief, convince these men that it wasn’t really Jesus who had healed them. They point the lepers that their own prayers or piety had healed them. “Whatever it was that healed you, it couldn’t have been Jesus.”

Again, we can’t know, but it certainly is an interesting theory. The priests knew the Scriptures. They were looking for the Messiah who was promised – the one who would heal diseases, cast out demons, set the prisoners free. All the stuff that Jesus was doing. So why wouldn’t they believe in Jesus when everything is pointing to Him being the Messiah?

Because when people won’t repent, they recruit. When people are afraid to believe that God really, truly forgives, they make excuses and try to justify their sin. They select a jury of their peers to rule in their favor – even though, when judgment day comes, they won’t stand on trial before a jury but a Judge. And the easiest way to convince yourself not to believe something is to find strength in numbers. If you can align yourself with other people who don’t believe what you don’t believe, it is easier to believe a lie. That’s why atheists evangelize. If atheists really believed there was no God, they wouldn’t care if others do. But atheists find comfort and security when more people share in their atheism. They find shelter in en masse.

Whatever it was that lead the nine Jewish lepers away from Jesus, it killed their faith. Believer, you too will face obstacles to your faith. Will they trip you up like the nine? Will you, like the nine, go on your merry little way, content with just one word from Jesus? Jesus doesn’t want that.

Instead, Christ wants you turning back to Him, always crying to Him, “Lord, have mercy,” because that is who He is for you. He is the place where you find mercy. On this side of glory, faith is never satisfied. Faith wants more of what Jesus gives and wants to be where Jesus has promised to be. In this life, there will be disappointments, sorrows, and plenty of reasons for repentance. But faith continually turns back to Jesus and cries out, “Lord, have mercy.” And Jesus’ mercy endures forever.

Jesus’ statement at the end of this text hits on this too. Our translation misses it. What gets translated “Rise and go your way,” is only two words in the Greek. The word Jesus uses for ‘rise’ is also the word for ‘resurrection.’ And what gets translated as ‘go your way’ can either mean ‘go’ or ‘come.’ And it would be really odd for Jesus to praise the Samaritan for coming back and then tell him to go away. Instead, Jesus is calling the man to journey with Him to Jerusalem where he will see Jesus’ love and mercy. And the last phrase, “your faith has made you well,” is a curious translation. Literally the word there is ‘saved’ – “your faith has saved you.”

So, Jesus invites this man and you, to follow Him. To stay with Him as He continues to travel toward Jerusalem, toward the cross. Because there at the cross, you see God’s mercy for you on full display. You see your salvation purchased with the holy and innocent blood of Christ. You see Jesus, the one who had mercy upon you, the one who still has mercy upon you, the one whose mercy for you endures forever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 17:1-10

¹ And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. ³ Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, ⁴ and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶ And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

⁷ “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

You heard Him. Jesus guaranteed it. They are coming. Our translation says, “Temptations to sin,” but that is very weak. Scandals, snares are sure to come. The image is something that causes your faith to fall flat on its face. This is eternally serious. Jesus is talking about things that trip up your faith.

Jesus tells us about three scandals to our faith.

The first is your forgiveness. Not the forgiveness you receive from God, that is perfect, complete, as-far-as-the-east-is-from-the-west forgiveness. No, your problem is your lack of forgiveness toward others. Your unforgiveness can cause you to doubt the forgiveness you receive from God. When someone sins against you, how do you respond?

Jesus says, “If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.” You’re fine with that. “Hey, man, you stepped on my toe.” “Oops. Sorry, dude.” “Ah. It’s alright. I forgive you.” No problems there. But what happens when he steps on your toe again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again – seven times? You start to wonder if he’s doing it intentionally. It doesn’t matter if it is intentional. Jesus says, “If he sins against you seven times in a day and says, ‘I repent.’ You must forgive him.” It isn’t an option. Forgiveness is never an option.

Your lack of forgiveness is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to faith. Don’t fall for the trap. Don’t get tripped up. Don’t scandalize yourself. You can always find reasons to not forgive someone. You can always find ways to justify yourself for not forgiving others. But then you pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive me as I forgive others.” And you are caught.

