Proper 10 Series A

Proper 10 - Series A 

(16 July 2023) 

Isaiah 55:10–13

Romans 8:12–17

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

The Preaching of the Word of Christ Bears the Good Fruits of Faith and Love

As “the rain and the snow come down from heaven” and “water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout” (Is. 55:10), so the Word of God accomplishes the purpose for which He speaks it, granting joy and peace through the forgiveness of sins and producing the fruits of faith and love in those who are called by His name. Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word, has established the name of the Lord as “an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off” (Is. 55:13). He opens our ears to hear, our minds to understand and our hearts to believe His Word, lest the evil one come and snatch it away. He thus transforms our rocky hearts into good soil, which clings to the Gospel and “indeed bears fruit” (Matt. 13:23). He is Himself the firstfruits of all who “have received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Rom. 8:15). Thus being “led by the Spirit of God,” we are not afraid, but we cry out in faith to our Father in heaven (Rom. 8:14–15). For as we suffer with Christ, the beloved Son, so shall we “also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17).

Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and every hold fast to blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

A sower went out to sow. (Matthew 13:3)
Rev. Dr. Daniel J Brege

Through Isaiah God explains the success of His word by comparing it to the success of rain and snow in watering seed upon the earth.  He then promises, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (55:11). Though this chapter in Isaiah presents a different illustration than that in Sunday’s Gospel, yet both are illustrating the Word of God.  In Isaiah we realize the certainty that God’s Word will always succeed.  In Sunday’s Gospel, it appears as though the Word of God fails!

As we realize the Gospel is the best news the world will ever get, it is often discouraging when that Gospel is frequently ignored, rejected or even actively opposed.  Sadly some will not even listen to the Gospel, having rejected the Christian faith without even knowing what it is about.  It is perhaps even more disheartening to see young people joyfully speaking their vows of fidelity in the Rite of Confirmation, only to find them rejecting the faith later in life.  It is equally discouraging to observe an adult brought to faith and baptized, only to have a major problem in their congregation prompt them to say, “If this is what Christianity is about, I don’t want any part of it.”

Though laity are privileged to share the Gospel, and most who have shared the Gospel with family and friends will at some point experience some discouragement, yet pastors are uniquely discouraged when at times the work of their calling seems all for naught.   We are not speaking of those few pastors who fail to faithfully scatter the seed of the Gospel.  We speak of the many pastors who generously scatter the seed—both conscientious missionaries and pastors of congregations—but they do not see growth, and in fact some see numbers decreasing.  One temptation is to make the Gospel conform to the culture, but this is futile and in fact harmful to the work of the kingdom.

It is also tempting to believe the Gospel has lost its power, or that perhaps the statement in Isaiah’s prophecy—that the Word will always accomplish that for which God sent it—is misleading.  Neither of these is true.  On the soil of the heart that has been pulverized and plowed by God’s Law, the Gospel remains the power of God unto salvation, and truly it will always accomplish that for which God sent it. Those predestined in Christ to salvation will indeed be called to believe the Gospel (Rom 8:29,30).

In Sunday’s parable Jesus reminds us that anyone who scatters the seed of the Gospel must remember the great evil of this world.  Even as the cross is at the heart of the Gospel, so too the cross of Jesus starkly reminds us of the destructive schemes of the devil, the world and our flesh.  In His death Jesus had to first absorb the destructive designs of these tempters, so the Gospel could be created and then so it could have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of God’s people. This evil trio—devil, world and sinful flesh—wants nothing more than to destroy both the germination and the fruit-bearing of the Gospel.

Recall that it is God’s Gospel, it is God’s church and it is God who performs conversion.  St. Paul, using a seed illustration to describe the proclamation of the Gospel, succinctly reminds us of this reality:  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Co 3:6). So Pastors, teachers, parents and all others who are called upon to scatter the seed of the Gospel, do not be discouraged.  Evil may appear to dominate, but it has been defeated; the Word of the Cross remains the power of God unto salvation.  Keep scattering.

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

The Parable of the Sower 

v1 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν•

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

v 2 καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει.

And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.

v 3 καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων• Ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν.

 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.

v 4 καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτά.

And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

v 5 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς,

Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,

v 6 ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη.

but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.

v 7 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ ἔπνιξαν αὐτά.

Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

v 8 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατὸν ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα.

Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

v 9 ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.

He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

v 18 Ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος.

Hear then the parable of the sower: 

v 19 παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος, ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ ἁρπάζει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ• οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς.

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

v 20 ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν,

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,

v 21 οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστιν, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται.

 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

v 22 ὁ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων, καὶ ἡ μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου συμπνίγει τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 

v 23 ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιείς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὃ μὲν ἑκατὸν ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα.

As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software
ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Time in the Word - Proper 10

 July 10-15, 2023

The main theme of our readings for the coming week is the Word of God; nature is used to explain the Word. Like seed, the Word is scattered and is received by various kinds of hearers. As the rain and snow cause nature to produce, God’s Word also is certain to accomplish God’s purpose. The Epistle lesson gives us that purpose: the redemption of the whole creation. The suggested hymn of the day “Almighty God Your Word is Cast” (LSB #577) harmonizes with the theme of the Word.

Collect for Proper 10 – Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever.

A simple yet heartfelt Prayer – “Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another.”

For the work of the congregation – Almighty God and Lord, as You have called us to labor in Your vineyard, so grant us now Your presence. Enlighten and guide us by Your Word that in all matters of deliberation we may always consider the best interests of Your church and this congregation. Let Your Holy Spirit rule and direct our hearts that, in the spirit of Christian love, we may present and discuss matters and be kindly disposed toward one another, to the end that all we say and do may please You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A prayer before we study the Word – Almighty God, our heavenly Father, without Your help our labor is useless, and without Your light our search is in vain. Invigorate the study of Your holy Word that, by due diligence and right discernment, we may establish ourselves and others in Your holy faith.

