Emmanuel Lutheran Church

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Sermon for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity

Philippians 3:17-21  +  Matthew 22:15-22

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to consider together the texts appointed for the 23^rd Sunday after Trinity. This Sunday is usually displaced by our celebration of the Reformation. But this year, it just so happens, by God’s providence, that Trinity 23 falls the week before the Reformation, and that’s cause for thanksgiving, because, I don’t know if you’ve noticed at all, but there are some elections coming up, and things are looking rather bleak for the future of our nation, and, really, for all the nations of earth—no matter who is elected in November.

St. Paul reminded us in today’s Epistle: Our citizenship is in heaven. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to hold onto this truth during these chaotic political times. Our citizenship is in heaven, safe from the risings and fallings of earthly nations, secure from the hands of corrupt earthly rulers, and from the hands of godless citizens (and voters). The assembly of the baptized, the Church of Jesus Christ, does not tie its hopes to any nation on earth, nor does it put its trust in any political candidate or secular ruler. None of them—no human being, for that matter—can be trusted. Instead, the Christian’s trust is placed solely and completely in Christ Jesus, our only Savior, and our hope and expectation is set fully, not on the establishment of an earthly kingdom, not on the prosperity or the “greatness” of our nation, but on Christ’s coming at the end of this age and on the resurrection of the dead. As we approach our national and local elections over the next few weeks, you will do well to remember this verse from Philippians 3. Our citizenship is in heaven.

So what about our citizenship here below, in this nation in which God, according to His eternal purposes, has caused us to be born? Are we to deny it? Are we to embrace it? Are we to despise Caesar or worship Caesar? Or are we to view him in some other way? All of these things are addressed very concisely by Jesus in today’s Gospel.

Not that the Pharisees were looking for instruction from Jesus on this important topic. For their part, they were just looking for another way to get Him killed. They devised the perfect trap question for Him. Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

Understand the political landscape at that time. Israel still existed as a nation, but it had fallen under the umbrella control of the Roman empire, whose emperors were still using the title of “Caesar” at that time, after Julius Caesar, whose military and political exploits greatly expanded the power of Rome. Rome had divided the land of the Jews into four territories and placed four tetrarchs or governors over them who were to serve Rome by keeping the Jews in their territories under control. As a result, the Jews were living under the general belief that to be pro-Caesar was to be anti-God and anti-Israel, and to be pro-God and pro-Israel was to be anti-Caesar.

So the Pharisees put this yes/no question to Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar, and they made sure the Herodians were there as witnesses (Herod was one of those four tetrarchs who served Rome). If Jesus answered, No, it isn’t lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, then Herod’s men would have cut Him down for inciting rebellion against Rome. If He said, Yes, it’s lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, then the fanatical Jews, who hated Rome and were constantly trying to start another revolt, would have cut Him down themselves. Either way, the Pharisees would have won.

But Christ is wiser than all His enemies. He doesn’t give them a yes or no answer to their question. Instead, He defeats their trap by reframing the argument. Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.

The fact that Caesar had conquered God’s people, the nation of Israel, did not mean that God’s people should rebel against Caesar. It wasn’t “God vs. Caesar.” Caesar—who represents all secular rulers—has his place in the world, and his place is not inherently opposed to God or God’s people, nor is his place above God or side by side with God, but under God, as a servant of God, with a specific scope of authority given to Him by God, even though Caesar and his entire government were not believers in the true God or citizens of the kingdom of heaven. And the Christian, as a permanent citizen of heaven, who has also been made a temporary citizen under Caesar, is to be neither anti-God nor anti-Caesar. But we are taught to recognize the place of each, and to fulfill our responsibilities toward them both.

