Where do we find a lesson that applies to us in today’s gospel reading? Leprosy isn’t exactly something we see on a daily biases. We do not have camps outside of town where these people are forced to live and we do not require them to cry out “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN” if they come close to us. Do we no longer have lepers in our society or are we just better at hiding them and their disgrace?
As He entered the village he encountered 10 lepers who cried out, “Jesus, Master have mercy on us.” It is interesting that these men knew exactly who Jesus was. They were not just calling out to a passerby for alms rather they knew of Jesus and His power to heal and they desired Him to have mercy upon them.
The term they used to address Jesus here is the word “epistates” in Greek. It means teacher, master, or lord. They only other people in Luke’s gospel who use this Greek term fro Jesus are the disciples. Therefore this story is about discipleship.
They cried out in unison! These men were united in their sickness and suffering. The text doesn’t tell us right away that only one of them is a Samaritan. Because of the specific location of this story, as described in the opening lines of the passage, people who lived in this area were either Jews or Samaritans. So if one was identified as a Samaritan it would serve to reason that they others were not Samaritans. And if they were no Samaritans then they were in fact Jews. So the cultural divide between them had broken down due to their common affliction. There is no difference between a leprous Jew and a leprous Samaritan; they were simply lepers.
When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. In this time in history only the priests at the synagogue had the authority to proclaim a leper healed. This authority was given to them under the law.
Notice it says “as they went they were cleansed.” God’s grace is freely given, this most certainly is true, however it was in their response to Jesus command that they were healed. They could have just as well of laughed at Him knowing that there was no human cure for their disease, but then I venture to guess that their healing would not have come. So it was through their response in faith to do as Jesus commanded that their healing came to be.
Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. One of them praising with a loud voice, I imagine it was the same loud voice that he was using to praise God as the one he used to cry out for mercy. He returned to Jesus and fell on his face at Jesus’ feet. This man no longer had a use for the law to proclaim that he was healed. Rather he recognized that he had been healed by Jesus not his own righteousness and adherence to the law. What is also important her is the phrase “when he SAW.” When I was writing my sermon I was trying to deceiver the difference between the nine that did not return and the one that did. The one who returned SAW. What is it that Jesus says, Luke 10:23, “Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” Seeing is a theme in this gospel. Seeing means that a person’s eyes have been opened to the reality of who Jesus really is, the seeing person has faith. This is confirmed when Christ says to the grateful man, “And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
What about the other nine? Where are they? Are they not grateful? Jesus asks about them he says were not 10 cleansed? Notice Jesus did not say healed rather he said cleansed. They were not only healed of their sickness they were cleansed of their sin. It was common in this time to believe that these men had this sickness because of some sin they had committed. There for their healing was proof of the forgiveness of that sin.
But where were they? My guess is that since they were Jews and they were now healed the cultural boundary between them and the Samaritan had returned. What’s more they sought to comply with the law and have themselves declared clean so that they could be restored to their righteous place in society. They were still looking to the law for their righteousness because they did not see as the Samaritan did that the cleansing came as a gift from the righteousness of Christ and not through the law.
Oh but there is more. This parable of the ten lepers comes directly after the parable of the unworthy servant form last week. Both are instructions in discipleship. For those of you who were here last week you will remember that the parable of the unworthy servant tells us that when we do as God has commanded us to do, not to expect any reward. For we are not gaining righteousness with God by abiding by His commands we are simply doing what is expected of us. SO what of the other nine lepers? Perhaps they knew all along that their disease was not from some sin that they had committed. Perhaps they thought that God owed them their healing. They were wrongfully stricken with this disease so justice demanded that they be healed. For those of you who were here last week, does God ever owe you anything or are his gifts and blessings pure grace?
Gratitude to Christ for the gift of faith and salvation is a sign of the proper response in faith. Gratitude and humility may be the purest measure of a person’s spiritual condition and faith. There are those who have been cleansed in this world who believe that God owed them. They claimed it and named it. The prospered because God promised them they would and He Owed it to them. They can unsin what is clearly called a sin in the Bible, after all God made them that way and he owes it to them, they deserve to be happy and indulge their sinful desires. I am telling you these people are the other nine these are people of a false gospel.