Monday, July 10, 2023 – Psalm 103:15-19 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” This verse is a summation of the Father’s love and compassion for this fallen world. He desires not the death of the sinner but that all would come in repentance. He desires the redemption of all. Thus He plants the seeds of faith into our hearts that by His grace a harvest may come.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023– Isaiah 55:10-13 – God’s Word accomplishes His purpose.  The Word of God has within it an inherent, latent power. Jesus compared the Word to seed. A seed has within it the power of life, to break out of its shell and to grow into a plant. The Word, like a seed, has power to accomplish the purpose for which it was created and sent. It is a lively Word, a living Word. Herein is the secret of powerful preaching. Whenever the Word is proclaimed, the Word, finding fertile soil, will produce remarkable results by transforming lives and creating faith. The secret of great preaching is not in the preacher, not in his personality, wisdom, or techniques. For this reason, biblical preaching is the most effective kind of preaching.

Wednesday, July 12, 2023– Romans 8:12-17 –The purpose of God’s Word is redemption. Both creation and creatures groan for redemption. We can have both death and life in us. Though dead, we can live and though living we can be dead. There is one type of life — existence, the physical, natural, earthly life. It is the life of the flesh which results in sin and death. There is possibly another life. It is the one with God lived in faith. This life is the product of the Spirit received at baptism. Through baptism a person is born again in the Spirit, adopted as a child of God and now lives in the Spirit of righteousness. The new person knows he is related to God, because the Spirit witnesses to our spirits that we are God’s offspring.

Thursday, July 13, 2023 – Matthew 13:1-9 (18-23) –Various kinds of hearers of God’s Word are examined – the parable of the seed and sower. For an effective sermon it takes sower, seed, and soil. Apparently no fault can be found with the sower (Jesus), or with the seed (Word). The problem is with the soil (the hearer). Only the good soil brings a harvest. That may be the situation, but what can be done about the three kinds of soil that do not produce? The parable has nothing to say about this problem. It is simply stating a fact of reality. The preacher needs to be concerned about making good listeners out of his congregation.

Jesus said, “He who has ears....” Who does not have ears? The truth is proclaimed to all people regardless of condition of life. It reminds us that God desires all to be saved, all to have the good things of God’s grace. Christianity is a universal religion, a faith for every person. The responsibility to accept the Word is the hearer’s. If one rejects it, it is his own fault. It is not God’s will for any person to be ignorant of the truth or to be lost in his relationship with God.

Friday, July 14, 2023 –Psalm 65:1-13 – This Psalm is suggested for next Sunday. The key verse is verse 5, “By awesome deed Thou dost answer us in righteousness, O God our salvation. Thou who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea.”

Saturday, July 15, 2023 –Mark 4:3-9 – This passage is the inspiration for the hymn, “Almighty God, Your Word is Cast” {LSB 577}.  The sower goes out to sow his grain. God’s Word will work where it is planted. We trust Him to do His work. All He asks of us is to faithful in the sharing of Christ’s living Word.

Sources: 

LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, LECTIONALRY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES A © 1980 John Brokhoff CSS Publishing Lima, OH

Schnorr von Carolsfeld, woodcuts © WELS Permission to use these copyrighted items is limited to personal and congregational use.

Proper 10 Series C (July 10-16)

Proper 10 - Series C 

(July 10, 2022) 

Leviticus (18:1–5) 19:9–18

Colossians 1:1–14

Luke 10:25–37

Jesus Is Our Good Samaritan

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.

The Law commands that “you shall love the Lord your God” with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27), and that you shall “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Love fulfills the Law because love does no harm to the neighbor. Christ Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who with divine compassion saves you from all evil. He takes your sin and death upon Himself and bears these in His body to the cross. He binds up your wounds with the healing balm of His Gospel, and He brings you into His Church, where He takes care of you at His own expense (Luke 10:34–35). By such mercy, He proves “to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers” (Luke 10:36). Therefore, “you go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). By “your faith in Christ Jesus” and “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:4–5), you have the same love for others as the Lord Jesus has for you.

The popular phrase "Be a Good Samaritan" is meant to motivate you to help someone you don't want to. It sounds clever, but spiritually speaking, it is a burden. Most times you help the person you don't want to, their lack of appreciation and demand for more can be defeating and exhausting. It can leave you feeling you were right, that you shouldn't have. More than exhausting, it leads many to give up. So it is with any motivation from the Law: it reveals our sin.

Jesus, though, did not come teaching lessons like the Good Samaritan to inspire you how to live a good life but to reveal that we 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" we should be. 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, took all your sins away as His own, and paid their full price on His cross. In exchange, He gives you everything, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

- Pr. Tim Daub 

In telling the parable of The Good Samaritan Jesus appears to have made a tactical blunder.  Speaking to Jews, and particularly to a Jewish “lawyer”—who by definition was an authority on Jewish law—Jesus makes the merciful hero of his parable a Samaritan.  The “good guy” in the parable is neither the noble Jewish priest nor the official temple working Levite; the “good guy” is the despised Samaritan!

Though the Samaritans in Jesus’ day appeared to live as Jews in an area of the former “northern kingdom” of Israel—the area between the Jewish regions of Judea and Galilee—yet no Jew considered a Samaritan to be at all Jewish.  In fact there was a deep rift between Jews and Samaritans—and we are not speaking of a geographic rift.  Because of this rift the Samaritans had established their own temple on Mt. Gerazim while the Jews worshiped at God’s Temple in Jerusalem.