What is the place God has given to Caesar—to the secular rulers and civil authorities? The apostle Paul summarizes it well in Romans 13: Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

God has appointed all the governing authorities, including the pagan emperors of Rome. They had no love for the true God or for His people Israel. But what did God accomplish through Caesar Augustus, His minister? He’s the one who issued that decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. That got Mary and Joseph down to Bethlehem, just in time for a very special birthday. What did God accomplish through His minister, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate? He was not a just ruler; He gave an innocent Man over to be crucified. But the crucifixion of that Man means forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation for all who believe. What did God accomplish through His ministers, the Roman rulers, both before and after the time of Christ? The Pax Romana, the Roman peace, allowed the Gospel to spread far and wide from Judea to all the ends of the earth. And, what did God accomplish through His ministers, the wicked Roman rulers who persecuted His Christians and put them to death? The persecution of the Church did not put an end to the Church, but caused it to flourish. As a Church father once wrote, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

The fact is, God always accomplishes His good purposes through secular rulers, whether they intend to serve Him or not—His good purposes, either to protect the life and property of His people for a time and to maintain law and order in society, so that the Gospel can be preached freely; or to punish the wicked nation with injustice, with bad laws, with chaos and destruction. Because even when nations are disintegrating, even during times of chaos and persecution of the Church, even when Christians are martyred, even then the gates of Hades will not prevail against Christ’s Church. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

What things are Caesar’s, so that we should render it unto him? Taxes and revenues are due to him—even if they seem excessive. Obedience to his laws—even if they are unjust. Willing submission to his authority—even if he is abusing his authority. Even honor—whether or not he is honorable.

What things are God’s, so that we should render it unto Him? All things are God’s: our bodies and souls, our hearts and our devotion, our time and our possessions, honor and worship, glory and dominion. Obedience to His commands, including His command to render unto Caesar the things that He has given to Caesar.

And God has surely given many things to Caesar. But not His Word. Not our souls. Not our conscience. Over those things, Caesar has no authority. So if Caesar commands us to disobey God’s commandments, then we must obey God rather than men. If Caesar commands us to stop preaching the Word of God or any part of it, or to stop gathering around Word and Sacrament, then we must disobey Caesar—and suffer the earthly consequences for it, without grumbling and certainly without rebelling. Because, while Caesar has power over our bodies and our possessions, he has no power whatsoever over our souls, over our faith, or over our eternal inheritance that is reserved for us in heaven. And through our suffering here on earth, God’s name will still be honored among us, and we can trust God Himself to deal severely with unjust rulers in His own time.

All of this has been said about the rulers who have been placed over us, or who will be placed over us. What does it mean when it comes to electing or choosing our own rulers in a democratic society? I’ve already written something about that recently. Submitting to godless tyrants is one thing. Choosing men or women who give every indication that they will be godless tyrants who won’t protect the innocent or punish the evildoer but will do just the opposite—that’s another thing entirely. Have nothing to do with such choices, with such elections. Leave it in God’s hands, and don’t be afraid. Instead, as the Psalm says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

So render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. But above all, for the remainder of this passing election cycle, for the remainder of our country’s existence, for the remainder of your short life here on earth, remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead and now sits at God’s right hand, reigning over every nation of the earth for the good of those who love Him. And also remember St. Paul’s words to the Philippians: Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Amen.

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Sermon for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity

Philippians 1:3-11  +  Matthew 18:23-35

Today’s Gospel is not difficult—at least, not difficult to understand. It’s very simple. It’s about forgiveness. The world has many things to teach about forgiveness. It’s like that quote that’s floating around out there: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

That sounds nice, doesn’t it? It was actually written by a rather famous Christian author. But it’s completely wrong! It’s a bunch of psychobabble. People tell you you’re supposed to forgive people for the good it will do…you! How self-serving is that? They tell you that you’re just supposed to go around forgiving everyone who has harmed you, so that you can feel better about yourself. Christian friends, that is not the pattern of forgiveness set for in the Holy Scriptures.

Matthew 18 has a lot to say about forgiveness. Jesus begins by pointing out how terrible it is to sin against another person, especially “one of these little ones.” Better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea than to cause one of them to sin. Better to chop off your hand or foot or pluck out your eye than to allow yourself to be led into sin.

But, then Jesus describes how eager God is to have sinners back in His kingdom. He goes searching for the lost sheep and rejoices to bring it home. He wants to forgive sinners and doesn’t want any of them to perish.

