The Gospel lesson for this Sunday combines things that one would normally not expect mixed together. There’s talk of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and faith like a child combined with temptations to sin, and the joy over the return of a lost sheep. Then, there’s Church Discipline—including excommunication—mixed with the authority of the Apostles and the promise of Jesus that the heavenly Father will answer your prayers, mixed with the wonderful promise of Jesus to be present with His people when they gather in His name. It is a wonderful combination of command and promise, of instructions and authority.

Essentially, these 20 verses deal with your life as a Christian, especially in relation to one another.

• Who’s the greatest in the kingdom? The one who has humility and faith like a child.
• Oh, and speaking of children, you best not cause them to sin—lead them into sin—for it would be better for you to be weighed down and tossed into the ocean.
• Speaking of sin, if any of your bodily members cause you to sin, best get rid of it, be it your hand or foot or even an eye, and enter into eternal life maimed and blind than to burn in hell fully intact; of course, your hand or foot or eye do not cause you to sin, but your heart—that sinful heart. As Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (Matthew 15:19-20a)
• There is much rejoicing in heaven over a sinner who repents, and there ought to be the same in the Church on earth, because it is the will of the Father that none who are His should perish.

In other words, your life as a Christian on earth is to be humbly faithful to God, repentant and forgiven, and rejoicing with those who, like you, are humbly faithful, repentant and forgiven.

The difficulty lies in those times when your brother or sister sins against you. That’s why many preachers and theologians, myself included, like to give a quick synopsis of verses 1 through 14, and focus on verses 15 and following. There, Jesus gives precise instructions on how to handle this situation, because, like it or not, believe it or not, you will each have moments when someone for whom Christ died and trusts in His promises as you do does you wrong. When that happens, what’s a believer to do?

Well, most will want to ignore the situation. It’s much easier to refuse to do what Jesus instructs here. It’s seen as unloving to confront another, or such confrontation is seen as uncomfortable. So, it’s just easier to let it go, let tempers simmer down over time, and just move past it like nothing ever happened. I mean, more often that not, these infractions are simple personal matters, and Jesus was only suggesting the course of action, right?

Um, no, He wasn’t.

Jesus didn't say, “When your brother sins you might want to consider going to him.” He said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” This is not advice. It is how Christians are to deal with each other. If your brother or sister sins against you, you are to love him in Christ so much that you cannot just let him wander on in sin. You see, a sin against a brother or sister in Christ is an offense to God; I mean, Jesus wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble in giving this instruction if it wasn’t—maybe He would have just made it a suggestion, but He didn’t. So, when you are sinned against, go to your brother, as Jesus instructed, and tell him his fault—privately! Go and reprove them!

To reprove someone is to tell them that what they are doing or did is wrong. It doesn’t mean to harangue. It doesn’t mean to brow-beat. It doesn’t include any kind of threat. It means to tell them that they have sinned. A brother is a fellow Christian, and, as a Christian, realizing that you have sinned should be all that you need to turn away from sin and repent. So Jesus said, “If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” If he actually hears that what he is doing is sin, he will repent and you have won your brother back from sin and death and into eternal life. And you live again together in peace and harmony, just as you have in Christ with the Father in heaven. And that, dear hearers, is the whole point, which is why, as I have already said, reproving doesn’t mean to harangue or brow-beat.

And as I stressed, this is a private thing. You reprove him in private. I can confess my guilt and acknowledge my sin better to my good friend alone than I could in front of a crowd. It is even more effective if, when I have sinned against you, you come to me privately, rather than talk about my sin with your friends over a card game, or even talk with me about it openly at the store. I am more likely to accept correction privately than when I am shamed in front of others, or I have heard that others are talking about me. Unfortunately, it’s far easier to put this process into reverse—telling others, and maybe never telling the one person who can repent and put it all right.

That’s not to say there isn’t a time for public rebuke and reproving, as Paul recounts when he publicly rebuked Peter in the second chapter of his letter to the Galatians. Public rebuke has its time and purposes, as when a sin is overtly committed and known, and not a private matter. Matthew 18:15-20 is about the private matter, at least, that’s how it starts. So, Jesus instructs, first, to rebuke the erring brother privately.

If your brother repents, you have won, and the well-being of your brother is the prize. That's how Jesus wants you to do it.

Of course, if he or she does not listen—they refuse to see their sin as sin, or they refuse to repent—you don’t just wash our hands of them. You keep trying. This is not just a set of rules to obey; this is how you love one another. Jesus doesn’t want to lose them. He died that they, too, might live. He came to seek and to save them no less than anyone else. This procedure, if you will, is an act of love for the welfare of the erring brother or sister.

So, if he refuses to listen, you ought take the issue back to him again and again and again—with others along, when and if it comes to that, to help you encourage and to serve as witnesses, first if they saw the infraction, but also as witnesses that the proper reproof was offered, sincerely and in accord with both the Word of God and the spirit of love that you should have for others. With help, you again earnestly entreat your brother to turn from their sin, and endeavor to show sin as the deadly thing that it is. This still should remain a private matter, among the four or five of you, unless…I’ll get to that in a bit. Again, if your brother listens, we have rescued and won him back. The four or five of you rejoice together, and the matter is put to rest; no one else needs to know about it.

But rarely there comes the difficult part—the even more difficult part—the part where your brother continually refuses to acknowledge sin as sin or, knowing that it is sin, refuses to repent. Then, and only then, do you make a completely public issue out of it, bringing the issue to the church. One small note here, is that the church really only deals in this manner with manifest sins—sins that are openly committed, publicly known, and actively denied. If you are dealing with a sin of a brother that no one else knows of—you are required by God to make sure no one else learns of it from you, which is a difficult thing to balance in regard to the instructions in today’s Gospel.

Having said that, when you bring the issue to the church, it has gotten to the point where it is a manifest sin, properly speaking, through no action of your own. The entire congregation, acting through the pastor and the elders and the voters, calls the brother to repentance, and warns him that if he does not repent, the road he is walking leads to hell, and failing repentance, he will be excluded from the fellowship of the body of Christ. The purpose is to lead the brother to see how precarious his situation is, and how serious the need to repent and turn from sin is, and to win back the brother.

Nevertheless, if he refuses to see and refuses to repent, Jesus instructed to let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Now the Gentile was hated and ignored. Tax collectors were seen as the lowest form of human life—they were traitors to their people, and serving the enemy, they even abused their fellow Jews by collecting too much and getting rich in the process.

For some reason, as mentioned, it is still so easy to put the process in reverse. Putting the process in reverse means neglecting the process altogether. I mean, from time to time, one may go to the brother, but if it suits one’s purposes and pride better, he’ll find other ways to put the brother in his place. One may even go so far as to legislate and pass convention resolutions or proceed with civil litigation in order to enforce a peace. These methods have no or little basis in Scripture—they would be peace by way of the law, not the gospel which brings about true and everlasting peace.

Jesus’ instruction was to do these things in order to win the brother. However, mixing in the ways of the world with the Word of God, you can often find yourself stuck between the Word and the world—finding that you have done what Jesus says, and nothing ever happens. The question then rises, “What do you do next?” The answer is to continue in God’s Word: pray, praise, and give thanks while continuing to go to your brother; pray, praise, and give thanks while acknowledging that you have done what Jesus says—and in both cases, continue to repent of your sins and receive absolution all the while knowing that God will work repentance and forgiveness for your brother in His own time, if at all.

Jesus tells you to do these things because it is His power that you exercise, not your own. It is His church of which you and your brother are members. He commands, and if you are faithful, you obey—always in love, with humility, and always for the good of your brother. It’s called Church Discipline, and the root word here is “disciple.” It seems so hard and harsh to so many—they think of it as “kicking someone out” when in fact it is loving and faithful, and the Church is really and simply making a painful truth painfully clear—for the one who lives in sin and refuses to repent has chosen the world instead of Jesus Christ and has actually withdrawn from the body of Christ already, if only in thought and word. Excommunication just makes it formal in the hope that this final, abrupt, and offensive preaching of the Law may wake someone up to the enormity of their sin and their danger, and call them finally to repentance. To do this is loving and faithful to the Lord God. To fail to do it is to love oneself more than one’s brother, and more than the Lord Jesus, and to be utterly unfaithful to this command. It is His church, after all.

“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.” A couple of chapters ago, heard two weeks ago, Jesus gave the keys to Peter. Here’s the point where Jesus used the plural you, speaking to all of the disciples and to the entirety of the church. Jesus stated that it is His own authority that He gives to Church Discipline. He is saying that as the Church declares a man outside of the body of Christ, so he shall be and remain until he sets that excommunication right by repentance and absolution. And then, when his sin is loosed from him by the church, it is just as valid and certain as if Christ Himself had done it (because He has). Until the church, who removed him, welcomes him back, simply going to another congregation and feeling Christian is a pious fraud (sadly, this is the way it so easily goes these days). He is excluded from the kingdom of God by God's own Word and authority. You know this as the Office of the Keys, which Jesus also sets forth in John 20, on the night following His Resurrection.

Now, so far, you might be wondering, “What is the good news here? This sounds pretty dark and dismal.” The good news, of course, is hidden in the phrase, “Hears you.” That phrase contains repentance and, therefore, forgiveness. Recall earlier, when Jesus said, “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” Without forgiveness, everyone would perish. But God the Father would not have it so. Furthermore, Jesus has already died, horribly, so that all might have life. He hung on the cross for the sins of the world so that you would have forgiveness and life and salvation.

And because of that, your sins have been paid for. You have been redeemed. You receive His righteousness and with it, all that He has won for you—forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Then Jesus promises to hear your prayers and answer them—and He bases His promise on the promise that where two or three have gathered together in His name, He is there in their midst. What a wonderful promise! He promises to be present with you whenever you gather together in His name, as His people. He is present here today—yes, in His Word and in the Holy Sacrament, but He is present also as He was present in that upper room, though not in such a manifest form; still, present to bless you and to cheer you.

That is why the Church prays together as She gathers for worship. Jesus has promised that prayers will be answered, and they will be answered because He is here, present right here, right now. Of course, the form of the promise troubles some. Jesus said, “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.” It sounds like any two of you should be able to pray for rain and force God to send rain, but then, how do you explain dry spells and droughts? The promise tends to be misread.