If you can’t forgive others, you can’t be forgiven. When you don’t forgive others you perpetuate a lie. You are, in fact, trying to redefine forgiveness. You believe that forgiveness has limits. When you don’t forgive others you only hurt yourself because you call into question the fact that forgiveness is never earned or deserved. Forgiveness is always about grace.

God forgives you knowing that you will turn around and do the same thing again. God forgives you because of Jesus’ blood, Jesus’ death, and Jesus’ perfect life. Forgiveness does not and cannot originate with you. Instead, it flows from the fountain of God’s forgiveness. Jesus reconciles you first to the Father and then to the one who sins against you. Unforgiveness is the first stumbling block to faith.

We’re going to skip over the second scandal for now. So the third scandal to our faith is the idea of merit and worthiness.

Jesus warns us about this scandal by asking a question with a little parable. “If you have a servant who works in your fields or tends your sheep, when he comes in, do you make supper for him? No! Instead, a master tells his servant, ‘Ok, Frank. Now that you’re done in the field, clean up and make me some supper.’ And a master doesn’t need to thank the servant because that is what a servant is supposed to do. So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Don’t pat yourself on the back for doing what God commands. Don’t compare your obedience to others’ obedience. Whenever you do what God commands, you are simply doing your duty. God isn’t going to reward you. And remember the kind of Master you serve – the one who came not to be served but to serve you. On the Last Day, when Jesus says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” you don’t say, “Finally, You notice all the work I have done for You.” No! Instead, you say, “I am an unworthy servant. I have only done what was my duty.”

Now, back to the second scandal, which is likely the most common scandal you and I face. It is in v. 5-6. The disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith.”

Now, it is important here to understand what the disciples are doing right and what they are doing wrong. They are asking Jesus for faith, and that is right. Faith is a gift that comes only from God. But they are asking Jesus for more faith, and that is wrong. Here’s why:

First of all, faith isn’t something that can be measured. And secondly, if you ask God for more faith, what you are saying is that the gift of faith that God has given you isn’t enough. You are saying that God needs do something more for you. When you ask for more faith, you aren’t looking at what God has done; you are looking at yourself, at your belly button.

Be careful here. Do you remember the story (Mk. 9:14-29) of the father who had a son with a demon that made the boy mute and threw the boy into terrible seizures? The father had asked the disciples for help, they couldn’t. The father brings the boy to Jesus, and says, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus responds, “’If I can,’ all things are possible for the one who believes.” The father says, “I believe; help my unbelief,” which is very similar to the disciples’ request, “Increase our faith.” But there is a massive difference.

When the father says, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief,” he is asking Jesus for forgiveness – even if he doesn’t know it. Romans 14:23 says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” But when the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, they were looking in the wrong direction. They were looking at themselves, their own faith, instead of looking at Jesus.

Faith always believes in something. Today, many people sound like the disciples. “I just wish I had more faith.” “I just need to trust God more.” Do you see how that puts the comfort, the assurance, back on yourself? Repent. Turn away from thinking that your faith is insufficient. Don’t fall over that stumbling block, that scandal.

Faith is God’s gift to you. God grants you faith that you might be full of faith. When you look at your own faith, you won’t find much because there isn’t anything to look at. But if you look to Jesus, you see the author and perfector of your faith (Heb. 12:2).

When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, Jesus didn’t say, “Yes,” or, “No.” Instead, Jesus says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could tell trees to jump into the ocean and they would.” But God isn’t interested in you being a horticulturalist. Christians would have the best yards. “Hey, tree, you are really nice. I like you. Come over here to my yard.” Instead, God is interested in justifying you.

Jesus puts the kibosh on you looking at your faith. Jesus wants you to see that He is always faithful. Don’t ask yourself, “Do I have enough faith?” That is the wrong question. The only answer to that question is, “Do I have enough Jesus?” Because you can never have a little Jesus.

And Jesus is here today to give Himself, Body and Blood, to you once again. Jesus is always faithful to you. Look to Him and His faithfulness today and always. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 16:19-31

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus tells us a parable about two men. One is filthy rich and the other is dirt poor. One was covered in fine purple linen like royalty. The other is covered in sores and slobber. One has the richest foods – the best meat, the tastiest baked goods, the ripest fruit, and the finest drink. The other would be content if he could simply have a crumb that fall from that smorgasbord.