But wanting to forgive and forgiving are not the same thing. God wants to forgive everyone. He is merciful toward everyone. But He has set a pattern for how He goes about forgiving. He preaches His Law. He shows the sinner his fault. He preaches His Gospel, pointing the sinner to Christ Jesus, who suffered for all sins on the cross, calling sinners to believe in Christ for forgiveness. Where there is repentance and faith in Christ, God forgives sins for the sake of Christ. But where there is no repentance or faith, God does not forgive sins, for as much as He wants to, for as much as His merciful heart desires that all men should come to repentance and be forgiven.

That is the pattern of forgiveness set by God Himself. And Jesus goes on in Matthew 18 to show His disciples how we, too, are to imitate this pattern with one another—with our brothers, our fellow Christians, when they sin against us. Show your brother his fault. If he repents, forgive him. If he won’t repent, keep trying to get him to repent by confronting him with one or two others. If he still won’t repent, keep trying to get him to repent by taking the matter to the Church. And if he won’t listen to the Church, then “let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”

Fine. The pattern is set. But then, in the words right before our Gospel, Peter suggests that there may be a loophole in the pattern. Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? In other words, what if this whole pattern plays out seven times. Seven times my brother sins against me, hurts me, causes me pain. Seven times I confront my brother with his sin. Seven times he repents. And seven times I forgive him. Isn’t that already going above and beyond? Haven’t I done more than enough in forgiving him seven times? After that, should I (may I please?) tell him he’s reached his quota of forgiveness and then be done with him?

Jesus’ answer? I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. In other words, you shall never refuse to forgive your brother, if he repents! Far be it from you to withhold forgiveness from the penitent! And then He tells the parable that drives this pattern home.

The king wants to settle accounts with his servants. He brings in the one who owes him 10,000 talents—an astronomical figure, let’s call it the equivalent of $150 million. The king demands payment, and severe punishment if payment can’t be made. That’s the Law, telling the sinner he has sinned against God and must suffer eternal death, because he can never repay his debt.

The servant begs for patience on the king’s part and promises to pay it all back. That’s repentance and faith. The sinner acknowledges the enormous debt he owes. He knows he deserves to be thrown in prison forever, because he can’t pay his debt. But Jesus has died, the Righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. He offers His righteousness and His own blood as the payment for our sins, and says to us, “Here, use this! Use this to settle accounts with My Father, the King! He will accept this payment, because it’s the reason why I was sent in the first place, to give My life as the payment for sins, so that all you debtors might have something to pay back your debts with. Not with your own money, not with your own works, but with My works and with My blood.”

The King has compassion and forgives the entire debt. The sinner no longer has to suffer anything in punishment for his sins. The sinner no longer has to come up with his own with his own atonement, because the Father accepts the atonement made by Christ and applies it to the sinner’s account. You no longer owe anything. You’re free to go, free to live as children of God. There it is: the pattern of forgiveness.

But the pattern breaks down when the forgiven servant leaves the presence of the king. It starts out the same; the servant finds a fellow servant—his brother in Christ—who owes him a hundred denarii—let’s say $5,000, which is nothing compared to the $150 million that the first servant owed the king. But the servant doesn’t just demand repayment. He laid hands on his fellow servant and took him by the throat. Already you see a great difference between the behavior of this servant and the behavior of the king. The servant is not just angry. He’s enraged. He’s not desiring the repentance of his fellow servant, but wants to see him burn.

Now, the fellow servant begs for patience and time to repay, just as the first servant begged the king. The man’s brother is sorry for having sinned against him. He admits his fault. He asks for a chance to make it up to him.

But the first servant refuses and throws his fellow servant in prison. No mercy. No compassion. No desire to forgive. And no forgiveness given.

What happens to that unmerciful, unforgiving servant? The king is informed of the servant’s behavior and is appalled by it. ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

You can’t reject the pattern of forgiveness toward your fellow Christian and at the same time keep enjoying the pattern of forgiveness for yourself. Your brother’s sins against you may be serious. They may hurt. (Or sometimes, they may not be very serious at all and yet you’re still inclined to take offense and stay angry and to refuse forgiveness!) In any case, Jesus puts it in perspective for you. Your sins against God cannot be counted, cannot be measured. They are far more serious than anything any man could do to you. Take the most heinous crime a human being can commit against another human being, and then realize, your crimes, your trespasses against God, in His judgment, are many thousands of times worse than that, to use Jesus’ analogy. Your only hope of salvation is in the mercy of God and in the pattern of forgiveness He Himself has established and embraced.