How does this story apply to us today? Jesus is still cleansing people every day; first and foremost at their baptism. Some respond in faith and gratitude some take the gift for granted and feel that it was owed to them by God.
In this story we are the lepers. We may have not been plagued with a physical element but I most certain that we are plagued with filthy minds and spirits. Well, at least I have. But Jesus cleansed me and for that I am eternally grateful and I will spend the rest of my days pointing to the grace and righteousness of Christ for my cleansing and salvation. Join me in pointing that finger where it belongs; pointing to the gospel and the righteousness of Christ for our justification. But looking to the law as a guide, as a task master if you will, one that tells us how we should live our lives in a way that honors God. Jesus said the law is summed up like this, love one another and I have loved you.
Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ we are sorry that we have taken you gifts and blessings for granted and we humbly ask for Your forgiveness. Continue Father to remind us that we must continue to rely upon You alone for our ever breath. Continue to love and bless the devoted disciples seated before me this day, and continue to bless our congregation and may we always remember that we are blessed to be a blessing to your creation and that we are not blesses because You are in debt to us. We ask all of this in the precious name of You Son Jesus Christ Amen.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Luke 17:1-17
Well, another demanding series of parables from The Gospel of Luke. There are actually four sermons here, the warning against causing a little one to fall, forgiveness of your brother and sister, faith as a mustard seed, and the servant and the master. However I will try not to preach four sermons today as I am currently a seminary student and have compassion for your back sides.
In today’s reading Jesus is specifically addressing the disciples and although it may seem that there are four sermons in this reading it is actually one teaching that falls into four parts; a teaching that is specifically for disciples of Jesus Christ; that would be all of you, so listen up.
The first of the four parts of today’s reading is a warning about causing another, a “little one” to sin. Little ones “mikros” in Greek meaning: 1) small, little 1a) of size: hence of stature, of length 1b) of space 1c) of age: less by birth, younger 1d) of time: short, brief, a little while, how little! 1e) of quantity: i.e. number, amount 1f) of rank or influence. Here Jesus is using “mikros” to mean “less of age,” in other words new believers. From micros comes our English prefix micro, although you might have already guessed that.
If you cause a “mikros” to stumble or “skandalon” in the Greek (where our English word scandal comes from) it would be better for you to have a millstone hung around your neck and cast into the sea. Well now any of you who think that God is only love I ask you this, “If God is only love what’s with this putting a four foot tall solid stone with a hole in the center around someone’s neck and throwing that person into the sea?” It’s because God is not only love, He is also wrath, as our Psalm speaks of today. God is only love when He comes to you masked in Jesus Christ; the unmasked or naked God is a God of wrath as a consequence for your sin.
“Skandalon,” means: 1) to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend 1a) to entice to sin 1b) to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey 1b1) to cause to fall away 1b2) to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority 1b3) to cause one to judge unfavorably or unjustly of another 1c) since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed 1c1) to cause one displeasure at a thing 1c2) to make indignant 1c3) to be displeased, indignant.
How might one cause another to sin, to stumble, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey? By false teaching possibly? By teaching that God is only love and that He is pleased with you on account of your good works? If God is only love and is pleased with you for your good works, then where does Jesus fit into the equation? By teaching that one earns their salvation, or any favor with God, through good works is denying Christ’s mission of the cross and encouraging one to turn away from the gospel (the message of Jesus Christ crucified For You!) to the law as the way to salvation. The law being the demands of God made upon His creation, St. Paul says in Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT THROUGH THE LAW. Through the law comes the knowledge that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior.
If you cause a little one to sin through false teaching, it is better to have a millstone around your neck and cast into the sea. This is a severe penalty indeed. A millstone was a round stone about 4” high. After the grain was separated from the chaff the grain was crushed or ground under these stones. The severity of this penalty is the intention of Jesus, to cause another to stumble is a very bad thing.