The rift began in Old Testament times when God sent judgment upon the hypocritical Jews and allowed their temple—His Temple—to be destroyed and most of the Jews deported to Babylon.  After 70 years of captivity in Babylon the now-repentant Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s Temple.  Jews who had not been deported and remained behind in the region of Samaria had intermarried with pagans, thus diluting, compromising or even destroying Jewish beliefs.  When the Jews returned to rebuild God’s Temple, the Samaritans asked to join them in the task.  When the Jews refused their proposed assistance, the Samaritans actually petitioned the king of Assyria to have the building of God’s Temple halted (Ezra 4)!  For over 400 years there was such bad blood between Jews and Samaritans that for a Jew to call someone a “Samaritan” was tantamount to cursing him.

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well, the Apostle John interjected the explanation, “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” (Jn. 4:9b).  And when the truth spoken by Jesus rubbed the Jewish leaders the wrong way they cursed Him by saying, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (Jn. 8:48).  Interestingly Jesus would deny having a demon but he would not deny the appellation of Samaritan.

Though fully Jewish, fully obeying all of God’s laws, yet Jesus is the Samaritan.   He would take the position of the hated and cursed man. He would thus be despised and rejected of men, the man of sorrows who journeys to the cross for mankind’s salvation.  The crucified Jesus—who thus associated with the broken, forsaken and dying people of this world—now reaches out to just such people. Jesus, not the Jewish priest or Levite, would be the one to show mercy to beaten, robbed and left-for-dead humanity.  Only Jesus could apply the sin-healing balm of His Word, including the oil of Baptism and the wine of the Lord’s Supper.  Only Jesus would carry His enemy to the “inn” of the church, and there He would provide for continued sustenance and healing.  Only Jesus is truly the Good Samaritan.

After Jesus had accomplished mankind’s salvation the Gospel would spread from Jerusalem to Samaria, and the forensically justified people of God would come to realize that the gospel of Jesus heals the rift between Jew and Samaritan—and in fact all feuds and racial rifts are healed as people are united in the crucified and risen “Samaritan”.   He showed mercy and now in Him we do likewise, finding in the downtrodden Jesus Himself.
- Pr. Daniel J Brege

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

:25 Καὶ ἰδοὺ νομικός τις ἀνέστη ἐκπειράζων αὐτὸν λέγων• Διδάσκαλε, τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω;

 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 

26 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν• Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τί γέγραπται; πῶς ἀναγινώσκεις;

 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 

27 ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν• Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης]τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ἰσχύϊ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.

 And he answered, “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.”

28 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ• Ὀρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης• τοῦτο ποίει καὶ ζήσῃ.

And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

 The righteous requirements of the Law still remain a mandate. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.  See Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus is not an antinomian. “Do this and you will live.” 

29 Ὁ δὲ θέλων δικαιῶσαι ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν• Καὶ τίς ἐστίν μου πλησίον;

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

 θέλων δικαιῶσαι ἑαυτὸν The path into hell is always paved with good intentions. The Old Adam in us is still trying self-justification. 

30 ὑπολαβὼν]δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν• Ἄνθρωπός τις κατέβαινεν ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἰς Ἰεριχὼ καὶ λῃσταῖς περιέπεσεν, οἳ καὶ ἐκδύσαντες αὐτὸν καὶ πληγὰς ἐπιθέντες ἀπῆλθον ἀφέντες ἡμιθανῆ.

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 κατὰ συγκυρίαν δὲ ἱερεύς τις κατέβαινεν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀντιπαρῆλθεν•

 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

32 ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Λευίτης κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ἀντιπαρῆλθεν

So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. . 

33 Σαμαρίτης δέ τις ὁδεύων ἦλθεν κατ’ αὐτὸν καὶ ἰδὼν ἐσπλαγχνίσθη,

But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

ἐσπλαγχνίσθη - from the ”inward parts” or “guts.”  The verb suggests being moved from the innermost core of one’s being.  A gut-wrenching stomach churning form of mercy.  This is Jesus, who sees sheep without a shepherd  Matthew 9:36; who cares for the sick - Mark 14:14; and the widow -  Luke 7:14.

In the parables Jesus is the forgiving king -  Matthew 18:27, the father of the prodigal -  Luke 15:20; the Samaritan :33. He’s moved in his very bowels with compassion, the giver of gut-wrenching compassion.

34 καὶ προσελθὼν κατέδησεν τὰ τραύματα αὐτοῦ ἐπιχέων ἔλαιον καὶ οἶνον, ἐπιβιβάσας δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον κτῆνος ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς πανδοχεῖον καὶ ἐπεμελήθη αὐτοῦ.

He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35 καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον ἐκβαλὼν [l]δύο δηνάρια ἔδωκεν τῷ πανδοχεῖ καὶ εἶπεν• Ἐπιμελήθητι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅ τι ἂν προσδαπανήσῃς ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί με ἀποδώσω σοι. 

And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer

36 τίς τούτων τῶν τριῶν πλησίον δοκεῖ σοι γεγονέναι τοῦ ἐμπεσόντος εἰς τοὺς λῃστάς; 

 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 

37 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν• Ὁ ποιήσας τὸ ἔλεος μετ’ αὐτοῦ. εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς• Πορεύου καὶ σὺ ποίει ὁμοίως.

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

 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. 

Footnotes:

LCMS Lectionary notes and summaries © 2019

Collect for Proper 10 Lutheran Service Book © 20006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Google image "The Good Samaritan" by Aime  Morot LeBon

Time in the Word - Proper 10

Time in the Word

04-09 July 2022
Preparation for next week, Pentecost 5 – Proper 10
Fellowship with the Divine

Jesus Is Our Good Samaritan

The Law commands that “you shall love the Lord your God” with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27), and that you shall “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Love fulfills the Law because love does no harm to the neighbor. Christ Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who with divine compassion saves you from all evil. He takes your sin and death upon Himself and bears these in His body to the cross. He binds up your wounds with the healing balm of His Gospel, and He brings you into His Church, where He takes care of you at His own expense (Luke 10:34–35). By such mercy, He proves “to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers” (Luke 10:36). Therefore, “you go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). By “your faith in Christ Jesus” and “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:4–5), you have the same love for others as the Lord Jesus has for you.

