Pentecost 5 - Proper 10

July 14, 2019

Pentecost 5 -Proper 10

Luke 10:25–37

“You are loved”

  

 [1]

Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. [2] 

Two questions. Stand as bookends for us today. The first. Is asked by an expert in the Law. The second. Is asked by Jesus. Jesus responds in both instances with a mandate. “This do.” 

The one proficient in the Law asked, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Oh yes, he was skillful in the Law of God. He interpreted it correctly. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”   To which Jesus replies, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Now it is Jesus’ turn to ask a question. “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” And the response, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

The righteous requirements of the Law - still remain a mandate. Jesus did not come to eliminate the law but to fulfill it. 

Says the Savior, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”   -Matthew 5:17-20 “Do all this and you will live.”

The popular phrase, "Be a Good Samaritan" is meant to motivate you to help someone you do not want to bother with. It sounds clever. But, more times than not, it is a burden. Most times, you help the person you do not always desire or want to. Their lack of appreciation and demand for more can be defeating and exhausting. It can leave you feeling you were right after all. That you shouldn't have even tried. More than exhausting. It leads many to give up. [3]  Sadly, in this American culture, most are motivated to serve only to impress the people they really cannot stand! 

So it is with any motivation from the Law. It reveals our sin. “But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” The path into hell is always paved with good intentions. The Old Adam in us is still trying self-justification.

Jesus, though. Did not come teaching lessons like the Good Samaritan to inspire you on how to live a better life but to reveal that we simply can't. But once you realize that. Your Savior then desires to show your repentant heart what He has done to free you and forgive you.

Jesus truly helped all. Only He was the "Good Samaritan." As the Son of God. He was the only one who could be. His greatest act of love proves it to be the case. Jesus offered His life in exchange for yours. He took all your sins as His own. He paid their full price on His cross. In exchange. He gives you everything.  The forgiveness of sins. And eternal life. He then gives you opportunities to help and serve your neighbor in love. 

The Christian life is not mere theory. It is faith always active in love toward the neighbor. God does not need your good works. Your neighbor, however, always will. Thus, the Savior gives you opportunities to love and serve your neighbor. As Jesus says in our Gospel today – “To show mercy!”  Not motivated for some righteous reward. Rather. He gives you a servant’s heart. And places opportunities before you. To be salt and light in this world. 

Dr. King put it best when he said,

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” [4]

“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” It is, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

[1.]   Google Image, “The Good Samaritan” by Aime Morot LeBon

[2.]  Collect for Proper 10 Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis 
[3]  Pr. Tim Daub, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Hecla, South Dakota

[4.] Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 'The Drum Major Instinct' delivered at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, February 4, 1968

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Words – 910

Passive Sentences –3% 

Readability – 82.3%

Reading Level- 4.2

Pentecost 5 - mid-week

Luke 9:18-24
When it comes to the confession of Jesus Christ, two patterns of faith emerge from our text; one for the Savior the other for the believer. The Savior has provided for us a pattern of faith. It was and is a way of living, believing and acting out our faith. It is a pattern for the Savior and also for every single believer. These words of the Savior are very familiar to us. Lets see how the play out this morning.
I. For the Savior – Jesus reminds us that The Son of Man must-
A. Suffer many things. The sufferings Jesus were not limited to what He endured on the bloody and cruel cross. His entire life was that of enduring suffering. He endured suffering to identify with you. Sometimes it might feel as if you are suffering alone. Not so! Your Savior knows your plight. He knows your situation, and you are not alone by any stretch of the imagination.
B. Be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. The pattern of faith for the Savior was to be rejected by the Elders, priests, and teachers of the Law. Why? Because they had developed a pattern of faith, in which, they were more interested in form rather then faith. They were more interested in ritual rather then in relationships. They were more interested in legislation rather then love.
C. He must be killed. The pattern of faith for the Savior was that He must be killed. The reason Jesus came into this world was that He would carry out the burden of redeeming us to Himself. It was the only way to win for us salvation. You can be assured of your salvation.
Illustration: You might remember the hit song It had as the refrain: I’m all yours- signed, sealed delivered. How do you know that your salvation is complete? How can you know that “it’s all yours?” We know it is ours for our salvation was signed, sealed, delivered. It was signed in Jesus’ blood. It was sealed in Jesus’ cross; it was delivered to you in God’s Holy Word.
D. On the 3rd day Jesus must be raised to life. The pattern of faith for the Savior was to rise from the dead on the 3rd day. This is at the core of everything Christianity stands for is in relation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remove from the equation the resurrection and you have nothing. The resurrection of Jesus Christ and His appearance to individuals for a 40 day period of time is on what the Christian faith will stand or fall.
Transition: There is a pattern of faith for the Savior. There is a pattern of faith for the believer. Jesus says if any would come after Me He first must:
II. For the Believer – If any man would come after me
A. He must deny himself. This runs contrary to the conventional thinking of this world today. In our world what is really important and what gains all of the focus are three little words, Me, Myself and I. In our world today it’s all about the self, it’s all about Me with each promoting their own agendas, their own plans, their own ideas. Yet, John the Baptist wound remind us, “I must decrease while He must increase.”
B. Take up His cross. The pattern of Faith calls for the believer to take up his cross daily. This calls for us to submit to the Father’s will. To identify with Jesus in our sufferings is to think more of Him and only of Him. Christ must be at the center of all that we do. Best summed up in the hymn; “Jesus I my cross have taken all to leave and follow thee; Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my All shalt be. Perish every found ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known; Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still mine own.” [TLH #423]
C. Follow Me. The 3rd pattern of Faith is for the believer to follow Jesus. “Let us ever walk with Jesus, Follow His example pure, Flee the world, which would deceive us, And to sin our souls allure. Ever in His footsteps treading, Body here, yet soul above, Full of faith and hope and love, Let us do the Father’s bidding. Faithful Lord, abide with me; Savior, lead, I follow Thee.” [TLH #409]
There is a pattern of faith for the Savior and also for the believer perfectly outlined in these two powerful verses. May this be our pattern of living. In the Savior’s Name. Amen

