Luke 23:35-43 Sermon

Fourth Sunday of End Time (Christ the King)

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

“With Me in Paradise”

Luke 23:35-43

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (NIV)

                 

There is nothing about the scene from our Gospel that evoked a genuine sense of royalty.  No onlooker or passerby would have been compelled to genuflect in the presence of this supposed king.  In fact, any sign of regality was intentionally a farce designed to serve as a cruel mockery.  In the place of an elegant throne was a crudely constructed cross.  Instead of a golden crown bedecked with gems and inlaid with precious stones, Jesus wore razor-sharp, skull-piercing crown of thorns. 

No outward evidence of royalty or its accompanying glory was present.  But it was there, nonetheless.  The glory was simply hidden.  It was hidden by shame.  It was masked by suffering.  But it was there.  In fact we call it “the hidden glory of God,” or the theology of the cross.

Had Jesus established a visible, worldly ideal of glory, for example, the earthly kingdom many expected him to usher in, it’s doubtful he would have had as many detractors.  But as it stood, the criminal being crucified right before them was the object of their scorn and rejection.  See how many rejected him, and at his lowest, miserable state, no less!  Even a hardened criminal suffering the cruel agony of such an excruciating death might expect to receive the slightest morsel of mercy, but none would be given to Jesus.  He was rejected.

First we see the rulers reject him.  Luke tells us “The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered him.  They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One” (v.35).  While it shouldn’t surprise us to see the religious leaders of Jesus’ day reject him, since they openly opposed him during his ministry, their words of rejection reveal a new low in terms of insult.  Notice what they said right before teasing Jesus about saving himself: “He saved others.”  They recognized and acknowledged that Jesus had saved others!  They saw first hand the miracles he had performed and the power he had demonstrated!  Yet it was insufficient evidence for hardened hearts that refused even to entertain the possibility that Jesus might be the Messiah.  It seems highly unlikely that even if Jesus had chosen to satisfy their request by saving himself, they still would not have been truly satisfied.  They were relentless in their rejection of him.

The soldiers didn’t shy away from shaming him in rejection, either. “The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself” (v.36, 37).  Roman pride would have been reluctant to give any Jewish people the benefit of the doubt from day one, as soldiers with experience in conquering and managing other nations had a puffed up sense of self.  They didn’t have a very high regard for the Jewish people, so they didn’t hesitate to reject the one who was supposedly their king.  They had entertained themselves at Jesus’ expense by playing up his claim of being a king.  They played dress-up with him and mercilessly taunted him the whole way, from the first moment of his conviction, to the final moments of his crucifixion.

Finally, in perhaps what could be the perceived to be the biggest slap in the face of all, even the criminal hanging right next to Jesus couldn’t help but join in on the rejection.  “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’” (v.39).  Here was a criminal guilty of some crime heinous enough to deserve crucifixion, and what does he do?  He doesn’t come to the defense of his fellow “criminal” Jesus and hurl insults back at the bystanders.  Instead he joins them.  The temptation to taunt and ridicule is too great, and so he joins in the rejection.

And through it all, Jesus makes no reply.  He doesn’t defend himself.  He doesn’t scream at his tormentors, informing them that because of their rejection of him they can fully expect to burn in hell forever.  No, he silently absorbs the abuse.  And in the end, that only serves to strengthen the perception others had that he was nothing but a weak, powerless, flash in the pan prophet.

While it may be somewhat easier to understand why people back then would have been inclined to reject a convicted criminal  hanging on a cross, many are just as likely to reject Jesus today as well.  Some do so more blatantly than others.  As our society pins back its ears to go on the offensive against Christians, anti-Christian groups have become more emboldened and outspoken.  Atheists put up billboards denouncing God and religion.  They gather as atheist “mega churches” to ape worship, minus the inclusion of God or Christ.  And they aren’t the only ones to reject Christ.

False religions reject Jesus as well, refusing to acknowledge him as Savior.  Jehovah’s Witnesses reject him by denying Jesus’ claims of divinity.  Mormons reject him by seeing him not as the Lamb, by whose blood we have been fully and completely redeemed, apart from any effort on our own, but as a second Moses, who came to tack on additional laws and promise, “do as I do, and life with Heavenly Father is yours.”  Muslims reject Jesus, relegating him to the role of human prophet, and denying him as divine Savior and King.  Even “Christian” churches, if they point to any source other than Christ along for salvation, reject Jesus.