For guidance in our calling: Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but on that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For steadfast faith: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in the faith to the end and finally come to love everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

For newness of life in Christ: Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon ourselves the armor of light now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility, that in the Last Day, when He shall come again to glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Monday, 04 July 2022—Psalm 136:23-26, antiphon Psalm 136:1 - Psalm 136 seems to be an expansion of Psalm 135, about God’s mighty works of Creation and in His dealings with Israel, arranged for antiphonal singing. The phrase “His mercy endures forever” occurs in every verse. It is called a “Hallel” Psalm, was sung at the opening of the Passover, and was a favorite Temple Song (see 1 Chronicles 16:41; 2 Chronicles 7:3; 20:21; Ezra 3:11) The description of God’s great works in creation (Vv.4-9) and in history (Vv.10-24) alternate with the people’s refrain to God’s unchanging timeless love.

Tuesday, 05 July 2022—Psalm 41— This psalm is David’s pray for mercy when he was seriously ill. His enemies greet the prospect of his death with malicious glee. Even his once close friends betray his friendship see verse 9. Psalm 41 concludes a collection of four psalms connected by common themes, and also form the conclusion to the first section of the book of Psalms. (Psalms 1- 41) In its structure, the psalm is very symmetrical, composed of four stanzas of three verses each. The first and fourth stanzas frame the prayer with a note of confidence; stanzas two and three elaborate the prayer. Verse 13 is a doxology that closes Book I.

Wednesday, 06 July 2022— Leviticus 19:9-18 - Obedience demanded from the Lord your God. Notice throughout the Old Testament reading that the people are reminded, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 18:1) God’s people are given instructions concerning a morality reflecting God’s holiness. God was preparing His people for a life different from their pagan neighbors, whose life-style was deplorably immoral. Our lesson is an expansion of the Ten Commandments as the Lord gives detail as to how and why we must live. We live in obedience because of the relationship with have been given with our God.

Thursday, 07 July 2022—Colossians 1:1-14— Obedience pleases God. In daily life we are accustomed to being transferred, and with each transfer we hope it means a promotion with larger salary. We may transfer schools. We may get a transfer at work from one department to another one. The company may transfer us to another city. In our Epistle Paul talks about the greatest transfer of all: from darkness to the light of God’s kingdom.

Everyone needs this transfer because we are born into the world of sin and need to be delivered. Has this transfer taken place in your life?

Friday, 08 July 2022—Luke 10:25-37 - Obedience leads to eternal life. The common understanding of a neighbor is one who lives close to you in a neighborhood. In today’s world this is not necessarily the case. Many do not even know even the name of the family who lives in the apartment down the hall, nor the couple living in the adjoining townhouse. Using this definition of “neighbor,” the lawyer was sure he was exempt from the law to love your neighbor. In the parable, Jesus gives a new understanding of a neighbor; he is one who is in need of your assistance given out of love.

 
Saturday, 09 July 2022 - Romans 3:23-25 –The great hymn of faith “By Grace I’m Saved” (LSB 566). The glory God intended man to be is the glory that man had before the fall. (See Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:5-6; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10. Believers in Christ will again have this glory through faith in Jesus Christ. (See Hebrews 2:5-9)

Sources:

Woodcut by Baron Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, Das Buch der Bücher in Bilden [The Book of Books in Pictures]) ©WELS.

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House
Collect for Eighth Sunday after Pentecost from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House

LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES C John Brokhoff © 1979 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH

Concordia Self Study Bible © 1886 Concordia Publishing House

Proper 10 - Series B

Proper 10 Series B

For July 11, 2021

Related Scripture Readings

Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14

Collect for Proper 10 - Lord, You granted Your prophets strength to resist the temptations of the devil and courage to proclaim repentance. Give us pure hearts and minds to follow Your Son faithfully even into suffering and death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives, and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Out of the Depths

Rev. Dr. Daniel J Brege

“And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison.”  Mark 6:27

Arguably Martin Luther’s favorite Psalm was 130.  The last verse of this Psalm predicts the Savior with these words: And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities [v 8].  This verse not only encapsulates the message of the entire Old Testament, it also explains and supports the preceding verses of this Psalm. 

Verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 130 form a powerful cry of lamentation:  Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!  Every Christian either has expressed or will express such a cry to one degree or another.  Some individuals experience the depths of pain, misery, frustration, loss of bodily functions, economic loss and even a degree of despair, more than others; but all feel it.  Because of the fallenness of this world, every non-Christian and yes, every Christian groans in this realm ruled by the Prince of Darkness. 

John the Baptist went down into the depths quite deep.  He had been imprisoned, and the torture of such damp, dark, coarse imprisonment often resulted in death, and just the imprisonment would have generated the cry, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!” Certainly it was the Psalms of lamentation—such as Psalm 130—that were in the mind and on the lips of The Baptist when he put his malnourished neck on the line and prepared to have that thinking brain and those praying lips silenced by the executioner’s sword.  John would have found peace as he recalled the predicted Redeemer set forth in the last verse of Psalm 130, and he, who introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, would have had some idea of the price for his redemption. It would take the life of the sacrificial Lamb of God to procure mankind’s forgiveness.

The one who entered the deepest depths was indeed the Son of God as He hung upon the torturous tree.  He was not only being tortured to death on the premiere Roman instrument of torture, but He was bearing the sin, misery and death of the entire world!  No wonder the Son of God cried from such depths with the lamenting prayer of Psalm 22:1: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?  It is truly this man, this Redeemer, who is at the side of John the Baptist and at the side of all who cry to God out of the depths of this fallen world. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will see us through our pain, misery and death, for He has been there, done that.  We do not have one who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, and yet He was without sin. 