The promise is that whatever you pray together for will be granted, but what you didn’t hear in this text are the words, “according to Your will, O God.” Jesus adds that in various places through John 14, 15, and 16. Furthermore, He said as much as He taught His disciples how to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) All of your petitions are prayed and requested to be done according to God’s will, in the name of Jesus. For, when you do, God always grants your prayer, for He always acts in accordance with His will—His good and gracious will. Sometimes, according to God’s will, the answer to prayers and petitions is “No” or “Not yet.”

Although the strands of this text seem to be separate and not well related to one another, they connect quite nicely around Jesus. It is His church, and therefore you as a part of it deal with one another and with sin His way. His power and authority are given to the Church so that Her members deal with one another in love, and that means with discipline when needed. And because it is His Church, and you are His people, He promises His presence for you.

These strands are connected, for when the Church—and you as members of Her—acts on His behalf, and in His name, you have His authority—even to shut the gates of heaven—or open them again. He stands present with you as you speak His Word and act according to His will and command, to hear your prayer for erring brothers, and to receive them back into His grace when they repent. He stands with you because you are His church. His power, His presence, His Church…what wonderful good news! And it all comes down to this: you are forgiven for all of your sins!

As you heard over the last couple of weeks, Jesus had just fed the 5000 men, besides women and children, then went for a stroll on the water. (cf. Matthew 14:21ff) Miraculously, a mere five loaves of bread and two fish became a banquet for a great multitude. On top of that, when the crowd finished eating, there were leftovers; twelve baskets full of fragments.

After the events of today’s lesson, Jesus does it again, feeding 4000 men, besides women and children. (cf. Matthew 15:38) This time, seven loaves and a few small fish were the meal. And the crowd had their fill. When they were done, once again there were leftovers; seven large baskets full of fragments.

There is much to consider in the placement of these two texts and the things that happened in between. One of the things to consider is that both crowds being fed were Jewish (or mostly Jewish). While neither text says it plainly, there are clues that indicate this. One of those clues would be what Jesus said to the woman in today’s text, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Of course, given that the second feeding takes place after the events of today’s lesson, some scholars say that the second crowd was a mixed, Jew-Gentile crowd. As Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs comments on all of these events, though, “Through the course of the narrative, however, the mission to the Gentiles remains a muted and anticipated theme” (emphasis mine).

The fact that the events of today’s lesson happen right between the two feedings is no accident. I’m not saying that Matthew intentionally put it in there between the two feedings and out of place, but that it happened between the two feedings as God had foreordained it to happen. Jesus really fed 5000 men, besides women and children, walked on the water, healed and taught, dealt with the Canaanite woman, healed many more, then fed 4000 men, besides women and children.

Yes, right in the middle of all of that is the Canaanite woman, a Gentile, pleading for mercy on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter. She called Jesus the Son of David, indicating that she knew who He was, and by that, not merely a great teacher or miracle worker, but the Messiah promised in the Hebrew texts—the Law and the prophets. She had faith that YHWH is God and that He will keep His promise to send the Seed of the Woman to crush the serpent’s head. (cf. Genesis 3:15) At that moment, the serpent was having his way with her daughter, and the Seed was passing by near her.

At first, Jesus was silent. He didn’t even acknowledge her, after all, He had come for Israel, not Canaan. The disciples even asked Jesus to send her away because she was pestering them. She cried out again, “Lord, help me.” Lord…again, she acknowledged his mastery over all things. Jesus is Lord, κύριος, Adonai, YHWH! No one can call Him that apart from the Holy Spirit, and this Canaanite woman did just that, twice! How did Jesus respond? “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Now, Jesus knew her. He knew her better than she knew herself. When He insulted her, calling her a little dog, a little play on words with the fact that she is a Canaanite—the two words sound the same in Greek—He didn’t do it to send her away, but to draw her closer to Him. After all, this Canaanite woman called Him Son of David and Lord. Call it a test, if you like, Jesus sought to draw out what she said next. Perhaps she needed to hear herself say it, maybe those hardened disciples needed to—suffice it to say that what she said next needed to be said.

“Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Remember, she says this right smack dab in the middle of the feeding of two great multitudes of Jews (or mostly Jews) after which there were scraps left over. You could say that the Canaanite woman, in seeking aid for her daughter, wanted some of the scraps that were in the baskets or large baskets. Even a taste of the goodness of the Son of David, the Lord, Jesus, YHWH, is enough. I mean, who would not want to touch even just the hem of Jesus’ garment as he passed by? (cf. Matthew 14:36) Just a little bit, a scrap, a mere touch of the hem, is more than enough, and your cup would run over. (cf. Psalm 23:5)

The woman expressed her God-given faith for all to hear. More than calling Jesus Son of David and Lord, she called out to the God of all creation who alone could help her. Her faith took what Jesus gave her and ran with it. He called her a little dog, and she acknowledged her place before Him, cowering before Him as a puppy before an all-powerful God. “Yes, I am a little dog, Jesus, but I am Your little dog; therefore, feed me from the scraps of your goodness. It is enough.”

Martin Luther commented beautifully on this text thus:

Crumbs filled with goodness is what she receives, and her daughter is healed from that very hour. In fact, she receives the fullness of God’s grace: forgiveness, life, salvation, restoration—the right of the children of God!

Dear fellow little dogs, I call you as much not because you are Canaanite, but that because of your sin, you should cower before your Master, and you have no right to ask for the children’s feast. If anything, you get the crumbs that fall from the Master’s table. Your problem is that you think more highly of yourself than you ought. If Jesus were to call you a little dog, you would huff and scoff. Your pride would be bruised and beaten. You would be angry at God. “Hey, I’ve been a part of your church for decades. I’ve sat through countless boring sermons, eaten the same bread and wine week after week, studied the same texts time after time. I’m no dog!” Pride is a problem all deal with, no matter how humble you think yourselves.

Where do you place yourself, though, when you are like that? You place yourself confrontationally before Jesus, not behind him. The thing about being a “good Christian” is that you follow Jesus. You don’t jump in front and start complaining about what Jesus is telling you, confronting Jesus about what He calls you, preventing Jesus from doing what He is come to do for you. Peter tried to stop Jesus from going to the cross, and Jesus rebuked him, “Get behind me, Satan.” (cf. Matthew 16:23) But Peter was not able to prevent Him, nor do your complaints and confrontation do so; Jesus went to the cross—His eyes were ever fixed toward His dying for you, so He willingly went to die, in order to give you the scraps of His goodness, that you would find a place at the feast which has no end.

What do little dogs do? They follow their masters—their lords—and beg for scraps. Such are you, dear hearers, who call out like the Canaanite woman, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! Lord, help me!” And that’s what He went to the cross to do. He gives Himself over to death in order that you would receive from His sacrifice for your good. That is His mercy toward you, that you who are guilty are declared not guilty for the sake of Jesus Christ—that you don’t receive the death that Jesus died for you because He did—by Him, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

And through the death of Christ, out of His great mercy and grace, Jesus gives out the scraps to you from His table.

It looks like this: a little water is applied to you with the Word of God, and you are forgiven, rescued from death and the devil, and given eternal life. Such great blessings from mere drops of water, scraps when compared to the greatness of the rivers, lakes, and oceans which cover this world. It sounds like this: “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” Such great blessings from so few words, scraps when compared to the tomes of self-help and self-aggrandizing words which you can find at the bookstore. It works like this, as will happen in a little bit: you will take a morsel of unleavened bread in your mouth and a sip of wine, and they are to you the body and blood of Jesus given to you for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Such great blessings from mere pieces of food, scraps when compared to the banquets you can set before yourselves.

But you shouldn’t trade them for anything. Baptism cannot compare to any bath or time of swimming when it comes to volume of water, but I would forsake all bathing and swimming but to be baptized, or so the New Man of faith would declare. Fortunately for all, these are not mutually exclusive. Absolution cannot compare to the words of a motivational speaker when it comes to the excitement and uplift of the words, but I would rather hear of my sins forgiven than how to be a better person, or so the New Man of faith would declare. Fortunately, being forgiven does not forbid going to a motivational event, if you so desired. The Lord’s Supper cannot compare to any meal when it comes to the bounty of dinner tables, but I would forsake all eating and drinking but to taste of Jesus’ body and drink of His blood, or so the New Man of faith would declare. Fortunately, He gives no command to forsake all meals.

“Get behind me,” Jesus calls out to you. “Take up your cross and follow me,” Jesus tells you. (cf. Matthew 16:24) He leads into the way of truth and life, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (cf. John 14:6) By His Holy Spirit, Jesus leads you here, where He is for you, and gives you from the scraps that fall from His table, and these are the fullness of God for you: forgiveness, life, and salvation. Scraps, because he gives of His fullness to you hidden in means. Mere water is a washing of regeneration and renewing. Mere words from a mere man are a gracious forgiveness of your sins as if God Himself were speaking it. Mere bread and wine are the very body and blood of the Son of God, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. And these are what they are for you because the Word of God makes them such for you and to you!

And you, by way of the New Man of faith you have been given, you follow like little dogs to this hallowed hall where Jesus meets you, full of grace and truth, in Word and Sacrament. And you, by that faith that you have been given from God, receive Jesus who has come to you—and to you who receive Him He gives the right to become the children of God, for you believe in His name: YHWH saves. (cf. John 1:12) He saves you; Jesus is your Savior! Because of what He does for you, He no longer calls you little dogs—the Canaanite woman is no dog—but children: sons of God. And if you are sons (and you are because God calls you that), then you are heirs of God through Christ (cf. Galatians 4:7), who came and shed His blood on the cross and died for you to set you free from bondage to the serpent—Jesus has crushed the serpent’s head; therefore, you are forgiven for all of your sins!

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat to go to the other side of the lake while He would go on the mountain by Himself to pray. As it happened, the wind and waves came upon the boat, a long way off from shore, and the disciples were terrified. Now, remember, almost half of these men were seasoned sailors…and they were afraid; even they were afraid.

What is it about a little storm on the sea that would cause even hardened sailors to be afraid. They were over the deep waters. Deep waters represented death and the grave; represented Sheol, that deep, dark, mysterious underworld that swallowed up the dead. Deep waters also housed the sea monsters, like Leviathan, referenced not only in Job, but the Psalmist also says the deep is Leviathan’s playground (cf. Psalm 104:26), who would gobble you up in a single gulp.