Two men – one rich and one poor.

One man who would have had been wildly popular. The other’s only friends were the dogs who licked his sores. One man lived in a fabulous house that would have made the cover of Better Homes and Gardens. The other lives on the street. The curb was his pillow and the street was his bed.

Two men – one rich and one poor.

One man’s house would have been a feast for your nose. Think of all the smells in L&M Meats, Dakota Bakery, and Widman’s Candy Shop, and they’re all there. But even the sight of the other would have made you plug your nose.

One had every comfort, every luxury, every good thing that you could imagine in this life. The other had nothing.

Jesus tells us about these two men – one filthy rich and the other dirt poor. And the rich man ends up being Lazarus.

Both men die, and everything in this life gets stripped away. The rich man’s food, linens, and house are all gone. They weren’t really his to begin with. He ends up in hell and anguish. Lazarus’ sores, dogs, and slobber is gone, and he is taken by the angels to Abraham’s side where he beholds the face of Jesus.

Before he died, the rich man had probably not even noticed Lazarus watching and waiting for the crumbs from his table. But now, he desires that a tiny drop of water fall from Lazarus’ finger to give him the smallest comfort because, now, all the comforts, all the pleasures, everything the rich man had is gone. True riches are revealed. Lazarus has everything, and the rich man had nothing.

But this shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Of these two men, only Lazarus has a name. The name Lazarus means, “one whom God helps.” As our Psalm said, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob” (Ps. 146:5). The rich man has no name, no identity, no Helper. He had only himself, which means he had nothing.

His request for a drop of water from Lazarus’ finger is denied. Abraham tells him, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus bad things. Now, he is comforted and you are in anguish.” If Jesus had not continued to tell this parable, we might think that Jesus is condemning wealth and extoling poverty. But that is not the point. God wants you to have the blessings that He has given you. We know this because of the 7^th Commandment, “Thou shalt not steal.” No this parable is not mainly about the evils of being rich. Instead it is about faith and the Word of God, the Bible.

And watch this because it is so revealing: Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot help him because of the great chasm between them. So the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the horrors of his torment.

Abraham says, “Your brothers have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” In other words, they have the Scriptures, they have God’s Word. They have everything they need to know about the God who wishes they repent and believe, about the God who desires to save them, about the God who wants to be their Helper too. They have a God who wishes to give them a name and a place at His eternal banquet table.

We must listen to the Scriptures in faith. We all need to busy ourselves with God’s Word. We need to hear the Law that points out our sores and boils. We need to hear that our sins we are rightly judged by God as having earned and deserved hell. And we must believe the Gospel which raises up by its very words. The Gospel which tells about Jesus, the Savior of sinners.

When you have the Scriptures, you have everything. You don’t need another message from God. You have Jesus who has risen from the dead to preach to you, not about the torment of hell, but about His mercy and forgiveness.

When you have Jesus as your Savior, it doesn’t matter what you have in this life. Wealth, fame, comforts, luxuries all fade into the background. Because when you have Jesus, all poverty, suffering, sickness, and trials fall into their proper perspective. They will fade. They will vanish, and you can bear those things gladly and willingly.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you have Jesus, you have the Scripturesu which tell you, “Once, you were a faceless nobody – a sore-covered beggar with no glory to call your own. Once, you had no name, no friends, no father. But because of Christ and His mercy, now, your sores have been taken away, and your anonymity is no more. Now, because of Christ and His cross, Your Father inu heaven knows your face, has called you by name, has taken you in His arms, and given you the glory of His kingdom” (Pr. Hans Fiene). Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 16:1–15

¹ He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ² And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ ⁸ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. ⁹ And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

This parable of Jesus is widely considered the most difficult He ever told. A rich man had a manager who was padding his salary. Whatever his problem is, his master’s money was the solution. This manager’s god is money. He trusts in it. And he will do whatever he needs to do to get it – even if it means robbing his boss.

But his money fails him because money is a god that can be quickly, easily taken away. His master catches him red-handed, fires him, and tells him to turn in the books. Now, he has to figure out where else he can put his trust.

