Author: Higher Things

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

St. John 6:42-59

Why did these men want to kill Jesus? What did Jesus ever do to them? Jesus healed the sick. He made the blind to see and the deaf to hear and the lame to walk. He cast out demons and raised dead children to life. So why is it that the clergy are so anxious to grab stones and beat Jesus to death? What did He do? He looks them in the eye and says, “You are of your father the Devil!” What Jesus does is to rob these men of their religion and their piety and holiness. These clergy, who think they’re so holy and keep God’s Law so faithfully and love to be loved by all the common people who think those clergy are so holy and pious, have their false god stripped from them. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day make a great show of being godly. But the ones they really worship are themselves! And when Jesus comes along and tells them their good works are worthless and the religion is a sham and the only hope they have is to repent of their sins and believe in Him, they want none of it! We could say it simply like this: Jesus is in trouble because, of all the things He does for the weak and poor and sick, what He DOESN’T do is flatter the holy rollers. He doesn’t tell them how great they are and what a wonderful job they’re doing. But, brothers and sisters in Christ, there’s our repentance too! Jesus has come to demolish our religion, the religion of “me” which is really just the Devil’s preaching. That’s why mega churches are filled to overflowing with people. Because the Devil’s preachers tell them what they want to hear: how great they are. But we’re not immune from wanting to hear that!

Jesus didn’t come to tell us how great we are. No flattery for you today. Jesus came to rescue us from our thinking that we are so great. Jesus came to be the sacrifice for the notions in our head that confess that we’re pretty good people. Every boast about who we are and what we’ve done is carried by Jesus to the cross to be gotten rid of. Jesus came to be the Lamb that Abraham promised to Isaac. “God will provide Himself with a Lamb, my son.” What most aggravated the Pharisees, I suspect, was that Jesus didn’t tell them they were so great and godly. Instead, He told them they completely misunderstood the Law, that they were sinners, and that He was their only hope. Jesus comes to die for us and shed His blood on the cross precisely because we think our lives are pretty good. He comes to shed His blood because we think we’re worth saving when we’re not. The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world and that sin includes our being pretty sure we deserve a break from God. Jesus lets these evil men drag Him to the cross precisely because He knows they can never save themselves. He is nailed to the cross and bleeds and dies because they do not know what they do. He dies pouring out His blood for a world that loves itself and for people who love themselves. And all of that sin is blotted out. Covered up. Washed away. Scarlett made white as snow. Because Jesus is the Lamb and the only-begotten Son of God who is given up for us all.

You’ve got to watch out for this religion of the Devil! The problem with the Devil’s religion is that it can LOOK and SOUND so like the Christian faith. But it’s not! The commandments teach us to love God by loving our neighbor. The Devil’s religion gets us to try to convince our neighbor of how much we love God. The truth is, our sinful natures are Pharisees from birth. We love to judge others as if we are better than they are. We love to talk about ourselves and make ourselves the center of attention. Maybe it’s how much more WE do around church than other people. Maybe its about how much harder a worker we are than those lazy people out there who don’t do anything. Perhaps it’s how long we’ve been Christians or how much better we’ve raised our kids or how terrible so and so is because of something they’ve done. There is no end to our looking down our noses at other people and ALL THE WHILE showing up in church and being proud that we’re Christians! And then, should we ever be called to repentance, if our sins are ever pointed out, well then there’s a ruckus! “Don’t tell me! Don’t accuse me! Don’t lump me in with the sinners!” Repent! Repent and recognize the Devil’s religion for what it is. Turn from these sins of making yourself a holy person and thinking yourself a holy person. Turn away from thinking that your good works make you more impressive to God than someone else!

But how to get rid of being a Pharisee? How to be rescued from the Devil’s religion? Jesus does that too. Three times He speaks about the Word of God. “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. If anyone keeps my Word, He will never see death. I keep the Father’s Word.” There it is. The rescue from the Devil’s religion is Christ’s Word. What word is that? The Word that delivers the forgiveness of sins. We’re rescued from not keeping the Word by Jesus keeping the Word. Remember, Lent started with that! The Devil, trying to twist God’s Word and Jesus throwing the true Word back in His face. The Word that saves, the Word that rescues is the Word that Jesus preached to the Pharisees but they didn’t want to hear it. It’s the Word that declares He is the Son of God who has come to give His life in the place of sinners. It’s the Word we call the Gospel, the Good News. If anyone asks what the Gospel is, it is this: That because Jesus died and rose, God doesn’t count our sins against us. The Word that saves us is nothing other than that word. Those who have the Devil as their father keep his word. His word tells you to trust in yourself. That you’re better than others. That God loves you because you’re worth loving. The saving Word, the Word of Jesus is that His blood cleanses you from all your sins. That His death counts for your. That He alone is your salvation. That is the Word that saves us.

