Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Be of Good Cheer! Matthew 9:18-26

Lutheran Service Book Hymnal: Divine Service Setting Three (click here to get your copy)

DIVINE SERVICE     Setting Three page 184

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

 OPENING HYMN 797 Praise The Almighty

PSALM   126 Psalms are found in the front of the hymnal

HOLY SCRIPTURE See below

IN OUR PRAYERS

DISTRIBUTION page 199

Distribution Hymn 556 Dear Christians One and All Rejoice

Distribution Hymn 662 Onward, Christian Soldiers

Distribution Hymn 726 Evening and Morning

Distribution Hymn 596 All Christians Who Have Been Baptized

CLOSING HYMN 965 God Bless Our Native Land

Isaiah 51:9-16                            The Lord Comforts Zion

9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord!  Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old.  Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent?  10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; that made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over?  11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.  12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? 13 And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy.  And where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. 15 But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared— The Lord of hosts is His name. 16 And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”

Colossians 1:9-14         Forgiveness of Sins

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 9: 18-26           Be Of Good Cheer

18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.

Sunday Sermon Notes

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Holy Trinity

November 11, 2018

Matthew 9:18-26

Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Today we are given two parables of faith in Jesus.  The first parable, Jairus’ daughter raised from the dead, is broken into two parts with the second parable, the healing of the woman with a flow of blood, in the middle.

Let us pray: O Lord, who works faith in sinners by means of You working Word, grant us the faith to receive what you have to give us today; in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

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.

This miracle set is found in all three Gospels, so we can see the importance of knowing and understanding both healings.

The first is the ruler’s daughter. We should not overlook the fact that this was the daughter of an important official, one known by many. In some cases the entire crowd witnessed the miracle. In this case, the immediate witnesses of the miracle were few, but the entire circle of friends and associates, plus many more, knew of the ruler’s problem and participated to some degree in the actual mourning ceremonies.

Those who laughed at Jesus were just as important as the trusting family, since they were rudely shaken in their assumptions, of life and death, of who Jesus is. They were not laughing at a country bumpkin but at the Son of God, who raised the girl from the dead.

The faith of this ruler is infinite, since he assumed in his trust, that Jesus could take his beloved daughter from death to life again. What weakens us more than death itself? What can be done but mourn? Most people would have hoped for healing but given up at this point.

But the ruler trusted Jesus so much that he said, “My daughter is already dead, but lay Your hand on her and she will live.” In some instances, Jesus did not travel to the sick or dying person. But He did this time, and that meant the sermon of Jesus’ power went with Him.

On the way, a woman came up behind Jesus and vowed she would touch the hem of His robe. Her condition was equally devastating. Because of the issue of blood, she was ritually unclean and could not be touched – for 12 years. The more she sought help from doctors, the worse she became.

She should have been despairing in her inability to find any healing or comfort. She is a good example of those who have less and less and yet their faith grows and grows. She trusted in Jesus so much that she did not even think to ask him face-to-face. How could she? She was ritually unclean. She did not think to ask Jesus to touch her with His healing hands.

But she was certain that touching Jesus’ garment would alone be enough to heal her. And she experienced immediate healing when she did. Likewise, Jesus knew what happened and said so.

Here is a great saying that picks up on this healing – “If touching the hem of the garment of Jesus healed the woman with the flow, how much more will receiving the Body and Blood of Christ heal us?”

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.

It is difficult to imagine faith being anything but good, when Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you.” Faith is like a beggar.  Empty hands offered to Jesus; like a beggar; like Jairus’; like the woman. Faith receives what God gives.

Luther explains it well. He often preached on this theme. The Gospel is not for the rich, powerful, and self-satisfied. They are like pigs looking at the sacrament. They devour it and do not know what they are consuming. But they have no use for its comfort, since their comfort comes from worldly peace – having power, honors, and an excess of wealth (mammon). They worship these worldly signs of peace and not God.

However, the Gospel is a great comfort to those who are suffering. They feel the weight of their sins – but rejoice when they hear the simple Gospel being for them, also. They have bodily pain and disorders, so they value spiritual comfort that much more. And the great torment of all is emotional, which no one can see. Luther suffered terribly because of his great intelligence and his tender emotions. Others suffer from no temptation because they do whatever they want, until converted. But Luther was chosen by God to separate the Gospel from the Roman Catholic distortions of it, so Satan violently attacked Luther through his emotions. In seeking Gospel peace he wrote an enormous amount of material that still gives peace to people today.

