Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Beauty of Grace Is that It Makes Life Not Fair

By Vicar Peter Heyn on October 16, 2011

Matthew 20:1-16

The Beauty of Grace Is that It Makes Life Not Fair

I. We don’t get what we deserve

II. God’s grace is for all

Dear fellow redeemed in Christ, blessed with the grace of God,

A million dollar golf tournament was held which drew contestants from near and far. Many experienced golfers who had worked for years and years on their game came for their shot at the jackpot. The winner would be the closest to the pin. Golfer after golfer tried for the hole, and one skilled veteran made it within six inches. Not too shabby.

Then he watched as a certain hacker came to the tee, and swung the most horrible looking swing he had ever seen. But luck was with this amateur. His ball bounced off a nearby photographers’ cart and landed just one inch from the hole. He won the contest. He won the money. Who ever said life is fair, right?

One of my favorite Christian bands has a lyric that says, “The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.” It’s easy for us to say “life’s not fair,” but the odd thing, and the point of that lyric, is that “not fair” is actually a part of God’s grace. His grace is not fair because it is offered to all humans, sinners though we are, in the gift of His Son. And through faith in that Son, we get what we could never deserve on our own. And this salvation, won by Christ, goes out to all those called to faith, whether as an infant, or on the person’s deathbed. We’re all equally undeserving, but “the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.”

I. The text which was just read as our Gospel lesson is a parable which Jesus tells to His disciples. Right before He tells this parable, a rich, young man has approached Jesus and asked Him, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”[1] Jesus has told the young man to follow the Ten Commandments. When the man replies that he already has, Jesus tells the man he must then sell all of his possessions and follow Jesus. The man goes away sad. The Apostle Peter then says to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”[2] These disciples actually had a tendency to be a little proud. Jesus replies by telling them the glories of heaven which await His followers, but He then warns them that “many who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first.”[3] This parable expands upon what is meant by that statement.

So let’s look at the parable. The main character is a certain vineyard owner. So already right here we have something we can understand: vineyards. This parable could very well take place right here in Sonoma or Napa County. This owner goes out early in the morning to find workers. He has a long day of work ahead of him in this harvest season. Now we can understand vineyards, but his method of finding employees is a little unusual to us. In Jesus’ day, those who were unemployed would go to the “agora” or marketplace of the city. And there they would wait for the employers (like vineyard owners or farmers) who would come to the marketplace and hire them.

At this early morning hour, the owner begins hiring workers for the day. Each of these workers was unemployed, so he has no income.  He offers each of them 1 denarius for the day. The value of the denarius isn’t important. Just pretend it was $50. So each of them, agrees to work for $50 that day. It wasn’t like working at McDonald’s where I received $8/hr, or whatever it was. This was more like when I substitute taught in Madison and I got paid the same amount every day, whether I worked until 2:30, or until 4:30. This was a daily wage. He comes back then at 9am, again at noon, again at 3 in the afternoon, and again at around 5 in the afternoon. And so each of the workers, as he is hired, enters into a contract with the vineyard owner.

In the same way that the vineyard owner called his workers at different hours of the day, God calls each of us at different points in our lives. Some of us were brought into God’s family as infants in baptism. Others of us have been called later in life. And there are future members of Living Word Lutheran that will be called in the future, but that haven’t been part of God’s family as long as we have. But the same God has called us all. And for all of us, it was God that called us, not the other way around.

At the end of the day he pays each of them what he promised: one denarius. But the one denarius for the day arrangement seemed unfair to the men who were hired first and had worked all day, in the heat of the day. The more recent employees had worked less hours, but they got paid the same. In the same way, it seemed unfair to Jonah in our Old Testament lesson when God told Jonah to go and preach to the sin city of Nineveh, and then God did not even punish them for their wickedness. Granted, they did repent when they were confronted with their sin. But Jonah had been a Christian for a very long time and was risking his life by confronting the Ninevites. And all of a sudden, God’s grace is for them too? It seemed to Jonah like they didn’t deserve it as much as he did.

It can seem a little unfair to us to see the thief on the cross to whom Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”[4] He had lived life the way he wanted, stolen to get what he wanted, and now Jesus just gives him salvation, too? Just because he believed in Jesus? Shouldn’t we get something a little more for being a Christian for a longer time? We’ve tried to live the Christian life, and we don’t get the world’s approval, but we do it because we know it’s what God wants. Doesn’t that count for anything? It doesn’t always seem fair to us either.

And why is it so easy for us and these people to cry out, “Hey, that’s unfair!” Why did Jonah and the workers who were hired first get mad? Well it’s because of that old human tendency toward pride. The workers, even though they had agreed to work for one denarius, felt they deserved more. Jonah felt he deserved a little bit more than the people of Nineveh. Jesus’ disciples had the same problem. Why did all these people want this? Because of pride. They all thought they were somehow better and that they deserved more. We have that same struggle with pride, too, don’t we? It’s easy for us, too, to feel like we deserve a little bit more than other Christians, because we’re a little bit better.