That pattern never fails, because God never changes. It must not fail for you, either. So if your brother has sinned against you and you realize that you have had no desire for your brother to repent, no desire to forgive him for the wrong he’s done to you, if you realize that you have been withholding forgiveness from your brother who is penitent, then turn from your impenitence, from your hardness of heart, before it’s too late, and take refuge in the blood of Christ, which was shed just as must for your sins as for your brother’s sins. Take Jesus’ warning seriously. Take the pattern of forgiveness seriously. Because already in Holy Baptism your debts were cleared. And here in the Gospel, here in the Sacrament, full and free forgiveness of all your debts is offered to you again today. Go forward with it in peace, and take care to put it into practice with one another. Amen.

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Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 5:15-21  +  Matthew 22:1-14

The Lord Christ compares eternal life to a wedding feast, prepared by God, the King. Would you like to come? I’ve been sent to invite you again today, to call you to this wedding feast. Wherever you find yourself among the various groups of people mentioned in today’s parable, know for certain that where God wants you to be is in His wedding hall, seated at the table, and wearing, by faith, the wedding garment of Christ when He comes at the Last Day to see the guests. If you’re hearing this invitation, this call, then you can be certain of what God wants for you and of what God has done for you so that you can attend His eternal feast.

But understand this: Many are called, but few are chosen. There are many ways for the called to miss out on the wedding feast, and many will miss out. But there’s only one way for the called to be found also among the chosen, among the elect, and out of all those who were called, few will find it. Jesus describes all of that for us in today’s parable of the wedding feast.

The doctrine of “election”—the teaching of Scripture that, before the foundation of the earth was laid, God foreknew, predestined and chose or “elected” the individuals who would be eternally saved—often troubles people. It’s hard to understand, and it’s easy for people to stray into false teaching as they try to delve too deeply into God’s eternal counsel and will. Jesus gives us the perfect way to understand the doctrine in today’s parable, and if you stick with this parable, you’ll never go astray.

God, the King, wanted His wedding hall, His heavenly kingdom, to be filled with guests. That alone is remarkable, because no one is worthy to stand before God. Sin has corrupted our race beyond repair and separated us from God.

But the wedding itself is God’s way of making things right. He wedded His eternal Son to human flesh, uniting God and Man in one single Person—a perfect Person, a sinless Man. Today’s parable doesn’t go into everything that Christ did for us in humbling Himself, obeying His Father’s will, giving His life on the cross for the world’s sins and rising again. It simply sets forth Christ, the God-Man, as the reason why there is this wedding feast to which guests are invited. God Himself has prepared this wedding, so that sinful men might be reconciled to Him through His Son, to enjoy eternal life with Him in Paradise.

So He sent out messengers to invite many guests to this wedding. He sent prophets. He sent apostles. He still sends ministers of the Word to proclaim, “All things are ready. Come to the wedding!” Christ has come! God and Man are one. He is the propitiation, not only for our sins, but for the sins of the world.

But to “come to the wedding” means you can’t stay where you are. To come to the wedding means to repent of your sins, to believe in Christ Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins, and to amend your sinful life. And that is something that most of those who hear the Gospel-call are not willing to do. “They were not willing to come.”

You see, people are happy to worship a god of their own making. They’re happy to mold god into their own image and believe in him. But tell them that they’re not OK as they are, that they’re sinful and corrupt, that they can’t do whatever feels right, that the only way to be reconciled with God is through repentance and faith in Christ as Christ reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures, and they are not willing to come.

