The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity - September 26, 2010

The Church Season of Trinity
The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 4, 2010)

“A HEALING SABBATH”

Readings:  
    Psalm 2
    Proverbs 25:6-14
    Ephesians 4:1-6
    Luke 14:1-11

Sermon Form    Deductive

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 14th chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verse:

Luke 14:1-11 (NIV)

1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they had nothing to say. 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Yesterday our confirmands met and they recited their confirmation verses from the Small Catechism just as they had been assigned.  Today we too will recite a portion of the Small Catechism, the part wherein God spoke about the Sabbath.  This is the third Commandment which tells us we are to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy for the Lord. For the people of Israel, Saturday was the day dedicated to the worship of God, to prayer and to meditation on His Word. For us the Sabbath day is Sunday. In Old Testament times, Saturday was named as the Sabbath day because the book of Genesis tells us God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day He rested and enjoyed His creation. And His creation was very good.

The Jews celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday to remember God's work of creation. Today we Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, the first day of the week, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday and because this is the day that the apostles met after Jesus’ death. Today we remember the new creation in Christ and because of His resurrection we are new creatures, free from our sins and heirs of eternal life. 

So Saturday Sabbath for the Jews, Sunday Sabbath for Christians.  However, there is another group and that is the unbelievers.  And for unbelievers in our modern world, both Saturday and Sunday are days off from work. Meaning neither Saturday or Sunday are considered days to set aside for God and return thanks to Him for giving us Jesus Christ.  Without faith in Christ, people, guided by their own logic, seek only the benefits of a break in the weekly routine of work, it’s just another day off. It is good to allow workers to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Of course, the unbelieving world has forgotten the point of the Sabbath day is not only to relax and enjoy one's blessings, but also to worship and return thanks to God for them. Therefore, many people do not truly have a day of rest, because they are never content with what they have, but always want more and more. Their Sabbath is not a day, but the things which they have or want.  They avoid public worship because they feel they deserve more time for their own pleasures - on the beach, the banks of the river, the mountains, into the woods, or in their own homes. Sadly, this is the custom for many during all of Holy Week and the Christmas season, too. All of this misdirection is contrary to the Third Commandment. 

But grave errors neither begin or end with us.  In the time of Jesus, the party of these kind of thinkers among the Jews were called the Pharisees. They were very zealous for the traditions of their forefathers and very proud of their own conduct. They thought because of their good works that they were more valuable in God's eyes than other men.

In our Gospel for today, one of the Pharisees, a very important man in the community, invited Jesus to his house for a meal on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had interpreted that according the Law of Moses, no one was supposed to work on the Sabbath, but to attend to the worship of God. This man and his friends made a great point of observing this rule. So, for example, the food for the meal undoubtedly was prepared the day before.

But they had also set a trap for Jesus, who they knew had compassion for the sick. Immediately upon entering the Pharisee's home, Jesus encountered a poor, sick man. The Pharisees thought that if Jesus in His mercy healed the man without saying a word, they could spread gossip about how Jesus did not respect the Law of Moses and thought nothing of working on the Sabbath.But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" That is, according to the Law of Moses. Nobody answered Him. Why? Because they knew the answer was "Yes."

In fact, Jesus kept the Law of Moses in every way. He attended public worship every Saturday, according to St. Luke, in His youth, His family journeyed to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. As a man, Jesus would travel to Jerusalem for all of the Jewish religious festivals. He obeyed all of the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament during His earthly life.

And more than that, the Law of Moses never forbids acts of mercy, as the Pharisees knew. As Jesus told them, "Who among you, if your donkey or ox falls into a well, does not immediately pull it out, even though it might be the Sabbath?" And, He implied, if they were willing to do this for their animals, why not care for their neighbor in the same fashion? Not many who sit here have oxen or donkeys but one might well say that we do treat are neighbors like animals or even less than that as we fail to have mercy on the poor, the sick, the needy, the depressed, and the lonely. 

So what does this have to do with the Sabbath? The fulfillment of the Law is two-fold love. First, love of God, and second, love of one's neighbor. The Pharisees thought they were fulfilling the Law, but they were not motivated by love, but rather by selfishness. Unfortunately we are there too when we do not seek ways to show mercy on our fellow man.  And so we are called to repent, and as we do, he who is faithful and just forgives or sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 

Jesus fulfilled the Law and He showed mercy upon us.  We are called to go and do likewise.  Jesus gave His life so that we may live, He is the one who gives us Sabbath holiness, He is our Sabbath rest.   And Jesus our Sabbath works miracles for you on this Holy day.  He heals you with His body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus heals you and relieves your pain, your suffering, your want of any kind, He cares for you no matter what day or what hour.  Jesus is indeed our healing Sabbath, not just for a day, but for our eternal lives.  Amen.

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