But what do we really deserve? Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” That’s what would be fair, is if we all died an eternal death. Because like the workers in the parable, we, too, have entered into a contract. God created us, gives us everything we need in life, and most of all sent a Savior for our sins. The least we can do is follow His commandments, right? But we haven’t. We’ve spit in His face. So what’s fair is that we would get what we deserve: an eternal fiery death in hell.

And that’s what those around us, those who at this point haven’t come to know Jesus as their Savior, that’s what they’re earning right now. And they’re not “having fun, living life the way they want.” Usually when people are partying hard, living selfishly, they’re not having fun doing it. In fact, they’re pretty miserable because they’re missing God’s love in their lives. They don’t know what it means to be forgiven for their sins, and to have a hope beyond this life. But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.

III. [We ALL get God’s mercy.] And God abounds in grace and mercy. Some of you may know the Christian financial advisor Dave Ramsey. Whenever someone greets him and asks how he’s doing, he always gives the same reply. He says, “I’m better than I deserve.” And shouldn’t we all hold that same attitude? Because we’re all so much better than we deserve. God provides for all our petty needs here on earth. We all have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and the love of those around us. And most of all, we have God’s love, given to us in the gift of His only Son on the cross. And so our eternal salvation is secured in heaven.

And it’s not because we deserve it. It’s because “God is love.”[5] And it’s not just for us. Paul writes that “God wants all men to be saved to come to the knowledge of the truth.”[6] And God calls people in different situations, at different points in their lives. It’s all part of His master plan which, as mere humans, none of us can completely see nor even understand. But we know what’s important… that God loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die for us. And it’s reason for great rejoicing because we have another brother or sister in Christ.

And don’t get jealous of those who are called at a different time in life. In fact, help this happen. Be God’s instrument in telling others about God’s “unfair grace.” Because there is no greater reason for joy in this world than God’s “unfair grace.” It’s for the world, and so share this message with the world! Don’t let yourself become concerned with other people and how God is blessing them in life. Keep your eyes focused on how God has blessed you, and what He wants you to do with that blessing. Share it with the world!

And then how does this parable end? The same way it begins, right before we started reading: Jesus says, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The last will be first”… that is, many who were not called into God’s kingdom at birth will be called into His kingdom and will be a part of it. But the warning goes the other way then, too. “Many who are first will be last.” Many who were called, who were in the kingdom, gave it up. Historically, this would have applied to the Jews who were first given the promise of a Savior, but who ended up rejecting Him and even arranging His crucifixion. While meanwhile the Gentiles, who were born in unbelief, were then called into God’s Kingdom and became “first.” But it applies to people of today, also. Some who were born into Christianity, or called at a young age, eventually have rejected it because of jealousy, pride, or for whatever other reason. Jesus’ warning for us is to not let this happen to us. The fact that we don’t always understand God’s goodness or grace does not make it any less true. Therefore, Jesus wants us to keep holding onto our faith in His amazing love for us and for the world.

Conclusion: Martin Luther’s last written words, right before he died, were “We are all beggars; this is true.” Truly we are all beggars, deserving nothing on our own merits. Or at least nothing besides the worst punishments. But thank God He does not give us what we deserve. Thank God He abounds in grace and mercy. Cannot He shower that on whomever He pleases? Thank God He has showered it on us; thank God He has showered it on the world.  Amen.

[1] Matthew 19:16.

[2] Ibid. 19:27.

[3] Ibid., 19:30.

[4] Luke 23:43.

[5] 1 John 4:8.

[6] 1 Timothy 2:4.

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Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven

By Pastor Smith on October 9, 2011

Matthew 18: 21-35 (read 21,22)

Leonardo Da Vinci was a great painter, engineer, draftsman and thinker.  The story is told that before he painted the LAST SUPPER, he had a violent argument with a fellow painter.  Davinci was so mad that he decided to paint the face of his enemy into the face of Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ betrayer.  He painted it in so everyone could recognize him.

But when he came to paint the face of Jesus, he couldn’t do it.  Something seemed to hold back the best efforts of this skilled painter.  Do you know what it was? Davinci did.  It was the face of his enemy that he painted in anger.  So Davinci painted out the face of Judas and started again with the face of Jesus.  This time he succeeded.

You see, you cannot paint the face of Jesus into your life , while you paint the face of another with hatred and an ugly refusal to forgive.  To follow Jesus is to forgive our neighbor.  And in this parable, Jesus comes with a compelling reason.

FORGIVE AS YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN

I. See the mercy of your King

II.  Have mercy on one another.

Jesus had just finished explaining how we are to forgive that person who sins against us and repents.  That made Peter wonder.  How often? He may have thought to himself.  There needs to some kind of limit.  Otherwise people will take advantage. So Peter asked Jesus this question that you or I might have asked:  “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Peter thought he was being generous because the Jewish writings teach no more than three.

