Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“We Get What Is Just - What Is Jesus”

Text: Matthew 20:1-16; Isaiah 55:6-9

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

So last week we heard the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, a parable often explained as “Forgive . . . or else!” And we thought about the fact that while there’s a little nugget of truth in that, there’s so much more to it. Much more to help us understand the kingdom of heaven and the new life we have been graciously given now.

Well today we have another parable that is often explained in a much too shallow way. This Parable is called the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, but I’ll call it the “Suck it Up, Buttercup!” parable! Stop whining! You got what God promised. He didn’t have to give you anything, but He did, graciously. So if He wants to give the same to others and be generous to them, He can do that. So stop complaining.

Just like last week, there’s a nugget of truth in that. It’s not wrong, but it’s not complete. I know I shouldn’t grumble and complain. But is that it? No. Just like last week, there’s more. For when we hear Jesus’ parables, they are to teach us Gospel, not Law. To teach us, as this parable starts, what living now in the kingdom of heaven is like.

So time to get a little deeper. Take another look and see what more there is here. And to do that, I think it’s the time stamps Jesus includes in the parable that can point us in the right direction. This is an all day parable. It starts early in the morning, then continues at the third, then the sixth, then the ninth hours of the day, then the eleventh hour, and then the day is over and the workers get their pay. 

That’s pretty precise, pretty exact. Why? Of what significance are the third, sixth, and ninth hours of the day? Or are they insignificant details that have no meaning at all?  

Well, if we think Christologically - which we should, since all the Scriptures are about Jesus, the Christ! If we think Christologically, the third hour is the hour Jesus was nailed to and lifted up on the cross; the sixth hour is the midpoint of His crucifixion, when, Matthew tells us, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (Matthew 27:45); and that ninth hour is the hour when Jesus died. These are the cardinal hours, the touchpoint hours, of Jesus’ crucifixion; the hours when Jesus poured out His sweat and blood for us. Which I don’t think is a coincidence!

In addition to those time stamps, there are also two other, more general ones: the early morning, the start of the day, and the eleventh hour, when the day is almost over and there’s not much day, or time, left. These, too, are Christological touchpoint times, for Scripture tells us that Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13).

So all of Matthew’s time stamps are hours of significance, Christological hours, there to teach us.

But . . . teach us what?

Well, first I would say to teach us that the worker in the vineyard, is Jesus. He is the one who - not to earn anything for Himself, but as we confess in the Creed, who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven - entered the vineyard, and earned for us - not a denarius, not just one day’s wage - much more than that! Who earned for us eternal life. All we have, we have because of Him. Because of His grace and mercy and calling us into His life. Because of His work, not ours.

Now that’s the foundation for our understanding. But we, too, of course, are called into the vineyard. To imitate Christ. So the work we do is the work He has done and the work He now does through us in the new life given to us - the new life of the Spirit. In the parable last week, the focus of that new life was forgiveness - forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven us. In the parable today, that scope broadens a bit to include other works we do in this new life, works that we have been given to do and called to do in the vocations we have been graciously given. These are not works we have to do, but get to do. Works that Christ has set us free to do - caring for others, serving others. Because Christ has done all we need, we are now free to do for others. Spouses, families, neighbors, friends, even enemies - all people. Just as Jesus came and served all people. Even His enemies.

And, according to this parable, at the end of the day, the end of our lives, we will then receive whatever is right. That’s an okay translation - but just okay. Better is: whatever is just. Here’s the difference: What is “right,” seems to me, is a bit subjective. What is right and what is wrong in people’s minds sometime change over time, and these days, change from person to person! And so the workers who were paid last complained because they thought what the master was doing wasn’t right. And maybe it wasn’t, according to the standards of the day. Or even our standards today. How many times have we ourselves said, Not fair!

But what the master gives is just. That’s a better translation. A less squishy word. It a word akin to justice: what is right and wrong that is based on the objective standard of the law. 

And here’s where Christ comes in . . .

We don’t get what is right, or fair, from God. If we did, none of us would be here today! Because according to the Law, we are sinners who deserve nothing but punishment and condemnation. The Law that we have broken in our thoughts, words, deeds, and desires. The Law that we have broken by what we do and what we have failed to do. The Law that even on our best days we fail to do.

