You don't hear much about etiquette lessons these days (or maybe
about etiquette at all). But even without taking lessons, you pick
up etiquette along the way. You're supposed to sit up straight, say
thank you, and not fall asleep when other people are talking. Even
in a casual environment, there are things that you just can't try and
pull. So who had the bad etiquette in today's Gospel – the woman
who physically couldn't sit up straight, or the ruler of the
synagogue who shot his mouth off when Jesus performed a miracle?
Etiquette (while never being mentioned as such) comes into play in
all sorts of situations: dinners, going on dates, sports events, etc.
And when it comes to church services, etiquette becomes a surprising
topic. It has things in common with how you behave in other social
settings, that's true, but it also has an etiquette all its own,
because it deals not just with how to behave around people but how to
behave before God made flesh in Jesus Christ.
And if that's the case, it's worth a second look at the behavior of
the ruler of the synagogue, his etiquette before Jesus. It's easy to
see how he gives some back talk: “But
the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath, said to the people,
"There
are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and
be healed, and not on the Sabbath day."
”. And it's easy to see that he doesn't even speak to
Jesus, that he doesn't want the people to follow him. That's because
he thinks Jesus is a false prophet, but even more than that, he
doesn't want God to work on the Sabbath day. He doesn't have a
problem with the miracle. He doesn't say, “Jesus, don't do
miracles because I don't believe in miracles.” He just doesn't
want it on the Sabbath. As for that woman with the disabling spirit
– too bad for her.
That attitude is against the Sabbath. Surprisingly, nobody in the
ancient world thought that the point of the worship day was to do
nothing. The Baal worshippers, they didn't think their day of
worship was to do nothing. They thought it was the time to lay aside
their work and do the work of the gods. But not so for the children
of Israel. They were to lay aside their work, but not to serve God.
On the Sabbath God treated his people like royalty, by giving them
the luxury of not having to do anything, so that he might serve them
with his holiness by giving his Word. The Old Testament Sabbath is
very misunderstood, but Luther captures it very well with this
paraphrase from his catechetical hymn on the Ten Commandments: “You
shall observe the worship day, that peace may fill your home, and
pray, and put aside the work you do, so that God may work in you.”
Have mercy, Lord!” That's a surprise, and that's a foundation for
this Gospel reading.
When the synagogue ruler objects to Jesus' miracle, he doesn't even
know that he wants God to do even less good on that day than he does
for his own donkey. He also doesn't realize that the devil also
doesn't take a day off, as Jesus says that the devil had bound this
daughter of Abraham for 18 years. He's gotten it all backwards by
focusing on his work that he does that day. That's the bad
etiquette.
You're no stranger to bad etiquette. Very few people can carry
themselves the right way whether they're in a shed or a palace. But
you're no stranger to bad etiquette on Sundays too. When you think
that you're so free as to make the worship of God whatever you want
it to be, you're no different than the people Isaiah condemned for
“doing your own pleasure/your own thing on my holy day”. That
denies that God in Christ has given you this holy day that he might
serve you. If you think that God needs you to do something for him
here that's the same as if you were the honored guest at a party who
keeps taking the appetizer trays, dumping them, and replacing the
appetizers with stale biscuits you brought from home. Trust me,
you're not doing yourself or anyone else any favors.
When you make the day holy (by trying to make yourself holy
by your own works) you break the third commandment to keep the
day holy by hearing the Word, which is how Christ has already made
the day holy. It's that little thought that says, “Maybe if I do a
good job here in church, this will be like an audition for heaven,
and I'll get in.”
Good thing that good etiquette is what Jesus does in the holiness of
his shed blood for you. The good news is that you don't have to
audition for heaven – Jesus says “you're in.” That's the
etiquette of Christian worship, not so much what you wear or how you
sit, but the fact that this is where Jesus hands out a pledge and
promise of heaven every week. The etiquette is that Jesus is here
for you and he's doing every little thing right – that is, to give
you his righteousness.
That's why the people were rejoicing when he put that synagogue
ruler back in his place – because he was doing glorious things.
It's no different for you. Christ is here doing glorious things for
you. He's happily serving you with a glory that is no less than his
own holiness. And that's not a feeling you get, but it's a doing he
does. It's something you can point to. You can point to his holy
Word. You can point to Absolution. You can point to preaching. You
can point backwards to your Baptism. You can point to the Lord's
Supper. You can point to them in their glorious beauty, because
Christ is so glorious in giving them. But their beauty is only
revealed in God's Word.
So then you're free of auditioning for heaven, meaning you're free
to praise him for the gifts of heaven. You're free to see the end of
our Hebrews reading today as the description of every divine service:
“Therefore
let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and
thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe”.
This is a doctrine of worship, a teaching of worship – in worship,
the one who serves is Jesus. The ones who return thanks and praise
are the Church.
Of course Jesus has good etiquette, of course he does miracles on
the Sabbath to show you that the biggest Sabbath related miracle was
still to come – when he died as your Passover Lamb, rested in the
tomb on the Sabbath (thus fulfilling the Sabbath), and rose on the
first day of the week (which is a great day of the week for you to
receive the gifts and benefits of his cross for you).
Your etiquette then looks like trusting in the forgiveness, life,
and salvation that Jesus brings. Then you're just like the bent over
woman – when he makes you straight, you stand up straight by
glorifying him as a result. You stand up straight by letting God be
at work in worship, because that's how praise really gets done, and
it's also what brings the work of the devil to an end when Jesus
grants the release that is the forgiveness of sins.
Conclusion: Etiquette still matters because bad etiquette tries and
fails to do Jesus' job for him, but Jesus has the good etiquette to
forgive you all your sins and bring you the etiquette that receives
these gifts and promises with the proper thanksgiving and praise.
You learn this etiquette not by a class but by doing it, by being
where it happens. You pick it up every Sunday the Word is preached
in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered
according to Christ's institution. Amen.
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