Picture, also, the beginning. Genesis 1:1-2:

I don’t know how best to attempt a description of the formless void and deep waters, but I imagine a storm-tossed sea elicits some image of the first day of the Cosmos’ existence.

That’s where the disciples were that early morning: in the middle of a storm-tossed sea, barely floating over Sheol, the playground of mighty Leviathan. Even the hardened sailors would be afraid of that.

Onto that, the Son of Man steps foot.

Now, I’m not sure any of them would have expected Jesus to go for a stroll on a storm-tossed body of water. He had never done it before, so they’d never seen it before. With that in mind, I think the disciples can be owed a little compassion and understanding seeing what they thought was a ghost walking toward them on the sea—that same sea I’ve been describing to this point—and being terrified by it all.

So, the gracious God who is taking a stroll on His creation spoke a word of comfort to His disciples on the storm-rocked boat: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Wait a minute, wait a minute. I know this isn’t John’s Gospel, as I referenced a lot last week, but let me give you a more wooden translation of what Jesus told them: “Be of good cheer, I am, do not fear.” That’s right! Right there in the middle of St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Ego eimi”…”I AM.”

What comfort! Jesus made Himself known to His disciples and told them not to be afraid. They didn’t have to fear because He was there. And He is God, I AM. He is God, the Creator of the Cosmos and it’s Redeemer, their Redeemer, your Redeemer. The deep, Sheol, the chaos, the monsters are all things under His feet. That means He has dominion over them all! (cf. Psalm 8)

Then there’s Peter…oh, that Peter. Often referred to as the disciples’ spokesman, as it is supposed that he said what they were thinking, I like to call him every believer’s spokesman, because he says and does everything that the ordinary believer would say and do when confronted with the things Jesus said and did. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” “If it is you…” Was this a simple request for proof?

Now, as I said, Peter is every believer’s spokesman. His, “If it is you…” is echoed in every doubt you’ve ever had, which is itself an echo of the doubt the serpent placed in Eve’s mind: “Did God really say…?” Do the words of the pastor really forgive my sins in your stead and by your command? Do you really save and give faith in the waters of Holy Baptism? Is that really you, your body and blood, in, with, and under the bread and wine? Or how about something more mundane: am I really not supposed to worry or fear about what tomorrow will bring, what the results of the medical test will be, what’s going to be on the quiz or exam in class, how my boss will evaluate me tomorrow, etc., etc., etc.? Jesus, are you really with me always…if it is you?

How long-suffering and compassionate Jesus is. He answered Peter, “Come,” inviting, no commanding, him to join Him out on the water, to put all of that mess and chaos under his own two feet. At Jesus’ word, Peter stepped out of the boat and joined his God-in-the-flesh for a stroll out on the deep water. How was Peter able to do that? By the power of God’s Word, water is not just mere water, but a lavish washing away of sins. By the power of God’s Word, He gives authority to your pastor and fellow Christians to forgive your sins in the name of Jesus. By the power of God’s Word, Jesus gives His body to eat with bread and His blood to drink with wine. By the power of God’s Word, “Come,” Peter walked on the water, putting all of that chaos and the deep in subjugation under his feet. You might want to say that by the Word of God, Peter is more than a conqueror of the rest of the Cosmos (cf. Romans 8:37), but recall that God gave dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the livestock and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, commanding him to subdue the earth. (cf. Genesis 1:26, 28)

Be warned, though. Jesus did not invite you to walk on the waters. Even if you like swimming, don’t take a boat out to what may be left of the Reuter-Hess or Cherry Creek reservoirs and step out of the boat. That doesn’t mean that God isn’t long-suffering and compassionate with you, though. In your doubts, Jesus does invite you to, “Come.” Come to church, come to His Word, review His promises made to you and to all in the Scriptures; remember your confession of faith and recite it again in the Creeds. Hear the Word of God, for by it He creates faith, for “[F]aith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) So, while Jesus doesn’t invite you to walk on the water, if He can command Peter to do so by His Word, He can do what He promises to do for you by the same Word: forgive your sins, give you life, bring you to salvation. Remember, it was the same Word which commanded a dead Lazarus to walk out of his grave. (cf. John 11:43)

Is there anything the Word of God cannot do? Well, when the Word of God came to a virgin in Nazareth to announce that she would bear the Savior of the world, and she asked that question, the angel gave her a very pointed response: “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) With a word, God created everything. With a word, God healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead. Nothing is impossible to the Word of God.

All the same, fear and doubts always afflict the sinful flesh, even and especially of sinner-saints, such as yourselves. Peter, commanded to take a step out of the boat and onto the water, took His eyes off Jesus and began to sink. The mire and muck of the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh are always at work to make you take your eyes off of Jesus so that you, too, will sink into them. They will drag you down. They will use those mundane things, and things like them, to cause you to doubt: cares and concerns about tomorrow, the medical test, the quizzes and tests, the performance evaluation, etc., etc., etc. Like Peter, you start looking at those whitecaps, so to speak, and begin to sink. “Lord, save me.”

Faith cries out in the midst of doubt. And Jesus, like He did with Peter, reaches down and rescues you. He pulls you out of the muck and mire with His nail-pierced hand and restores you to Himself. He uses His Word to do so, by making you recall your Baptism, having the words of Holy Absolution spoken to you, and inviting you to eat and drink His body and blood as bread and wine. And He reminds you that He is with you always; He will never leave you nor forsake you. (cf. Hebrews 13:5) So, you can also answer, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

“I will not fear.” Those were the first words out of Jesus’ mouth from the lake to the disciples in the boat. “Be of good cheer, I AM, do not fear.” You are disciples of Jesus gathered in the boat of His Church, and He speaks the same words to you , even as the tempests of the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh rage around you and Her. All of these things are under Jesus’ feet. He has placed them there under yours as well, so, in essence, in Him you are more than conquerors, too.

After Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, the winds died down. It was calm; there was peace. Acknowledging all that Jesus had done, those in the boat worshiped Him saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

That’s how the faithful respond to the work that Jesus had done. Interestingly, they are the same words spoken by the centurion and those with him at the cross of Jesus: “Truly this was the Son of God.” (cf. Matthew 27:54) Dear baptized, that’s a picture of you this morning. You are one who has been rescued and placed into the Holy Ark of Christendom. You receive your God who comes to you in His means—His Word and Sacraments—even as you sit beneath an icon of that same cross at which the centurion spoke. And every word you speak and sing in this place echoes theirs in one way or another: Truly, Jesus is the Son of God, who was and is and is to come, my Creator and the Creator of the Cosmos, my Savior and Redeemer, who purchased me with His own precious blood and innocent suffering and death, the Lord who has everything under His feat.

All admiration is of Him. All confession is of Him. Truly, He is the Son of God who holds on to you with those nail-pierced hands, by which He has won and given to you the forgiveness of all of your sins.

“[A]nd 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.” With these words, Jesus began the feeding of the 5000, as the men are numbered. And they are very poignant words, indeed, and certainly lead one to think of the times in which he feeds many more than 5000. St. John wrote in his account, “Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand,” and, “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated…” Those words sound so similar to what is very often heard here, in this place. Then, the fact that it was near Passover only adds to what is being taught in today’s Gospel: Jesus is fulfilling the sign of Moses and pointing to His own Supper.

Now, to be perfectly clear, Jesus is not celebrating the Lord’s Supper in these texts, but He is pointing to it; that is to say, He is pointing to Himself—pointing to His work on the cross and His gift in the Supper. As Rev. Peter Bender once wrote, “This feeding was a sign intended to point us to the realities and benefits of the Supper, but it was not the Supper. In the same way, the healing miracles of Jesus were signs of the resurrection of the body, intended to point us to the realities of the resurrection”—bodies made whole by Him—“but they were not the resurrection” (emphasis added).

But, before getting to the realities and benefits of the Supper, what is the sign of Moses?

First, understand that “when it comes to religion, people want signs and people want works. In other words, they want proof, and they want something to do.” That is why the Jews were so attracted to Moses, for he had signs and he had works…at least, in their eyes.

His signs were the ten plagues, the Passover, and the crossing of the Red Sea, and more. And, in keeping with today’s Gospel, it was during Moses time as prophet that manna came from heaven. And didn’t Moses speak to the people from a mountain? In the feeding of the 5000, according to St. John, “Jesus went up on the mountain,” where he taught the people and fed them.

Moses also had works for the people. He came down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, rules by which to live. In fact, when Moses had first come down from Mt. Sinai with other commands for the people, they responded, “All the words which the LORD has said we will do.” (Exodus 24:3) In these commands and Laws, the people found direction and purpose; “Moses told them works to do, and people like works.”

So, when Jesus went up on the mountain and began feeding many people with only a little bit of food, and this as the Passover drew closer, the Jews who followed Him saw in Him their hero, Moses. He was doing things like Moses did.

But, they didn’t have their facts straight. It was not Moses who did those things. He did not cause the plagues, He did not institute the Passover, He did not part the Red Sea, and He did not pen the Ten Commandments. As the Lord’s prophet—His mouthpiece—his task was solely to proclaim the Word of the Lord, to state that these things were coming because God is making them happen.

Still, it is always easier to put trust in what you can see and touch and smell and taste—in what you can perceive. It is always easier to put your trust in what you can understand. Moses was the hero because he was the one who came with the signs and works, so the improper association was made.

Jesus is fulfilling the sign of Moses. Here is a man who spoke and acted a lot like their hero. Here is a man who could give them what they wanted—signs and works. And this is very much evident in verses following today’s event, for after He had dismissed the crowd, He made His way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Oh yeah, He walked on the water on His way there, but that is a lesson for…next week. But, the crowds followed Him, and when they found Him there they sought to have Him heal their sick; and, according to St. John’s account, they sought to make Him their king—their “bread king” in order that He may satisfy their desires. They wanted Him to be another Moses, so what did they seek? “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” They replied, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?“ An odd question, given that He had just fed them rather miraculously. Nevertheless, they sought works and signs, just as Moses gave them, or as they believe Moses did.