But because of Jesus, who for us and for our salvation, came down from heaven to live and work in the vineyard, in HIS kingdom we get what is just. What is HIS. And we do because what He did, He did for us, in our place. He did what we cannot. He kept the Law. He fulfilled it with His perfect life.  And then He received what wasn’t “right,” what He did not deserve - His crucifixion from the third through the sixth to the ninth hours. So by doing what we couldn’t, and then taking what we deserved, He earned for us the wage to heaven - the forgiveness, life, and salvation we need. And not just for us - He did so for all people of all ages and times - just as in the parable: from the beginning to the end, the alpha to omega. And what Jesus did . . . that changed the equation. That’s why each worker receives the same wage - because each of us here today, old Christian, young Christian, and Christians of all time, receive the same Jesus, the same gifts, the same forgiveness and life. It’s really not about what we do, but what Jesus has done for us. 

That we now get to do for others.

And so Jesus calls you into the vineyard, to all different labors. Some long, some short, some hard, some easier. Paul was called to be an apostle and he proclaimed the Word of God far and wide - and suffered greatly for it. Yet you receive the same as he in the kingdom of heaven, who honestly, probably worked far longer and harder than you! Is that fair? No. But it is just. It is Jesus. And maybe you can point to others and make the same comparison. And you can complain, like the workers in the vineyard, or you can rejoice like Paul did. And even more, like Jesus did! He who endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2) - the joy of you and your salvation.

This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. It is a kingdom of grace, a kingdom of mercy, a kingdom of life, a kingdom of joy. A kingdom very unlike the world. A kingdom for all people. For you. It is a kingdom of gifts - gifts not primarily of silver of gold, or denarii or dollars, but of the holy, precious blood of Christ poured out from the cross. His holy precious blood put into water to wash you, into words to forgive you, and into Bread and Wine to feed, nourish, and strengthen you. His holy, precious blood to mark you as one redeemed by Christ, the crucified, and so one who will pass through temporal death to eternal life.

It’s not fair - it’s better. It’s Jesus. It’s true what Isaiah said (to paraphrase): we don’t think that way! But part of this new life we have received from Jesus is (as we learned last week) learning to forgive, and as we hear this week, learning to think differently. To think like Jesus. Higher thoughts of higher ways of higher things. That’s something St. Paul had to learn as well, that (as we heard today), For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. To live is Christ - to do what we have been given to do in the vineyard, which may be hard! And the gain comes in the end, when we die. When we rise with Christ and ascend with Christ to glory with Christ. That’s not yet, but it will be. It’s not of works, but of mercy and grace. It’s not fair, but it is just. And it is yours in Christ. The first who became the last, that we who are last might be first. That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like. And thanks be to God for that!

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Congregation at Prayer

For the Week of Pentecost 17 (September 21-26, 2026)

Invocation: In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Speak the Apostles’ Creed. 

Verse: Luke 10:20 – “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Hymn of the Week:  Lutheran Service Book #521 “Christ the Lord of Hosts, Unshaken”

Hymns for Sunday: 522, 521, 639, 533, 812, 520, 940

Readings for the Week: [The readings for Thursday-Saturday are the Scriptures for this coming Sunday.]

Monday: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

Why do the ways of the Lord sometimes seem unjust to us? Why does the Lord do what He does? What does He want? Why is this hard for us? But why is this good for us?

Tuesday: Philippians 2:1-18

What does humility look like? Who is our example? How does humility lead to exaltation? How can this give us joy?

Wednesday: Matthew 21:23-32

What authority does Jesus have? To do what? Why did this offend the Jewish authorities? Why does this sometimes offend us today?

Thursday: Daniel 10:10–14; 12:1–3

What was Daniel doing when the Lord spoke to him? Why? What promise did he receive? How is this promise for us today too?

Friday: Revelation 12:7-12

What is the most powerful weapon we have against the devil? Where do we find those weapons? How do we confess this?

Saturday: Luke 10:17-20

When Jesus says “nothing shall hurt you,” what does He mean? Do we ever get hurt? What kind of hurt is He here speaking of?

The Catechism - The Lord’s Prayer: The Seventh Petition: But deliver us from evil. What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

Collect for the Week: Everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order. Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve and worship You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Prayers:  Please pray for . . .

+ yourself and for all in need (remembering especially those on our prayer list).

+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for our congregation president, Scott Killian.

+ Lutheran Mission - Australia, for God’s wisdom, blessing, guidance, and provision.

+ God’s blessing, guidance, and provision for the Lutherans for Life.

Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer from the Catechism.

Now joyfully go about your day (or to bed) in good cheer, child of God!

