23rd Sunday after Pentecost
October 23, 2005
Vicar Michael Monterastelli
Text: Mt. 22:34-46
Dear friends and fellow neighbors of Jesus the Christ,
when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
Tag you’re it.
The different Jewish denominations were tag-teaming Jesus. Each took their own shots. The Sadducees, scribes, chief priests, elders of the people, and Herodians, all took their shot. They questioned Jesus about letting people call Him the Son of David. They challenged him about the resurrection of all the dead. They questioned His authority to teach. And they asked Him about paying taxes to Caesar, a pagan ruler. Now the Pharisees where back again. Each of them had asked a different form of the same question: “Tell us, what are we supposed to do?” Are we going to be married in heaven? Are we supposed to pay taxes? Are we supposed to trust your authority? Aren’t we supposed to avoid working on the Sabbath?
The lawyer boiled down all his concern for the law to one simple question: which is the great commandment in the Law? For us to ask questions of God is good. For us to search His Word for answers is salutary. For us to test the spirits according to the Word of God is the right thing to do. But to ask God a question with the wrong intention is evil. Jesus is the man everyone called The Son of David — they know He is the long awaited Messiah. This lawyer sought to test the anointed one of God and trap Him in His words. Tag, you’re it, Jesus! Because of the lawyer’s evil intent, the question was diabolical. But Jesus answered His question anyway. As requested, Jesus gave him the law, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind… And: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.
Without shame, Jesus speaks the Word of God from the Law of Moses: “Love God totally.” ‘Do this and you will live.’ If only we kept this one simple Law. That’s all we’d ever have to do. We could rest assured. We’d have no worries and no reason for guilt. Any tragedy that came our way would not be so bad. Now, how is this going for you? Do you remember the last time you released a little sigh when you heard the Word of God or the preaching of it? Was that your love of God shining through? When was the last time you truly feared God more than anything in this world? Strange as it sounds. Fear of God is part of true love for God. It is the beginning of wisdom.
The command to ‘love God totally’ is a dire threat for everyone. The lawyer hasn't done this. He hasn't kept the Law. No man since the fall of Adam, save the Divine Man begotten without the aid of a man, no man has kept the law. No one has done this, so no one should live. No Law accuses us more! No law can make us rage against God's judgment and cry ‘foul’ (when there is no foul) so much as this simple directive: ‘Love God totally.’ The conniving lawyer in us is squirming around looking for loopholes. He is headed for disaster and he knows it. He is afraid.
But even if you ever did love God totally, there’s still one more thing left to do: Love your neighbor.
If only we loved God and His Word, then we could love our neighbor too. How do we love our neighbor? We show God’s love in words and deeds. We show to others what we’ve first heard God speak to us. ‘Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Thus says the Lord.’ Adam, perfectly hand-crafted by God with a will, free of the knowledge of good and evil, did not even keep this simple command. Adam did not love God totally. He did not love His neighbor, Eve. And in giving the forbidden fruit to her husband, neither did Eve love her neighbor, Adam.
When was the last time you enticed someone, baited them, or picked on them so they would get angry? When was the last time you spoke against someone rather than defend him to others? Were you loving God and neighbor with all the strength of your soul?
It doesn’t take long for our sinful nature, to think of possible ways around even this simple Law. Okay, but who is my neighbor? That’s a good follow-up question from a lawyer. Define the terms for me, Jesus. I’m not sure what you mean. I know I don’t really love everyone all the time, so you must mean something other than all people, all the time. Right Jesus? Surely you can’t be serious? Everyone? All the time? But Jesus is serious. After loving God totally, that’s all you have to do. And if you did it, you would deserve to live eternally in the kingdom of heaven. You would deserve to live without rules. If you loved God and your neighbor with all your heart, He would give you all the desires of your heart.
But as you well know, we do not do it. I do not love everyone, all the time. Pastor doesn’t love everyone, all the time. Neither do you. Therefore we surely deserve to die. Tag you’re it. We do not deserve to live without rules, to share in God’s victory over His enemies, to rest even for a minute. We do not deserve what God gives us as we reverently gather here today.
But if all the Law and Prophets hang on the words, “Love God and love neighbor,” those words hang on something else. They hang on the crucifix. As St. Paul testifies, “[Christ] canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross,” (Col. 2:14). God threatens to punish all who break the commandments, but He punishes His Son in your stead for your sake. He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments, and that grace and blessing He gives you, for Jesus has kept them on your behalf. What was given at Sinai is fulfilled at Calvary. The Lawgiver keeps His own Law; the Judge takes the criminal’s place; and the criminal goes free.
This is love, that while we were still sinners, God sent His Son, who gave His whole life for us. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. And God’s Son laid down His life not only for His friends, but for His enemies. For you. In deed by His death, He has made those who were His enemies, His friends. His life is total gift. Jesus is not waiting for you to decide for Him. He first chose you. There is no deserving thing you can give to God, or else any man could boast in himself, rather than Jesus.
Tag you’re it! You’re the one touched by Jesus. When Jesus touches you, you are transformed.
The affects of His touch are profound. He gives you His life. He makes you lovable. The Old Testament reading for today tells us, ‘you will be holy, for the Lord your God is holy.” This is not a command. This is not something God tells us to achieve on our own. This is what we are because He makes us this way. In Jesus, you are holy, for He is holy. He has done no injustice in the court. He has not been partial to the poor or deferred to the great, but in righteousness He has judged you. He calls you righteous. He calls you holy. Because He is righteous and holy.
Tag you’re it. You’re the neighbor God loves. He loves you more than you could ever love yourself. He has spoken His Word of salvation into your ears. Giving His body and blood to you in the Sacrament of the Altar, He loves you as He loves Himself, with all His heart and all His soul and all His mind.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
Vicar Michael Monterastelli
Text: Mt. 22:34-46
Dear friends and fellow neighbors of Jesus the Christ,
when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
Tag you’re it.