Have things changed? Well, not much. The times may be different, but people are people, and people still chase after this Jesus or that Jesus, following the works and signs. For Jesus is only real if they can see or feel or experience Him. So, they flock after faith healers, because they have to have the touch of God and, thereby, be good preachers. They gather in enormous churches, regardless of what is being taught there, merely because their size is a sign that God must be blessing what they are doing, or they go where they feel uplifted and told that they are doing good things, because those things that make them feel good must be good and godly.

But, these works and signs don’t have to be so grand. How easily might you become so distraught with disease and illness and the inability of medical professionals to heal you that you begin to wonder about faith healers? And do you not grow tired at times hearing the Word of God’s Law is proclaimed to you? Or do you grow complacent or bored with the proclamation of the Gospel for the forgiveness of your sins? Does this not make you wonder about the growth that seems to be happening in the mega-churches here and there?

Those are most certainly the signs people desire, but are they the signs God promises to provide? Where does God equate a good preacher and His blessing with the healing of diseases (as if that is the only sign)? Where does God equate his blessing with the number in the nave? Where does God equate His message with emotional peace and strength?

And as it did back then, it doesn’t end with signs today, as people still seek works, too. To many, faith only makes sense if it involves some way to work your way to heaven. That is, after all, the way the world works: if you want something good, you must work hard for it; the harder the work, the better the reward, or so says the sense of justice and righteousness. The same must, therefore, apply to faith and religion. And for every religion besides Christianity—and orthodox Christianity at that—it is true. Whether it’s doing good works to or for others or destroying others who do not think like you…whether it’s keeping rules or how much you meditate, every false religion gives requirements to earn a spot in heaven.

And again, even Christians are susceptible to this. For instance, ask the ordinary Sunday School child how to get to heaven and they will answer, “by being good” more often than not. But, you don’t need to ask a child, ask yourself. Ask yourself why you are listening right now. Is it because you want to show your devotion to God? Is it because you think you have something to offer Him? Or, is it because you believe simply listening to me earns you merit before God?

But, are these works God demands? Can listening to a sermon raise you from the dead? How much devotion do you need to show to earn God’s favor? How good is good enough? Can you really do enough good works to pay off your debt of sin? Scripture says plainly, “no”: “[A]ll our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf,and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

But what else does the word of God say? “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “That’s it: the work of God is to believe in Jesus. Believe in Jesus, and you will have eternal life.” It’s a strange message—well, maybe not to those who believe—because it goes against everything one experiences as true, that one must work for something to get something. And before you begin to think that believing is a work that you do, faith only comes by hearing, it is a gift from God. (cf. Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8-9)

And that should lead to the answer for why you are here right now. Despite appearances, this is a worship service, emphasis on service. You are here because God wants to serve you, and in these means is where He does it. You are here to receive the Word of God, the Word that declares the forgiveness of your sins. And you are here to receive the Word of God incarnate, the very body and blood of the Son of God for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

So, the word of Christ before you this morning is this: “[A]nd 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.” The gift is from heaven, it is from God, and so is He, and so is this miracle. And that is what the Lord is teaching in this miracle. “This miracle points…to Jesus as the Christ”—the one anointed to bear your sin and be your Savior—“and the source of eternal life and salvation, which He won…upon the cross and distributes…in His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.” For it is as He says plainly in St. John’s account of the feeding of the 5000, speaking of Himself, “I am the bread of life.”

That scandalizes many people, but it is the power of the Gospel to those who believe. Jesus said,

Again, as Rev. Bender wrote,

Therefore, “Jesus’ preaching and His body and blood are not to be separated. The one creates faith and leads to faithful reception of the other” for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Those are the realities and benefits of the Supper—of the entirety of Jesus’ work for you—and they are God’s gifts to you…gifts that declare that you are forgiven for all of your sins.

This sermon contains quotations and ideas from Pr. Peter Bender’s Lutheran Catechesis and Pr. Tim Paul’s sermon on John 6.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…”

The Sower is at work again. As you heard last week, He casts His seed lavishly everywhere He can, seeking His harvest from everywhere. His seed is good; it is His Word, and it accomplishes the task for which it is cast, in some 100-fold, in others 60-, and in others 30-; in today’s parable, the seed is the sons of the kingdom—the Church.

But, according to today’s parable, the Sower is not the only one at work. The evil one is always at work, too.

Yes, he comes along as a bird to snatch away the seed from those who do no understand—who refuse to hear and understand it. The evil one is at work also with the world and your own sinful flesh to stir up doubt and despair that God does not care for you, in order that you might fall away from the Sower and not produce the fruit for which the seed of His Word was cast to you.

But this evil one is crafty in his means. For, he also comes as one who sows “weeds among the wheat” and goes away. “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.” These weeds look like the wheat to the untrained eye; the Sower and His servants are able to discern the difference, though.

Concerned for the crop, the servants ask if they should go to gather the weeds. It’s certainly a good thought: remove the weeds so that they do not hinder the wheat. But the Sower objects, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest…” The servants may be able to discern the difference, but in the process of picking the weeds, they may bring out some of the wheat, too. That’s too great a risk for the Sower. Wait until the harvest, the Sower tells them, “[A]nd 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 evil one is crafty in that He creates a false church and sows it together with the true Church on earth. Those in the church are usually unable to see a difference, though the false church can be discernible to the well-trained eye—to the well-catechized eye—at least to a point. However, the Sower and His servants and reapers certainly know the difference.

The Sower stays his servants’ hands: Do not uproot the false church from the true Church; wait until the harvest. He does this for two reasons. The first, as He mentions in today’s parable, is that doing so could cause harm to the true Church. For one reason or another, if the false church is plucked from the true Church, members of the false church would somehow take members of the true Church with them, bringing them to their end apart from the true Church. The second is that the Lord is patient. So long as members of the false church are intermingled within the true Church, the seed of God’s Word is cast to them; some of these, over time, will convert and become part of the true Church.

And so it will be until the end of time, as Jesus explained the parable to His disciples. Until the end of the age, the false church of the evil one will be sowed among the true Church of the kingdom of heaven. This is almost the visible vs. invisible church, as Walther termed them, and while there is some relation, the visible church is not exactly the same thing as the false church.

In other words, you can go into any church building and will not be able to tell who is part of the true Church and who is part of the false church with a simple look. With what amounts to a glance, you cannot tell where someone stands. Everyone you see in a church building are part of the visible church, as could be recognized as such by their being in the church building for it’s regular use and participating in the activities there, but whether they are included in the invisible, true church—the wheat—is indiscernible to the naked, sinful eye.

As I mentioned, though, the well-catechized eye can be able to discern the difference between the false church and the true Church, at least to a point. This should also be encouragement to be in constant study of God’s Word—to read it, learn it, and inwardly digest it, as you heard in last weeks’ collect—to take up a personal study of the Scriptures and have them read and explained to you in the Church. Then, by the grace of God, you can be able to discern the difference between the false church and true Church, not only as it pertains to others, at least with regard to outward presentation, but also to yourself.

For the false church is most simply this: it claims Jesus’ name, prays in His name, claims to be His followers, but glories in sin. These are those “who call evil good, and good evil; [w]ho put darkness for light, and light for darkness; [w]ho put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter,” as the prophet declared. (Isaiah 5:20) These claim to be Christian, but do not follow Christ and His Word. These will hold up false doctrines as Biblical—such as the ordination of women, blessing homosexuality, encouraging abortion, and admitting to the Lord’s Table any and all who walk through the doors, among others—even claim that Jesus supports their false doctrine. These will do many churchly things, look very much like true Church, hold up their Bibles as the Word of God, but teach it errantly, call it relevant for a day and age past, or blatantly say that the Scriptures are incomplete and in need of supplemental authority, and the like. Even in the midst of the true church, they will do this by confessing with their mouth the true doctrine espoused at an altar, but believe in their hearts any and all sorts of false doctrine.

I suppose things could work the opposite way, too. It is possible that one who believes and confesses the truth would find themselves in a place where false doctrine is taught. In fact, I know that there are true believers in outwardly false churches. Try as I might, though, I can’t imagine this situation working out too well, at least in the long run; for, just as the false believer being continually taught the truth may eventually be converted to the truth, so the true believer being continually subjected to false doctrine runs a very high risk of being converted to that which is false. Something more needs to happen.

Those who abide in the Word of God (cf. John 8:31) will be able to know those doctrines as false. Yet, there are people who claim to be Christian who hold to them as salutary; there are those who wholeheartedly believe they are Christian while holding to false doctrines because their church teaches them, and they do and believe what their church teaches, believing that their church teaches what Christ has taught (or what Christ would teach in this day and age, they would say).

Now, it is not my place or that of any of you to condemn one such as these. Speak the truth in love and point out the error of another, sure, but leave the condemnation to the one who will judge the whole world at the last day. As God counsels through the pen of St. Paul, “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5) For, as St. Paul had also written, “It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4b)

Why? For as it was said in today’s parable, by uprooting the weeds, some of the wheat may be uprooted, too. Remember that the false church is intermingled with the true Church. At first glance, members of each are indistinguishable, and even for a well-catechized eye it can be difficult to tell the difference. Furthermore, as was mentioned, the false church is not merely confined to one organization, and the true Church to another. You will find members of the false church in congregations that teach sound, orthodox doctrine; likewise, you will find members of the true Church in congregations that teach heresy. There will always be unbelievers in congregations that abide in God’s Word, and even in congregations where the Word is still present and proclaimed from time-to-time, but that hold to heterodox teachings, there will be believers.

Furthermore, as also mentioned, God is immeasurably and unspeakably patient and merciful. In time, those who are members of the false church, as the seed of God’s Word is continually cast at them, may convert. As they hear sound preaching, steadfastly study God’s Word, and are lovingly shown the errors of their ways, they, too, can come to a knowledge of the truth, and be counted among those in the kingdom of heaven.

That’s why it’s not the place of anyone to condemn members of the false church. Though one can say with certainty that at the last day, things will not go well for those who remain part of the false church or died a part of it. For it is as Jesus said,

Until that day, however, the false church will remain, and will be found scattered with and among the true Church. In fact, as time progresses, the false church will steadily grow, as even the outwardly unrighteous increase, while the true Church on earth will be but a remnant.