The second of the four parts in today’s reading is a teaching of forgiveness. If your brother or sister sins REBUKE THEM! That’s point out their sin and encourage them to turn away from it. That’s funny when we as Christians point out the sin of others what happens? We are called names and our integrity is questioned. “Well you’re just a homophobe, you’re so self-righteous, and who are you to rebuke me?” It’s interesting that Jesus uses the term brothers here and not neighbors. Jesus is saying that you should rebuke not unbelievers, rather fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a commandment to be accountable to one another as believers in Christ. If someone claims to be a Christian but then acts in a way that is in contradiction to scripture you should rebuke them. Even if he is the called and ordained pastor, most likely that will be the biggest sinner in the church anyway. Trust me no one in our society likes to have the darkness of their sins brought into the light, so expect some negative response. However if they are truly a believer in Jesus Christ and see that you are obeying scripture then they will eventually come to you and ask for forgiveness. Jesus says you are to forgive them right then and there. When a person asks for your forgiveness the burden then transfers from them to ask to you to act; you are to forgive not judge if nor require them to prove that they are truly repentant just forgive.
The disciples response to these commands of, do not cause another to fall and to rebuke and forgive your brothers and sisters over and over, is a response of shear fear. Fear that they do not have the faith to do what Christ commands. “INCREASE OUR FAITH!” they cry out in desperation. Jesus tells them that if they had the faith of a mustard seed then they could, simply using only words, command a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea. How many you believe that you have this kind of faith? I mean it’s a mustard seed the smallest of seeds; someone here must have that kind of faith. No takers huh. Well don’t look at me I’m the pastor the biggest sinner remember. Jesus is telling the disciples that they do not have that much faith either. What’s more faith is not something that they find within themselves rather it comes from an external source; more precisely from Jesus Christ. The very act of asking Christ for faith proves that faith is a gift from God and not something that we muster within ourselves.
Jesus tells them this in the form of the parable of the mustard seed so that they will not take the fact that they do actually have some faith and use it to puff themselves up and believe that they are more spiritual them anyone else.
Faith is not something to be measured nor is it to be used to perform magical sings or miraculous wonders. Faith is the element of God that is given to you through the preached word and the sacraments for the purpose of making you useful to the Lord to fulfill His purpose His plan here on earth.
Then we have the fourth lesson the parable of the master and his servant. This master must be a small farmer because he has only one servant who does both the field work and the housework. Jesus never tells us about the desires of the servant rather he tells us what has been commanded of him by his master. And here is the kicker, they servant works in the field all day and them comes in and serves the master supper before he himself get to eat and is not even thanked for his trouble. Why? Because he was only doing what was commanded or what was expected of him to do. God is saying I am the master I command you to do good works. But don’t you dare believe that you gain anything by doing them nor should you believe that I owe you anything for doing what is expected of you. God owes us nothing for our good works, therefore anything that we receive from Him in the form of a gift or blessing is purely given out of grace not obligation. Let me say it a little plainer, if you believe that God blesses you because of all of your good works then you believe that God is indebted to you for them. God owes you nothing and your best works count for nothing before this all powerful righteous God.
Is that hard to hear? That nothing you do pleases God. That’s because the human will doesn’t want an all powerful, almighty, righteous God. What’s more the human will doesn’t want to put the control of their salvation in the hands of a Savior; especially one who shines the light of truth on their sinful ways exposing their unrighteousness.
Well I believe that if I had an almighty God, I would simply profess that He was almighty then deny it in my mind by believing that there was something I could do to earn His favor. Then if He sent a Messiah to tell me that my works counted for nothing and that I had to believe in Him to be saved, well I guess I would sentence that Messiah to death and nail Him to a cross thus doing away with the offense of an almighty God forever. However if that God was almighty He would then raise that Messiah from the dead and then say, “There, in your face sinner, the offense still stands for I AM! I AM almighty indeed and there is nothing that you can do about it.” That story sound familiar.