Pentecost 5 - Proper 9

Grant, Lord, that the course of this world may be so governed by Your direction that Your Church may rejoice in serving You in godly peace and quietness.

In Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth the people take offense at Him. The religious community had already written Him off. Now His friends and relative – the people from His own hometown will reject Him too. These people were astonished at His teaching and His words. They could not explain His greatness. They referred to Him as they knew Him as a carpenter, the son of Mary along with his brothers and sisters. Unable to explain Him, they took offense or were scandalized by Him. A prophet is without honor among His own people.

That was then, this is now. What sort of reception does Jesus receive today? Those who can’t figure Jesus out, who are unable to get the explanation they want take offense of Jesus and His followers. It was a sad day for the people of Nazareth; it remains a sad day whenever someone rejects the Savior and His message of grace.

1. The Source of the scandal, of course is sin.
A. The result of our own pride: we can not take credit for Jesus’ gifts.
B. Our self-centered desires: we demand that God conform to our expectations of Him.
C. How often have we heard statements such as “I would believe in a god who…” I would not choose a god who is not damming or judgmental”?

The best way to describe the people’s reaction of Jesus’ words Mark uses the word “astonished”. It wasn’t that these folks were amazed, one way or the other. There was a spontaneous mixture of emotions. Not purely positive but not necessarily negative either. They were, astonished. But then they got to thinking. Who is this? Where did He get this knowledge? What kind of wisdom is given to this one? They were filled with “surprised consternation”. They did not know what to make of Him. They had known Jesus their entire life. They could not accept Jesus doing and saying these things in His own right. Knowing that they could not take credit of the success of this native son, they would not even consider God as the obvious source. Unbelief, suspicion, pride, and arrogance are all taking up room in this house of prayer in Nazareth.

2. The Object of this scandal: the marvelous commonness of God’s gracious ways in which He is found.
A. Jesus Christ, the carpenter, the son of Mary.
B. His choices of visitation:
1. Bethlehem to town of his birth
2. Nazareth the place he was raised, where everyone knew Him.
3. For us today: “the Four W’s”
a. Word
b. Water
c. Wafer
d. Wine
C. His choice of you and me, our witnessing, our living in the community, “prophets in our own country.”

3. The Effects of this scandal: amazement leading to:
A. Rejection of grace resulting in judgment.
B. Faith in and wonder at the mystery of this man Jesus of Nazareth and of His cross (INRI), resulting in your salvation.

Have courage then to proclaim the undiluted scandal of the uncommonly common God-man Jesus Christ, the source of salvation, faith, and continued blessings.

Time in the Word Pentecost 5 - Proper 9

Time in the Word June 29 – July 3 2009
Proper 9 Preparation for next week, The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

The theme for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9) will focus upon the word of the minister (prophet) His work of proclamation is very difficult due to the unreceptive attitude of the people to whom he is sent to preach. Even Jesus in the Gospel lesson didn’t do a good work in His home town because the people do not believe in Him. Ezekiel is called (Old Testament lesson) to preach to a people whom God describes as “impudent and stubborn.” Paul, (in the Epistle lesson) prays to have a thorn removed that he might be more effective in his ministry, but the request is denied. We are blessed with pastor and people work in harmony and peace. Yet we live in a broken world. May we pray the Spirit’s help to always be open and receptive to the preaching of God’s holy Word.

