Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Time

The Hymn #  281     The Savior Calls               1:29

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 # 531            Come ye Disconsolate            1:15

 Two Healings

The Communion Hymn # 308            Invited Lord                1:63

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 #  511     Jesus Shall Reign                1:80

           

KJV Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

KJV Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Trinity

O almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son hast promised us forgiveness of our sins and deliverance from eternal death: We pray that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt daily increase our faith in Thy grace through Christ, and establish us in the certain hope that we shall not die, but peacefully sleep, and be raised again on the last day to eternal life and salvation; through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Two Healings

Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Lenski:

Compare Mark 5:21 and Luke 8:40. Matthew furnishes the exact sequence of events. In the morning Jesus returned to Capernaum from the country of the Gadarenes and went to his own house. There a crowd gathered, and he healed the paralytic. Then Jesus dined at Matthew’s house, probably in the late afternoon, and following the meal he answered the Pharisees and the disciples of John. Matthew’s office and house, we assume, was located at the landing place on the road beside the lake. Thus “he was now by the sea,” Mark 5:21. As he was still speaking to John’s disciples, Jairus appeared, one of the rulers of the synagogue.

Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 371.

Sometimes we read a story in the Gospels and it seems as if there is a more detailed version somewhere else, or we remember details not found in the one we are reading at the time.

That is especially true of this pair of miracles, woven together, both emphasizing faith in a different way. They remind me of the Medieval painting style called the triptych, where the central panel is related to the side panels, all telling the same story and yet with a slightly different emphasis.

We do not need to ask why this was done. We only need to read the plain words and ask what the Holy Spirit is teaching us. This was promised by Jesus in His farewell sermon (Gospel of John). The Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance all those things. So the Gospels are not only inspired in their content but also in the way these narratives are taught to us.

This is our foundation, our canon (literally measuring rod) that teaches us exactly what we need to know. This is not limited by a lack of formal education or language studies but often by formal training where people are taught to ignore the plain truth in favor of a political or denominational agenda.

Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, was an influential person. He managed the affairs of a synagogue. Right now a friend of ours in this area has a child going to the hospital. I can imagine the father doing the same thing with Jesus. “He worshipped Him” means kneeling down before Jesus, showing honor to Him as God.

What would he do? Anything, anything, to give his daughter life again. As a worshiping Jew, Jairus knew what the Scriptures promised. He knew the reputation of Jesus and had faith in Him, faith that the Messiah had the power of life over death.

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

This is just a verse, a few words, but they say so much. Jesus never turned down a request in all His miracles. Liberals and spin-doctors use selective outrage to questions certain details, such as seeming to be harsh with the Canaanite woman, asking for her daughter’s health. But they do not stop to consider how each and every one was healed – sometimes through the faith of the one praying, at other times by person suffering, at other times because Jesus is the Lord of Creation and raised the dead to life by His gracious will, when others wondered or mocked.

He could have healed the daughter from a distance, but chose to be there, where many witnesses who mocked could see the miracle with their own eyes.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

On the journey, a woman comes up to Jesus, from behind and touches only the outer tassel of the garment He wore. (The Pharisees made them especially prominent so everyone knew they were observing Mosaic ritual.)

The woman was not stealing a miracle but coming up secretly because of her shame. She was ritually unclean because of that constant flow. No physician had helped her and she only grew worse from their care.

This shows her profound faith in His healing power, which we see in the Gospel today. Wherever the Gospel is taught, sins are forgiven and death turns to life, mortality to eternal life.

A famous saying from the past says, “If the hem of His garment can heal, how much more can His body and blood?” And yet people avoid and neglect this powerful sacrament.

Some think they are not worthy of forgiveness. But Christ makes us worthy. He suffered and died for great and terrible sins, not just for skipping Sunday School as a child.

Some laity and clergy use communion to shun the pastor who is distributing the elements. That shows their utter lack of comprehension of the Gospel. The Visible Word of the sacrament is offered for the individual, through God’s gracious will, not to test the worthiness of the pastor offering Holy Communion. The saddest thing is – they will shun the pastor for teaching the truth and show how miffed they are by scowling and refusing to go up for communion.

Of course some confuse a Lutheran church with fast-food drive-throughs. They stop by the first time and expect to be communed. I had one family leave in the middle of the service and slam the doors. They probably read the closed communion announcement. On the other hand, one woman missed her intended stop at a Methodist church and kept coming back, because “you are teaching the Word clearly.” She was so used to the placid vague Methodist talks, intended to offend no one, that she did not know the basics of the faith, in spite of regular attendance.

Mark’s version is quite detailed about this.

KJV Mark 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

The woman knew she was healed and Jesus knew He healed her. Here the faith of the suffering person is emphasized, and that faith received the great healing power of the Son of God.

Faith in Christ must be something good, to receive such blessings.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

Jesus continued to Jairus’ home, where the official mourning had already begun. The little girl had died, so the arguments of the rationalists must be sent empty away. If these healings only happened because they thought they were sick and then thought they were healed, nothing would help this little girl.

But the emphasis is first upon the power of the Son of God, which inspires faith. That inspired Jairus to worship and pray to Jesus to bring his dying daughter back to life.

This miracle is especially pointed, because of the loutish behavior of the people there. Mark gives us the extra details that the girl had passed away and there was no help to be given. Some friend said, “Do not bother Him any more with your sorrow.” We can see why Jesus came – to show the entire synagogue the manifestation of God’s Promises in the Messiah.

KJV Mark 5:35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

Jesus said to the grieving father – “Do not be afraid – only believe.”

I keep reading all these essays about how bad faith is. The unbelieving jockeys of UOJ really hate faith in Christ. Instead, they demand total trust in their delusional philosophy. Nor should it surprise us that those who teach against trust in Christ are duplicitous in all their ways, especially in trying to enforce their false dogma.

The opposite of faith is fear, and the opposite of fear is faith. Things have been so bad in America that I stopped fearing the future. All the leaders, secular and religious, are in Never-Never Land where they never grow up and always pretend.

The pastoral epistles and Romans 1 are correct. We are fulfilling all the characteristics of the End Times, the Age of Apostasy.

KJV Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

KJV 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron

KJV 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.