Sermon for the Festival of St. Bartholomew
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 + Luke 22:24-30
On this Feast of St. Bartholomew, also known as the apostle Nathanael, we turn to the Gospel of St. Luke, who relates a dispute in which Bartholomew was involved, together with the other eleven apostles, on Maundy Thursday evening, as Jesus was preparing to perform the lowliest service anyone can possibly perform, to suffer and die—the Master humbling Himself for His servants.
And there was also a disagreement among them about which of them should be recognized as the greatest.
It’s almost unbelievable that the men who were closest to humble Jesus, the men who had spent the most time with humble Jesus, the men who had been hand-selected by humble Jesus to be the foundation on which His Church would be built, could still harbor such lofty notions of grandeur, could still be so self-seeking, pining for glory and power and a name for themselves.
But you know this sin, too, don’t you—you who, in every case, have been Christians even longer than the apostles knew Jesus? You think—at least, according to the flesh, you think—that you should be recognized above someone else; that you should receive higher praise and greater rewards than someone else.
Now, it seems likely that each one of the apostles was trying to make the case for himself as the greatest, although it’s possible that some of them were making the case for certain of their brothers over others. For example, “I think Peter is the greatest!” “No, I think it’s John!” “No, clearly James is the greatest among us!” In either case, they were viewing themselves and the office of the holy ministry wrongly. So Jesus had to correct them.
He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them; and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors.”
Now, that’s fine for secular rulers. They have rank and degrees of authority, some higher, some lower. In the secular realm there are lords and masters who give orders and servants who take them. Those who rule well and give orders well and govern well in the secular realm are called benefactors—doers of good—and they’re generally rewarded in this life with glory and fame and respect. But it isn’t to be that way in the Church of Christ or among the ministers of Christ.
But you shall not behave this way. Instead, let him who is greatest among you be like the youngest; and let the one who leads be like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
Christ has a kingdom that’s separate from the State, where things are to be done differently than among the pagans. In Christ’s kingdom, He alone reigns as King, and He has, through His Church, set certain men into offices of authority in His kingdom. Like Bartholomew. Like the other apostles. Like their successors—all who hold the office of the holy ministry. But unlike the secular realm, those who hold office in the holy ministry don’t have a higher rank than laymen. They just have a different job to do, and they are to do it as servants, not as rulers. Also unlike the secular realm, all who hold office in the holy ministry are equal with one another, having the same authority to preach and teach and administer the Sacraments. We’ve had to take a stand on that recently as one who was called bishop tried to exercise dominion over our congregation, contrary to Christ’s command.
What’s more, those who hold office in the holy ministry are not given the sword with which to punish, are not given the right to use force or physical threats to get people to do things, as secular rulers do. Instead, they are given only the Word of God, to preach, teach, correct, rebuke, encourage, to threaten sinners with God’s wrath, and to comfort the penitent with God’s forgiveness. Unlike in the secular realm, the greatness of the office-holders in the Church is not in exercising authority from above, but in serving from beneath, as Christ served.
How did Christ serve? He didn’t go around in fancy clothes, wearing expensive rings, expecting anyone to pamper Him or call Him “Your Grace.” Instead, He devoted His life to serving mankind. Serving, not by taking orders from people and doing whatever they wanted Him to do, but by giving His life to the people and for the people, by showing compassion, by saying what they needed to hear, even when it hurt their feelings, even when it hurt His own popularity or caused Him to be hated. He served, not by the power of the sword, but by the power of the Word. He identified sin, and rebuked and condemned it. He showed the people the Father’s grace and love in sending His Son into the world to be a sacrifice for sin. He walked into the hands of those who hated Him and gave His life to make atonement for our sins. He did it all in service to mankind, which includes you and me.
Now, Christ says to His dear disciples: “Mine is a ministry of service. All those who hold office in My kingdom must serve, as I served; and they must suffer, as I suffered. If you’re looking for earthly splendor, for a comfortable life, for the praise of men, then seek it somewhere else. You can’t have that in My kingdom, and certainly not in the ministry, for your ministry must resemble My ministry.” Yes, of course, there have been countless priests and pastors in the world who have not been faithful to Christ’s Word, who have told lies in Christ’s name, who have sought earthly greatness, who have ruled from above instead of serving from beneath. To them, Christ will say on the Last Day, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” But those who serve and carry out their ministry well in Christ’s kingdom will have trouble, toil, and often ingratitude in this life. So be it. That’s the ministry that Christ instituted.
St. Paul’s life as an office-holder in the Church was a striking illustration of Jesus’ words. You heard in the Epistle of the service and the sufferings of Paul, together with his fellow ministers. The weakness of Christ’s ministers, who are all just like jars of clay, only serves to highlight the treasure of the cross of Christ and the power of God in gathering a kingdom to Himself, not by force or compulsion, but only by the power of His Word.
But, who would submit to such a life—to hold the office of Christ, to shun earthly glory and comfort, to live a life of humble service and to suffer in this ministry? Hear again the promise Jesus attached to this ministry: You are the ones who have continued with me in my trials. And I confer upon you a kingdom, as my Father has conferred it upon me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. For all your trouble, toil, and earthly misfortune, you get a kingdom, the authority to reign—not separately from Me, Christ says, but together with Me. But not in this world. Not here. Not now. Here you serve. Here you do not rule and reign and sit at the table. But there, in the next life, you will. You will sit with Me at My table. You will have thrones there, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
It was this promise that sustained Bartholomew and all the apostles in all their future hardships, and finally, in their martyrdom. It’s this promise that sustains all faithful pastors and preachers. And actually, it’s this promise that sustains the hearers of the Word, as well. Because, while not all Christians are office-holders in the Church, all Christians are clothed with Christ and called by the name of Christ. All Christians are called to serve one another in love. All Christians are children of God, and coheirs with Christ, and fellow sharers in the sufferings of Christ. As Paul said, not to the pastors in Rome, but to all the Christians in Rome, The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
So the promise to sit with Christ at His table is for all believers in Christ. The promise of an end to earthly shame and suffering and of an eternal banquet of glory and peace is for all who walk by the Spirit, who persevere in faith until the end.
Until the end, Christ continues to serve His whole Church through the mouths and hands of weak, sinful men. That’s what this office of the ministry is for in the first place, not to exalt the minister, but to step into the role of Jesus, to serve Christ’s holy people and to hold out to them the Word of life, the water of life, and the New Testament in the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. This office of Christ is the way He has chosen to serve you here on this earth, to teach you, to correct you, to forgive, comfort, and strengthen you. Don’t take this ministry for granted or allow the other items on your long to-do list bump Christ’s ministry down out of first place, where it belongs. Instead, rejoice that Christ wants to serve you and guide you through this life and feed your soul for eternal life.
Mine is a ministry of service. That was true for Christ, and it’s true for every minister who follows in His steps. So let’s give thanks to God today, first for the service and the sufferings of Christ, our Savior, and then also for the service and sufferings of Bartholomew, and of all Christ’s chosen ministers throughout the ages who have borne the office of Christ faithfully. The best way to thank God for these gifts is to make use of these gifts, to the glory of Christ Jesus, and to the building up of His holy Church. Amen.