And why should God even consider the cry of a sinner?  Every Christian is aware of this undeserving status…that no one deserves to stand before God.  This is summarized in Psalm 130:3-4: If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. No one—not even the likes of John the Baptist or the Virgin Mary—could stand before God either in prayer or on Judgment Day.  But because the Redeemer, as predicted in the last verse of Psalm 130, has come, there is full and complete forgiveness before God.  So John, Mary and each of us can stand with imputed righteousness before God in prayer and on Judgment Day. We thus hold God in the greatest reverence (“fear”), for with Him there is forgiveness.

We then should not be surprised when we find ourselves in the depths, ultimately in the valley of the shadow of death and—like John the Baptist—we find ourselves waiting and waiting for God’s timing in our lives. In such waiting we, like John, know where to find hope.  Psalm 130:5-6 reminds us where to look:  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.  In God’s word we find our hope as we wait for God’s deliverance. Whether that Word be the powerful prophecies of the Redeemer, the prayers of the Psalms, the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament and the like, such Word of God is constantly pointing us to Jesus. In the moil and toil of this life we are then looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God…everywhere for us.

Mark 6:14-29 -Mad king Herod had John the Baptist killed to honor an oath, to save face in front of his dinner guests, to quiet a man who firmly told him that his illicit affair with his sister-in-law was sinful and shameful and to honor Herodias' request.  

Verse 20 is the key verse. Although Herod knew he was doing wrong, his conscious bothered him, and John's words condemned him Herod was still drawn to listen to John. When we are overcome by the fear of confronting someone, we can be comforted in the fact that the Law does convict. God through the preaching of the Law prepares us to hear, understand and savor the Gospel. John the forerunner of Christ will preach, baptize and die all like Christ. First he must die. With the death of John now, the cross becomes the focus of Christ's destiny.

O God, from you come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Greek Text (NA27) ESV Translation

Mark 6:14-29

This section of the Gospel sees Jesus seeking to withdraw from the crowds and direct his attention rather to his disciples.

Mark 6: 14-16 - See also Matthew 14:1-2 & Luke 9:7-9

Mark 6:14–29 -See also Matthew 14:1–12. Herod senses that in Jesus the powers which he thought he had banished when he executed John are at work; the disquieting voice of God calling him to account has not been silenced. The death of John the Baptist, told here and not in its natural place in the sequence of events (1:14), is prophetic of Jesus’ fate (Mark 9:12–13; Matthew 17:12–13). Both in the village (1–6) and in the royal court men are turning against Him; the cleavage deepens because of His teaching.

Mark 6: 17-29 -See also Matthew 14:3-12 & Luke 3:19-f. The previous verse provides an excuse for this 'digression,' relating the story of John's death. However, the 'sandwiching' of this story within the account of the disciples' mission, and following the discussion of Jesus' identity, is intended to tie the fate of John in with the Jesus story as a foretaste of what 'another John' must expect (note how the four references in Mark to Ἡρῳδης and to Ἡρῳδαινοι, 3:6; 6:14-29; 8:15 and 12:12 all imply hostility and threat to the work of God). Jesus' mission has been seen as in continuity with that of John since 1:7-11, 14-15; and the link will be made clearer in 9:11-13 and especially in 11:27-33. So while the story has its own interest as providing the conclusion to the earlier account of John (left unfinished in 1:14), it also serves to set the scene within which Jesus will approach his own confrontation with authority.

The Death of John the Baptist

14 Καὶ ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης, φανερὸν γὰρ ἐγένετο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνεργοῦσιν αἱ δυνάμεις ἐν αὐτῷ. 

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”

ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης (ho basileus herodes|the king Herod) - See also Matthew 14:1. Mark may here have used the title “king” sarcastically (since Herod, the son of Herod the Great, was actually a tetrarch), or perhaps he simply used Herod’s popular title or may rather reflect the self-view or aspiration of Herod. He was tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea from his father's death in 4 BC till AD 39.

τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ (to onoma autou|the name/title of him) - Here bears the sense of fame. We are not told explicitly what it was that Herod heard, but this clause implies that it was of Jesus' reputation.

ἔλεγον (elegon|they were saying) - The third person plural is almost certainly right, though the singular, ἐλεγεν is very much better attested. The plural makes this phrase the beginning of reports on public perception regarding Jesus rather than that of Herod. It would have been natural for copyists to alter the verb into the singular to agree with ἠκουσεν.

ἐγήγερται (egegertai|has been raised)

ἐκ νεκρῶν (ek nekron|from [among the] dead)

ἐνεργοῦσιν (energousin|are at/in work) - Probably in a sense similar to the transfer of the spirit of Elijah to his companion Elisha (2 Kings 2:15).

15 ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἠλίας ἐστίν• ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον ὅτι προφήτης ὡς εἷς τῶν προφητῶν. 

But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

προφήτης ὡς εἷς τῶν προφητῶν (prophetes hos eis ton propheton|prophet like one of the [old] prophets) - The consensus is clearly that Jesus is a prophet, but just how he fits into that ancient category is a matter of rather wild speculation.

16 ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἔλεγεν• ὃν ἐγὼ ἀπεκεφάλισα Ἰωάννην, οὗτος ἠγέρθη. 

But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

ἠγέρθη (egerthe|was raised) - Herod, disturbed by an uneasy conscience and disposed to superstition, feared that John had come back to haunt him. 

17 Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἀποστείλας ἐκράτησεν τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν φυλακῇ διὰ Ἡρῳδιάδα τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτὴν ἐγάμησεν• 

For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.

φυλακῇ (phulake|prison) - According to Josephus, Ant 18:119, John was imprisoned and executed in the fortress of Machaerus, to the east of the Dead Sea in the southeasternmost part of Peraea.