Now, the King does not give them only one opportunity. When the first messengers returned empty-handed, the King again sent out other messengers to call the guests. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. Some people simply don’t have time for God, don’t care about His Gospel. Others persecute and kill the messengers, like the Pharisees during Holy Week, like the Jews who persecuted the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles, like the Roman emperors who threw the Christians to the lions, like the Roman papacy that mocked and persecuted preachers of the Gospel at the time of the Reformation, like Islamic terrorists and ISIS operatives who behead, burn alive, and crucify Christians, like the abortion lobby and the LGBT lobby who try to silence Christians by threats and by intimidation.

But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. This will be the certain end of those who despise the Gospel. But notice, it’s not because the King never wanted them to come to His wedding, to receive forgiveness. He wanted them to come. He invited them to come. But they resisted His Holy Spirit, who was calling them through the Word. They chose to remain in darkness and in death. Their destruction was their own fault.

Even then, the King doesn’t give up on the wedding feast. He sends out still more servants to call still more people, from the highways and byways, everyone whom they find, preaching the Gospel “to every creature,” as Jesus commanded His apostles, “both bad and good,” as the parable says. What comforting words of grace! Because no one is excluded from this invitation. No one is too bad, so that God doesn’t want him at the feast. And no one is so good that he is doing just fine where he is; everyone needs to be saved by faith alone in Christ.

So whoever hears this invitation should know that God truly wants him at the feast and is extending a valid invitation to it through His ministers, whom He has sent out. When you hear God’s ministers calling you to repentance, calling you to faith in Christ, pronouncing absolution, the forgiveness of your sins, you have Jesus’ word that their message comes from the King Himself.

Even then, of course, no one could accept the invitation on his own. Even that is the work of God’s Holy Spirit, who always and only works through the preaching of the Word, to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify; and who seals His invitation with the Sacraments, so that each one who is baptized, each one who receives the body and blood of Christ, should be certain that God the Holy Spirit is sincere in the grace He offers in Christ Jesus.

Many of those who are called are not willing to come to the wedding feast. Many are made willing to come by the working of the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace. But the parable also tells of some who have the appearance of one who has come to the wedding, who look like Christians on the outside, who call themselves Christians and go to church. But even so, they are not dressed in the wedding garment. And so, when the King comes at the end, He will easily identify these people as the hypocrites they are and will say to them, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What is this wedding garment? As Paul writes to the Galatians, You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The only garment, the only attire that makes a person pleasing to God is Christ, whom we “put on” by Holy Baptism. Not Baptism, and then you’re good to go forever, whether or not you continue in faith. But Baptism, combined with faith; Baptism as the promise of God’s forgiveness for the sake of Christ, which we are to continually grasp by faith. This is the wedding garment that God Himself provides. Those who are found wearing it when He comes will enjoy eternal life at the heavenly wedding feast. These are the “chosen,” those whom God elected in eternity to be partakers of eternal life. Those who are found without it will be cast out into outer darkness forever.

So when you consider the doctrine of “election,” you see that it does not good to try to look back into eternity to speculate about whether or not you’re among the elect. Stick with the parable. If you hear God’s minister calling out to you to “come to the wedding,” to repent and believe the Gospel, then know for certain that God Himself is calling, inviting, persuading, convincing you to come, because all things are ready. He has given Christ for the sins of the world, and now gives Him to you to be your Savior. He planned this wedding feast for you in eternity and also planned exactly how and when He would send His minister to you, to call you.

Now, do you want nothing to do with repentance and the forgiveness of sins through Christ? Then you shouldn’t consider yourself among the elect—not because God didn’t want you to be saved or because God didn’t give His Son for your sins, or because God’s invitation is less than sincere, but only because you yourself are refusing His invitation.

Or, has God’s call led you to sorrow over your sins and to desire a place at His wedding feast, to look to Christ crucified, true God and true Man, for forgiveness? Then you should count yourself among those whom God has elected, called, and justified, and know that He prepared in eternity everything that you would need for your salvation, including the sending of His Son, including the Gospel call, including your justification through faith, including all the troubles and crosses you would bear in this life, including your prayers for help that He will surely hear and answer, including the continued preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments by which means He intends to strengthen you in your struggle against the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh, and to keep you dressed in the wedding garment of faith until He comes.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. Amen.