Jesus did not scorn woman as unclean but praised her faith. His grace and love were so great that Jesus drew large crowds wherever He went. His enemies saw that. They were jealous and plotted revenge – all for the glory of God, of course.

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.

Jesus continued on His journey to Jairus’ daughter. The professional mourners were making a racket, so Jesus kicked them out, giving them a morsel of the miracle to come by saying “The maid is not dead but sleeping.” They mocked Jesus with their laughter.

That is always worth considering. The same type of person who would laugh at the Savior (who was about to save a life) will do far more than that to us who are frail, sinful humans.

When they laugh at us, they are laughing at Jesus and the Gospels.

Why did Jairus accomplish so much for his daughter? He trusted God could accomplish this great miracle, a miracle beyond consideration for most people. Certain the Gospel had already reached Jairus and had its effect on him.

Finally, you also trust that Jesus can raise the dead, even Himself, a miracle also beyond consideration.  And yet Jesus is raised from the dead. You have the faith to receive Christ’s body and blood for your healing, which in this case is the forgiveness of your sin-sickness and, soon enough, your resurrection from the dead; in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes understanding, guard and keep you in Jesus Christ, Our Savior. Amen.

Reformation Sunday

Twenty First Sunday after Holy Trinity

Twenty First Sunday after Holy Trinity

Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

God has written through the apostle John, “Jesus said to (the Nobleman), “Go your way; your son lives.” So the (nobleman) believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way” Jn 4:50.  Thus far the text.

Let us pray, “Gracious Father, from depths of woe we cry to You, whose love and grace alone avail to blot out our transgression; O Lord grant us to live by Your mercy alone; in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

We gather here this morning because we are a people who live by faith in Jesus.

Those who have faith in Jesus have all the gifts of God.  You lack nothing.

But let me give you a few examples from the Bible to show you something about your faith in Jesus and a little bit about this God in whom you believe.

First, Job is a man who lived by faith in Jesus.  Job was called the richest man in the East, but Job gave God the credit for all his wealth.  Job was called the wisest man in the East, but Job gave God the credit for all His Wisdom. Job was called a family man for he had a loving wife and many faithful children, but Job gave God the credit for his wonderful family.  

Job is one of the righteous men of old who lived by faith in Jesus who was to come.  You, too, are those who are righteous before God for it is the righteous who live by faith in the Jesus who has come.

Job had everything.  You have everything.

But here is the problem.  Our Father is a generous God who loves to give to His children more and more good gifts.

So, the problem belongs to our Father because what do you give to someone who already has everything?

What happens next?  Our Father allows Satan to take away Job’s wealth, Job’s health, and Job’s family.  Everything that could be seen is destroyed by Satan with the permission of our generous and loving Father.  When faithful Job cries out for mercy, when faithful Job starts to question the mercy of God, what does God do?  God rebukes Job.

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?  Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me” (Job 38:1–3).

To set up the problem even more, let us look at a second example.  The disciples followed Jesus because they had faith in Jesus. And yet, when the storm tossed their boat around on the sea, Jesus rebukes His faithful ones saying, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith!” (Matthew 8:26).  

A third example from today’s Gospel, “The Nobleman went to Jesus and implored Jesus to come down and heal his son, for the boy was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to Nobleman, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” Jn 4:47–48.  What? The Nobleman went to Jesus believing that Jesus alone could heal his son. Jesus rebukes the Nobleman for lack of faith.

The Lord takes our faith away with a rebuke.  For the purpose of giving us a greater faith.

Job, the disciples, and the Nobleman believed in Jesus.  They also saw their many blessings from God. But our Father takes them through the cross of Jesus Christ to give them a faith in Jesus that also sees the blessings that can’t be seen.

With this greater faith, Job was content will many blessings of God even though he had no wealth, no health, no family.  He could give thanks knowing that all things will turn out well because of faith in Jesus.

With this greater faith, the apostles were content with both the physical and spiritual blessings of faith in Jesus, even when they were being put to death for this faith.  The apostles could give thanks knowing that all things will turn out well because of faith in Jesus, even though they die.

With this greater faith, the Nobleman was content with both the physical and spiritual blessings of faith in Jesus, even though one day both he and his son would one day die.

Through the cross, the Lord makes us children of God.  Children don’t question the generosity of God. They take Jesus at His Word.  They trust Him. They are content.

Receive again the faith of a child.  The faith you had as a child trusting that all things will be ok.

The Lord restored Job with a new family.  He has restored you with a new family of God’s children, your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Lord saved the apostles from an early death.  He saved you from death to eternal life that you not die.

