Luke 17,20-24 5322
Drittletzter Sonntag des Kirchenjahres (25. Trinitatis) 72
Leonhard, hermit, ✠ 559
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden and Confessor. ✠ 1632
6. November 2022
1. ℣ Have mercy upon me, O Yahweh, for I am in trouble:
℟ Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies and from them that persecute me (Psalm 31,9a.15b).
O Lord Jesus Christ, who has promised to returnj; we await Your advent with childlike desire; return speedily to bring us to our heavenly home amidst hymns of praise. Amen. (Wir warten dein, o Gottes Sohn elkg 504,4 2021 Philipp Friedrich Hiller 1767).
2. »Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them: „The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say: ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.“ And He said to the disciples: „The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you: ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day.“«
3. Ten chapters earlier, Luke told us about another group seeking signs from Jesus. John the Baptizer had been imprisoned and he has sent 2 of his disciples to ask Jesus: Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? (Luke 7,20). Jesus responded to their question by healing many people who were sick, possessed and blind (Luke 7,21). Then He told John’s disciples: »Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me« (Luke 7,22-23).
4. Jesus has directed John’s disciples to the Prophet Isaiah who said: »Behold, your God will come and save you« (Isaiah 35,4). Isaiah then lists the very thing Jesus did before John’s disciples. These are the signs of the kingdom of God in your midst; these are the signs the Messiah will perform.
5. The Pharisees wanted to know when the kingdom of God was arriving. They were looking for undeniable heavenly signs like an unexpected bright light in the sky or an earthly sign like a great Jewish commander driving the Romans out of Jerusalem and Judea. They anticipated a future arrival of the kingdom, but Jesus. Tells them the kingdom has already arrived in their midst. Jesus has brought the kingdom of God to them, and the miracles He has performed are the signs that He is the Messiah. But the Pharisees were offended by Jesus.
6. Many of the scribes, Pharisees and the chief priests were offended by Jesus. They saw the signs Jesus performed, yet they refused to believe He was the Messiah. They challenged Him on many occasions. They rejected His interpretation of Moses and the Prophets. They became filled with rage/madness (ανοιας) and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus (Luke 6,11). The chief priests and the scribes sought how to put Jesus to death (Luke 22,2).
7. 2000 years later there are people offended by Jesus. They are not offended by the morals He taught or the Golden Rule He espoused. They are offended at what He said about Himself and that He claimed to be G. It is popular to invent one’s religious system (egonovism: new/invented self, i.e. moralistic therapeutic deism). Generally, this includes several common pts:
i. a god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human beings.
ii. this god wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other—basically Jesus ‘ moral teachings as they understand them.
iii. the central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
iv. god does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when god is needed to resolve a problem.
v. good people go to heaven when they die.
8. The only point this has in common with the historical, Biblical Jesus is that God created and watches over the world and people. Every other point is a misrepresentation of Jesus. People become offended when their beliefs and interpretations are challenged by the real Jesus. Editing out all the parts of the Bible that offends people won’t make Jesus any less offensive to them.
9. Jesus calls people to repent of their sins, to love their neighbor and be charitable to them. He calls us to a life of discipleship and cross-bearing. All of this is challenging, and at times we may balk at the rigor and sacrifice Jesus wants from us. »Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the torah of the Yahweh! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways!« (Psalm 119,1-3).
10. Jesus told His disciples: »But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation« (Luke 17,25). The Scriptures point to a suffering Messiah, and Jesus says you will find Him on the cross. Jesus crucified caused the Jews to stumble and it was foolishness to the Greeks. The world is offended at the gospel that proclaims Christ crucified and risen, but this crucified and risen Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God that gives us what we truly need: forgiveness, grace and mercy. »For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God« (Romans 5,6-9).
11. The world always wants to know: tell us what we can do to save ourselves, and the Church replies: nothing, for Jesus has already paid the price to save you. Look to Christ; trust in God. Every Christian participates in all the blessings of Christ and this is granted to us by God (37. Thesis). These blessings are the keys of the Church given by Christ’s merit to be the treasure given out (60. Thesis). The Church’s true treasure is the gospel (62. Thesis), that is the forgiveness of sins. This gospel is poured upon us in our Baptism, spoken to us in the Absolution and given to us in the Lord’s Supper.
12. Such treasure is often mocked and despised, but with this treasure of the gospel people are comforted, sin is forgiven and faith in Christ is strengthened. Where the gospel is proclaimed and given out, there is Christ in our midst.
13. If thou but trust in God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days,
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move (If Thou But Trust in God lsb 750,1 Georg Neumark 1621-81)
This is most certainly true.
10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.
11. Let us pray. O almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, Giver of light and life, so teach us those things which belong to the heavenly kingdom and those duties which are of the earth that we, stirred by the light and life of the peace of God, may be enabled faithfully to do the things committed to us, looking ever unto Thee for light and life that, being lifted above ourselves, the life of God in the soul of man may be ours, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding may then keep our hearts and minds. Amen. (The Week of Trinity 25, Vespers Collect 1. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.)
To God alone be the Glory
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm
✠
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover.
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