Jesus is no stranger to rejection.  He faced it from his enemies while on the cross, and he’s faced it from unbelievers ever since then.  But perhaps what makes his heart ache the most is when he faces rejection from you and me, his own children.  That rejection comes when we make anything in this life a higher priority than Christ the King.  When without hesitation we set aside the first commandment and shuffle Jesus around to fall in rank somewhere else on our list of priorities, we reject him.

We must also acknowledge and confess the times in our lives when we’ve placed ourselves right there in the thick of things, along with the rulers, the soldiers, and the criminal, heaping insults on Jesus in rejection.  “If you really are my king,” we reason, “then why don’t you fix my loveless marriage?”  “If… then why am not take better care of me so that I’m not scraping by just to make ends meet?”  “If… then how can you stand by and do nothing while I suffer?”  “If… if… if…” as if Christ needs to prove himself to you and me!  As if it is the place of the peasant to demand that the king prove himself!  As if the ones who have done everything to deserve death and hell have any business whatsoever pushing our requirements on him, when we not even come close to meeting his requirement of perfection.  What we should be expressing when bold enough to approach the King is confession, repentance, and a pleading for his mercy.  What we should be begging is, “Since you are the king, please don’t give me what I deserve!” 

That’s what some would have been pleading when Louis XII became king of France.  Upon becoming king, he had a list made up.  On this list were the names of any of his detractors and persecutors.  Next to each name on the list he placed a large black cross.  As one might imagine, when those whose names were on the list heard of it, they fled to get away from the king, fearing for their lives.  As this became known to him, King Louis XII reached out to assure them it was safe to return.  He explained that the crosses beside their names were not to be symbols of death, but rather reminders of forgiveness.  King Louis XII wished to imitate Christ as he hung from the cross and prayed on behalf of his detractors and persecutors, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

It isn’t surprising that so many have and will continue to reject Jesus.  What is surprising?  It is how Jesus chose to respond to that rejection: with redemption.  Why was it that Jesus didn’t holler back at those punishing him with verbal insults while on the cross?  It is because, while they were busy rejecting him, he was busy redeeming them.  While Jesus’ glory may have been hidden by his suffering and crucifixion, what wasn’t hidden was his attitude toward sinful men, yes, even those who rejected him.  On behalf of the very individuals responsible for pounding nails into his flesh and hanging him up on the cross to die, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24).  They had rejected him, but our Savior refused to respond in kind.  So he not only pleaded for their forgiveness, but carried out all that was necessary to guarantee it.

Because he did, he still speaks those words of forgiveness to us today.  Each week as we are gathered together in his house we confess our sins, and then, through the absolution, Jesus speaks the words, “Father, forgive them.”  As our eye is drawn to the cross, we can’t help but recall those words, “Father, forgive them.”  Then our eyes fall below, to the altar, which recalls his sacrifice, again echoing the words, “Father, forgive them.”  But in front of the altar stands the font, where we were first brought into his kingdom through water and Word, which applied to us Jesus’ plea, “Father, forgive them.”  Should we doubt Word and water, then surely we cannot question what our lips taste when they meet bread and wine together with body and blood, through which we personally hear Jesus whisper again, “Father, forgive them.”

Finally, what is the point?  Why does Christ the King go to such lengths to ensure that we hear we’re forgiven?  Wouldn’t once be enough?  Couldn’t he just remind us on occasion?  Why the overabundant proclamation of forgiveness through the means of grace?  It’s so that our tender consciences will know that God in Christ Jesus has undeniably responded to our temporary moments of rejection with his permanent and eternal redemption.  And because he did, his final Promise of End Time to us is the same as that given to the thief on the cross: Jesus promises you, “Truly I tell you,… you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Luke 20:27-38 Sermon

Third Sunday of End Time (Saints Triumphant)

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) 

“God’s Children”

Luke 20:27-38

27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (NIV)

                 

A father disowns a son who has disgraced the family name for the last time.  A woman has been betrayed and burned by a dear friend.  An employee was stabbed in the back by a co-worker who took advantage of him to climb higher up the corporate ladder.  These people have been deeply wounded.  Worse yet, they sense no remorse from the one who wronged them.  There is no apology, no plea for forgiveness.  The result is a festering, furious animosity that wants nothing more than to completely cut off any relationship whatsoever with the transgressor.  If asked how they felt toward the guilty party, they might say, “he’s dead to me.”