The Lord cured the Nobleman’s son from the grip of death.  He cures you from the grip of death by forgiving your sins in the name of Jesus.

Let us listen to the powerful and effective Word of Jesus when He says to you, “Go your way, the children of God - live.”

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Genesis Notes

The First Article - From the Large Catechism

[9] “I believe in God, the Father almighty, CREATOR of heaven and earth …”

[10] This is the shortest possible way of describing and illustrating the nature, will, acts, and work of God the Father. Because the Ten Commandments have explained that we are to have no more than one God, so it may now be asked: “What kind of person is God? What does he do? How can we praise or portray or describe him in such a way so we may know him?” This is taught here and in the following articles. Thus the Creed is nothing else than a response and confession of Christians based on the First Commandment. [11] If you were to ask a young child, “My dear, what kind of God do you have? What do you know about him?” he or she could say: “First, my God is the Father, who made heaven and earth. Aside from this one alone I regard nothing as God, for there is no one else who could create heaven and earth.”

[12] For the highly educated and those somewhat more well informed, however, all three articles can be treated more fully and divided into as many parts as there are words. But for the young pupils it is now enough to indicate the most necessary points, namely, as we have said, that this article deals with creation. We should emphasize the words “creator of heaven and earth.” [13] What is meant by these words or what do you mean when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator,” etc.? Answer: I hold and believe that I am God’s creature, that is, that he has given me and constantly sustains my body, soul, and life, my members great and small, all my senses, my reason and understanding, and the like; my food and drink, clothing, nourishment, spouse and children, servants, house and farm, etc. [14] Besides, he makes all creation help provide the benefits and necessities of life—sun, moon, and stars in the heavens; day and night; air, fire, water, the earth and all that it yields and brings forth; birds, fish, animals, grain, and all sorts of produce. [15] Moreover, he gives all physical and temporal blessings—good government, peace, security. [16] Thus we learn from   p 433 this article that none of us has life—or anything else that has been mentioned here or can be mentioned—from ourselves, nor can we by ourselves preserve any of them, however small and unimportant. All this is comprehended in the word “Creator.”

[17] Moreover, we also confess that God the Father has given us not only all that we have and what we see before our eyes, but also that he daily guards and defends us against every evil and misfortune, warding off all sorts of danger and disaster. All this he does out of pure love and goodness, without our merit, as a kind father who cares for us so that no evil may befall us. [18] But further discussion of this subject belongs in the other two parts of this article, where it says, “Father almighty.”

[19] Hence, because everything we possess, and everything in heaven and on earth besides, is daily given, sustained, and protected by God, it inevitably follows that we are in duty bound to love, praise, and thank him without ceasing, and, in short, to devote all these things to his service, as he has required and enjoined in the Ten Commandments.

[20] Here much could be said if we were to describe how few people believe this article. We all pass over it; we hear it and recite it, but we neither see nor think about what the words command us to do. [21] For if we believed it with our whole heart, we would also act accordingly, and not swagger about and boast and brag as if we had life, riches, power, honor, and such things of ourselves, as if we ourselves were to be feared and served. This is the way the wretched, perverse world acts, drowned in its blindness, misusing all the blessings and gifts of God solely for its own pride, greed, pleasure, and enjoyment, and never once turning to God to thank him or acknowledge him as Lord or Creator.

[22] Therefore, if we believe it, this article should humble and terrify all of us. For we sin daily with eyes, ears, hands, body and soul, money and property, and with all that we have, especially those who even fight against the Word of God. Yet Christians have this advantage, that they acknowledge that they owe it to God to serve and obey him for all these things.

[23] For this reason we ought daily to practice this article, impress it upon our minds, and remember it in everything we see and in every blessing that comes our way. Whenever we escape distress or danger, we should recognize how God gives and does all of this so that we may sense and see in them his fatherly heart and his boundless love toward us. Thus our hearts will be warmed and kindled with gratitude to God and a desire to use all these blessings to his glory and praise.

[24] Such, very briefly, is the meaning of this article. It is all that ordinary people need to learn at first, both about what we have and receive from God and about what we owe him in return. This is knowledge of great significance, but an even greater treasure. For here we see how the Father has given to us himself with all creation and has abundantly provided for us in this life, apart from the fact that he has also showered us with inexpressible eternal blessings through his Son and the Holy Spirit, as we shall hear.