Collect for the Week © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

Lutheran Service Book Hymn License: 110019268

Concordia University-Wisconsin Monday Chapel Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“The Holy Pole, the Holy Cross”

Text: Numbers 21:4-9

 

In the Name of (+) Jesus. Amen.

The Lord did not send serpents to punish His people but to save them. For long before these fiery serpents came into their camp, they had been bitten by another one - that serpent you know as satan, who injected the poison of unbelief into them. And that poison was killing them - not physically, but worse! Spiritually. Faith was replaced with doubt, contentment with grumbling, and love with bitterness. So they grumbled and spoke against God and against Moses, and they were in danger. Of a death worse than physical death; eternal death.

So the Lord, in love, sent fiery serpents among them, to save them. He didn’t have to. He could have let them continue to grumble, continue to die, and go back to Egypt and slavery there. But God had made a promise - right after the first time the satanic serpent struck and injected the poison of unbelief into our first parents. The promise of a Saviour. A Saviour who would come from these very people who were now speaking against Him. So He would not let them go. He could not let them go. He would save them. Not because they were worthy, but because of His Word.

So He sent the fiery serpents, to save them. So that having no where else to turn, they would turn - or re-turn - to Him, and live. With serpents on the left and serpents on the right, with serpents in front of them and behind them, they pleaded with Moses, Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. He did. But the funny thing is, we never hear if the Lord did that or not. Whether He took away the serpents or not. Instead, He saved another way. What some might consider a most unusual way. But not for God. Because it was with His promise in mind, His promise of a Saviour, and how He was going to fulfill that promise, that the Lord told Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. So that everyone who was bitten, but who then looked upon that serpent on a pole, would live. Not because it would magically do so, but because the Word and promise of God was there. 

And it worked. God’s Word and promise gave life to His people. From both kinds of serpents - the physical ones and the spiritual one. Saving them from both physical death and spiritual death.

It was not until some 1500 years later that God made plain why He had chosen such a salvation for His people. Such a strange way of saving them. That it was a picture, a foreshadowing of His even greater saving. For as Jesus would tell Nicodemus, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). Not that lifting up Jesus on a cross was in imitation of the bronze serpent - the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole was in imitation of Him. So that all of us who have been bitten by the satanic serpent, might have eternal life. Both physically and spiritually. In both body and soul. Not because just looking at a dying man on a cross can do that. The Romans crucified thousands like that, and none of them could give life! But because this one had God’s Word and promise. Because this one WAS God’s Word and promise in human flesh! The promised Saviour, the Son of God, come to save. So that looking to Him in faith, faith in God’s Word and promise, faith that His bearing our sins and dying for them gives us life, we receive that very life we need. From the only one who can give it.

Which I think we sometimes take for granted - life. Our physical life and maybe also our spiritual life. Until we can’t. Until something happens in your life. Until a loved one dies or is diagnosed with a terminal disease. Until a couple who assumed they would have children, can’t. Until you’re faced with a crisis and don’t know where to turn. And we realize how precious - and fragile - life is. 

In the Scripture we heard today, we heard how God worked through Moses to give life to His people. He could have just miraculously made the serpents go away, but He chose to use His servant. Today is the same. God can - and does - work miracles. But He works through others as well, in all sorts of vocations - professors to teach, food service to provide our daily bread, using pastors for our spiritual needs, and for our physical needs using the medical professions. 

The medical professions, which interestingly, has a symbol called a caduceus - which is two serpents wrapped around a pole. Though sometimes it is a single serpent. If you ask AI, it will tell you the Scripture heard today has nothing to do with that. Nothing! That symbol came about in a whole separate way and any similarity is pure coincidence. Really? I find that wishful thinking by those who don’t want this story to have anything to do with it! But either way, whatever the official evolution of that symbol, it still can remind us today of this story and that our healing and life come from the Lord. And the one with the two serpents is even better - reminding us of both the serpents that had bitten the people of Israel - the physical ones and the spiritual one - and that our physical life and spiritual life both come from God.

I’m told that this is “Mental Health Awareness Week” here on campus, and there are lots of activities to go with that. That’s good. You have a lot going on in your lives and might find yourself struggling. The serpents of stress, anxiety, despair, doubt, even suicidal thoughts might be squirming all around you. Don’t ignore them. As Israel cried out to Moses for help, call out to those God has given you to help. Your RA, Student Health Services, Professors, even the 988 suicide hotline. There is no shame in that. But also remember this: those TWO serpents on the caduceus, which I say represent the physical and the spiritual aspects of healing and life. So when you are struggling, don’t just seek physical help - seek also the spiritual help you need. The two go together. Call out to your pastor, or your campus pastor, for help. God gave them to you for just this reason. And I can tell you (if you don’t know it yet), you have a awesome campus pastor who will be there for you. 