The manager asks himself, “Now what? I’m too much of a runt to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg.” His god has failed, and he realizes it. You know what this feels like because your idols fail you too. A true God, the God of Scripture will never fail you. He always keeps His promises. He always delivers. So whenever you have fear or whenever you are worried about something, you are recognizing the frailty of your false god. The manager needs a new God, something else he can trust.

Now, this is very important. The manager has lost his job. He’s canned. The pink slip has been handed over. He is no longer the manager of his master’s accounts. But notice that the master hasn’t thrown him in jail. The rich man could have done this, but he doesn’t. Instead, the master is mercifully cutting this manager loose. So the manager has a window of opportunity. And he uses it to take advantage of the rich man’s generosity and mercy.

The manager could have tried any number of things, but look at what he does. He banks everything on his master’s reputation of being a generous dude. The manager puts all of his trust where it should have been in the first place – his master’s generosity and mercy.

The manager calls in every schlub that owed his master. They come into his office, and what do you suppose the first thing this fired manager says to them, “I just got canned, but let’s take care of your bill real quick here.” Nope. He keeps that little secret to himself because these clients wouldn’t go for trying to pull one over on the rich man. The clients each report how much they owe, and the manager lowers their bill by about a year-and-a-half’s worth of work each. But also notice (he’s very tricksy) he has the client write the new amount on their bill.

The manager gathers up all the books and heads back to the rich man. You can see him walking up to the rich man’s desk, smiling and waving the paper to help the ink to dry. The rich man looks at the books and realizes two things. First, the debts have been lowered, and second, the debtors know about their lower debt.

The rich man hears the debtors gathering outside his building celebrating how generous their lender is. He looks at his phone and sees that he is trending on Twitter – #GenerousGeorge.

Any other lender would set everything back the way it was. “Hey everybody, listen up. I fired this man because he’s a crook and a scoundrel. Your original balance is still owed. Sorry for any confusion.” He was well within his rights to do so, but he doesn’t. The rich man could have really stuck it to his former manager, but he doesn’t do it. He has a reputation for being generous and merciful, and he’d rather be out all that money than tarnish His reputation. So the rich man drops dead. He dies to all that debt, all that income. He throws up his hands, looks at his former manager, and says, “Well played. You might be a swindler, but you know me like the back of your hand. You are one smart cookie.”

So what does this parable mean?

First, we have to be careful because we can’t press any of the parables too hard. The parables are meant to teach us, but we can take them too far. When we look at parables, we must find the main teaching and then see how the details shed light on the main point. If we look for meaning in every detail, we go too far and kill the parable. Think of the parables like pets. Some of them are sturdy like a dog. You can walk them, pet them, hug them, and even wrestle with them. Some of them are delicate like a butterfly. You can’t hug and wrestle a butterfly.

Jesus’ parables don’t show the Law or how to live a better life. Jesus’ parables reveal how things work in the reign of God. The parables are intended to show you the character of your God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. The parables teach us Jesus Christ Himself.

Last week, we saw Jesus the Shepherd searching for His lost sheep. We saw Jesus as the meticulous woman working to find the lost coin. We see God as the waiting Father, longing for His lost sons (yes, plural). And in all three we see the celebration of heaven when the lost is restored.

Today, we see Jesus as the heavenly steward who banks everything on the generosity of the rich man. Yet unlike the shrewd manager, Jesus wasn’t interested in His self-preservation, but yours.

This is the point of the parable. It looks like Jesus is praising a man for breaking the 7^th Commandment – for stealing. Instead, this parable is about Jesus’ single-minded desire and drive to win you back from death, Satan, and the power of hell. He gave up everything to pursue you. He recognized how desperate your spiritual situation was. He banked everything on the generosity of God.

When God became man, evil was turned on its head for doing evil. Putting Jesus on the cross, humanity’s greatest injustice, was God’s greatest act of mercy. Death gave way to life. The cross gave way to the empty tomb. Good Friday gave way to Easter. Now, your bill isn’t just reduced. It is eliminated, paid in full.

Everything around you is now fair game. Not for you to abuse, but for your soul and for your neighbor. All your money, talents, and possessions are now free for service in God’s kingdom. Now that you are free, God uses everything around you – your money, possessions, skill, power, knowledge, and your good works – He uses it all for His divine strategy.