Ἡρῳδιάδα (herodiada|Herodias) - See also Matthew 14:3.

Φιλίππου (philippou|Philip) - See also Matthew 14:3. If by 'Philip' Philip the Tetrarch is meant, this contradicts Josephus who says (Ant 18:136) that Herodias was married to Herod the son of Herod the Great and Marianne II. Philip the Tetrarch actually married Salome. It would seem that either Mark is mistaken, or that Herod to whom Herodias was married had also the name Philip. There is considerable obscurity surrounding both the relationships and the names of the Herod family (particularly since the name 'Herod' seems to have been used both as a personal name for certain members of the family and as a family name for all), and it is possible that the Herod who was Herodias's first husband also bore the personal name Philip, as did her son-in-law."

18 ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὁ Ἰωάννης τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ ὅτι οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἔχειν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. 

For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.”

Οὐκ ἔξεστίν (ouk exestin|not is permissible/lawful/proper) - We see in John the example of moral courage, not hesitating incur the wrath of the great and powerful, as often as it may be found necessary: for he, with whom there is acceptance of persons, does not honestly serve God.

Verses 19-20 set up the contrast, strongly reminiscent of the story of Ahab and Jezebel (whose 'target' was, of course, John's model Elijah), which the rest of the story will work out between a resolutely hostile Herodias and a wavering Antipas, who will eventually be tricked into pronouncing sentence against his better judgment. The parallel with Pilate's ineffectual resistance to the determined hostility of the priests in 15:1-15 is remarkable, yet another indication of Mark's desire to link together the fates of John and of Jesus. (Note how Pilate will in 15:14 by implication echo with regard to Jesus Antipas's view of John as δικαιος και ἁγιος).

19 ἡ δὲ Ἡρῳδιὰς ἐνεῖχεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἤθελεν αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο• 

And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not,

20 ὁ γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ἐφοβεῖτο τὸν Ἰωάννην, εἰδὼς αὐτὸν ἄνδρα δίκαιον καὶ ἅγιον, καὶ συνετήρει αὐτόν, καὶ ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἠπόρει, καὶ ἡδέως αὐτοῦ ἤκουεν.

for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

ἠπόρει (eporei|he was disturbed/at a loss) - The support for ἠπορει, though numerically weak, is strong in quality, and intrinsically this reading is more likely than ἐποιει which is read by the majority of Greek MSS. ἠπορει vividly describes Herod's moral weakness. Elsewhere in the NT ἀπορεω is used in the middle (hence W ἡπορειτο), and the unfamiliarity of the form may have led to the correction to ἐποιει in the majority of MSS.

ἡδέως (|gladly) - The implication is that, like Felix with another prisoner later (Acts 24:24-26), he was at least open to persuasion; but he remained confused and undecided.

21 Καὶ γενομένης ἡμέρας εὐκαίρου ὅτε Ἡρῴδης τοῖς γενεσίοις αὐτοῦ δεῖπνον ἐποίησεν τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῖς χιλιάρχοις καὶ τοῖς πρώτοις τῆς Γαλιλαίας, 

But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

χιλιάρχοις (chiliarchois|military commanders) - High ranking military officers generally in charge of 600-1000 men.

πρῶτοις (protois|most leading/prominent persons) - There was a palace as well as a prison in the fortress of Machaerus, and presumably, though it was certainly a long way from Galilee, if Herod was resident there, he would be surrounded by his courtiers. It certainly seems to be implied (27-f) that John was imprisoned close at hand.

22 καὶ εἰσελθούσης τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἡρῳδιάδος καὶ ὀρχησαμένης ἤρεσεν τῷ Ἡρῴδῃ καὶ τοῖς συνανακειμένοις. εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ κορασίῳ• αἴτησόν με ὃ ἐὰν θέλῃς, καὶ δώσω σοι• 

For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”

τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἡρῳδιάδος (tes thugatros autou heridiados|the daughter of him Herodias) - See also note on Matthew 14:6. There are textual difficulties here. The chief variants are: i) θυγατρος αὐτης της Ἡρῳδιαδος A C W Θ and the majority of Greek MSS and vg syrh; ii) θυγατρος αὐτου Ἡρῳδιαδος א B D L Δ 565; iii) θυγατρος της Ἡρῳδιαδος f1 22 131 it (some mss) syrs,p etc. 

According to (ii) the girl is herself named Herodias and is described as Herod's daughter. But in verse 24 she is Herodias' daughter. Herodias had a daughter called Salome, but she was not Herod's daughter; and the narrative does not seem to allow for the union between Herod and Herodias to have been long-standing enough for there to be a daughter sufficiently old by it. So most commentators accept reading (i). However, a majority of the UBS Committee decided somewhat reluctantly that the reading with αὐτου must be adopted on the strength of its external attestation; αὐτου "represents an early error. This might derive from a careless scribe who was puzzled by the intrusive αὐτης and mechanically altered it to αὐτου, thus producing a smoother text without realising what violence it did to the narrative in context. In that case, the majority reading, αὐτης (της) Ἡρῳδαιδος, would be preferred.

23 καὶ ὤμοσεν αὐτῇ [πολλὰ] ὅ τι ἐάν με αἰτήσῃς δώσω σοι ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας μου. 

And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

ὤμοσεν (omosen|he made a promise/swore an oath) - The adverbial addition of πολλα here is not very elegant, but typical of Mark (20; 3:12; 5:10, 23, 38, 43...); its absence from the majority of MSS is an obvious stylistic improvement.

ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας μου (eos hemisous tes basileias mou|up to half of the kingdom of me) - A proverbial reference to generosity, not to be taken literally (Esther 5:3, 6). Generosity suited the occasion and would win the approval of the guests. See also 1 Kings 13:8.

24 καὶ ἐξελθοῦσα εἶπεν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς• τί αἰτήσωμαι; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν• τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτίζοντος. 

And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

αἰτήσωμαι (aitesomai|should I ask [for]/claim) - It is possible, though not certain, that a distinction is intended between the middle used here and the active in verses 22-23. If so, the meaning here would be 'claim', there being now a sort of business relationship since the king's promise.

25 καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα εὐθὺς μετὰ σπουδῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ᾐτήσατο λέγουσα• θέλω ἵνα ἐξαυτῆς δῷς μοι ἐπὶ πίνακι τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ.

And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 καὶ περίλυπος γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τοὺς ἀνακειμένους οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἀθετῆσαι αὐτήν• 

And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.

27 καὶ εὐθὺς ἀποστείλας ὁ βασιλεὺς σπεκουλάτορα ἐπέταξεν ἐνέγκαι τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπεκεφάλισεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ 

And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison

28 καὶ ἤνεγκεν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πίνακι καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῷ κορασίῳ, καὶ τὸ κοράσιον ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς. 

and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἦλθον καὶ ἦραν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔθηκαν αὐτὸ ἐν μνημείῳ.

When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb

See also Luke 9:8 for Herod's later fears; also Matthew 14:12 for John's disciples informing Jesus of what had happened.

https://sites.google.com/site/briansgreekscripture/pentecost-7---mark-6-14-29

Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS for personal and congregational use. 

Time in the Word - Proper 10

Preparation for next week – Sent to Serve

The theme for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 10) is sent to serve. Christians are people who are sent by God to serve Him and His people. Jesus sent His disciples to preach and heal. John the Baptist is beaded for his refusal to stand down to wicked King Herod. Faithfulness to God was far more important than obeying the dictates of a mad king. As John dies innocently, so must the Christ. Amos claimed that the Lord chose him as a shepherd to go to Israel to preach in the Old Testament lesson. In the Epistle lesson, we gain the impression that we are destined to be God’s people through Christ and appointed to glorify Him. We are a people with a mission and on a mission given to us by God. Occasionally we might be opposed. This need not be our chief concern. One thing is needed and that is faithfulness.

Collect for Proper 10 – Lord, You granted Your prophets strength to resist the temptations of the devil and courage to proclaim repentance. Give us pure hearts and minds to follow Your Son faithfully even into suffering and death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives, and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Collect for Pentecost 7—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;

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

Absolution is neither a response to a suitably worthy confession, nor the acceptance of a reasonable apology. To absolve means not only to loosen, to free, to acquit; it also means to dispose of, to complete, and to finish. When God pardons, He does not say He understands your weakness or makes allowances for your errors. Rather, He disposes of; He finishes with, the whole of your dead life and raises you up with a new one. He does not so much deal with your failures as does He drop them down the back hole of Jesus’ death. He forgets your sins in the darkness of the tomb. He remembers your iniquities no more in the forgetfulness of Jesus’ death. He finds you in the desert of death, not the garden of improvement. And in the power of Jesus resurrection, He puts you on His shoulders, rejoicing, and brings you home. – Robert Farrar Capon, Parables of Grace, pg. 39

Monday, 05 July 2021—Psalm 143:1-2, 8a; Antiphon, Psalm 143:1— O Lord hear my prayer listen to my cry for mercy in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. In each of our readings for this coming week the righteous find themselves confronted by evil forces. There are those who would want the Christian to cease and desist. Thus, we must pray to the Lord for deliverance from all our enemies. Psalm 143 is such a prayer. As we make our appeals known to God, not only will He hear us but also He will act, in His own time to rescue and defend us.

Tuesday, 06 July 2021—Psalm 85(1-7) 8-13; key verse v.7— Show us Your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation. This is how God chooses to act on behalf of His people. He has every right to punish, condemn and destroy. In love, He will offer forgiveness, life, and salvation. How could He? The cross of Calvary shows us how deep and profound the Father’s love is for His people.

Wednesday, 07 July 2021—Amos 7:7-15—Amaziah orders Amos to stop preaching and go home to Judah. Amos, a herdsman from Tekoa, is sent by the lord to Israel to preach. It is at the time of King Jeroboam that Amos preached at Bethel, the site of the royal sanctuary. Amaziah is the high priests who warms the king of Amos’ treason and who commands Amos to go back to Judah to preach there.  Amos replies that he is not a professional prophet, just a layman, who was called by God to preach to Israel. He is not preaching for a living, but in obedience to God’s call.

Amos was preaching in the holy place of Bethel, the royal seat and place of worship. Amaziah tells Amos to go home to the South to preach, for the temple is the “king’s sanctuary.”  Since Amos’ message was against the king and nation, Amos had no right to speak there; it was the king’s chapel and not God’s house. If it is the king’s then speak in support of the king’s policies and practices. If it is God’s house, God speaks in His house through His called spokesperson. It was a matter of civil religion v. true religion.

It was a religious service head in a “White House” where you would expect sermons supporting the nation. The high priest of Israel accuses Amos of treason. His preaching does not support the nation. 

The king is to be killed and the people are to go into captivity. This spells the end of the nation. This is a hard message. Amaziah reports this to the king. The truth often hurts. It does not always approve what we do.

Thursday, 08 July 2021—Ephesians 1:3-14— God’s chose and destined us to be His children through Christ. For the next few weeks, the Epistle lesson will come from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This lesson is difficult to relate to the other two lessons. The central theme of the letter to the Ephesians is the church. This lesson is on praise to God who in Christ has poured out His love for us, who calls us to be His children, redeemed us through the blood of Christ, and revealed His will to us. He has given us His Spirit who is a guarantee of our salvation and eternal life.