Though we have heard the phrase – perhaps even used it ourselves – the words, “You’re dead to me” will never fall from the lips of our gracious God onto the ears of his dear children.  On this Sunday, Saints Triumphant, God’s Promise of End Time gives us reassurance that as God’s children, we never die.  And because of this promise, because we will never die, but will live forever, we have God’s own word that he will forever remain our God.  The saints who have already departed this life in Christ are already experiencing that grace-filled truth.  We will, too.

However, there was a group of people in Jesus’ day who would have found such a promise to be fanciful and foolish thinking.  They did not believe in any type of afterlife.  Their take was simply that when this life was over, body and soul simply ceased to exist.  No heaven.  No hell.  No place for any notion of living eternally with God in paradise.  If it couldn’t be clearly proven from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, then they didn’t believe it.  These people were known as the Sadducees.   

This religious sect, often made up of the wealthy aristocracy, did not “play nice” with the other prominent religious sect, the Pharisees.  For that reason, they were delighted that Jesus had just finished putting the Pharisees in their place.  They had attempted to catch him in a trap with a question about whether or not to pay taxes to Caesar, and Jesus’ response had left the Pharisees dumbfounded.  That was good business for the Sadducees, so to speak.

Nevertheless, nothing brings people together quite like a common enemy, and Jesus certainly filled that role.  From the vantage point of his enemies, ever since his brash entrance into Jerusalem, Jesus had been blasphemously beckoning every sort of adoration and alleluia from the people.  Where the Pharisees had embarrassed themselves in trying to one-up Jesus, the Sadducees were determined not to make the same mistake.  If they could pull it off, they would succeed in killing two birds with one stone, as they would come off superior to the Pharisees, while outwitting Jesus at the same time.

It may be that the hypothetical scenario which the Sadducees proposed to Jesus was a sort of religious riddle that had gained a lot of mileage in the past by silencing the Pharisees and others who did not share their views on life after death.  If no one else had been able to figure their riddle out, more than likely, neither would Jesus.  Their hypothetical riddle to Jesus was really quite ludicrous – especially since they were asking a question about the resurrection, something in which they didn’t even believe!  This all demonstrated how far someone was willing to go to try to undermine Jesus’ authority. 

To grasp the significance of the question they posed to Jesus, one must be familiar with a law from the Old Testament referred to as the Law of the Levirite.  This law basically said that if a husband died and left his wife childless, one of the husband’s brothers had the responsibility of taking the widowed wife and having a child with her so that the deceased brother’s line could continue.  That child would then be considered the offspring of the wife and deceased husband.

So the Pharisees painted a virtually impossible scenario of this process happening with seven brothers, none of whom were able to bear a child before dying.  Their question was this:  “Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” (v.33).  The Sadducees, quite impressed with themselves, thought they had devised a question that would serve the dual purpose of showing how silly any notion of a resurrection was and tripping up Jesus at the same time.

To fully appreciate the wisdom of Jesus’ reply, we note a portion of his response recorded in Mark’s Gospel.  “Jesus replied, ‘Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?” (Mark 12:24).  The Sadducees prided themselves in giving credence only to the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, and not being caught up in man-made rabbinical traditions (which the Pharisees were accustomed to doing), and Jesus told them they didn’t know squat about the Scriptures! 

So Jesus continued teaching them, saying, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection” (v.34-36).  To ask a question about marriage after the resurrection was to assume that the institution of marriage would even still be in existence at that point.  Jesus said it wouldn’t, so he essentially nullified their question. 