While that sounds discouraging, and to an extent it certainly is, there is still comfort in it. And it is this: the true Church will remain. The Lord will have his harvest. It is as has been sung many times in this hallowed hall:

While the weeds are sown together with the wheat, even as was heard in today’s parable, the harvest will come, and the wheat—the fruitful ears—will be gathered in His garner, in His eternal presence. Or, as Jesus explained to His disciples, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” And so, until that day, the true Church’s prayer is always, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus,” even as is sung in that same hymn:

So, you can take comfort, for the harvest is coming. It may not be this moment, this year, or even in this lifetime, but you have this sure and certain promise from Christ: it is coming. Until then, He comes to His Church—He is proclaimed to the world, true Church and false church alike, as the Savior of the world. He is proclaimed as the God who sacrificed Himself, shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Furthermore, He continues to come and give of Himself to the true Church for Her preservation. He is Her Head, and She His Bride; therefore, it is only fitting that He who gave Himself to make Her His would continue to give of Himself to keep Her His—He would not forsake His Bride. And so, He comes to you dear hearers—He who gave His body and shed His blood for you on the cross to make you a part of His Bride, to make you His brother and fellow heir of glory in eternity—and He gives you His body and blood hidden in bread and wine to keep you as a part of His Bride—that you may remain His brother and fellow heir of glory in eternity.

Fear not, O little flock, for while a remnant will remain, the Lord will have His harvest, and He desires that you be in it. He makes you a part of it through the waters of Holy Baptism. He keeps you a part of it in the Words of Holy Absolution, in the forgiveness given to you as the Word is proclaimed to you, and as you eat His body and drink His blood. Yes, dear fellow Christians, you are a part of His harvest, because you are forgiven for all of your sins.

Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. The Sower casts His seed, and it falls on various types of soil—hard, clay-like soil along a path where the birds eat it, soil that is full of rocks, soil that is full of thorny plants, and soil that is fertile and fully receptive of the seed. In most cases, the seed takes root and begins to grow, but then things happen.

Jesus explained the parable:

From this you learn at the outset that as the seed is cast—as the Word of God is proclaimed—many will hear, but not all will believe. And, of those who believe, many will, for myriad reasons, fall away.

The Sower casts His seed generously, seemingly without care for where it lands. To your ears, this might sound like a futile endeavor. Certainly, the Sower would know that the Word would not take root along the path, that the evil one would come along and snatch the Word away from them. He would also know that the seed that takes root would do so only temporarily in those who easily succumb to tribulation, persecution, worry, and greed. You might wonder why the Sower doesn’t carefully plant His seed only in the fertile soil.

If you wonder in this manner, then you have gone the way of five-point Calvinism. In their doctrine of Limited Atonement, they will confess that the Christ’s death was sufficient for all men—that His death was enough to cover the multitude of sins for all men of all times and places—but that it is effective only for the elect. They confess a double predestination, that the elect are those only to whom the Word should be sown; therefore, God predestines some to damnation. Therefore, God’s grace and election are irresistible—if you’re elect, you’re saved, no matter what else.

Ironically, you have also gone the way of Arminianism. In their doctrine of Conditional Election, they confess that God’s election is conditioned on man’s response. They believe that the Sower should only sow the Word on fertile soil because it is the only soil that is in the proper condition to receive the seed.

Both ways confess a futility to sowing the seed, to use a word, prodigally. Both ways question what the point of sowing seed along the path, on rocky soil, and soil that is full of thorny plants is. Both ways will acknowledge the sovereignty of the Sower to cast His seed wherever and however He wants—for the Five-point Calvinist, though, this confirms their doctrine of double predestination, that even though God proclaims His Word far and wide, He does so knowing that some don’t care and He predestines them to damnation; the Arminian will say, however, that some of those non-receptive soil types could later become receptive and be saved (on this point, most simply stated, the Lutheran would agree).

Both ways are also quite logical. A cursory, simplistic look at the text easily leads to the five-point Calvinism way: the Word is sufficient for all, and so it is cast to all, but it only takes root and holds in the elect. Of course, then, the inevitable conclusion to a five-point Calvinist would be that there should be no need to cast the seed on the infertile soil types (or on any soil type, because if you’re elect, you’re elect no matter what). Interestingly, one could reach the same conclusion from the Arminianism way, even though they hold to a doctrine of resistible grace. Yet, even they would concede to the logic that only the fertile, receptive soil should receive the seed, since only that soil would exhibit any response indicative of their condition (and wouldn’t resist grace). Both make logical sense.

But, what does the Word of God say? It is terribly easy to look for the substantive details of a text and so gloss over those which seem lacking in substance. The lacking detail? As was first mentioned: as the Sower goes planting, He casts the seed on all soil types. There is grace in that detail, much grace that should give you pause and comfort.

And it is this: This parable is not merely about evangelism and missions, but it is also about you who are now sitting and listening to this sermon. This parable is also about the one who has been Baptized and Catechized and has faithfully attended the Divine Service whenever it is offered. This parable is also about the one who may find themselves sitting there and listening to me or any preacher for the first time. In any step of one’s walk of life—be you Calvinist, Arminian, or other—this parable is about you, because you, dear Baptized, dear hearers, are the soil upon which the Sower casts His Word.

At times, you are like the soil along the path. And at times, you are like the rocky soil, and at times, the thorny soil. You are so, because in every step of your life, the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh are battling against you.

The devil is always about like a bird ready to snatch the Word away from you. So you are tempted to toss every bit of doctrine you do not understand to the side of the road, as if that part of God’s revelation isn’t as important as the easier stuff and doesn’t apply to you. You are tempted to throw away every bit of Scripture that you do not like, as if that part of God’s revelation isn’t relevant to you, your time, or your place.

The world is full of events that seek to sway you away from the Word that was planted in you—the world always attacks you on account of the Word. It uses sly means to accomplish this, for the world seems to work one way, contrary to the Word of God, and so you are tempted to bend the Word of God to meet your experience of life—to meet your view of the world. And so you may become a five-point Calvinist or Arminian or something else to explain divine logic in terms of fallen human logic, neglecting an, “Amen, it is so because God declares it.” Or, the worldly trials and tribulations of disaster and warfare, economic woes, illness and the death of loved ones come with their question, “Why would God allow this to happen?” That is followed by the statement of doubt, “I cannot believe in a God who would do this.”

Likewise, your sinful flesh is full of ways to sway you away from the Word that was planted in you. Your sinful flesh is always at work to turn your focus on yourself and your worries. “Do you feel well enough to go to work tomorrow?” “Wouldn’t it be nice to have the nicest, newest, biggest thing?” “You should feel proud of yourself for accomplishing some great task (and see, you can do great things)!” It also latches on to those worldly trials and tribulations of disaster, warfare, illness, and death. Never do you hear a word from Old Adam about God who supplies all that you need (whether you know you need it or not) or who works in you to accomplish good. But your sinful flesh leads you to believe by what Old Adam does say that God does not care for you or that you can do great things without Him—apart from Him. “You don’t need God,” Old Adam is always, silently telling you, “You have no use for Him.”

Nevertheless, whether you are at one time the hard soil where the birds feed, the rocky soil, or the thorny soil, the Word is still cast to you. And therein is the comfort. God does care so that He sends His Son to you, no matter the soil type, that He may root and grow in you, showing the errors of the ways of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh, in which you also participate, and bring you to repentance, and bring to you the forgiveness of your sins. In those times, you are then the fertile soil, as now, dear hearers, when you receive the Word and the forgiveness He has come to give.

And therein also lies an exhortation. The Word of faith planted in you needs constant attention by the Sower and Gardener. You should learn from this parable to be in constant study of God’s Word, so that Sower may feed the faith that He has planted in you—not just the hour or so you may get sitting here, but daily, reflective study and prayer. It is the fertile soil that produces fruit, fruit in keeping with repentance, the fruit of the Spirit, and this where the plant is in the constant attention of the Sower and Gardener—where the Word is always at the center of the person’s life. Only then are you equipped to endure the assaults of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh.

Therefore, as forgiven sons of God, do not neglect His Word. Be in it continually and and by it you will be prepared for the trials and tribulations, the assaults and temptations, of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. By it are you prepared to handle having or having not, in good times and bad, for better or for worse, in life and in death—and only then are you secured in your salvation. It is as St. James wrote, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him,” (James 1:12) even as the Lord revealed to St. John, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) Only by being in God’s Word continually, receiving from Him forgiveness and life and salvation are you able to endure temptation, to fear not anything you are about to suffer, to remain faithful until death. Neglect God’s Word, and you will have abandoned the gift of life God has given you by it.

Now, however, a word about evangelism and missions. Yes, this parable is about this activity, too. For, just as you first heard the Word, as the Sower had His Word cast to you, so He wants His Word to be cast to everyone. And as you are at one time the hard, clay-like soil at the side of the road where the birds feed, rocky soil, or thorny soil, so too is everyone else. They need to hear the Word of God as much as you do so that like you, they may constantly be in the Word of God and constantly receive the forgiveness of sins He won on the cross for them as much as for you and be the fertile soil that produces fruit 100-, 60-, or 30-fold.

And with that comes a warning. Do not presume to evaluate the life and health of a congregation or its evangelism activity by the soil in the seats. Soil, as mentioned, always changes. There are times when the people in the congregation, the soil upon which the Word of God is cast, are like hard, clay-like soil at the side of the road where the birds feed, rocky soil, or thorny soil, and times the fertile soil. There are times when a congregation will grow so large that their current facilities cannot house them and times when a congregation is so small that their current facilities could house them three or four times over. Soil is shifting on this side of eternity, both without and within a congregation, and is a poor means of measuring the health and life of a congregation and its evangelism activity. On the other hand, the Seed, the Word of God that is cast, is the only means by which the health and life of a congregation and all evangelism and missions should be measured. Where He is proclaimed and administered in all truth and purity, there is a healthy and vibrant congregation, should they number in the tens or thousands—there is true evangelism!

