 |
| Norwich |
The Twentieth Sunday after
Trinity, 2012
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn # 39 Praise to the Lord 3:1
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon
Hymn # 370 My Hope Is Built 3:11
The Bride and Groom
The Communion
Hymn # 246 Holy, Holy, Holy 3:35
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 309 O Jesus Blessed Lord 3:70
KJV Ephesians 5:15 See then
that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding
what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of
God.
KJV Matthew 22:1 And Jesus
answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And
sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they
would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which
are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are
killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they
made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his
merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully,
and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:
and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up
their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they
which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as
many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into
the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and
good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in
to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12
And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding
garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him
hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are
chosen.
Twentieth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father: We thank Thee, that of Thy great
mercy Thou hast called us by Thy holy word to the blessed marriage-feast of Thy
Son, and through Him dost forgive us all our sins; but, being daily beset by
temptation, offense, and danger, and being weak in ourselves and given to sin,
we beseech Thee graciously to protect us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we fall not;
and if we fall and defile our wedding-garment, with which Thy Son hath clothed
us, graciously help us again and lead us to repentance, that we fall not forever;
preserve in us a constant faith in Thy grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world
without end. Amen.
The Bride and Groom
KJV Matthew 22:1 And
Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom
of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
The parable has several
lessons, which remind us about the basic Gospel. In this parable we can see the
wonderful unity of the Scriptures, where each passage is related to the others.
We also have such clear
pictures of the lessons being given. Parables are for believers, for additional
instruction. They deepen our understanding of the Gospel, which is designed for
one purpose – that we believe in Christ, receive forgiveness of our sins, and
dwell with Him now and in eternity.
We can see that this parable
is an answer to what just happened before –
KJV Matthew 21:43 Therefore
say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this
stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder. 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables,
they perceived that he spake of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on
him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
The context matters
especially when the introductory sentence shows a transition, as this one does.
Jesus is warning the religious opponents, and this next parable serves as a
warning and a lesson.
Jesus described Himself as
the Bridegroom and the true Church as the Bride. This relationship is also used
in Revelation.
KJV John 3:29 He that hath
the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth
and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my
joy therefore is fulfilled.
KJV Revelation 21:9 And
there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of
the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew
thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
So first of all there is a
spiritual meaning to this parable, and it is built around an event common to
all people – being invited to a wedding. But this is a royal wedding.
This king is God, and his son is
Christ.
Lenski:
The unity of the parable is at
once expressed: “a king who made a wedding for his son.” We are told what
happened in connection with this wedding, namely how the king and his son were
treated by the various persons who had been invited to the wedding. For this
reason nothing is said about the bride of the king’s son. The moment we
perceive the force of the opening statement and note that it governs everything
that is introduced into the parable, its grand unity will be apparent, and we
shall not agree with those who speak of two parables pasted together (v. 3–10,
and v. 11–14) or of a parable consisting of two parts. The perfect unity of the
whole is again stated at the conclusion in v. 14. The word γάμος or its plural may
mean either “a wedding” or “a wedding feast”; in v. 2–9 we have the plural, but
in v. 8 and in 10–12 the singular. This wedding and the invitations to attend
it picture the grace of God that provides salvation for the world of sinful men
in connection with Christ. It includes redemption,
the means of grace, and the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, as these apply equally
to all men.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg
Publishing House, 1961, S. 848.
2 The kingdom of heaven
is like
The parable answers the
question about salvation – who is saved and why? Many different voices try to
confuse the issue, because people would rather dither about many things than
listen to the clear teaching of the Word.
So, if someone is wondering
about these matters, or needs to be instructed in more detail, this parable
answers the big questions about the Christian Faith, about all religions.
unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
The king is God, and the Son
is Christ. A royal wedding is a national event in any country. This is One King
and One Son, so it means the one true God and His only-begotten Son.
All weddings are special
events. When my Facebook friends get married, I make a point of wishing God’s
blessings, because it is a witness to society in this age of do whatever you
want. A wedding unites friends and families. The wedding traditions of other
societies are more illustrative than ours.