Jesus didn’t miss out on the opportunity to further show how far off base they were, with his not-so-subtle reference to angels, another teaching the Pharisees denied.  Then he really showed his mastery of the Scriptures by using the Pentateuch to prove the resurrection.  He cited the account of Moses before the burning bush as proof that God’s children don’t die, and that resurrection was indeed a reality.  “But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive” (v.37, 38).  Jesus pointed back to the beginning of the Bible to prove his point, and today we could just as easily look to the closing book of Scripture to find it support exactly what Jesus said – God’s children don’t die.  In Revelation we’re told, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).  From whom will those tears be wiped away?  Not the dead, but the living!  The tears of those who are and will always be alive in Christ will be wiped away in heaven.

Jesus knew something else: he knew that he was the common bond which would eternally tie together God’s promises from the past with his promises for the future.  Moses and the patriarchs will live forever because in Jesus, God would keep his promise.  The idyllic scenery painted in Revelation will be a reality because in Jesus, God would keep his promise.  Jesus was the difference maker in ensuring that God’s children never die.  God’s children have the assurance that they will never die because one of God’s children has already died in the place of all the others.  The Father allowed his only beloved Son to die, so that death could not claim any more of his children.  God allowed the sacrifice of One to prevent the eternal deaths of countless others.  Because of his death – because Jesus died for you and me, we can rejoice that the Sadducees had it so wrong – God’s children will never die.

Let us emphasize what that means from another angle: God’s children will always live.  Just as Jesus’ death spared us from death, so also Jesus’ life secures our life.  His righteousness, his obedience, his perfection – these all have made us saints.  On this Saints Triumphant Sunday, we find comfort and joy in knowing that mom or dad, brother or sister, grandma or grandpa, dear friends, friends and relatives of our own family members – all who have departed this life before us, but have done so as God’s children, are very much spiritually alive and basking in the permanent vacation of eternal bliss in heaven.  And it gets better!  There’s a spot in the reception hall of heaven reserved for each of us.  The joy of heaven will be amplified because we’ll be sharing that joy with those we were privileged to love while they were here on earth. 

And it gets better!  The greatest joy of heaven, which will far exceed every other joy, is this: Jesus will be right there with us.  No longer will God’s children have to wait to meet him, for heaven will be his permanent residence. No more leaving for a time to return later; Jesus will remain with us forever, and there is more than enough room to accommodate all those made saints by his precious blood.  The One we sing about, teach about, read about, talk about, etc. – but whom none of us has ever met personally – will be made known to us personally in heaven.  God’s children not only will never die, but we will live forever, and we’ll live forever with Jesus.

Dear friends, if that preview of life to come when we join the ranks of the saints triumphant doesn’t totally and completely breathe purpose and passion into you for this life, then you might want to check your wrist and see if you have a pulse!  The Sadducees were dead wrong!  In Christ, we don’t die, we simply move on to what is infinitely better in eternity with Jesus!  It isn’t if, but when we get to meet Jesus, and until that happens, we have God’s invitation to get to know his Son better and better through his Word.  Children of God who are alive in Christ are never content in our relationship with him, but long to know him better and better, as if to get an even clearer picture of what awaits us when we do finally meet him.  Children of God who are alive in Christ are never content with the relationship others have with Christ, but long to encourage and support and push one another to know him better.  Children of God who are alive in Christ – and will never die – long to lead others into an eternal relationship with Jesus. 

Now I would never for even a split second imply that we’re better off here on earth than are the saints in heaven.  I pray we would all be thrilled to be numbered among them in a heartbeat.  Neither would the saints triumphant in heaven ever desire to switch places with us or trade in their heavenly inheritance for another earthly stint.  Nevertheless, until our gracious God takes us by the hand to our home in heaven, do you know that he has given us a privilege that not even the saints in heaven have?  As long as we are here, we can do what not even the saints in heaven can do: enjoy the blessed reward of seeing the Holy Spirit make others children of God as we point them to Jesus.  That unique and limited opportunity is ours only for the time we are here on earth.  Let’s make the most of it, so that others can depart this life with the assurance that we ourselves have: God’s children never die, but will live with Jesus forever. Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Luke 19:11-27 Sermon

Second Sunday of End Time (Last Judgment)

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

“More Will Be Given”

Luke 19:11-27

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ 18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ 19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’ 20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ 24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ 26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’” (NIV)

                 