And He will do what Moses did for the people - He will hold up for you the source of your life in the midst of the serpents plaguing you. He will proclaim the words and promises God put there for you, and the words and promises of the cross He put here for you. He will feed you with the Bread of Life. He will forgive you in the stead and by the command of Christ. The serpents may not go away. You may still struggle for a while. But you will not be alone. The God who created you, who redeemed you, who sanctifies you, and who gives you life, will be with you through His servants. And He will bless you and keep you until you enter your Promised Land and life with Him that has no end. And . . . with no serpents!

In the Name of (+) Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Learning to Live a New Life”

Text: Matthew 18:21-35; Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 14:1-12

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Holy Gospel we heard today is tough. Whenever I read about it or hear it preached, it usually goes something like this: Forgive, or else! Jesus has forgiven you all your debt, all your sins, so you should forgive others. They haven’t sinned against you near as much as you’ve sinned against God, so . . . forgive them. Forgive them, or else!

Now, there’s some truth to that. But is that it? I know I should do that. I know . . . But how? 

How can I be like Joseph? How can I be more like Joseph and less like the unforgiving servant? Joseph, who received nothing but wrong from his brothers, but forgives them, and the unforgiving servant who receives a windfall of forgiveness for his debt, but throws his brother servant into prison for his debt? It should be the other way around, right? That’s the way we think. Joseph should throw his no good brothers into prison for what they did - give them a taste of their own medicine! And the forgiven servant should share his bounty with his brother servant. 

I know what I should do. You know what you should do. We may even want to do it! To do the right thing. But actually doing it is another thing, isn’t it? There’s that something inside you and me that stops us . . . What is that? Why is it there? What can be done about it?

In this parable today, Jesus said this is what the kingdom of heaven is like. Free, full, lavish forgiveness. Very different than the world! As different as Joseph from the unforgiving servant. A different as light from darkness. Living in the kingdom of God is living in a whole new world. And to try to wrap your mind around that, think of it like a newborn baby being born into the world. That’s an apt comparison, because that’s what the Bible calls us. Newborn babes (1 Peter 2:2). Children of God (1 John 3:1). So let’s think that way . . .

A newborn baby comes into the world and it has to figure everything out! Everything is new - everything! There is light instead of darkness. There’s a new way of eating. There’s these weird things called clothes. And other people and hands and being poked - it’s a lot! And just when you think you’ve got it figured out, something else new comes along! 

So, one of the first things you have to learn how to do is flip over. And that’s hard! But okay, got it. But then . . . wait! That’s not it? Now I have to crawl? Okay. So you work on that, and begin to do that. Phew! Got it. Then . . . what? Now I have to get up? And stand? And walk? And run? There’s always more. More to figure out. More to do for life in this strange world. And you know what? You fall down a lot! It’s not easy.

That’s Peter. He’s been with Jesus a little while now, so maybe we could say he’s learned to flip over, maybe even crawl, maybe he’s even taking baby steps. He knows Jesus forgives a lot, so instead of just the standard for his day among the Jews, forgiving three times - he takes a few steps: Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Not bad, Peter. Not bad. But there’s more . . . You can’t just learn to crawl or take baby steps, now there’s walking and running! And so Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” And Peter’s thinking: More? There’s more?

Yes, there’s more in this strange new world we’ve been born into; baptized into. This strange new world called the kingdom of heaven. The old ways won’t do anymore. 

But here’s the thing: learning to run is one thing. But it’s no good if you run out into traffic! You have to learn to run the right way. The unforgiving servant, he ran the wrong way - he ran out into traffic and got run over. Joseph ran the right way, to His Saviour, to life. Part of growing up in this strange new kingdom is learning where to run. Or maybe we could put it this way: for the unforgiving servant, it was all about the benjamins, all about the money. For Joseph, it was all about Benjamin - his brother Benjamin, and his other brothers, too. Very different.

So last week, we thought about the trap of sin and death - the trap that we’ve been caught in, but which Jesus opens for us and sets us free. And Jesus did that by taking our place in the trap - by having our sin and death snap shut on Him on the cross, but then opening that trap in His resurrection. And so our sins are forgiven, our debt is paid, our death is overcome, and we are free.