Monday, 29 June 2009—Psalm 132:13-16; Antiphon, Psalm 34:8— David reminds us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” The circumstances surrounding each of our lessons for next week might suggest that all is not well. Yet the Psalmist reminds us that our Lord’s care for His people goes beyond circumstance. He is our Lord in good times and in stressful times. He is with us when we are successful in life and when there are objects “in our road”. Despite obstacles to ministry the Lord’s church moves forward. As we see the Lord active in His church and in the individual lives of His people we can join with the Psalmist and say, “taste and see that the Lord is good!”

Tuesday, 30 June 2009—Psalm 123—This Psalm of David is a prayer of God’s humble people for Him to show mercy and so foil the contempt of the proud. There are many obstacles to ministry in this world. This earth is fallen. Yet despite obstacles the Lord has not left His church to ruin nor has He turned His back on us. To the contrary this psalm speaks of God’s control of the universe, His church and His people. Fare thee well child of God the Lord remains constant regardless of the contempt and ridicule the world might bring upon us.

Wednesday, 1 July 2009—Ezekiel 2:1-5— Obstacles to ministry may occur with the rebelliousness of God’s people. Ezekiel receives the Spirit and is sent to preach to a rebellious people. In this passage Ezekiel is commissioned to go to the exiles in Babylon to preach God’s Word. To do this he is empowered by the Spirit. The Lord warns him that the people may not listen to his preaching because they are a rebellious people. It is not important whether his preaching is accepted. At least, they will hear God’s Word and know a prophet was with them. Application to our day? How do you want people to respond to you? Would you rather be accepted or respected? What’s the difference? Which of the two is more difficult and why?

Thursday, 2 July 2009—2 Corinthians 12:1-10— Obstacles to ministry may occur with the handicap of the preacher. Paul is promised grace to bear his thorn in the flesh. Paul is fed up with his opponents who cast doubt on his apostleship and boast about their work and religious experiences. This lesson is a part of the “terrible letter” (chapters 10-12) in which Paul makes a heated defense of his apostleship.

If his opponents can boast of their accomplishments, he can, too. This passage is part of his boasting. Paul claims he, too, has had an abundance of revelations, but to keep him humble God gave him a thorn in the flesh. Repeatedly he prayed to have it removed, but God assured him His grace was enough to bear it. Now Paul boasts of his weaknesses, handicaps, and sufferings, for through these weaknesses the power of Christ comes upon him. Americans love winners. There is an aversion in our day to weakness, pain, and suffering. Where are you weak? When has God said “no” to your prayers only to say “My grace is sufficient”? What life lessons can we gain through suffering, setback and loss?

Friday, 3 July 2009—Mark 6:1–13—The rejection by one’s own people. Obstacles to ministry may occur with rejection. Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth takes offense at Him and His work. Earlier Jesus was rejected by His family and religious leaders. Now He is rejected by the people (friends and relatives) of His home town, Nazareth. They were astonished at His teaching and mighty works. They could not explain His greatness; they referred to Him as a carpenter and as the son of Mary along with brothers and sisters. Unable to explain Him, they took offense or were scandalized by Him. Jesus reacted by saying that a prophet was without honor among His own people. He was unable to do mighty works because of the people’s unbelief. So Jesus left with His disciples to teach in other towns. Tomorrow we celebrated our country’s independence. America has been blessed by God in that given our representative form of democracy and our rights to practice our faith as outlines in the constitution the Gospel has had free reign. Not all however is will within our country. Many would want to stifle the Gospel. We have no guarantee that America will last forever. The Lord could allow the Gospel to flourish in another place. Many of our Lutheran forefathers (and others) came to America to escape religious persecution happening in Europe. If the church in America received the same reception as did the Savior in His hometown would many simply stop coming? How do some today practice their faith because it is convenient?

Saturday, 4 July 2009— Luke 1:78-79 The first stanza of Sunday’s hymn of the day, O Christ, Our True and Only Light (LSB 839), asks the Savior to enlighten those who sit in night. There are many today missing from the Father’s table because they sit in ignorance. They know nothing of the saving work of Jesus Christ. While there are obstacles to ministry there are tremendous opportunities to witness in the midst of our nation’s heartland. As the Lord gives us opportunity may we “gossip the Gospel” that souls may be won and the kingdom expanded.

Collect for Pentecost 5—Grant Lord, that the course of this world may be so governed by Your direction that Your Church may rejoice in serving You in godly peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Collect for Proper 9 – O God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy. Grant us the fullness of Your grace that we may be called to repentance and made partakers of Your heavenly treasures; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Prayer in time of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for our country: Almighty God, You have given us this good land as our heritage. Grant that we remember Your generosity and constantly do Your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Make us who come from many nations with many different languages a untied people. Defend our liberties, and give those whom we have entrusted with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom that they may be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, let our hearts be thankful. In troubled times do not let our trust in You fail; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House and from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House.

Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut used with permission from WELS
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B – John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH