This sermon was preached at St. John's, Karoonda (9 am).
When a
half yearly meeting comes up in a congregation, it is, like any other
time people get together, a time for possible controversy. The same
can be said for whenever there is an election campaign, where you
don't have to wait long for someone to stick their foot in their
mouth. And controversy is never far behind for Lutherans, and you
can be sarcastic and say it's because we're so grumpy, or you can say
that it's because our joyful confession of faith is at the same time
contending for the faith. But someone who's no stranger to
controversy and offense is Jesus himself.
When
reading and hearing the Bible, it's always important to be noticing,
“ok, what's offending me now?”. Well, Jesus mentions two things
in today's Gospel that easily offend. One is about fire, and the
other is about division.
Fire (as
in “I
came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already
kindled!”) means judgment, and no one wants to
be judged, especially you. The same Jesus that says “Judge not”
is the same Jesus who here judges the crowds with the question: “do
you not know how to interpret the present time?”
Division
(as in “Do
you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you,
but rather division.”) means that the
Christian faith has done, does, and will keep on dividing families
over the question of “Who is Jesus?” It means that the division
is about Christ's death, because the world hates it and wants nothing
of it. Division means there are people, even people close to you,
even in your family that will preach death to you. It doesn't take
away your responsibility to them as close friends and family, but it
means they, like possessions, would stop you from keeping alert in
faith. The cause of the division is faith in Christ. And contending
for the faith can be a very personal matter, and people often want to
avoid really personal topics so that they don't cause offense.
And the
fact that you don't know how to interpret the present time/the
critical time/what Jesus is doing is also a matter of offense. And
it has to do with the Bible. The Bible is really offensive to you
because it's really offensive to your Old Adam because it talks about
unpleasant things. It's like looking in a mirror, the more accurate
they really are, the less you want to look. But, a real Savior is a
Savior from sin and death so in hearing the Bible you'll be hearing
some sin and death, and specifically yours. That's not pleasant.
And
Jesus says things that surprise you because you don't think he should
say them because they're not how you would do things. And thank
goodness for that, because Christ does things better than you would.
And, as
Jesus points out, it's not like you can't examine and interpret
anything. When you know the land like the back of your hand, it's
enjoyable and very easy to read when it's going to rain or where the
wind is coming from. But Jesus says you won't examine something even
more important – his ministry, which is God's kingdom. When God's
Word which speaks Jesus is read and preached, to say “this isn't
about me, this isn't about my sin (it's someone else's sin)” or to
say “this is about how I can earn anything good from God, even up
to forgiveness of sins”, then you're not “reading” Jesus in the
right way, and really you're reading something else – the signs
that your flesh and the devil make up to deceive and mislead you.
God's
Word is all about what Jesus does, and so it too can be interpreted.
But just like Jesus accuses the people that they can't interpret what
he is saying and doing, God's Word can also be interpreted in a way
that denies Christ's saving work. But the Bible is the only way you
know about Christ's saving work. That means God's Word is the source
of division and the source of unity (and is in fact the only thing
that gives unity). So when you say “I don't want any division”,
you're also saying “I don't want any unity”. But when you want
to avoid offense, that is bad for the truth, because it is a saving
truth. On the other hand, when you are the source of offense and not
your speaking the Word of Jesus, that is also bad for the truth,
because it's the truth that Jesus speaks. It's not your ability to
persuade people that does the job of bringing faith, it's God's Word
that brings faith – to poor sinners.
So,
Let's
all get comforted when Jesus separates you for himself by the truth
of his pure, clear, and reliable Word. Because it's a good thing
Jesus offends with language of fire and division, because he also
comforts with the same language.
After
talking about fire, he says, “I
have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress
until it is accomplished!” The fire of God's
wrath is cast on him in your place. The baptism he's talking about
here is his death on the cross, and he is completely occupied with
this one thing (to the point of distress) because he wants it to come
for your sake.
He
divides you out of the reach of sin, death and the devil to himself
in heaven. Jesus says “division” and you say 'I don't like that'.
Do you like that he promises you heaven? Well, yes. When he
promises to take you to heaven, is he taking sin, death, and the
devil with him? Well no. Then how can you be surprised when he
divides you from the confession of faith that speaks the devil's
lies? He does this by giving you your confession that he is the
Christ, the Savior of sins. He does this because he takes the fire
of God's wrath and the baptism of his death.
So what
he speaks, even when it seems so offensive and unloving, is for the
comfort of sinners who hear his Word. Your anguish over the division
between those with faith and those in unbelief can't match his
anguish on the cross which is a good news that is for all. Your
Baptism brings the hatred of the world, but moreso it brings peace
from God.
Baptism
is the comfort that in the water he joins you to his death and to his
resurrection and does both to you. Baptism, like fire, is death to
your sin and purifies by the new birth that the Holy Spirit gives.
Those results of your baptism are with you every day as a Christian.
Every day the word of God's promises is offensive to your old Adam,
so every day by repentance and faith in those promises the Old Adam
is put to death and the person who has faith in Jesus lives in Jesus.
And his
Word, like the critical time Jesus calls the crowds to examine, can
be examined. It can be known if he is the One who makes it known.
This is the Word that is the promises of Jesus' ministry, there on
the way to Jerusalem and today to you and forever too. It is the
Word that testifies that Jesus is the righteous one who forgives
sins, as Jesus says in verse 57, “And
why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?”
(meaning “righteous”).
Conclusion:
So,
Let's
all get offended, except Jesus interpreted your sin but especially
his work of forgiveness for you.
What he interprets, you confess, not out of grumpiness but because
what Jesus does is a necessary controversy when it comes to the
fulfilment of his promises for you. By his cross he has divided you
from death to give you eternal life. By his cross he has taken God's
wrath in your place, and in the waters of your Baptism has given that
death and the eternal life that is his. Amen.
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