But we then thought a little more about that . . . that after an animal has been caught in a trap and then set free, it’s still hurt. It needs healing and strength. And so it is with us. We continue to receive the medicine of the Word and Sacraments so that we can not just be set free, but then live this new life of freedom we’ve been given. And that’s what the master in Jesus’ parable did with his servant. If you listened carefully, it said that the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. Two things. He set him free and gave him his life back again. He didn’t want him just limping around, hurt, but running around in joy and full of life. Like a newborn that has just learned to run that you can’t slow down. For the master, it wasn’t about the benjamins - and there were a lot of benjamins that were owed him! But it wasn’t about that. It was about his servant. 

But that unforgiving servant was still living in the past, still living the old. It was for him still about the benjamins. So he ran the wrong way. Instead of running to his brother servant with forgiveness to give to him, he ran to him to get the benjamins from him. 

And the master, when he found out about that, took it personally. Can you imagine this scenario . . . the servant, after having been forgiven all his debt, then turning to his master and saying, “Oh, by the way. I lent your wife a few bucks the other day - think you could give that back now?” How do you think the master would respond to that? But isn’t that really what happened here? For didn’t Jesus say, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40)? 

This new world, this new life we’ve been born into, baptized into . . . it’s a bit different, isn’t it? Shocking may be would be a better word for it! And I think Peter was shocked a bit at all this. 

As I hope you are. For if the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, was the same as this world, why bother? But just maybe it’s a new world worth living in; a new life worth living. Joseph could have gone back to the old ways, the old life. His brothers took his life away from him and as good as thing were now, he could never get those years back. So now they had come to Egypt, hat in hand, not just for food, but for life . . . and turn around is fair play, right? And its what his brothers expected. That’s how things work in this world. 

But Joseph wasn’t living in this world and life - he was living differently. A new life. And so ran to his brothers - not for the benjamins, for revenge, but with life for them. Forgiveness and life. Freedom. For while his brothers sold him into slavery, he had been purchased not just by the Midianite/Ishmaelite traders, but by someone else . . . He had been purchased (as Peter would go on to write later) not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Even in captivity, Joseph was living a new life. 

And I think this is what the church in Rome was struggling with as well. The Epistle we heard today was St. Paul writing to a church where they were fighting and judging and despising one another. It was a mixed church of Jews and Gentiles, and that’s what Jews and Gentiles did! That was the way! But that was the old way, the old world, the old kingdom, their old lives. Now, in Christ, born, baptized into a new world, a new kingdom, a new life and reality, it is different. They are learning how to walk, and how to walk together. So Paul tells them, For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 

So Joseph’s brothers took years from his life; Jesus gave him eternal life. Joseph’s brothers took his away freedom; Jesus gave him a greater freedom. Or as it is sung during the Easter Vigil: to redeem a slave, God gave His Son. And that’s what God the Father has done for you, too. And now in this new world and life and kingdom, you’re learning about life as His child. Living a life of love and forgiveness, living a life of love and care for the Benjamins around you. But it’s not easy, is it? It’s often shocking. How many times? You want me to do what? You mean . . . ? 

And maybe you’re still learning to flip over. Or maybe you’re past that and are standing, or walking, or even running. And you can’t tell by age. Some of you may be very old in this world, but very young in your new life. And some of you who are very young in this world may be running circles around us old timers! But however you are in this strange new world, this strange new kingdom, this strange new life so unlike this world and life, run or walk or crawl to Jesus. Come to Him for forgiveness, for washing, for food, for His Word of life. Hear who He is, who you are, and all that He has and has done for you. And then go live this new life. His life given to you. Forgive seventy times seven times, and even more. You’ll shock the world! Maybe even shock yourself. And keep putting one foot in front of the other. And when you fall on your butt, your Saviour will lift you up again. 

And when you are tempted to go back to the old ways, and choke your brother, and make it all about the benjamins instead of about the Benjamin, your brother, and make it all about you - your needs and wants and desires . . . remember Joseph, and run to Jesus. You can live the old life if you want to, and you can live it for eternity! But maybe there’s a better way, a better life, a new one. And maybe it seems strange and weird and upside down and backwards and shocking now, and that you’ll never get ahead by living this way. But the cross and the tomb looked that way, too! But Jesus transformed them, and He has transformed you. So learn this new way to live. And you won’t just live it here, you’ll live it for eternity.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.