The different Jewish denominations were tag-teaming Jesus. Each took their own shots. The Sadducees, scribes, chief priests, elders of the people, and Herodians, all took their shot. They questioned Jesus about letting people call Him the Son of David. They challenged him about the resurrection of all the dead. They questioned His authority to teach. And they asked Him about paying taxes to Caesar, a pagan ruler. Now the Pharisees where back again. Each of them had asked a different form of the same question: “Tell us, what are we supposed to do?” Are we going to be married in heaven? Are we supposed to pay taxes? Are we supposed to trust your authority? Aren’t we supposed to avoid working on the Sabbath?
The lawyer boiled down all his concern for the law to one simple question: which is the great commandment in the Law? For us to ask questions of God is good. For us to search His Word for answers is salutary. For us to test the spirits according to the Word of God is the right thing to do. But to ask God a question with the wrong intention is evil. Jesus is the man everyone called The Son of David — they know He is the long awaited Messiah. This lawyer sought to test the anointed one of God and trap Him in His words. Tag, you’re it, Jesus! Because of the lawyer’s evil intent, the question was diabolical. But Jesus answered His question anyway. As requested, Jesus gave him the law, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind… And: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.
Without shame, Jesus speaks the Word of God from the Law of Moses: “Love God totally.” ‘Do this and you will live.’ If only we kept this one simple Law. That’s all we’d ever have to do. We could rest assured. We’d have no worries and no reason for guilt. Any tragedy that came our way would not be so bad. Now, how is this going for you? Do you remember the last time you released a little sigh when you heard the Word of God or the preaching of it? Was that your love of God shining through? When was the last time you truly feared God more than anything in this world? Strange as it sounds. Fear of God is part of true love for God. It is the beginning of wisdom.
The command to ‘love God totally’ is a dire threat for everyone. The lawyer hasn't done this. He hasn't kept the Law. No man since the fall of Adam, save the Divine Man begotten without the aid of a man, no man has kept the law. No one has done this, so no one should live. No Law accuses us more! No law can make us rage against God's judgment and cry ‘foul’ (when there is no foul) so much as this simple directive: ‘Love God totally.’ The conniving lawyer in us is squirming around looking for loopholes. He is headed for disaster and he knows it. He is afraid.
But even if you ever did love God totally, there’s still one more thing left to do: Love your neighbor.
If only we loved God and His Word, then we could love our neighbor too. How do we love our neighbor? We show God’s love in words and deeds. We show to others what we’ve first heard God speak to us. ‘Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Thus says the Lord.’ Adam, perfectly hand-crafted by God with a will, free of the knowledge of good and evil, did not even keep this simple command. Adam did not love God totally. He did not love His neighbor, Eve. And in giving the forbidden fruit to her husband, neither did Eve love her neighbor, Adam.
When was the last time you enticed someone, baited them, or picked on them so they would get angry? When was the last time you spoke against someone rather than defend him to others? Were you loving God and neighbor with all the strength of your soul?
It doesn’t take long for our sinful nature, to think of possible ways around even this simple Law. Okay, but who is my neighbor? That’s a good follow-up question from a lawyer. Define the terms for me, Jesus. I’m not sure what you mean. I know I don’t really love everyone all the time, so you must mean something other than all people, all the time. Right Jesus? Surely you can’t be serious? Everyone? All the time? But Jesus is serious. After loving God totally, that’s all you have to do. And if you did it, you would deserve to live eternally in the kingdom of heaven. You would deserve to live without rules. If you loved God and your neighbor with all your heart, He would give you all the desires of your heart.
But as you well know, we do not do it. I do not love everyone, all the time. Pastor doesn’t love everyone, all the time. Neither do you. Therefore we surely deserve to die. Tag you’re it. We do not deserve to live without rules, to share in God’s victory over His enemies, to rest even for a minute. We do not deserve what God gives us as we reverently gather here today.
But if all the Law and Prophets hang on the words, “Love God and love neighbor,” those words hang on something else. They hang on the crucifix. As St. Paul testifies, “[Christ] canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross,” (Col. 2:14). God threatens to punish all who break the commandments, but He punishes His Son in your stead for your sake. He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments, and that grace and blessing He gives you, for Jesus has kept them on your behalf. What was given at Sinai is fulfilled at Calvary. The Lawgiver keeps His own Law; the Judge takes the criminal’s place; and the criminal goes free.
This is love, that while we were still sinners, God sent His Son, who gave His whole life for us. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. And God’s Son laid down His life not only for His friends, but for His enemies. For you. In deed by His death, He has made those who were His enemies, His friends. His life is total gift. Jesus is not waiting for you to decide for Him. He first chose you. There is no deserving thing you can give to God, or else any man could boast in himself, rather than Jesus.
Tag you’re it! You’re the one touched by Jesus. When Jesus touches you, you are transformed.
The affects of His touch are profound. He gives you His life. He makes you lovable. The Old Testament reading for today tells us, ‘you will be holy, for the Lord your God is holy.” This is not a command. This is not something God tells us to achieve on our own. This is what we are because He makes us this way. In Jesus, you are holy, for He is holy. He has done no injustice in the court. He has not been partial to the poor or deferred to the great, but in righteousness He has judged you. He calls you righteous. He calls you holy. Because He is righteous and holy.
Tag you’re it. You’re the neighbor God loves. He loves you more than you could ever love yourself. He has spoken His Word of salvation into your ears. Giving His body and blood to you in the Sacrament of the Altar, He loves you as He loves Himself, with all His heart and all His soul and all His mind.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
posted by Luther Memorial Chapel at
10/24/2005