Psalm 8 Notes

Formula of Concord, Article 8 - Concerning the Person of Christ

[26] erOn this basis, too, after the resurrection from the dead the human nature enjoys exaltation over all creatures in heaven and on earth. This is nothing other than that he has laid aside the form of a servant completely (without discarding his human nature, which he retains forever) and was installed into the   p 621 full possession and use of his divine majesty according to his assumed human nature. Of course, he also possessed this majesty from his conception in the womb of his mother, but, as the Apostle testifies [Phil. 2:7*], he emptied himself of that majesty, and as Dr. Luther explains,265 he kept it secret in his state of humiliation and did not use it all the time but only when he wanted to. [27] eHowever, after this he did not merely ascend to heaven as any other holy person, but, as the Apostle testifies [Eph. 4:10*], he ascended far above all the heavens, truly fills all things, and now rules everywhere, from one sea to the other and to the end of the world, not only as God but also as a human being. As the prophets prophesy and the apostles testify [Pss. 8:2*, 7*; 93:1*; Zech. 9:19; Mark 16:19–20*], he worked everywhere with them and has confirmed their message through the signs that accompanied it. [28] Indeed, this did not take place in an earthly manner but, as Dr. Luther explains,266 according to the mode of the right hand of God. It is not some specific spot in heaven, as the sacramentarians propose without basis in the Holy Scripture. Instead, it is nothing other than the almighty power of God, which fills heaven and earth. Christ has been installed in this power according to his humanity.

Ephesian Notes

Large Catechism - Sixth Petition - Deliver Us Not Into Temptation

[104] Then comes the devil, who baits and badgers us on all sides, but especially exerts himself where the conscience and spiritual matters are concerned. His purpose is to make us scorn and despise both the Word and the works of God, to tear us away from faith, hope, and love, to draw us into unbelief, false security, and stubbornness, or, on the contrary, to drive us into despair, denial of God, blasphemy, and countless other abominable sins. These are snares and nets; indeed, they are the real “flaming darts”186 that are venomously shot into our hearts, not by flesh and blood but by the devil.

[107] To experience attack, therefore, is quite a different thing from consenting to it or saying “Yes” to it.187 We must all experience it, though not to the same degree; some have more frequent and severe attacks than others. Young people, for example, are tempted chiefly by the flesh; adults and older people are   p 455 tempted by the world. Others, who are concerned with spiritual matters (that is, strong Christians), are tempted by the devil. [108] But no one can be harmed by merely experiencing an attack, as long as it is contrary to our will and we would prefer to be rid of it. For if we did not experience it, it could not be called an attack. But to consent to it is to give it free rein and neither to resist it nor to pray for help against it.

John Notes

My dear friend, regard it as a real treasure that God speaks into your physical ear.23 The only thing that detracts from this gift is our deficient knowledge of it. To be sure, I do hear the sermon; however, I am wont to ask: “Who is speaking?” The pastor? By no means! You do not hear the pastor. Of course, the voice is his, but the words he employs are really spoken by my God. Therefore I must hold the Word of God in high esteem that I may become an apt pupil of the Word. If we looked upon it as the Word of God, we would be glad to go to church, to listen to the sermon, and to pay attention to the precious Word. There we would hear Christ say: “Give Me a drink!” But since we do not honor the Word of God or show any interest in our own salvation, we do not hear the Word. In fact, we do not enjoy listening to any preacher unless he is gifted with a good and clear voice. If you look more at the pastor than at God; if you do not see God’s person but merely gape to see whether the pastor is learned and skilled, whether he has good diction and articulates distinctly—then you have already become half a Jacob.24 For a poor   V 22, p 529 speaker may speak the Word of God just as well as he who is endowed with eloquence. A father speaks the Word of God as well as God does, and your neighbor speaks it as well as the angel Gabriel. There is no difference between the Word when uttered by a schoolboy and when uttered by the angel Gabriel; they vary only in rhetorical ability.

Twentieth Sunday after Holy Trinity

Twentieth Sunday after Holy Trinity

Sunday Sermon Notes

October 14 & 15, 2018

Matthew 22:1-14

KJV Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

The parables of Jesus are so powerful because they preserve the teaching of Jesus in a concise and easy to remember way. They translate easily because the circumstances of the parables are basic to all cultures. The main loss can be seen today when only a small percentage of Americans understand the plants and animals created for our benefit. That is not the fault of the parables but the result of an agricultural society that is largely urban now.

The rationalists and scoffers try to separate the ministry of Jesus and the teaching of Paul in this way. They claim that Paul presented faith in Jesus as a new doctrine that was unknown to Jesus. Here is a parable that no one would dispute as coming from Jesus, and the necessity of faith in Him is taught so clearly and from so many perspectives, that missing the lesson can only reveal blindness and hardness of heart.