Let’s sum it up: 1.Do not cause a weaker one to fall away through false teaching, 2. Rebuke your brothers and sisters in Christ when you see them in a state of sin and forgive them as often as they ask, 3. Exercise your faith through simple works for your neighbor, as is God’s will, not through miraculous signs and wonders. 4. When you do as your commanded don’t you dare believe that God owes you anything.
All of this week’s reading is law. It consists of commandments from God regarding how you ought to live in this world. The Law exists to 1. Regulate society and to 2. to make you aware that you are a sinner.
So now that you have been accused by the law and are sitting in the pew felling convicted and writhing with uncomforted as one who has ears to hear should be, let me now profess to you the gospel, You are forgiven and God is pleased With You on account of your belief in Christ. There now you can continue your Sunday knowing that you have been put to death and raised up. But remember this is a daily dying and rising.
In today’s reading Jesus is specifically addressing the disciples and although it may seem that there are four sermons in this reading it is actually one teaching that falls into four parts; a teaching that is specifically for disciples of Jesus Christ; that would be all of you, so listen up.
The first of the four parts of today’s reading is a warning about causing another, a “little one” to sin. Little ones “mikros” in Greek meaning: 1) small, little 1a) of size: hence of stature, of length 1b) of space 1c) of age: less by birth, younger 1d) of time: short, brief, a little while, how little! 1e) of quantity: i.e. number, amount 1f) of rank or influence. Here Jesus is using “mikros” to mean “less of age,” in other words new believers. From micros comes our English prefix micro, although you might have already guessed that.
If you cause a “mikros” to stumble or “skandalon” in the Greek (where our English word scandal comes from) it would be better for you to have a millstone hung around your neck and cast into the sea. Well now any of you who think that God is only love I ask you this, “If God is only love what’s with this putting a four foot tall solid stone with a hole in the center around someone’s neck and throwing that person into the sea?” It’s because God is not only love, He is also wrath, as our Psalm speaks of today. God is only love when He comes to you masked in Jesus Christ; the unmasked or naked God is a God of wrath as a consequence for your sin.
“Skandalon,” means: 1) to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend 1a) to entice to sin 1b) to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey 1b1) to cause to fall away 1b2) to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority 1b3) to cause one to judge unfavorably or unjustly of another 1c) since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed 1c1) to cause one displeasure at a thing 1c2) to make indignant 1c3) to be displeased, indignant.
How might one cause another to sin, to stumble, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey? By false teaching possibly? By teaching that God is only love and that He is pleased with you on account of your good works? If God is only love and is pleased with you for your good works, then where does Jesus fit into the equation? By teaching that one earns their salvation, or any favor with God, through good works is denying Christ’s mission of the cross and encouraging one to turn away from the gospel (the message of Jesus Christ crucified For You!) to the law as the way to salvation. The law being the demands of God made upon His creation, St. Paul says in Romans 3:20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT THROUGH THE LAW. Through the law comes the knowledge that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior.
If you cause a little one to sin through false teaching, it is better to have a millstone around your neck and cast into the sea. This is a severe penalty indeed. A millstone was a round stone about 4” high. After the grain was separated from the chaff the grain was crushed or ground under these stones. The severity of this penalty is the intention of Jesus, to cause another to stumble is a very bad thing.
The second of the four parts in today’s reading is a teaching of forgiveness. If your brother or sister sins REBUKE THEM! That’s point out their sin and encourage them to turn away from it. That’s funny when we as Christians point out the sin of others what happens? We are called names and our integrity is questioned. “Well you’re just a homophobe, you’re so self-righteous, and who are you to rebuke me?” It’s interesting that Jesus uses the term brothers here and not neighbors. Jesus is saying that you should rebuke not unbelievers, rather fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a commandment to be accountable to one another as believers in Christ. If someone claims to be a Christian but then acts in a way that is in contradiction to scripture you should rebuke them. Even if he is the called and ordained pastor, most likely that will be the biggest sinner in the church anyway. Trust me no one in our society likes to have the darkness of their sins brought into the light, so expect some negative response. However if they are truly a believer in Jesus Christ and see that you are obeying scripture then they will eventually come to you and ask for forgiveness. Jesus says you are to forgive them right then and there. When a person asks for your forgiveness the burden then transfers from them to ask to you to act; you are to forgive not judge if nor require them to prove that they are truly repentant just forgive.