Friday, 09 July 2021—Mark 6:14-29 —Mad king Herod had John the Baptist killed to honor an oath, to save face in front of his dinner guests, to quiet a man who firmly told him that his illicit affair with his sister-in-law was sinful and shameful and to honor Herodias’ request.  Verse 20 is the key verse. Although Herod knew he was doing wrong, his conscious bothered him, and John’s words condemned him Herod was still drawn to listen to John. When we are overcome by the fear of confronting someone, we can be comforted in the fact that the Law does convict. God through the preaching of the Law prepares us to hear, understand and savor the Gospel. John the forerunner of Christ will preach, baptize and die all like Christ. First he must die. With the death of John now, the cross becomes the focus of Christ’s destiny. 

Saturday, 10 July 2021— Luke 10:2 – is the inspiration for the hymn, Spread the Reign of God the Lord (LSB 830). Who will work for the Lord and His cause? There is plenty of work to be done. May we pray the Lord would use each of us to be doing His will in our daily vocations. The opportunity to serve Him is rewarding enough. As we can find work to be done may we do it joyfully and willingly.

Sources:

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 and Lutheran Worship © 1980 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

Proper 10 - Series A

Proper 10 - Series A
(12 July 2020)

Isaiah 55:10–13
Romans 8:12–17
Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

The Preaching of the Word of Christ Bears the Good Fruits of Faith and Love

As “the rain and the snow come down from heaven” and “water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout” (Isaiah 55:10), so the Word of God accomplishes the purpose for which He speaks it, granting joy and peace through the forgiveness of sins and producing the fruits of faith and love in those who are called by His name. Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word, has established the name of the Lord as “an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 55:13). He opens our ears to hear, our minds to understand and our hearts to believe His Word, lest the evil one come and snatch it away. He thus transforms our rocky hearts into good soil, which clings to the Gospel and “indeed bears fruit” (Matthew 13:23). He is Himself the first-fruits of all who “have received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Romans 8:15). Thus being “led by the Spirit of God,” we are not afraid, but we cry out in faith to our Father in heaven (Romans 8:14–15). For as we suffer with Christ, the beloved Son, so shall we “also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17).

Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and every hold fast to blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. 


Encouraging Discouraged Sowers
Rev. Dr. Daniel J Brege
A sower went out to sow. (Matthew 13:3)

Through Isaiah God explains the success of His word by comparing it to the success of rain and snow in watering seed upon the earth.  He then promises, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (55:11). Though this chapter in Isaiah presents a different illustration than that in Sunday’s Gospel, yet both are illustrating the Word of God.  In Isaiah we realize the certainty that God’s Word will always succeed.  In Sunday’s Gospel, it appears as though the Word of God fails!

As we realize the Gospel is the best news the world will ever get, it is often discouraging when that Gospel is frequently ignored, rejected or even actively opposed.  Sadly some will not even listen to the Gospel, having rejected the Christian faith without even knowing what it is about.  It is perhaps even more disheartening to see young people joyfully speaking their vows of fidelity in the Rite of Confirmation, only to find them rejecting the faith later in life.  It is equally discouraging to observe an adult brought to faith and baptized, only to have a major problem in their congregation prompt them to say, “If this is what Christianity is about, I don’t want any part of it.”

Though laity are privileged to share the Gospel, and most who have shared the Gospel with family and friends will at some point experience some discouragement, yet pastors are uniquely discouraged when at times the work of their calling seems all for naught.   We are not speaking of those few pastors who fail to faithfully scatter the seed of the Gospel.  We speak of the many pastors who generously scatter the seed—both conscientious missionaries and pastors of congregations—but they do not see growth, and in fact some see numbers decreasing.  One temptation is to make the Gospel conform to the culture, but this is futile and in fact harmful to the work of the kingdom.

It is also tempting to believe the Gospel has lost its power, or that perhaps the statement in Isaiah’s prophecy—that the Word will always accomplish that for which God sent it—is misleading.  Neither of these is true.  On the soil of the heart that has been pulverized and plowed by God’s Law, the Gospel remains the power of God unto salvation, and truly it will always accomplish that for which God sent it. Those predestined in Christ to salvation will indeed be called to believe the Gospel (Rom 8:29,30).

In Sunday’s parable Jesus reminds us that anyone who scatters the seed of the Gospel must remember the great evil of this world.  Even as the cross is at the heart of the Gospel, so too the cross of Jesus starkly reminds us of the destructive schemes of the devil, the world and our flesh.  In His death Jesus had to first absorb the destructive designs of these tempters, so the Gospel could be created and then so it could have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of God’s people. This evil trio—devil, world and sinful flesh—wants nothing more than to destroy both the germination and the fruit-bearing of the Gospel.


Recall that it is God’s Gospel, it is God’s church and it is God who performs conversion.  St. Paul, using a seed illustration to describe the proclamation of the Gospel, succinctly reminds us of this reality:  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth (1 Co 3:6). So Pastors, teachers, parents and all others who are called upon to scatter the seed of the Gospel, do not be discouraged.  Evil may appear to dominate, but it has been defeated; the Word of the Cross remains the power of God unto salvation.  Keep scattering.


Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23
The Parable of the Sower 

v1 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν•
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

v2 καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει.
And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.

v3 καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων• Ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν.
 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.


v4 καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτά.
And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

v5 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς,
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,

v6 ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη.
but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.

v7 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ ἔπνιξαν αὐτά.
Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

v8 ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατὸν ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα.
Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

v9 ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

v18 Ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος.
Hear then the parable of the sower:

v19 παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος, ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ ἁρπάζει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ• οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

v20 ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν,
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,

v21 οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστιν, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται.
 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

v22 ὁ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων, καὶ ἡ μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου συμπνίγει τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

v23 ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιείς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὃ μὲν ἑκατὸν ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα.
As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software
ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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