Am I wrong in saying most people know this parable by heart in most of the details? The ending is quite strange, with one wedding guest being tossed into Hell, so that is hard to forget by itself, not to mention the details about the excuses.

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

This certain king - typical parable language - is God the Father, and the marriage feast is for His Son Jesus. The Old Testament has this image already in the Song of Solomon, and our relationship with God is often discussed in the same way, such as Hosea's marriage to a wanton women representing the faithfulness of God and the apostasy of His people.

Jesus spoke of Himself as the groom and the Church as the bride. God created the marriage of a man and his wife by the Word. All societies recognize this as basic to their structure, even though there are exceptions that prove the perversity of man. Those women caught up in polygamy, still widely practiced in Utah and elsewhere, hate it.

So a marriage is a major event in the lives of people, and we all know about weddings we have attended going back to childhood. They are special occasions where people set aside their schedules to participate, often traveling to be there.

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

The various invitations can be seen as happening over centuries, because the Promise of the Messiah began at Genesis 3:15 and continued throughout the Old Testament. Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).

The binding of Isaac foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ. The Gospel began in the Old Testament, because Abraham believing God (Genesis 15) meant more than having a son. The Promise was being a Father of Many Nations. Abraham was the forerunner of the Messiah and the Christian Church, the Father of Faith in Him.

The Psalms and the prophets are full of the Gospel Promises, too, all invitations to believe in the coming Messiah.

But the Jewish people did not remain faithful to the Word and hoped for another kind of Messiah. As Israel declined, Greece took over. Then a brief rebellion restored the throne, but that did not last long. Once they had enough turmoil and bloodshed, they invited Rome to come in as peacekeepers, and Rome stayed. Israel became a Roman province and a pagan king was placed on the throne of David.

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Gen 49:10

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. [fatlings are the young fattened for slaughter]

More invitations are sent, and these are repeats to those who refused before. Now the feast is made even more attractive.

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.” thus far Luther

My oxen and my fatlings are the feast of Gospel blessings and comforts. These examples convey the enormous amount provided to us as well as the varieties of comforts and blessings. At any given feast, multiple examples of meat, fish, vegetables, desserts, and other food are provided, not out of necessity, but to please everyone in every possible way.

The Scriptures, hymns, and liturgies provide countless ways in which to keep us in the faith and enjoying the benefits of Christianity, in spite of bearing the cross.

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.

The reaction to the Gospel Word has always been apathetic, hostile and violent.

Luther describes the groups variously.

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.  Thus far Luther.

Most recall from Mark 13 and parallel passages, that Jesus predicted the Fall of Jerusalem, and it happened as He described it. This is another reference to that future event. Rejection of the Son and the Apostles meant that Rome would come and destroy Jerusalem.

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.

The wedding feast is something out of the constraints of time, because the festal invitations began when the Gospel was first taught in Genesis and continues today as people hear about the Son's love for the Bride, those who believe in Him.

The initial guests rejected the invitations, though they were well prepared with the Old Testament lessons and worship for many centuries. The apostles went out in all directions to find people to attend this festival, and they gathered them, the good and the bad.

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.

This part threw me, long ago, when I was a young seminarian. How can one explain such a strange and violent reaction to clothing. As I mentioned before, the baptism robe probably was doubtless associated with the idea of "putting on Christ," a term used by Paul.

The Groom is the Savior and the Bride is comprised of the sinners who are Christian believers. The Groom is "Beautiful Savior" but we are not. We are gnarled and twisted by the effects of sin, but we are given the robe of Christ's righteousness, so we are beautiful too.

As Luther wrote in his sermon, when a man marries a woman, he thinks only of her, and she thinks only of him. Two individuals become one and grow away from the self-centeredness of individualism to the selflessness of marriage and family.

Likewise Christ thinks only of His Bride, all believers, and they think only of Him.

But some show up who still believe in their works making them righteous. Martin Chemnitz taught in his Justification book that justification became so distorted that people had to examine exactly what it meant.

Before the Reformation, justification by faith was not taught as the Gospel. Works had to be added. When Luther emphasized justification by faith, the Church of Rome did everything possible to silence Luther, kill him, and scatter his followers.

In era after era, Lutherans have abandoned the Biblical doctrine, only to have it scorned and rejected again. As we can see from the ending of this comforting and warning parable, this is aimed at us also. Our hope is based upon the merits of Christ, not our own works.