The disciples response to these commands of, do not cause another to fall and to rebuke and forgive your brothers and sisters over and over, is a response of shear fear. Fear that they do not have the faith to do what Christ commands. “INCREASE OUR FAITH!” they cry out in desperation. Jesus tells them that if they had the faith of a mustard seed then they could, simply using only words, command a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea. How many you believe that you have this kind of faith? I mean it’s a mustard seed the smallest of seeds; someone here must have that kind of faith. No takers huh. Well don’t look at me I’m the pastor the biggest sinner remember. Jesus is telling the disciples that they do not have that much faith either. What’s more faith is not something that they find within themselves rather it comes from an external source; more precisely from Jesus Christ. The very act of asking Christ for faith proves that faith is a gift from God and not something that we muster within ourselves.
Jesus tells them this in the form of the parable of the mustard seed so that they will not take the fact that they do actually have some faith and use it to puff themselves up and believe that they are more spiritual them anyone else.
Faith is not something to be measured nor is it to be used to perform magical sings or miraculous wonders. Faith is the element of God that is given to you through the preached word and the sacraments for the purpose of making you useful to the Lord to fulfill His purpose His plan here on earth.
Then we have the fourth lesson the parable of the master and his servant. This master must be a small farmer because he has only one servant who does both the field work and the housework. Jesus never tells us about the desires of the servant rather he tells us what has been commanded of him by his master. And here is the kicker, they servant works in the field all day and them comes in and serves the master supper before he himself get to eat and is not even thanked for his trouble. Why? Because he was only doing what was commanded or what was expected of him to do. God is saying I am the master I command you to do good works. But don’t you dare believe that you gain anything by doing them nor should you believe that I owe you anything for doing what is expected of you. God owes us nothing for our good works, therefore anything that we receive from Him in the form of a gift or blessing is purely given out of grace not obligation. Let me say it a little plainer, if you believe that God blesses you because of all of your good works then you believe that God is indebted to you for them. God owes you nothing and your best works count for nothing before this all powerful righteous God.
Is that hard to hear? That nothing you do pleases God. That’s because the human will doesn’t want an all powerful, almighty, righteous God. What’s more the human will doesn’t want to put the control of their salvation in the hands of a Savior; especially one who shines the light of truth on their sinful ways exposing their unrighteousness.
Well I believe that if I had an almighty God, I would simply profess that He was almighty then deny it in my mind by believing that there was something I could do to earn His favor. Then if He sent a Messiah to tell me that my works counted for nothing and that I had to believe in Him to be saved, well I guess I would sentence that Messiah to death and nail Him to a cross thus doing away with the offense of an almighty God forever. However if that God was almighty He would then raise that Messiah from the dead and then say, “There, in your face sinner, the offense still stands for I AM! I AM almighty indeed and there is nothing that you can do about it.” That story sound familiar.
Let’s sum it up: 1.Do not cause a weaker one to fall away through false teaching, 2. Rebuke your brothers and sisters in Christ when you see them in a state of sin and forgive them as often as they ask, 3. Exercise your faith through simple works for your neighbor, as is God’s will, not through miraculous signs and wonders. 4. When you do as your commanded don’t you dare believe that God owes you anything.
All of this week’s reading is law. It consists of commandments from God regarding how you ought to live in this world. The Law exists to 1. Regulate society and to 2. to make you aware that you are a sinner.
So now that you have been accused by the law and are sitting in the pew felling convicted and writhing with uncomforted as one who has ears to hear should be, let me now profess to you the gospel, You are forgiven and God is pleased With You on account of your belief in Christ. There now you can continue your Sunday knowing that you have been put to death and raised up. But remember this is a daily dying and rising.
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