An ethnic wedding includes
as many people as possible, and the service itself is followed immediately by a
huge feast, which lasts for hours. The German tobacco farmers in Canada would
have a formal meal for 400 guests, which they considered modest and typical,
followed hours later by a second midnight informal dinner. Everyone was
expected to come, and everyone was expected to eat heartily both times. One
cousin said, “A dinner for 600 is just too much – showing off.”
In India, there are many
traditions for weddings, and each wedding is expected to last for days to
accommodate all the individual events.
We can picture this parable
as equivalent to the only son of the monarch of England getting married. Who
would not want an invitation? Who would not want to go? It would be the event
of a lifetime. Since the king can avoid anyone he wants, each invitation is
gracious, special, and to be treasured.
Matthew 22:3 And sent forth
his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not
come.
This is redemption in the
parable. In the Scriptures, the Gospel is an invitation. Christ has died for
the sins of the world. He allowed the law to throw its entire force against Him
so that He carried the full weight of the sins of the world.
Redemption (one English
word) has two different but related meanings in the New Testament.
One meaning of redemption is
to pay the price – easily recognized in Greek as related to the market place
(agora). People with agoraphobia are afraid to go out in the public.
KJV Galatians 4:5 To redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Another meaning of
redemption is release or ransom -
KJV Matthew 20:28 Even as
the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.
KJV Luke 2:38 And she coming
in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all
them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
KJV Titus 2:14 Who gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
KJV Hebrews 9:12 Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
As Lenski argued, this redemption
is an accomplished fact, announced by the apostles and followers of Christ.
and they would not come.
This is the efficacious call
of the Gospel. Everyone is invited but many refuse. Many begin in the faith and
fall away.
The obstinate refusal of man
is often turned into “making a decision.” This is common (but not universal) in
Baptists, for there are Calvinistic Baptists. This is also common in Universal
Objective Justification, where people are told they are already forgiven,
without faith, and now they must make a decision about this (J. P. Meyer, WELS,
Ministers of Christ).
The crucifixion,
resurrection, and Gospel call are a fact. The Holy Spirit stirs up faith in
this truth, this action from God, in the very act of inviting and proclaiming.
The Word has an effect, and
we should never doubt that effect. The more someone is lost in his own
righteousness, the more he will respond against the alien righteousness
proclaimed in the Gospel Promises.
Faith makes a meager
beginning, and Satan reacts against that, eager to keep his own kingdom full.
Baptized babies are blessed with parents who believe (unless they just want
their child “done”), and lack the adult resources to doubt everything. Children
have years of wanting to learn, being eager to learn, and parents can teach
them without hesitation.
Adults are often surrounded
by antagonists against the Gospel and cultural bias. Our friends from Hong Kong
said their conversion to the Christian faith was seen by their families as a
betrayal of the clan, which is very powerful in Asia. One never goes against
the patriarch. An immigration leader said that an Asian patriarch could decide
to move to another city, and 150 people would move with him.
This particular example, in
the parable, illustrates the refusal of the Jewish people to receive Christ.
Many did, but the many conversions cause a reaction where the Jewish Christians
were kicked out of the synagogues and people like Paul (before his conversion)
worked against the Christian Faith.
4 Again, he sent forth
other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my
dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage.
Luther:
4. These words beautifully picture to us and
teach how we should make use of the life of the saints; namely, to introduce
examples by which the doctrine of the Gospel may be confirmed, so that we may
the better, by the aid of such examples and lives, meditate upon Christ, and be
nourished by and feast upon him as upon fatlings and well fed oxen. This is the
reason he calls them fatlings. Take an example: Paul teaches in Romans 3:23f.
how the bride is full of sin and must be sprinkled by the blood of Christ
alone, or she will continue unclean, that is, she must only believe that the
blood of Christ was shed for her sins, and there is no other salvation
possible. Then he beautifully introduces the example of
Abraham and confirms the doctrine of faith by the faith and life of Abraham,
and says, 4:3: “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.”
That is a true ox, it is properly slain, it nourishes us, so that we become
grounded and strengthened in our faith by the example and faith of Abraham. Again, soon after Paul lays before us a fine fatling, when he cites
David the Prophet of God and proves from him, that God does not justify us by
virtue of our works, but by faith, when he says, Romans 4:6-8: “Even as David
also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness
apart from works,” saying in Psalm 32:1-2: “Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord
will not reckon sin.”
