Who Do You See?
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Matthew 21:23-32
Feelings are often confused with compassion. Feelings are good. God
created us with feelings. But feelings are not compassion. You can
have compassion on someone even if you do not have strong feelings or
no particular feelings for that person. Likewise, you can have strong
feelings and actually not act compassionately toward a person because
you are acting on feelings rather than doing what will actually help
the person.
Feelings are good, but we can't rely on them. They are wonderful, but
they don't always help. We'd all agree that we need to be
compassionate. That it's wrong not to have compassion. We look
favorably upon compassionate people. We trust our leaders to be
compassionate rather than rule with an iron fist.
The religious leaders in Jesus' day were charged with the spiritual
care of God's people. We'd expect them to do that with compassion. One
thing they understood was that you cannot be compassionate as a leader
without authority. You yourself must submit to authority and must
exercise authority over those you are leading. If your feelings are
your guide then you'll be all over the map. Not a sound way to be a
leader. There are times leaders don't feel like being compassionate.
But if they are truly good leaders they will do what's best for the
people. If there is an outside solid authority they're going by then
they'll be being compassionate on the people they're to serve, even if
at times they don't particularly feel like helping them.
The religious leaders of the Gospel reading knew this. They knew that
the crowds were excited about this guy Jesus. Were the people just
going on their feelings? Was Jesus playing to their feelings and
that's why He was so popular? The religious leaders cut to the chase:
by what authority are You doing what You're doing? Because we see
through You—You're not falling in line under our authority. We're the
ones charged with the spiritual care of God's people and You're doing
all kinds of things to undercut our authority.
They were right—He was undercutting their authority. But there's the
problem. They had taken the authority God had given them and took it
for themselves. They even asked Jesus, who gave You this authority?
They rejected it, but the answer is the same Person who gave *them*
the authority to lead God's people. Namely, God. The difference is
that Jesus used the authority God His Heavenly Father had given Him in
service to God His Heavenly Father. The religious leaders became full
of themselves and didn't use it in service to God's people but for
themselves.
Jesus wasn't doing what He was doing for Himself but for people. The
very people He created were the very people He was serving. That's
what authority is all about for God. Serving us. Loving and helping
us. His compassion is not in addition to His authority, it is His very
Authority carried out. Delivered to us.
The Christian Church has always stood on the authority of the Word of
God. But even in the Church people can tend to think that it's
compassionate to go on feelings rather than the authority of the Word
of God. One church leader put it this way: "I think sometimes we get
bogged down and feel that people of faith all feel a certain way, and
that's so far from the truth." Well here is the real truth: what we
feel is not the basis for authority. God's Authority determines what
is right and wrong, what is good and evil—that's why He gave us the
Bible.
So the religious leaders were carrying out their duty of making sure
that what was being taught in the temple was legitimate, but actually
they weren't doing that at all. In their discussion among themselves
they were determining what they would do based on the reactions of
other people. Their authority was themselves.
When they saw Jesus they saw someone getting in the way of their
authority. Someone standing between them and their own self-proclaimed
rightness. Jesus was getting in the way of their power and their very
comfortable lifestyle. They were right where they wanted to be. They
were holders of authority and had molded it into authority of
themselves. They had come to convince themselves that God was pleased
with them because of who they were. They didn't need some Jesus coming
in to straighten out their lives and tell them that all their secret
sins had to go.
When you look at Jesus who do you see? Do you see the Lord over all
and the Lord of your life? Or do you see a man who has a place in your
life alongside all the many other important things to you? When you
are confronted with the words of Jesus, what do you make of them? Do
you submit wholeheartedly to them acknowledging that what He has to
say is true and what is best for you? Or do you pass them off as
another opinion among the many that may or may not apply to you
personally? When you look at Jesus do you see Him for who He is or do
you disregard the authority He holds?
If you're honest you will admit that your feelings aren't always
reliable. You will conclude that you like yourself being your own
authority because then you don't have to deal with God and His Word
telling you that you can't do everything that makes you feel good.
That though you often say yes to God you really have no intention of
conforming your life to His holy will. And if by the grace of God you
come to this knowledge you will see something else. You will see that
you have changed your mind. That it's a joy to serve the Holy God.
Because you will see that God's holy will is not met in your feelings
or your self-convinced rightness. It is met in the One who was given
authority by His Heavenly Father and used that authority to be beaten
and bloodied on a cross. He used that authority to submit Himself to
be subjected to the damnation you and I and the religious leaders and
the tax collectors and everyone else deserve. Jesus doesn't give moral
lessons. He gives you righteousness. He gives you Himself. He doesn't
tell you to be good, He gives you His Body and Blood and in so doing
forgives you all your sins and strengthens and preserves you. He
doesn't tell you you must submit to His authority or else—He freely
and joyfully gives up His life so that you may freely and joyfully
live under His gracious and compassionate authority. When you want to
know what God has to say or what He thinks about you, who you need to
see is Jesus, the one who is your life and salvation. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
It is the spirit and genius of Lutheranism to be liberal in everything
except where the marks of the Church are concerned.
[Henry Hamann, On Being a Christian]
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