It’s unfortunate that his size seems to be what he is remembered for most.  We even sing a song about what a wee little man Zacchaeus was.  But the story has less to do with his stature and more to do with God’s grace shown through Jesus in his interaction with Zacchaeus.  It appeared that one of the often overlooked drawbacks to wealth was eating away at Zacchaeus: guilt.  Now it isn’t wrong to be wealthy, but depending on how one comes by that wealth, it can eat a person up inside.  Zacchaeus hadn’t come by his wealth honestly.  Though he didn’t don a black ski mask while going from house to house, he might as well have, for he thought he could hide behind his government job to justify stealing from one person after another.  Finally it was enough.  The guilt led him to Jesus, in hopes that Jesus might provide some wisdom on the matter.  He did better than that.  He provided salvation for the humbled and repentant Zacchaeus.  As a guest at the house of Zacchaeus, Jesus spoke words that undoubtedly filled Zacchaeus with a peace of mind that must have eluded him for years.  “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost’” (Luke 19:9,10).  Ah, what sweet relief it must have been!  His past record of 7^th Commandment–shattering offenses was cleared and a life characterized by stealing was now characterized by salvation.  The “sinner,” as everyone else viewed him (19:7), had become a saint, and this because of his Savior.

A familiarity with the account of Zacchaeus helps guard against a misunderstanding of the parable Jesus told next.  Jesus did not speak the parable as an explanation of how salvation came to Zacchaeus.  No, Zacchaeus had not done and could not do anything to earn what is only a gift freely given.  Zacchaeus hadn’t earned or deserved his salvation because he had vowed to return what he had stolen and then some.  Salvation was Jesus’ gift to Zacchaeus, as it is to all who believe.  So Jesus’ parable does not find application in the realm of salvation, but rather sanctification (stewardship of the means of grace).  The parable is concerned with how believers like Zacchaeus live their faith, and not how they earn it, as if that were even possible in the first place.

What prompted Jesus to speak the parable, after having announced the good news of salvation to Zacchaeus, was the misunderstanding people had about why Jesus had come.  Jericho was not far from Jerusalem, and word had gotten around that Jerusalem was Jesus’ next – and as it would turn out, last – stop.  Luke tells us, “the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once” (v.11).  They took the kingdom of God to be an earthly establishment of God’s dominion, and they saw Jesus as the one through whom this coup of the Roman government would come.  The way things were at present was just about to change for the better, they thought.  God, as he had repeatedly done throughout the history of his chosen people, would once again come and bring deliverance.  And Jesus appeared to be his chosen instrument.  How right they were about Jesus being God’s chosen, anointed instrument!  How wrong they were about how God would use his chosen, anointed instrument.  He hadn’t come to earth to live as a worldly king, but to die as a convicted criminal.

Jesus’ parable was designed not only to cool heightening expectations of an established earthly kingdom, but also to elaborate on how he planned “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).  While Jesus was the only one who could secure salvation by his life, death, and resurrection, his plan involved using believers – the Church – to spread the news of salvation.  Through that work Jesus seeks and saves the lost.  And to Christians faithfully fulfilling their calling to hear and to share the gospel, Jesus promises, “more will be given” (v.26.). 

Jesus’ parable about the noblemen despised by his subjects would have been particularly pointed to his hearers.  History tells us that after Herod the Great died, one of his sons named Archelaus travelled to Rome to officially request that the Roman Emperor would grant him his father’s territory.  The Jews, however, opposed such an appointment, as they did not desire to be under anyone from Herod’s line, but preferred instead to become a Roman province.  They also sent a delegation to Rome to express their opposition to having Archelaus over them.  Ultimately the request of Archelaus was granted, much to the dismay of the Jewish people.  Undoubtedly then, the whole storyline of Jesus’ parable would have resonated with his listeners.  And as if to serve as the perfect visual aid to make his parable really hit home, right there in Jericho, where Jesus told this parable, was a stinging reminder of the whole incident, an impressive palace built by none other than Archelaus himself.