For it is there that the Word is at work to produce in people fruit, be it 100-, 60-, or 30-fold. Again, the bushel numbers are not as important as the fact that it is the Word that is at work to produce the fruit. For, where He is proclaimed, there the Spirit is at work to produce His fruit—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22b-23a)—both in great quantity and in small—it is His fruit. The Word is accomplishing that for which God sent it, as you heard in today’s Old Testament lesson. (cf. Isaiah 55:11)

And in that, this sermon comes full circle. I had shifted from the Sower to the soil, and while the soil is an important topic, the more important topic is that of the Sower. Again, it is great joy and comfort to see that He sows His seed by scattering all over the ground, that it may fall everywhere.

Again, it seems careless and costly. Tossing seed about without care to where it lands is costly; farmers the world over know that the seed to harvest ratio of recklessly scattering seed is far too high compared to carefully planting the seed in places one expects that the seed will grow and produce the most fruit. This teaches that the Sower wants to grow a harvest everywhere, no matter the cost. He is not careless, but lavish and unrestrained—it is the mark of a God who desires all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4) The cost may be high, but He has paid the price.

The lavish Sower casts His seed extravagantly because He desires all to be saved. The sovereign Sower does so even knowing that not all will be saved. This doesn’t make God a double predestinationist. This is difficult for fallen logical to come to grips with, but is, perhaps, most easily expressed by this paradoxical statement: if you are saved, it is all God’s doing; if you are damned, it’s all your doing. God is the Savior; man brings about his own damnation. Sinful man is by nature on a path to damnation; he doesn’t need God to send him there, but he does need God to intervene in order to be saved.

The intervention was costly, and the Lord your God has paid the price. It wasn’t gold or silver, but His own, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death that won your forgiveness and salvation as He bore your sins to the cross. On the cross, He bore the full brunt of the trials and tribulations, the assaults and temptations of the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh. He has taken upon Himself your fruitlessness and bore for you the fruit of forgiveness. He went to damnation and hell for you—being forsaken of His Father—and bears you up to Himself in God-given faith with the promise never to leave you for forsake you. (cf. Hebrews 13:5, et al)

Yes, the price is paid, and so the Word is cast like seed into the ground. His Word is cast extravagantly around the world without pause to soil type, to hostile or joyful reception; He does not limit His atonement or condition election. He is the one who makes it so that, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle…” (Isaiah 55:13a) And where He is received in God-given faith, there He produces a harvest, sometimes large, sometimes small. In every case, they are His: forgiven, cleansed, restored, redeemed—bought with His blood. To these He gives eternal life—they shall never perish—and He will let no one snatch them out of His loving, seed-casting hand. (John 10:28)

Dear Baptized, you are His; you have received His Word and have produced fruit in keeping with repentance. The Son of God is here, among you today, casting to you His life-giving Word as the ever-lavish Sower, casting away from you all doubts of the evil one, the trials and tribulations of the world, and the cares and temptations of your sinful flesh. He is come to show you His hands, feet, and side, the wounds by which you are healed and saved; He is come to proclaim to you that you are forgiven for all of your sins.

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…’”

Jesus spoke of these things and the wise and understanding and little children. Understanding what Jesus meant when He said these things will help to explain today’s Gospel.

First, Jesus was referring to His miracles and teachings when He used the phrase these things. They would be things about Himself; they would be Himself. What Jesus was saying was akin to His statement made to the Pharisees: that He had come to heal the sick and the healthy have no need for a physician. Hear Him, also, from the previous five verses:

As Jesus was going around Judea and Samaria, He was preaching that the kingdom of heaven was near—in fact, He was standing right there. He was performing many miracles—healing, casting out demons, feeding a lot of people with a little food. He was preaching the Law of God to show people how unworthy and totally depraved they were, all the while offering faith and forgiveness. All of these things pointed to Him as their salvation—“by faith you have been healed,” or, “your faith has saved you,” Jesus would often proclaim. Still, everywhere He went, people would not repent; everywhere He went He met resistance and rejection.

And that begins to explain the next phrase.

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…’”

The wise and understanding were precisely the people who resisted Jesus and opposed Him. They were the people who wanted nothing to do with Him and the grace and mercy He offered. These were the people who accused Him of blasphemy. These were the people who saw no need for Him. These were the people who saw in Him a departure from their status quo and sought to rid themselves of Him. They were the people who thought they knew better; people who, in their minds, were better than this Jesus. They were the people who would not repent.

You know them as the scribes and Pharisees and their disciples. They are the ones who would often try to trick Jesus into saying something that would contradict His teaching. But Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They were the people who brought charges against Him because He was doing something on the Sabbath. But Jesus simply replied that man is Lord of the Sabbath, not the other way around, and taught them by means of the Scripture and the example of King David. They were the people who leveled false accusations against Him, handing Him over to the Romans as a political prisoner to be executed. They got their way, but it was all part of the Master’s plan for their salvation…yes, even theirs.

And it didn’t end there. These “wise and understanding” people who think they have no need for Jesus the Christ still exist. These days they’re not typically known by the titles scribes and Pharisees, but share many of the same titles and labels that you do: American, Republican, Conservative, among some others like Liberal, Democrat, and Immigrant. You’ll definitely find them with labels like Jew, Muslim, and Hindu. Sometimes, even people who label themselves Christian and Lutheran are among that number. Now, that’s not to say that everyone in the first contrasting set reject the Christ of God and His message, but they are certainly found among these people. The point is that there are those who do not wish to be bothered by the Law of God and do not want to hear of the Gospel.

But, it is more than that, too. Society today is one that praises the individual and preaches self above anything else. “As long as you’re happy,” you hear. “If that works for you,” is a common phrase. It is a time of being told to look for the answers to your problems within, that you must “find yourself,” that believes that truth is relative, such that it doesn’t matter what you believe—what matters is that you believe, because everyone’s going to the same place anyway. “Being a good person is all that matters, so if you want to believe in this Jesus guy, that’s alright, but I don’t have to.”

Don’t just think that this is a problem with other people, though. It is a problem with which you wrestle all the time; you can see someone who thinks they know or are better than Jesus every time you look in the mirror. Have there not been times when you sat in your seat with your arms crossed and with a frown and furrowed brow, as if it was such an inconvenience for you to be here? Or how about those times when you looked around at all the others with the thought that what is being said is exactly what they needed to hear (but not you, because you’re not as poor and miserable a sinner)? Don’t deny that you have ever felt hat way at one time or another; perhaps it might even have been this morning. In fact, every time you break a commandment and sin (which, as you confess, is at least daily), you are proclaiming that you don’t fear, love, or trust in God (and His Christ) above all things.

But what did Jesus say? “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…”

If all of those are the wise and understanding, then the little children must be their opposite. If the wise and understanding are the people who resisted Jesus, then the little children are those who did not. If the wise and understanding are the ones who wanted nothing to do with Him and His grace and mercy, then the little children are the ones who received Him and His gifts. If the wise and understanding are the people who saw no need for Jesus, then the little children are the ones who saw their sin and their need for a Savior, and saw in Jesus that Savior. They are the people who repented and received the forgiveness Jesus was going to the cross to give them.

These are the people like Lazarus in Jesus’ parable. (cf. Luke 16:19-31) These are people like Jairus, the Roman Centurion and his household, and the poor woman with the demon-possessed daughter. (cf. Luke 8:40-42a, 49-56) These are people like the paralytic and his four friends who lowered him through the roof. (cf. Luke 5:17-26) These are people like the woman who sought only to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. (cf. Luke 8:42b-48) These are people like the 10 lepers, especially the one who returned to thank him. (cf. Luke 17:11-19)

These people bring nothing to the table. They have nothing to offer Jesus. Yet they need Him desperately. They are on the cusp of hell and death, and they recognize it. Furthermore, they recognize that they are powerless to stop themselves from crossing that cusp and falling into everlasting torment. They are like beggars, helpless and dependent upon someone else for aid. They recognize their heavy burden and difficult yoke.

And that is the life of a Christian! A Christian is a little child who has nothing of his own, but is totally dependent on someone else for their nurture and care. A Christian is like a beggar in that he believes he is a sinner who is totally dependent upon the mercy of God in Christ. Unless God is merciful for Jesus’ sake, a Christian has nothing. Therefore, to have faith in Christ is to receive, like a little child and beggar, the Lord Jesus with all His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. That is what it means to have faith like a child!

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…’”

Jesus said,

These are comforting words for little children and beggars. These words bring comfort to those who have a heavy burden and difficult yoke. It is the law of Christ, St. Paul says, to “bear one another's burdens.” (cf. Galatians 6:2) Praise be to God that the one who gave this law has borne your burdens, trading them for the easy yoke and light burden, and taking them to the cross. The same cross which is foolishness to the wise and understanding, St. Paul says elsewhere, but the power of God to those being saved, the little children and beggars. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

And that is why you are all here, little children. You gather to hear the Law of God, so that your sin may be revealed in you, showing you to be little children and beggars with nothing, completely helpless and dependent upon God’s mercy. You know that your burdens are great. But you also hear the sweet news of the Gospel, that Jesus has borne all of your burdens and woes and sins, and destroyed them at the cross. In this act which the world calls foolish, you have an everlasting peace, a peace which the world cannot understand, because your heavy burden and difficult yoke has been borne for you by your Savior, Jesus Christ; because your sin has been taken from you! That is to say, you are forgiven for all of your sins!

In the study of philosophy, there are a couple of concepts called formal principle and material principle. The formal principle refers to the ultimate source or rule used to define a belief or philosophical system. The material principle refers to the core teaching or governing doctrine of a belief or philosophical system. The terms and concepts not only apply to philosophy, but also to linguistics and theology.

In Lutheran theology, the formal principle is most simply put as Scripture alone. The implication there is that other theologies use other or additional sources to define their doctrine. For instance, in Roman Catholic theology, the formal principle is Scripture and tradition. This can cause difficulty in debating finer points of doctrine with theologians of different confessions if they don’t or can’t agree on a formal principle.

Lutheran theologians tend to balk at the idea of having a material principle. Some will like to point out that Scripture serves as both the formal and material principles in Lutheran theology. I like the idea, but I also acknowledge that doing so runs the risk of having too vague a material principle. To that end, you may have heard the statement that Article IV is the article on which the church stands or falls; this is referring to Article IV of the Augsburg Confession: “Also [our churches] teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight.”