--
5 But they made light of it,
and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the
remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
This great invitation is
mocked, because of the foolishness of man. Three responses are listed in regard
to material concerns. One went back to his farm, the other went back to his
business.
These are the three barriers that prevent us
from coming to the marriage feast. The first, or the farm, signifies our honor;
it is a great hindrance that we do not think of Christ and believe in him; we
fear we must suffer shame and become dishonored, and we do not believe that God
can protect us from shame and preserve us in honor. The second go to their
spheres of business, that is, they fall with their hearts into their worldly
affairs, into avarice, and when they should cleave to the Word, they worry lest
they perish and their stomachs fail them; they do not trust God to sustain
them. The third class are the worst, they are the high, wise and prudent, the
exalted spirits, they not only despise but martyr and destroy the servants; in
order to retain their own honor and praise, yea, in order to be something. For
the Gospel must condemn their wisdom and righteousness and curse their presumption.
This they cannot suffer; therefore they go ahead and kill the servants who
invited them to the dinner and the marriage feast. They were the Pharisees and
scribes, who put to death both Christ and his Apostles, as their fathers did
the Prophets. These are much worse than the first and second classes, who,
although they despised and rejected the invitation, yet then went away and
neither condemned nor destroyed the servants.
--
Luther’s words describe
three groups of people quite well. One group is offended that they might need
God and forgiveness. Another group, especially the clergy, worry that faith
would cost them comfort, security, and a full tummy. The clergy can pretend to
believe and go through the motions, but they do not believe if they reject
justification by faith – which is the Gospel. The third group today is the
hierarchy of all church bodies. They are timid and helpless, until they get a
chance to get rid of the pastor, scatter the flock, and grab the property for
themselves. The quivering, passive bowls of jello—the DPs and Bishops-- turn
into savages who roar their revenge and spare no effort to express their
vindictiveness and greed.
This has been the case
throughout history. The teaching of the pure Word has been accompanied by rejection
and violent reaction. Luther describes the fruit of the Spirit as affliction.
If the affliction is great, the Gospel is having a greater effect. Our weakness
sees the affliction more than the blessings, because there is no obvious
blessing meter to show us the daily score. The afflictions are easy to
experience, count, and recount. As Luther observed, the worst is having it come
from within the visible church.
7 But when the king heard thereof,
he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city.
This is the Destruction of
Jerusalem, about 40 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. It
happened after Christianity took root in Jerusalem, so strongly that apostles
were killed and the believers driven away. Jerusalem had many warnings and
gracious invitations – from the prophets, from Jesus, from the apostles.
Some would say that God is
so gracious that He forgives everyone without any notion of faith. This parable
says the opposite, because the one thing that matters is faith.
8 Then saith he to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the
marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered
together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was
furnished with guests.
I find this to be humorous
in an ironic way. The traditional guests did not accept the invitations,
rejected the servants, mocked and killed them. So God invited the left-overs,
the good and bad – and we are those people.
This parable reminds us of
the Sower and the Seed. The sower throws the seed in all directions, knowing it
will take root (or not). God broadcasts the Gospel invitation through
believers, and we know that the seed of the Word will take root. We do not have
to judge, because it is up to God, and God will prosper His work.
Very Important
Climax of the Parable
11 And when the king came
in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12
And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding
garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him
hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are
chosen.
The under-text of the
parable is the relationship between the Bride (the Church) and the Bridegroom
(Christ). Faith draws them together. On this earth, the bride cares only for
the groom, and the groom does all he can for the bride. People put their
wedding photos on Facebook, and we see that reflected in their faces. Even
better, we see the photos from 40 and 50 years ago. I know a couple that met at
my elementary school. They are retired and living near their grandchildren.
They look like Ken and Barbie in their wedding photo.
So Christ, as the Groom,
loves those within the true Church and yet never stops extending the Gospel
call to believe. The Bride returns this divine love and is united with Christ
in faith and love.