But that Word that saves us is not just an idea. Not just a concept or a notion. It’s real. Powerful. Active. It’s the same Word that can take ordinary water and make it into a washing of new life in Baptism. Its the same word that forgives sins so that when even a guy like your pastor speaks it it counts in heaven itself! It’s the Word that we hear from the Scriptures and preached in sermons and taught in Bible Study and Sunday School and read in our devotions—the Word that is always putting Jesus in our ears, His death for our sins, His resurrection for our life. It is the Word that adds to ordinary bread and wine the body and blood of Jesus so that we may eat the flesh that was given for the life of the world. So that Jesus lives in us and we in Him and He’ll raise us up on the Last Day. The only hope we have against the religion of the Devil and the Devil’s preaching, is the true and pure Word of God which is delivered to us by the Holy Spirit who turns our hearts away from our sins to believe His Word. That Word, in all the ways it is given, saves you! It promises your forgiveness. It delivers forgiveness. It marks you as God’s child. It absolves and feeds you and keeps you in Christ. Ignore this word, despise this Word, and your souls will quickly latch on to the Devil’s religion. Our sinful nature is born that way and always wants to go back! But you have been rescued from that religion of Satan. You have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus so that by His Word you will have eternal life.

Throughout all of Lent we’ve seen this one thing: Jesus, on His way to the cross is driving out the Devil wherever He goes. But here the Devil has filled the hearts of evil men who will be the Devil’s tools to try and destroy Jesus. What a surprise that to suffer at the hands of evil men is exactly how Jesus destroys the Devil’s power! It is because of our sinfulness that we kill God’s Son! But it is for our sins that Jesus dies and rises again, wiping them out! What the Devil thinks is his victory turns out to be his defeat! What sinners think is the getting rid of their enemy is their being once again God’s children. What the world thinks of as some nobody on a cross God the Father reveals as the Savior of all people. The Devil’s power is great. But it is no match for Jesus. By His suffering and death He casts down the Devil. By His Word He rescues us from the Devil’s power. You are the Lord’s. Nothing is more sure than that because Jesus’ Word says so! Amen.

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

St. Matthew 15:21-28

“O woman, great is your faith! May it be done for you as you desire.” The Canaanite woman had great faith. Do you? Is your faith great? Is it the kind that moves mountains? Most preaching you hear out in the world goes something like this: “If you have enough faith, that is if you REALLY believe, and if you REALLY have trust in God, good things will happen to you. If you’re sick and you pray about it and nothing happens, it’s because you don’t have enough faith. If you are worried or you have troubles in your life, it’s because you don’t have enough faith. You must have more faith, in order to unlock God’s promises and blessings. God has got all kinds of good things for you but He can’t give them to you if you don’t have enough faith!” Brothers and sisters in Christ, that sort of preaching is not from the Holy Spirit. It’s not taught in the Scriptures and I hope you never hear it from a Lutheran pulpit. Nevertheless, that’s just the sort of preaching that makes sense to our sinful flesh. If we have something in us called “faith” or call it “determination” or “stubbornness” or “persistence,” then God has to do what we say. Brothers and sisters in Christ, that sort of believing has little to do with Jesus and much to do with us. But when Jesus says to the woman, “Great is your faith!” He isn’t complimenting her on something she’s got going on. He’s telling her that her confession of who He is is right on.

Let’s back up to the beginning of the story. There were plenty of people who figured they could get in with Jesus because they were good Israelites. This lady wasn’t an Israelite. She was a Gentile. But she knew the words. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” She could pray like someone who knew some Old Testament stuff and had heard about Jesus. But Jesus ignores her. His disciples know she doesn’t belong. They try to get rid of her. She tries again, “Lord, help me!” People always have notions about how they can get in with the Lord. If they know the right words. If they do the right actions. Maybe they’ve been in church their whole life. Maybe they think they’re good people. Maybe they do a lot for others. Maybe they learned the Catechism by heart and so think they’re qualified for life. Maybe they’re name is on the membership list of the church even if they don’t come. Whatever it is, people find all kinds of reasons in themselves why God should pay attention to them and accept them and do something for them. Perhaps the woman thought that by using the right words she would grab Jesus’ ear. Probably the disciples thought the opposite: “We’re in with Jesus but she has no place. We’re good to go. But she needs to go away!” If we think for a minute that God should hear us or pay any attention to us because we know some right words or because we thing we’re good people or because we think we have “faith,” then let’s stop right there and repent!