It is the article on justification. I would say that if you wanted to define a material principle in Lutheran theology, it is this: men are justified freely for Christ’s sake through faith, the fourth article of the Augsburg Confession. The rest of Scripture, the doctrines contained therein, point forward or back to this article. Everything else believed, taught, and confessed in Lutheran theology is informed by this article.

For instance, I have maintained that along with Article IV, Articles V and VI form the crux of Lutheran doctrine and practice. As the Fourth informs everything else believed, taught, and confessed, the Fifth and Sixth help to flesh that all out. What of those other two articles?

• Article V states that this faith is obtained by way of the Word of God being proclaimed to you, and that the Office of the Holy Ministry was especially instituted by God in order that you would have the Word proclaimed to you, hear of your sins forgiven, and that the means of grace would be given to you. Of chief importance, though, is that faith is obtained by way of the Word, as you heard in today’s Epistle:

• Article VI states that good works that a Christian does are bound follow this gift of faith. These works are necessary—yes, they are required of you, else there wouldn’t be any commandments—but being good, doing good works, doesn’t save you. Faith is bound to bring forth good works, though.

Anything other than any of this is a perversion of Biblical doctrine and should be rejected as either heterodox—which can simply be understood as a different teaching held by anyone—or heretical—which would be an established, false teaching. Even the Augsburg Confession rejects and calls out such heterodoxies and heresies.

Now, you may be wondering that if Articles IV, V, and VI are the core of Lutheran theology and practice—the material principle, if you will—why aren’t they the first three articles of the Augsburg Confession? Those first three articles are on God, Original Sin, and the Son of God. They are the lead up to the next three articles, and the rest of the Augsburg Confession, for that matter. In order to get to the article on justification, you have to learn what it means to confess God, Original Sin, and the Son of God. On these first three points, all of Christendom agree, more-or-less, the differences being almost entirely semantic; but from there, the various confessions diverge. That divergence, I would argue, comes largely due to differences in formal principles among the different confessions.

So, the formal principle of Lutheran theology, Scripture, teaches salvation by grace, that works and being good avail nothing so far as it concerns earning salvation, because there is no one good or good enough to earn salvation, except the incarnate God-man, Jesus Christ.

• Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” If that is true, and since Jesus is the Truth (cf. John 14:6), then it is true, then it holds that in order to have a part with Jesus, it’s all on someone else, not you, that you have that part with Jesus. In keeping with the Vine and Branches theme that Jesus used, you are grafted onto the Vine, Jesus, by the gardener—and it should go without saying that a branch neither grows apart from a vine nor is one grafted onto a vine by itself.
• Furthermore, there is this word from the pen of St. Paul: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this [that is, faith] is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
• Additionally, when describing your state and condition before God before salvation, the Bible says that you were a dead man, stating that you were dead in your trespasses and sins. (cf. Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13) By way of the gift of faith, then, you have had a resurrection, as it were, to newness of life—a newness given to you in the waters of Holy Baptism. (cf. Romans 6:3-4) A dead man can no more wake himself from the dead as a child can choose to be born or adopted, which, by the way, are other words used to describe your coming to faith. (cf. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; Romans 8:15, 23; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5)

No one in history was saved because they were good. Last month, you confessed the Athanasian Creed, wherein you said, “At [Jesus’ second] coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.” “They that have done good,” are those who hold to the catholic (little-c) faith, not those who work good toward salvation. As St. Paul recounted, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10b-12)

Nevertheless, good works are commanded, and as they are commanded, then you confess that they are necessary. What are they for? They are given to you in order that you may serve your neighbor. As Jesus once said, “The poor you always have with you.” (John 12:8) A look throughout the Old Testament sees the commandment from God to care for the widow and the fatherless children inasmuch as the Children of Israel were to be a light to the Gentiles. That expectation continued with the New Testament church, and even unto today. Care for the widows. Care for the fatherless children. Care for the poor who are always with you. Love your neighbor as yourself. If you want to know what you can do to that is pleasing to God in heaven, this is it: serve your neighbor—and if you want to know how, read the second table of the Ten Commandments, to start. Serving your neighbor is the good work you have been given to do.

As if to underscore the necessity of these good works, St. James the Just, brother of Jesus, wrote,

So Jesus continued, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” These kinds of works—without partiality, without seeking recognition, without compensation, and sometimes without the realization that you are doing anything, and without the hope of merit before God in heaven—prove your faith; prove your living faith. As was said before, though, these cannot be done apart from God and being in Christ. He gives them, you do them in Christ—apart from Him you can do nothing.

That’s why Jesus said, “Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Bearing fruit is the good works you are given to do. Those who don’t bear fruit are taken away. And in doing the good works, you are continually pruned—a proclamation of Law and Gospel to you—that you may continue to bear fruit, and bear more, in fact!

Four times now you have heard me say that God has given these works to you. This is exactly as it was written by St. Paul. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.“ (Ephesians 2:10)

Salvation is by grace alone, which has been sufficiently demonstrated. And this comes to you by way of the Word of God alone, which has likewise been sufficiently demonstrated. What isn’t mentioned in these two statements? Faith alone! It is faith alone which apprehends the grace of God proclaimed and distributed in the Word of God and makes it your own. Hence what Jesus said in today’s Gospel: “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” By faith you believe that you are received into God’s favor, and that your sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for your sins, just as you heard in Article IV earlier. These three Solas—sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura—underlie everything confessed in these three articles of the Augsburg Confession and espoused in today’s Gospel.

As a branch on the Vine, Jesus Christ, you are continually refreshed and renewed by the Vine. His Word—verily, Jesus Christ Himself—is continually proclaimed to you. His Sacraments are often administered to you. And so you are kept grafted to the Vine, pruned and cared for that you may continue to produce the fruit that you have been given to produce. But you are already clean because of the Word that was spoken to you and into you—washed and sanctified for the sake of Christ, forgiven and redeemed and saved—and that is completely by the grace of God.

What are works in the face of such grace? How can your good works compare to the free salvation by God’s grace? They can’t! The moment you think of them as somehow meritorious, they are as a polluted rag, an unclean thing, as the prophet declared. (cf. Isaiah 64:6) They could never be meritorious for they are given by God to His children to do, and please Him only on account of Christ, through whom they are done! Besides, given the choice, would you help and serve your neighbor, or to his detriment, help and serve only yourself? Good or not, however, it is as Christ declared of these works, “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.’” (Luke 17:10)

No, the grace of God doesn’t compare at all with works , especially when seen as meritorious. Since it is grace, it is a gift, not to be compared with works seen as meritorious. Since it is a gift, it is unearned and undeserved, freely given by God for the sake of Jesus Christ, who by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension performed the only meritorious work for salvation and redemption, and that once for all, when He gave His life on the cross as your ransom.

That’s why Jesus said what He did. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” What sounds like a bunch of law is chock full of gospel. “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” You are clean for the sake of Christ, now go serve your neighbor, which you can do because you are already clean.

You are already clean! This is what is declared to you from the formal principle of Lutheran theology, Scripture alone, and apprehended for you by your God-given faith alone, won for you by Jesus Christ alone, by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. And so you have exactly that which is the material principle of Lutheran theology: life, salvation, and the forgiveness all of your sins.

I’ll begin with a remark by Martin Luther, condemned by the church for proclaiming that people are saved by grace through faith alone on account of Christ. Luther once expressed that, even when he was thoroughly intimidated by his enemies, he could not stop preaching the Gospel: He would envision the Jesus on Judgment Day asking him, “Why were you more afraid of them than me?” He may well have had today’s Gospel in mind.

Jesus was sending His disciples out into the world to preach a specific message: “Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As they did so, they would work miracles and wonders. That is the good part, but Jesus also pulled no punches: they would also face heavy opposition.

They would be rejected—sometimes by households, sometimes by whole towns…sometimes by family members, sometimes by close friends, and sometimes by the heads of state and church. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,” He had just told them (as you may recall from last week). Then He explained what He meant in today’s text, a continuation of last week: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master…If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.”

As things turned out, it is no less than the Pharisees and Scribes who call Jesus “Beelzebul,” the “lord of the flies” as it is commonly translated. And if those church leaders—who could do no wrong in the eyes of the people—called Jesus such, they would consider his followers gnats to be swatted. The disciples would face some terrible intimidation for telling the Good News about Jesus. The intimidation was no excuse, however. The disciples were not to remain silent. “So have no fear of them,” Jesus commanded.

For one thing, they didn’t have to fear because, “[N]othing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” The enemies of Jesus may look to have the strong hand; after all, what is a teacher and twelve men against the world? However, the disciples knew the end of the story because Jesus told it to them: He will be the Victor, and He will return in glory to judge all nations and condemn those who reject Him. Therefore, the disciples shouldn’t have been intimidated—in this battle of good vs. evil, evil will appear to have the upper hand for some time to come, but the disciples knew the end of the story, and it would be foolish to side with those who will lose in the end.

If they were intimidated, it is no excuse. They were not to remain silent, and they had no right to change the message that was given to them. They were to preach that the people should repent; the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

“Do not fear,” the Jesus said again, and this time He was even more specific. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” The disciples would suffer at the hands of sinners, this is certain; but those evildoers can only kill the body. God, the Father Almighty, wields a much bigger sword: He can send body and soul to hell for eternity. Who is to be feared more?

Which brings me back to Luther’s nightmare of Judgment Day: an angry God slaying him with divine eyes and saying, “Why were you more afraid of them than me?”

For the Church today, it is the same proposition. The Lord calls His people to proclaim what He tells them: His Law in all of its severity, and His Gospel in all of its sweetness. As an individual Christian, you will face such intimidation: when confronted with a crisis where the righteous decision means suffering, will you do what is right or take the easy way out? When a family member or close friend chooses a sinful way of life, will you lovingly speak the truth and risk hostility, or keep silent to maintain the family peace? From the school locker room to the business office, in every walk of life, there will be constant attempts to turn you from what is good and pure and holy to what is wrong and impure and most unholy.