He won you from your sins. The victory is His and He gives it to you for free. When Jesus bet all His chips on God’s mercy, it was no gamble at all. Because that is what God wanted all along. God wanted to sacrifice Himself for you, so that you could be His. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 15:1-10

¹ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

⁸ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ ¹⁰ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text shows one scene and that is Jesus associating with the lowlifes, the riff-raff, the scum of the earth. Not only is Jesus talking with them, He is eating with them. Our text reveals this one scene, but two very different reactions to it.

First, is the reaction of the Pharisees and scribes. In the Jewish mind, eating with someone was like putting a rubber stamp with big, red letters “APPROVED” upon their behavior and life. So just imagine the worst of the worst – the burn-outs, the promiscuous, the hoodlums, those who leech off the system, you name it. Jesus is right in there with them. He’s not even shy about it. The scribes and Pharisees see this, and their heads explode. This is just not appropriate for anyone, so they grumble and murmur. That’s the first reaction.

The second reaction is the reaction of heaven itself. The angels look down on this same scene, and they throw a party. Because when heaven looks at the exact same scene, it sees Jesus, the Son of God, keeping His Word and promise.

Heaven sees God doing exactly what He promised to do in our Old Testament lesson (Ezekiel 34:11-24). God is seeking His lost sheep. God is rescuing them from the places where they have been scattered. He is gathering them from the ends of the earth. He is feeding and making them lie down in the good pastures. Yahweh is bringing back the strayed, binding up the injured, and strengthening the weak. God is doing His God thing. He is showing His steadfast love and mercy.

Heaven looks down and sees the holy, eternal, almighty Son of God in the flesh eating with the most despicable people you could imagine, and heaven rejoices.

Now, it is easy to get mad at the scribes and Pharisees. Our tendency is to point the finger at them and say, “They shouldn’t be so hard-nosed. They think they are so good. They just think they’re better than everyone. They should understand no one’s perfect.”

Repent. As soon as you say that, you’ve become just like them. Because, you see, when Jesus tells these parables, heaven continues to rejoice. When Jesus tells these parables, He is still doing His God thing. He is seeking after His lost sheep, the scribes and Pharisees. He wants to bring them into the fold as well. He wants to rescue them, bind them up, and be their shepherd as well. The parables are Jesus doing that very seeking.

Jesus is the Shepherd who goes out after that one lost sheep. He finds it, but then the hard work really begins. The sheep can’t walk. It’s too scared. But the shepherd lays that sheep on his shoulders rejoicing even though he has to lug this 60-pound animal back home. And instead of collapsing after his exertion, he invites the whole town over for a party because he hasn’t lost his wandering sheep.

Jesus is the woman who lights a lamp and sweeps the whole house to find her one lost coin. Then, she calls everyone together to party because she found what she lost.

And here is the kicker. Jesus says, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Think about what that means. Now, we all know that everyone needs repentance. No one is righteous. But Jesus is saying that the one who has repentance and faith causes heaven to break out into a raucous party. And with these two parables, Jesus redefines repentance.

Too often, we think that repentance is the least we can do and that repentance is what we do to get or earn God’s forgiveness. We put on a show of feeling sorry and tell God, “Here is my repentance God. Accept me because of this repentance I’m offering to you.” That’s not how repentance works.

Instead, Jesus pictures repentance in these parables as being found. All the sheep contributed to its’ being found was to wander off and get lost. And all the coin did was lay in a dark crack gathering dust. But both are found and restored. That’s repentance because from that picture Jesus says, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

There aren’t ninety-nine who need no repentance. But there is One who needs no repentance. In each parable, the focus is more on the shepherd than the sheep, or more on the woman than the coin. These parables are about Jesus, how He does His God thing. He rescues the lost. Because of His work, heaven rejoices.

Remember how the multitude of the heavenly host came down the night Jesus was born and rejoiced? Do you hear what Jesus is saying in this verse? Heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents than it would rejoice over ninety-nine Jesuses who needs no repentance. Every sinner on earth, everyone with inborn sin and everyone with actual sin. Every terrorist, adulterer, child pornographer. Every liar, every oath-breaker, every hypocrite, every braggart, every bully. Every selfish, prideful, bent-in-on-himself person through all of history who repents causes heaven to rejoice more than it did at the birth of Jesus. All because you are the fruit of Jesus’ labor.