What does Jesus say? “I was not sent except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Wait a minute. He didn’t say all sheep. He said the lost sheep. What does that mean? Who are the lost sheep? The lost sheep are those who have wandered from God. Who are hard boiled sinners who have no hoped except whatever the Lord’s grace will give them. The lost sheep of the house of Israel are not those who crowd around Jesus and parade their religion all over the place as if they’re worthy! The lost sheep are those who have no worthiness. To put it another way, the lost sheep of the house of Israel are those who have no hope but that some crumbs will fall from the Lord’s table to feed them. If you’re not a sinner, this is no good news. But if you’re a sinner, one who throws God’s gifts in His face, turns from Him and loves yourself more than others, then pay attention to God’s grace for you in Jesus Christ. If you have no hope in yourself or anything you’ve done, listen up! Jesus has not come for people who don’t need a Savior but for those who do. He has come for those whose sins are piled so high they would never dig themselves out. He has come to take away the sins of the whole world. That’s why He goes to the cross. That’s why He sheds His blood. That’s why He rises from the dead. Because lost sheep can’t find their way, Jesus comes to save them. Because sinners can’t save themselves, Jesus saves them. Because sinners can’t drive off the devil, Jesus does. Because sinners can’t overcome death, Jesus triumphs over it.

That’s the Jesus this Canaanite lady trusts in. That’s her faith. You can tell what a person trusts in by listening to them talk. What does this lady say when she comes to Jesus? “Lord, I’m a pretty good person. I’m not perfect, but I try to live a good life. I’m kind to others and I go to church once in a while. I believe in God. So, I think that I deserve a little help.” No way! She cries out, “Jesus have mercy! Lord, help me! Even dogs get crumbs!” No matter how Jesus treats her or what He says, the only things she says are about Him. What He can do. Her faith clings to Jesus. What does your faith cling to? Your faith? Your believing? Your pretty good life? Throw all that away! Here’s what the Lord gives you to trust in and cling to: In Baptism, HE makes you His own and washes away your sins, splashing forgiveness on you at the font. In the words of absolution, HE tells you that you are forgiven and saved, as this woman’s daughter was. In the preaching of the Gospel HE declares that for you, the lost sheep of Israel He has come to save you. In His Supper, HE gives you not just crumbs but a rich feast of forgiveness and salvation. When someone asks you what you believe, what your faith is, don’t say, “I believe in God.” Tell them, “I cling to Christ who died and rose. My salvation is my Baptism which gives me what He did for me. My hope is His body and blood which I eat and drink.” When the time comes to “share your faith” then speak boldly about what Christ has done and given you, not about yourself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, understand this one thing about faith. Faith is not about “how much” you have but about “what it trusts in.” So faith is not about “how much” you believe in Jesus but that Jesus is the One who has saved you from your sins. The way of talking about faith that we started out with, that false notion of “having enough faith,” that isn’t about Jesus at all. That puts it all on your. Listen carefully to what is going on with this Canaanite woman. Jesus is NOT saying, “Gee, you’re really persistent and determined. Good for you! I wish more people had your faith! I’ll do what you ask!” No, when He says to her, “Woman, great is your faith,” He’s saying, “the thing your faith clings to, namely, ME, is great. I have the power to overcome the Devil and I do. You daughter is made well.” People love to talk about “having faith.” “I have a lot of faith.” “I have faith.” “I believe.” Faith in Jesus doesn’t talk that way. Faith in Christ says, “Jesus died for me and rose again. I am baptized. My sins have been absolved in the Name of Jesus. I have eaten and drunk Jesus’ body and blood. My sins are forgiven because of what Jesus had done and what He has given me.” That’s how faith talks.

The Devil, the world and your own sinful nature want you to believe that God acts only depending on how much faith you have. The story of the Canaanite woman teaches us something else entirely. It teaches us that Jesus does what He does because that’s who He is. He is the Savior of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, the Savior of sinners, the Savior of a Gentile woman and YOUR Savior. He doesn’t save you because you have faith. He gives you faith to trust in His saving you. He doesn’t forgive you because you ask, He forgives you so that you will ask and know you have it. Everything begins and ends with Jesus. So I’ll ask again. Is your faith great? Well if by “faith” we mean something inside you, then no, it probably isn’t. But if by “faith” we mean Jesus, then you bet it is! Your faith is huge! Infinite! Eternal! Because Jesus is your faith. Not sure you have enough faith? Then the answer is not more of you, it’s more Jesus. More of the gifts of your Baptism! More absolutions! More Lord’s Supper. More preaching of the Gospel. Those are the things that give you faith because those are the things that give you Jesus. O Christian, great is your faith because great is your Jesus! Amen.

Rev. Mark Buetow is Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Du Quoin, IL. Pastor Buetow also is the Internet Services Executive for Higher Things.