As individual Christians face such intimidation, congregations are also confronted with the same. There are those who say that the Church must alter its message to survive. The change must come in order to bring more people into the pews, and that usually means sounding more loving and accepting and affirming (as the world defines those terms) and less condemning of sin. The change must come because this is not your grandfather’s America; times change, and so must the church. The change must come, they say, though it is usually put in soft and attractive terms—you’re not supposed to abandon the Gospel, of course; of course believe that Jesus is the Savior. The Church just need to soften up on the Law. Instead of denouncing immorality as evil, conduct further studies. Instead of disciplining manifest sinners, affirmatively bear with them and their sin than risk offending them. Instead of preaching that the Law condemns all, preach it so that it sounds like a helpful tool for living, and nothing more ruinous than that.

Sadly, congregations face this intimidation not only from the outside world, but also from their members! Sadly, many congregations have fallen to this temptation and have considered it right and orthodox—what is normal and has always been done—for many years.

So goes the pressure on the Church today. It is not new; in fact, Dr. C. F. W. Walther, the first president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, recognized this nearly 150 years ago. To students at the seminary, he declared:

It is a matter of faith to believe that the Church continues by the pure preaching of God’s Law and Gospel; so Christians live by faith. When (not if) the temptation comes to alter the message, make no mistake about it, it’s temptation to sin. And with any temptation to sin, God lashes you with His Law for your good, to show you the sin and the death that awaits. He demands that His Church proclaims His Word. And He asks this damning question: “Why do you fear them more than me?”

After all, from the Word of the Lord you know the end of the story. There is only One who sits on the judgment seat and determines your fate forever. He wields the larger sword of eternal life or death. Why would you fear anyone else more than Him?

Now, let me pause here and be clear: so far in this sermon, the Law is being preached—God’s unrelenting, unforgiving Law. This is the Law that Jesus preached in this Gospel lesson. Fear God and obey His commandments, even when opposed and intimidated by men, because He can destroy your body and soul in hell.

This is the Law of God, and it is perfectly true; however, I hasten to add that it is only half of the story. The chief purpose of the Law is to show you your sin, for you sin and break His Law every single day. Whenever you sin, your love of sin overcomes your fear of God and His punishment. Whenever you fail clearly to proclaim His Word, you fear something else besides His wrath.

God gives His Law to show you your sin; however, He does so for your good. When you see your sin, you know you cannot save yourself. When you know you cannot save yourself, you are ready to hear of a Savior. The Law is half the story; now I turn to the other half of the story: the Gospel. Dear penitent people of God, prepare to be forgiven.

How sad it would be if the message of Christianity was only one of fear, of, “Obey God because He carries the biggest stick.” But this is not the case. You do not trust the Lord because no one is more fearful. No, you trust in Him because no one loves you more.

Listen again to these words of Jesus, from the text: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” Ponder these words for a moment: When this Teacher sent out His disciples, He wasn’t some spoiled ruler who demanded that they suffer so that He didn’t have to. When this Master sent out His servant, He didn’t demand their death so He could live. He told them they will suffer just as He has and would suffer. A servant is not above his Master; if the Master suffers, the servant will suffer, too. But the Master is greater—so, His suffering is greater as well…far greater!

For those disciples, and for you, this Master suffered. At the hand of supposedly righteous men, He was arrested. He was falsely accused of all sorts of sins of which He was not guilty—but you and I are. He accepted them in silence, and allowed Himself to be beaten and scourged. He was hung on a cross, where supposedly good men mocked Him and ridiculed Him. But this was only a little bit of His suffering. The greater portion did not come from supposedly righteous men, but from His own Father in heaven—His Father who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. The Son did not deserve this destruction, for He has not sinned. You and I deserve this punishment, for you and I constantly sin against God. But there at the cross, the Master took the place of His servants—He suffered hell for your sins. God the Father destroyed His Son to fulfill the Law, to inflict punishment your and my sins have merited. But here is your salvation: God destroyed His Son so that He may forgive you instead.

Consider, then, these words of Jesus from the Gospel today: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” God the Father keeps track of sparrows, purchased at a penny a pair; He knows when one of them falls to the ground. Dear Christians, here is your comfort: You have not been purchased cheaply for a penny. No, you have been redeemed—not with silver or gold, but Jesus’ holy precious blood, and His innocent suffering and death. He has purchased you in this way that you may be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. This is most certainly true.

And so, you have God’s Law and Gospel in this text this morning. You are faithfully to proclaim His Word. If you fail to do so—no, no…when you fail to do so—you sin and deserve His eternal, unforgiving wrath. However, as you proclaim His Word, you also hear this sweet sound: Your sins are forgiven, because Jesus has suffered God’s wrath for you at the cross.

The Law says, “Obey God out of fear. If you do not obey Him, but deny Him, Jesus will deny you before His Father in heaven.” The Gospel says, “Jesus has redeemed you with His holy and precious blood. Therefore, you are set free to confess Him—out of thankfulness, not fear—confident that He will confess you before His Father in heaven.”

Or, to paraphrase Luther a little… When tempted to cave in to the intimidation of his enemies, Luther envisioned an angry God speaking Law: “Why did you far them more than me?” However, instead of such an unforgiving accusation, the Lord in His Gospel presents this gentle coaxing: “Has anyone else died for you, to take away your sins? Has anyone else shed holy, precious blood and endured bitter suffering and death that you may be his own forever? I have, and I forgive you and give you eternal life.”

This is the Law and Gospel of the text this morning, and so I conclude with one more oft-repeated Luther quote: “We should fear and love God,” the beginning to each explanation of a commandment in the Small Catechism. Do you fear God? Yes, you rightly fear the consequences of breaking His commands and suffering His wrath. This is a godly fear, which moves one to sorrow for sins. But all the more, you love God because of your redemption. He has punished His Son, destroyed Him, in your place—He has judged the Son who kept His commandments because of your failure to do the same. The price has been paid, a price far greater than that for sparrows. Because that price has been paid, you can be certain of this: You are forgiven for all of your sins.

The Pharisee’s asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” If you really think about it, it shows that they didn’t know Jesus, didn’t know about themselves or those with whom He ate. Who is Jesus? He’s the Son of the Living God. He’s the Christ, the Messiah. He is the sinners’ Savior. That is what His name means: Jesus, Y’shua, “YHWH saves,” that is, “I Am Salvation.” There was no one among them or those with whom Jesus ate who is not a sinner. The same is true of everyone here. As St. Paul wrote, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Why did Jesus eat with sinners? Non-sinners don't need Him…they don’t even recognize Him. Furthermore, if He did not eat with sinners, He would have to eat alone.

Now imagine if Jesus were to come today; not like the Second Coming coming, but coming, let’s say, just for a visit. Where would He go to find sinners and eat with them? Like it or not, He would come right here. If you don’t like that, consider what it is you just did at the beginning of this service; did you really mean it when you called yourself a poor, miserable sinner? So, unless you realize and confess that you are a sinner and even more the worst of all sinners, He does not invite you to eat with Him.

You are not here, or shouldn’t be here, as the Pharisees, to show God how much you love Him or how much you have done for Him, to impress Him with endlessly repetitious words of prayer and petition or beautiful songs of praise. You are sinners gathered here by the Holy Spirit to receive the gifts God is present to give: forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith, eternal life, and salvation. He invites you to eat with Him where He is both Divine Host and Divine Meal, for to give you those gifts, He feeds you with His Word and Sacrament. “…Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3b) “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55) Then, having fed you with Himself, He sends you forth into the sinful world to speak of the free forgiveness of sin for Christ’s sake, eternal life, and salvation.

This is what Jesus meant when He said to Matthew, “Follow me.”

There is a trap easy to fall into with this text. It goes a little something like this: If Jesus came to eat with sinners, and everyone is a sinner, then everyone will eat with Jesus in the end; everyone will be at the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. So, today’s text is used to ignore or excuse all kinds of sin, because that’s what Jesus did when He sat and ate with sinners and tax collectors, isn’t it?

The trap can be avoided and the question answered if you take into account what Jesus had said earlier in St. Matthew’s Gospel:

You have to remember that while Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors, He didn’t eat with all sinners (or tax collectors). Those with whom He ate, He taught, and to those who received Him and His teaching (that is, believed in His name), He gave the right to become children of God. (cf. John 1:12) That is the command that He gave to His baptized, as you may recall from last week: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Furthermore, St. Paul taught those who would mistake forgiveness, which is deliverance from sin, for license, which is permission to keep on sinning:

False teachers tell you that you can continue in these things. They will ignore the part where Paul wrote, “And such were some of you…” And in order to nail the point home, Paul also wrote:

So, to be sure, you are under grace. Though you are a sinner, you are forgiven of your sins and freed from it. This is the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. His sacrifice covers a multitude of sins and grants to man mercy. Therefore, God desires mercy. The sacrifice is complete; unfortunately, men still desire it.

By outward appearance and according to the works of men, Jesus sits at the table with sinners. But by the inner reality and according to the work of God, Jesus is host at the table with His saints—saints not given to their sin but sinners clothed in His righteousness.

Therefore, the Church, the very Bride of Christ, teaches repentance in the stead and by the command of Her Bridegroom—repentance, that is hatred for sin and turning away from it to the forgiveness Christ Jesus earned on Calvary. This is precisely what the prophet Hosea was speaking of when he said, “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” (Hosea 6:1-2)

Thanks be to God the Father, and His precious Son Jesus Christ, you are not doomed to live in your sin and damned to live without God. Some may choose to do so, led down that path by false teachers and a sense of pride contrary to the Word of God. But that is not you, dear Baptized, who have been gathered here by the Holy Spirit to hear and receive God’s Word, and in it the forgiveness of your sins, life, and salvation.

For Jesus has suffered, died, and risen for you. Every bit of the wrath of God spoken of by the prophets He has visited upon His Son, Jesus Christ, in your place. Only He could bear it all and die and rise again in order to give you the victory, and that is exactly what He has done (and why He eats with sinners and tax collectors). By way of Baptism, then, it can truly be said that in Christ you have been torn and stricken on the cross; so said St. Paul as was quoted earlier. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; by pouring out His Holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death on Calvary some 2000 years ago He has forgiven the sins of the whole world. In the waters of Baptism, in the words of Holy Absolution, in the proclamation of the Gospel, in the body and blood of the Lord's Supper—in all of these things you have been revived and raised up with Christ to come and return to the Lord our God. For in these things the Lord Jesus Christ is present today to revive you, to raise you up, to forgive you for all of your sins.