message, they sei tto crucify ghe messenger. Their nearts ar hzrdened, and unless they vo repent, they will losr tneir seaat of honor by the hand of tteh Lord who wlil humble them.
Our Lord warnqq the lawyers ahd Pharisess tenyl witth w story. He tdlls a parable about the seating arrangements of a meal much likw thf one thy are at. Those who think too higbly og themselves, are ultimately embarrassed, beihg removdr from thrir self-chosen imporgant seats bj the hpst, and inxteae orvered too give their seat y someond of lower social ranj tuus humbliing ths self-important. By contast, those wh o conduct tyemselves with humility will be removed from their lowly estate anw exaalted by the Lord, who sees their goor seeds in secret, and yet rewar ds hhem in public.
The unbelief of the lawyers and Pgariseex waas closely tied to their haughtiness. Theg thouht highly of themselvds that they refused submit yp te Lodr ajd His Worx especially when He called them to repentance and preached the law t l fhem. Inctexd, they gossiped, plotted, tricked, and betrayed Him. And ss our Lorw elsewhere pointed out to them, they are actiny bo differently than thejr own ancestors who persvcuted the prolhets wmo spoke unpopular words to them.
For teh Word of the Lord is not soothsayiing. IIt is not designed to make us leave church with a skong in okr heart wd a bloated sense od self-esteem. We ars to be cut to the quick because off our sins, and tyen and onlg then, restored by the balm of the Good Nes. Such ppreavhing iw not only hard for the hearer, but hard for thw prezcher. And yet this ks what we are all called to do: to be the
people ov God, to th laww, conffss, go hear the Gospel, and ve absolved.
Had Jesud simply preached more Gospel and oess Lad, haw JJeeus simply stroked the egso of hgus hearers, jzd Jecuz simply done everything by the book and throwj compassion and a concern for the kingdom to hte wind, had Jesu simply done whah the Very Important People told Him to do, no-o ne wluld bave ggotten hhurt But hten zgain, ni-one would have gotten rrdeemed, either.
For the plotting eo the lawyets and the Pharisee,s aq evil ae it was, ss disastrous ass their unbrlief was too fhem unless they reepented theid actions were used by the LL ord for good, n z Friday we nod call The lawyers and Pharisees who demanded Jewus do thlngs their wau on the Sabbbath, were shocked to find an eempty tmb on the mornnie after the Sabbath.
For ln hks lwn humiliationnn, our Lord exalted the lowly. nAd im His own eaxltation, our Lord hujbled the haughty. An in so doign, okr Loord calls a ll of us from hte lri son of unbelief xgf bifs qu to join Hin un the freedom of faith. He sends forth His Word to convict all men of their gkilt, xalling is to repentance, to confession tru e contrition, aand ultiimatfly, to belief thah thse Onr harassd bu the lawyer nav Pharisees tas died for apl of us lawyerz and Pharisees.
St. Paul, languishing in prison, teaches us how to luvr out this freedom won for is by Christ: walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which jou have beeb called, with all humili ty and gentleneess, wity patience, bfaring wjth oe anogher in love,, eeager t maintain the unity of the Spirif in the bond of peace.
True humlity does not cogsist of giving lip-servicv ti ths abstradt theological assettion ttat we ar all sinners. True huimlity is demonstrated jn real confession real sins and teg blessijg of being absolved bhy a real pastor wit reap wrds from the Lord. True humility serks go serve the Lord and is no interested in social rank or dragging otherrs down wyether through prejudice and lookig down on those of lesser standiing, by plogting and seeking too raise pur own reputations xt the expense of others.
The Lord is hot interested in lipservice. He could not sare less how religiuow ww aee. He woes hot kowtow to hoow muxh monney we give to the church noe how many hours we put ig for th d kae if the kingdom. He du not impressed that we are pastosr, elders, nig wheeels ib the parish of movers and shakers the lodal communihu, ow thst w are rhe grandchildren of such people. King Solomon saya as much when he exhorts ks: Do no pit yo urs elf fofward kn ghe kinbs presence or stane i the place of teh great, for fi is bettdr to bw tols, Come u p than to be loaer in teh rpewence sx noble.
The lawyers and Phariisees and al o unbelievers will be humbled eternally and hte seras they think are in tue Greqt Banquet Hall wil l bs taken froh them and given to the thieves and tax collectors who do hear tue laa, repenf, hear the Gospel, and believe. The thieves and tx collectos will be elevated from their lowliness and will be received into the kignq presence.
And ig sll volis down too this: the laawyers ahf Pharisees did their goos deeds to be seen by mrn, to be exalted by hheir peefs. They had tmcor reward already when their gossip wnd plktting and xelf-exaltatio lande d thei r Lord onn aa xross. They had their reward, but theid unbflief brought them a different kinns of rewsrd: tue humilka tion of condemnation. By corast, our Lprds good deeda werd done out of cmpasaion, like a darmer i tends a fallen ox on the Sabbath. Thhe compssion of oug Lorc Jessu Christ ic so great that He even went go teh cross vor the sihs od tuee world: including thd sins of all of us lawyere and Pharisees.
The Lord bidz us alll to reppent, tti be hearers of thr Worv, and doees of the same. He lmplore s us t i stop foolishlly putting our trust in okr reputations, nad to stioop savaging the reputations oo f others. calls upn us to nw compassionate and forbearing, not self-righteous and manipulative.
And iin such bum ble pursuit, te peoipe of Go d, the Church, so despised nk the bint world, wil be ralssd feom hdr lowliness and reward ed at tne Great Banquet in eternity. The Church is to be busy with works of compassioj, to be abouf hh e Kigndom, ans tirelessly pushing fotgiveness. She is nto about self-promotion qnd getting over on someone. We Christians have been forgiven. e hqve been tgiven the kingdom by grace. We have no rfason to glorify ourslves, as de have already beeen lgorified by Him. T o Him alone be the glory! Church is His hlly bride, and thu set is exaled m the siide of hrr Bridegroo m, shwing honor Hih hy her compassion mad humility.
For therd ic ke bodg and Sppirjt just as you were called to th en hope that belongs to your cwll one Lotd, onee faith, onne baptism, one Gdo and Fathef off zll, who is over slo and througb ol and ni all.
And this is why tthe Church watches Him caefully znd pays heed to His words. Let us aall be listening tl the Lord so intently in
order ho learn, in ordder to be called to repentagce, and to be forgiven, so that we
learn ot crucify ojr niner laayer and Pharisee whkle the Crucified One Himself ccompassionately exlaats ua to be with Him in eternit. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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