Dear sinner, there is joy in heaven over you. Because you have been repented, you have been found, by your Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Luke 14:25-35

²⁵ Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? ³⁵ It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

When you read the Gospel of Luke, make sure you know which side of 9:51 you are on. That verse is the turning point. There Jesus “sets His face” to go to Jerusalem. From that point on, Jesus is determined to get to the cross. Jesus is going to Jerusalem to die, but that news hadn’t spread very far yet. In fact, the only ones who are in the know – the disciples who were told several times by Jesus that He was going to die – even they didn’t get it.

Throngs of people are still surrounding Jesus looking for a favor. They saw Him as a celebrity who could hand out whatever you wanted. Need to be cured? Sure. Throwing a party for thousands? Jesus can cater it for a very low price. Going to a funeral? Bring Jesus, He’ll be the life of the party.

But here Jesus throws a wet blanket on everything. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” How many times have you seen this show up on your Bible verse of the day calendars, or when was the last time you heard this verse read between songs on Christin radio? Right, probably never.

Isn’t Jesus supposed to be pro-family? He called the people hypocrites for not taking care of their parents (Mk. 7:6-13)? And, for goodness sake, how can Jesus overthrow the 4^th Commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother”?

But Jesus isn’t done being a kill-joy. “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Jesus isn’t talking about little, golden necklaces. Jesus is talking about rough timbers of wood. Crosses kill. They are instruments of death. To take up your cross is to take up your death. If you aren’t ready to take up your death and follow Jesus, you cannot be His disciple. Sorry.

Still want to be a disciple of Jesus?

Count the cost. Do you have the resources? Can you afford it, or will you get the project only half completed before you run bankrupt?

Jesus tells you what it costs to follow Him. It’s more than just your money, your name, your reputation. More than your home, your lake cabin. It’s everything. To be a disciple of Jesus means you give up absolutely everything. Anything that gets in the way of Jesus, you have to hate: parents, children, spouses, work, friends, and whatever else you can think of. You can’t juggle those things and carry your cross.

When push comes to shove, if your parents, children, spouse, or friends wander from the faith, do you follow after them by defending their sin or making excuses for them? Or do you follow Jesus? How about when your will and desire are opposed to God’s will which do you choose?

Or what about when persecution comes? Will you stand for what God says is right, or will you cave in to the pressure? When you are forced to make a choice between your career, your livelihood and the truth, which will it be? When your family is marched before you and you have to decide between your family and your faith, what will you do?

You might have good intentions. Right now, you might think that you would be bold. But how can you be so sure? Your resolve today doesn’t mean anything. When that moment comes and the pressure is on, will you cave in? If any of us counted the cost of following Jesus, we wouldn’t follow, wouldn’t believe. No one would.

Our Old Testament reading might sound like God is making salvation a choice, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Dt. 30:19). If you’re dead in sin, you aren’t in a position to choose life. And if you are alive, your only choice is death because Jesus says to follow after Him you must take up your cross.

Besides, you already know what you chose. Every day life and death, blessing and curse are placed before you, and you always chose death. You sin. You not only choose death and curse, you embrace it and hold it dear.

Count the cost of following Jesus and it is the last thing you will do.

The cost of following Jesus is rung up, you can’t pay. But that is why Jesus pays it all for you. Jesus counted the cost of being your Savior, and He deemed it worth every last drop of His holy and precious blood. Jesus gave up His glory, His throne, His dominion. He became your sin (2 Cor. 5:21). He died your death. Yes, He even hated His life. He did it all for you.

When God marches against you, when the Lord of hosts is coming at you with His armies, repent. You don’t have the forces to attack Him, and you cannot retreat. Surrender. While He is still a long way off, ask for terms of peace. He will make a covenant with you. He will give you His very body. He will give you His precious blood. He will forgive you, restore you, and seat you at His eternal banquet. Amen.[1]

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Much of this sermon is adapted from a wonderful sermon by Rev. William Cwirla.