16. Now, what do we bring to him? Nothing but
all our heart-aches, all our misfortunes, sins, misery and lamentations. He is
the eternal light, we the eternal darkness; he the life, we death; he
righteousness, we sin. This is a marriage that is very unequal. But what does
the bridegroom do? He is so fastidious that he will not dwell with his bride
until he first adorns her in the highest degree. How is that done? The Apostle
Paul teaches that when he says in Titus 3:5-6: “He gave his tender body unto
death for them and sprinkled them with his holy blood and cleansed them through
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” He instituted a
washing; that washing is baptism, with which he washes her. More than this, he
has given to her his Word; in that she believes and through her faith she becomes
a bride. The bridegroom comes with all his treasures; but I come with all my
sins, with all my misery and heart-griefs. But because this is a marriage and a
union, in the sense that they become one flesh, Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5, and
they leave father and mother and cleave to one another, they should embrace
each other and not disown one another, although one is even a little sick and
awkward; for what concerns one, the other must also bear.
The many invitations to the
festival are the Means of Grace. This confrontation teaches justification by
faith. For unbelievers, the ending of the parable is nonsensical and confusing.
Why would someone be invited to a feast, attend, and then be cast out for not
being dressed properly?
The king sees a guest without
a proper wedding garment. The confronted man has nothing to say – he is
speechless. The king casts the man into the outer darkness, where he is also
bound hand and foot. “Many are called but few are elect.”
The proper wedding garment
is not our righteousness but the righteousness of Christ, which is ours only by
faith.
“Clothed in righteousness”
is an important phrase to remember.
KJV Romans 13:14 But put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
KJV Galatians 3:27 For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
The baptismal robe signified
the external or alien righteousness of Christ, which we put on through faith in
Him. It is the only appropriate garment, since otherwise we are simply sinners
without forgiveness.
That seems so clear to
believers, opaque to the rest. When confronted about doctrine, the false
teachers defend themselves with their own honor – they have the right
relatives, the right teachers, the right membership in the right visible
church.
The false teachers strike by
saying, “You are a bad person. You do not count for anything. You have talked
to me in the wrong way, which is a sin.”
Repeating Lenski:
This wedding and the invitations
to attend it picture the grace of God that provides salvation for the world of
sinful men in connection with Christ. It includes
redemption, the means of grace, and the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, as these
apply equally to all men.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg
Publishing House, 1961, S. 848.
Therefore my death thus vanishes in his life,
my sins in his righteousness and my condemnation in his salvation. Here my sin
is forced between the hammer and the anvil, so that it perishes and vanishes.
For now since my sin, my filth is taken away he must adorn and clothe me with
his eternal righteousness and with all his grace until I become beautiful; for
I am his bride. Thus then I appropriate to myself all that he has, as he takes
to himself all that I have; as the Prophet Ezekiel 16:6f says: “I passed by
thee, and thou wast naked, and thy breasts were fashioned and were
marriageable; then I spread my skirts over thee and covered thy nakedness, gave
thee my Word and put on thee beautiful red shoes.” Here he relates many kind
acts he did for her; and later he complains in verse 15, how she became a
harlot. He tells us all this, that he clothed us with his riches and that we of
ourselves have nothing. Whoso does not here lay hold of this as sure, that he
has nothing of himself, but only Christ’s riches and cannot without doubt say,
Thou art mine, he is not yet a Christian.
18. Now since Christ is mine and I am his: if
Satan rages, I have Christ who is my life; does sin trouble me, I have Christ
who is my righteousness; do hell and perdition attack me, I have Christ, who is
my salvation. Thus, there may rage within whatever will, if I have Christ, to
him I can look so that nothing can harm me. And this union of the divine with
the human is pointed out in the picture here of the marriage feast, and the
exalted love God has to us, in the love of the bride.
19. Now the wedding garment is Christ himself,
which is put on by faith, as the Apostle says in Romans 13:14: “Put ye on the
Lord Jesus Christ.”
Then the garment gives forth a luster of itself,
that is, faith in Christ bears fruit of itself, namely, love which works
through faith in Christ. These are the good works, that also flash forth from
faith, and entirely gratuitously do they go forth, they are done alone for the
good of our neighbor; otherwise they are heathenish works, if they flow not out
of faith; they will later come to naught and be condemned, and be cast into the
outermost darkness.
--
So we can see how Jesus gives us a clear portrait
of salvation in Him, the rejection of the Gospel, justification by faith, and unbelievers
within the visible church.
The more we think about this parable, the more
clearly we can see church history and the state of the church today.