Jesus answer must have shocked Peter and the others.  But he doesn’t stop there.  Our good Lord and Teacher draws us in with this parable.    23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As Jesus tells it, this was a king who obviously gave his servants a lot of responsibility for his treasury.  Big sums of money passed through their hands.  24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

In todays terms, the servant owed his king, millions of dollars.  Millions of dollars he could not repay.  The only thing he could do was get down on his knees and beg for more time.  Yet this was nothing but an act of desperation.  For this was a debt he could never hope to repay.

It’s pretty obvious where Jesus is taking us here.  The King is the Lord and Peter, the disciples you and I  are the servant.  We owed a tremendous debt to our King.

Have you ever heard of the Bureau of Public Debt?  It keeps track of how much debt our Federal Government has accumulated.  I check it just the other day.  Our country’s debt was this:

$14, 865,329, 647,749.39

On some web sites, that number changes before you in real time.  It shocks you. Right before you, each minute, each hour that debt increases  not by hundreds but by millions.

Well just imagine there was a website with your name on it that gave a constant read out.  So that each time you sinned, each time you lost your patience, each time you failed to love , each time you were arrogant or gossiped or put someone or something before the Lord, the total went up. Just imagine the number, our personal debt of sin that we could never repay.

But what are we told about our King?  This King had every right to lower the boom on this man.  Yet what did he do?  He took pity on this helpless man.  His heart went out to him.  And he did more than give his servant more time.  Instead, he erased the debt from his books.  He absorbed the loss.  In effect, he paid the man’s debt himself.

This is your King, dear friends.  This is your God.  He’s paid our debt,  hasn’t he?  But in our case, it took more than the stroke of a pen. It took more, much more to erase our monstrous debt of guilt that condemned us.   It took a payment like no other – the suffering and death of God’s one and only Son for you.  The Lord laid on him the guilt of us all. See the mercy of your King.

Think about it.  God’s Word says this about Jesus in Colossians 1: 16,17.  By him, all things were created…He is before all things and by him all things hold together.  Yet this King, who created the universe, this King of kings, bowed his head in shame to wear a crown of thorns for you and me.  This King who’s got the whole world in his hands, stretched out his hands on a cross for you. For there he took our debt on himself and paid an awful price.  So that now he says to you in this Word.  He says to you through his called servant.  Take heart, my son.  Take heart my daughter.  Your sins are forgiven. Even those who memory troubles you now.   Look at the cross and see the mercy of your King.

But Jesus is not done with us here.  God intends his mercy his forgiveness to have an effect on us.  People who have experienced God’s forgiveness are to be forgiving people.  We are to be like Joseph in our Old Testament lesson.  His brothers had sold him into slavery.  They had broken their father’s heart by telling him that his son  was eaten by wild animals.  But when the time came when Joseph had the  power to get revenge on his brothers, what did he do?  Mercy welled up in his heart and he forgave them.  Mercy that Joseph had experienced in the LORD.  So have you.  More than you can know. So forgive as you have been forgiven. See the mercy of your King and then have mercy on one another.

What a sad, pathetic example we have in this servant.  Jesus intentionally makes it sound outrageous. No sooner than he was forgiven, no sooner released from his terrible debt, he goes out.  He finds his fellow servant who owed him very little.

Yet he takes him by the throat and demands:  Pay back what you owe me. The servant begs for more time just like he did.  But he gets a much different response.  Not mercy, not pity, not forgiveness. This servant who was forgiven so much could not bring himself to forgive very little. Instead he has the man thrown in prison.

This servant betrayed a terrible ingratitude, didn’t he?  His king expected much better from him.  ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? This servant betrayed a terrible ingratitude and so do we, so do we when we refuse to forgive someone from our heart.  So do we when we hold that grudge, refusing to let it go.  We betray a terrible ingratitude to God.

For what are we called upon to forgive?  Most of the time little things like that remark that hurts our feelings.  But even when it is something that hurts deep down like Joseph’s brothers, here’s the point.  It doesn’t even come close to what the Lord has forgiven you. There’s just no comparison.  There’s just no comparison when you look up to your Savior’s cross and see his face contorted in pain.  There’s no comparison to what you have been forgiven and the price God paid to make it so.

So look there.  Look to God’s mercy and forgiveness for you and find the power to forgive.  Find the power to put that hurt away.  Find the power to forgive not just once or twice, but again and again as Jesus told  Peter.

Back in 1946 when Germany was decimated, a certain young man joined a gang.  The gang went through the country side stealing whatever they could, showing no mercy.  One night on an isolated farm, they  gunned down ten members of the Wilhelm Hammelman family.  All of them died except one man who survived four gunshot wounds.

Twenty years went by, The once young gang member had finished his prison term.  “But the state would not release him because he had nowhere to go.  Do you know what Mr Hammelman did when he learned of his situation.  He asked the authorities to release the man to his custody.  This is what he wrote in his request.  Christ died for my sins and forgave me. Should I not forgive this man?

We know the answer.  We find it here . Forgive as you have been forgiven.  Amen

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