"An Alternative Way"
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Luke, Evangelist
October 18, 2009
Mark 10:23-31
The man who came to Jesus in last week’s Gospel reading asking how he
could gain heaven walked away from it all because He didn’t want the
way Jesus offered him. In today’s Gospel reading Jesus fleshes out
what it means to follow Him.
In one word it is humility. Jesus doesn’t tell us how to be humble. He
doesn’t even tell us to be humble. But that’s what He’s preaching. The
way Jesus gives us is a different way than the world offers us.
What does the world offer you? Why not get the most out of life you
can rather than submitting to the demands or wishes of others? Even
so, there are many people in the world who are not Christians who are
very kind and generous. They help others and even put others before
themselves. But what happens? The world points to those people and
says, See how humble they are! They’re enamored with the person, which
kind of takes away from the humility. The world offers in the form of
many religions a system in which you attain reward because of who you
are or what you do. This way is no more possible than passing through
the eye of a needle, something you no more can do than can a camel.
What is demanded in all these religions is not humility but
perfection. There is no point in even attempting to meet the demands
of these religions because you’re sunk before you even begin.
Jesus offers an alternative way. It’s getting out of the way. He
embodies this Himself. He is the embodiment of God. God doesn’t sit on
His throne and command us to be humble. He humbles Himself to come to
us. We entered the House of God this morning in His Name, in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Moments ago we
confessed our faith of who He is in the Nicene Creed: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. He is the true God, the only God. And the thing about the
true God… He gets out of the way. He humbles Himself by passing, so to
speak, through the eye of a needle knowing that we cannot. In other
words, what is impossible for us, but demanded of us in order to be
saved, He accomplishes, because all things are possible with Him.
The Holy Spirit is fully God, the Lord and Giver of Life, and yet gets
out of the way. He points to Jesus, delivers Him to us. Jesus is true
God—God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God—and yet points us
to the Father. Jesus’ concern is glorifying His Heavenly Father. The
Father is God—Almighty, maker of heaven and earth—and yet points us to
His Son, Jesus Christ. This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.
In a sea of people boasting of their humility, looking for ways to
humble themselves, attempting to be more humble, God offers an
alternative: Himself. The Lord above all humbles Himself and gives
Himself to us. In our attempts to gain recognition for what we do
either by others lauding our efforts, or our listing our
accomplishments to God, He simply shows us one thing that has been
accomplished. And it has been accomplished by Him. It is truly the
greatest accomplishment and yet done in the humblest of circumstances.
Our Lord suffering in our place, taking upon Himself our sin.
It’s really hard to talk as Christians about humility. Once you point
it out it becomes the focus, and that kind of takes out the point. The
way to be humble is to get out of the way. What is our tendency? The
disciples don’t want to take Jesus’ way as the way, so they exclaim:
“Then who can be saved?” Humility would simply accept Jesus’ word for
what it is. Peter doesn’t want to get out of the way and focus solely
on Christ so he mentions a fact his Lord apparently wasn’t aware of:
“We have left everything and followed You.”
The amazing thing about God is that He really gets out of the way. He
knows that we’re constantly wanting to go back to our own notions of
how we’re in the good favor of God, and He still uses us for His
eternal will of accomplishing salvation for the world.
I like to give the Confirmation kids quizzes. And I think they like
them, but you can ask them. So here’s a quiz, but don’t answer them
out loud, just answer in your head these two questions, true or false:
1. You don’t do the works God has called you to do in your life.
2. You do the works God has called you to do in your life.
In a humorous vein, you can test out your humility by seeing your
reaction if you get both answers right whether you congratulate
yourself or not. Or, conversely, if you get one or both wrong, if you
congratulate yourself on your humility because you failed the test.
But to the serious point of the answers to the two questions, the
answer to the first question—you don’t do the works God has called you
to do in your life—that’s true, you don’t. The answer to the second
question—you do the works God has called you to do in your life—that’s
true also, you do.
This is God offering an alternative way of humility, some would say
nonsensical. And they would be right. Jesus doesn’t spend His time
explaining that His way is logical, He just says it. The truth is, we
don’t do the works God has called us to do. We fail miserably. We try.
Sometimes we don’t even try. But try or not, we don’t accomplish what
God demands. If trying were all that were needed the Bible wouldn’t
have been nearly as long as it is. But in the manifold pages of
Scripture it becomes abundantly clear that what God demands is
perfection, and that is where you come up short. Convince yourself all
you want to the contrary, but the answer to number 1 is No, you don’t
do what God has called you to do.
But there’s another truth. And that is the truth of statement 2. You
do what God has called you to do. You do the works He commands of you.
And this is not some sort of trying thing either. You do them
perfectly. Exactly as the Law of God demands. God the Father is as
pleased with your works as He is with His own Son, Jesus Christ. And
this is the key to it all. Jesus is the one who brings about humility
in us, not our attempts at it.
Jesus is the reason we can say without doubt that we don’t do what God
demands of us. Otherwise, why did Jesus suffer eternal condemnation in
our place? Jesus is also the reason we can say in full confidence that
we do what God has commanded us. Otherwise, why did Jesus accomplish
the perfect fulfillment of the Law in our place? The way Jesus talks
in the Gospel reading shows us how both of these things are possible
at the same time. “There is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for
the Gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time.” On
the one hand, when you stand before the altar of God to confess your
sins, can you honestly say that you have done what Jesus demands, what
Peter was convinced of that he did? Instead, haven’t you put all of
these things before God in your life? At the same time, as you stand
before the altar of God and hear His proclamation of the Absolution of
your sins, can you not but thank Him for the amazing opportunities He
gives you in your life to serve Him right where you’re at? In your
home, loving and taking care of your family. Helping out your
neighbors when they’re in need.
There is no one who has not left “houses and brothers and sisters and
mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to
come eternal life” who has not done so by Jesus Christ Himself
accomplishing it. It is indeed no longer you who live but Christ who
lives in you. No wonder you’re able to live as God has called you to
live! He accomplishes even this. He frees you up to serve Him. He
frees you from the constraints of the Law to practice the Law of love,
humbly, joyfully serving those God has placed in your life. When you
get out of the way the Holy Spirit has a field day working through you
to serve others.
But if you wonder at the many ways the world offers; the appeals of
your sinful flesh; the temptations of the devil; know that there is an
alternative to all of that. It’s not just another way. It’s the way.
The way of humility is not trying to be humble, it’s simply the way of
Christ. It’s Christ being humble on your account. “Many who are first
will be last, and the last first.” Christ is first of all and became
last for all. Christ is Lord of Creation and yet humbly offers you His
body and blood in a simple meal at this altar. The Holy Spirit fills
you up with the righteousness of Christ so that the Heavenly Father
may look upon you and be pleased and pour out upon you all His eternal
blessings. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.net
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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