With that understanding in mind, we turn our attention to the parable.  A man departing on a trip to become appointed king entrusted his servants with some of his wealth.  He expected them to put his wealth to work for him so that it would earn a return by the time he came back from his trip.  Two of his servants did just that.  They put his money to work and both were rewarded with very handsome returns.  Another servant, however, did nothing with what was entrusted to him except hide it away.  When he returned only what was given to him and nothing more, he explained that he was afraid of his demanding master and so didn’t want to risk losing it.  Based on his master’s response, we see that his faulty logic didn’t fly.  “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’” (v.22,23).  He then proceeded to take away the servant’s one mina and give it to the one who had earned ten.  To those who cried foul because the master was only helping the rich get richer, the master replied, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given” (v.26).

The meaning of the parable is this: the man of noble birth is Jesus, who would be going away to his heavenly throne after his death and resurrection; but he would come back.  In the meantime he entrusted his servants, the believing Church, with the gospel in Word and Sacrament.  While the master is away, his believing Church is to put the Word of God to work so that it might produce an abundant dividend when he returns. 

Which servant are you?  For one servant the mina earned a substantial return, for the second, a respectable return, but for the third, nothing.  Two of the servants put the gospel, the news of freedom and forgiveness in Christ, to work and it produced abundantly.  The third servant, well, he didn’t appear to think too highly of what he had been given.  Frankly, he was too occupied with other things. 

Now here’s a thought more terrifying than anything you might have seen in the days and weeks leading up to Halloween: what if we’re the third servant?  What if, when the King returns and asks us to give an account of how we put is gospel to work, we have nothing to show for it because, like that servant, we essentially tucked it away in a sweaty old cloth?  What if he doesn’t buy our excuses?  “I was too tired for the Word or worship.”  “I didn’t like the topic of that study.”  “My offerings support mission work; personal evangelism doesn’t apply to me.”  “The Lord’s Supper isn’t the only way we receive forgiveness.”  “If he doesn’t think baptism is important, who am I to keep pushing it?”  We saw how the master responded to the third servant’s excuse – he didn’t buy it.  Neither will Jesus.

Notice also the difference in the reward between the first two servants and the third.  They put the gospel to work and were rewarded handsomely, but the third was not.  Is it possible that as believers or as congregations, perhaps this parable also has something to say to how present means of grace management affects future plans?  Plans are made, but we wonder why they don’t seem to fall into place.  Might it be that the King is waiting for his servants to first show that they can be faithful with the gospel they already have before he entrusts them with additional blessings?  For if the gospel already under one’s care is mismanaged, why would Jesus knowingly entrust additional souls to the care of those who can’t manage what they already have? 

If we can recognize that at times in our lives we have been guilty of mismanaging the mina of the gospel entrusted to us, then we need to return once again and reflect on that mina from another angle: it isn’t just about our management of the mina, but about the message of the mina, the gospel.  Recall this detail about Jesus’ parable: the master gave his servants the minas.  And it was certainly within the realm of the master’s expectations that the servants themselves benefit from what they had received.  It was given to them.  The gospel was given to you.  It was God’s free gift to assure you that because of the sacrifice of his Son, God doesn’t view you as the third servant, but as the first and second.  Jesus was perfectly faithful with the message of the gospel, so God sees you as perfectly faithful.  The blood of Jesus has hidden our failures and forgives our hiding of the mina when we’ve tucked it away in indifference. It is knowing that the master has not ripped that treasure out of our hands even though we’ve mismanaged it, that stirs up a newfound desire to blanket every aspect of our lives with it.  The more we treasure it, the more faithful we will be with it.  The more we treasure it, the more we’ll understand that because of Christ we will hear the words, “Well done, my good servant… to everyone who has, more will be given” (v.17, 26).  Now the question is, what “more” can be given to those who already have the treasure of the gospel? 

The glories of heaven.  That is what awaits us when the King returns to judge.  The gospel that Paul said is the power of salvation for everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16) is powerful enough even to save us from hearing the condemnation we deserve.  We are constantly amazed at the power of that gospel, that through it the Father sees in us the perfect, righteous reflection of his Son.  Someone else, or likely a number of people, were the first and second servants in your life – faithful with the gospel so that it would produce a great return in bringing you to faith.  Now go and be the faithful servant who puts the gospel to work in the lives of others, so that it might also produce a return in them by bringing them to faith. Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)