Freely give the healing you were given.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 3, June 18, 2023

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Amen.

Matthew 9:35-10:8  ³⁵Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.  ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.  ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  ³⁸Therefore pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into his harvest.” 10:1-8  Jesus called his twelve disciples to himself and gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness.  ²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. ⁵Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans.  ⁶Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  ⁷As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’  ⁸Heal the sick.  Raise the dead.  Cleanse lepers.  Drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give. (EHV)

Freely give the healing you were given.

Beloved lambs of the Good Shepherd,

Have you ever played the “If then” game?  That’s where you look at the future and say, “If I ever get rich, then I am going to buy a boat and sail around the world.”  Or, “I’ll build a bigger house, or buy that car I always wanted.”  Or, “If I get the chance, I’ll retire early and spend all my time on the fun stuff.”  Or maybe like my dad would say when we were kids, “If I ever get rich, I’ll buy a farm and farm until the money’s gone.” 

But, perhaps, your thoughts aren’t so selfish; maybe your dreams run more along the line of “If I win the lottery, then I’ll give a million dollars to help the schools.”  Or, “When my ship comes in, I’ll give lots of money to church, to the poor, and to anyone who asks.”  Or, “Someday, when I have more time, or when I retire, then I’ll dedicate myself to serving the Lord.”

I think it’s natural for each of us to fantasize a little about what we would do if only it was easy; if only the opportunity would be given us, what great things we would like to do.  However, rather than fantasizing about what we could do, how much better it is to take advantage of the opportunities to serve that God already gives us. 

Now, ask yourselves, what is the greatest need of our friends and neighbors?  What is the foremost need of every person in this world?  Could you possibly do something that would be of benefit to every person on earth?  It is important to note that One Man already did.  Our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life to benefit every man, woman, and child who is ever conceived on this planet.  He gave His life to heal our broken souls and give us the riches of eternal life.  Thus, the message of this text for us is don’t wait for someday when, right now, you can Freely give the healing you were given.

Matthew reports, “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.”  Jesus gladly healed the physical ailments of all the people who came to Him, but that physical healing was just a foretaste of the eternal healing He came to give.  As Jesus observed the people of Israel, He felt their most urgent pain.  “He was moved with compassion for them.”  Literally, His innards were being stirred up by the pain of seeing people He loves tormented by the curse of sin.

As Jesus walked among the people God had chosen to be His own, a nation God wanted to care for as their loving Father, He saw that Satan assaulted and tormented them in every part of their lives.  The teachers and leaders who should have been preaching the love of God instead harshly abused them with the law.  Instead of teaching about a coming Savior who would give His life to make them whole, the people were told do this, do that, and do more or be damned.  The Pharisees preached law, law, and more law.  The Sadducees were no better, for they focused on obeying the Romans lest they lose their positions of authority and power. 

It all sounds pretty sad, but when you think about it, it sounds very much like our world today.  In fact, it’s exactly like we each enter the world.  We all were born with no knowledge of Christ or His saving grace, so all we could know, naturally, is what our consciences told us and later what our parents and the world teach us.  Paul wrote that even when people look good and obedient, “They demonstrate the work of the law that is written in their hearts, since their conscience also bears witness as their thoughts go back and forth, at times accusing or at times even defending them.” (Romans 2:15) 

Consequently, our consciences accuse us, batter us, and scare us, yet leave us not knowing where to turn for help and healing.  Many organizations and even many churches operate with the idea that they can teach you to live better.  Our government keeps adding law after law to make people behave, but law never eases the burden of guilt.  It tells us what we should do but doesn’t give us any power to do it.  So, who can really heal the sin-disease that leads to everyone’s death?  The answer is only Christ Jesus.

Now, you might say that Jesus finally saw their distress as He was walking among the people of Israel, but clearly, God saw that pain already before Adam and Eve fell into sin.  That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus, into this world to cure that awful pain and to destroy the enemy who causes it.

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd."  Maybe, right now, you are wishing you had the power to heal the diseases that so afflict us in this world.  Even in our own little congregation, we have members currently suffering illness and pain.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could just command those torments to leave them? 

In our times, many people mock the power of prayer, so you may find it interesting that Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Therefore pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into his harvest.”  Do you suppose Jesus’ main intention was to fix the earthly troubles of those people?  Of course not!  Even though Jesus is surely concerned about our troubles in this life, He is always focused far beyond these temporary conditions to the eternal life to come, and He wanted each and every person the disciples met to hear of the salvation He was bringing for the world.  Sin has infected us since the fall, and we had no cure, but Jesus gave everything to be the cure for us.  The work those twelve apostles were given was to spread Jesus’ eternal healing wherever they went. 

Looking at the vast numbers of people in the world who needed the help only He could give, Jesus lived every moment of His life in perfect obedience to every law and every desire of His Father in heaven.  He did that for you and me.  Jesus then went to the cross carrying all the sins of the world paying the due penalty for the failures and corruption infecting us.  Now, however, by the grace and mercy of God, trusting in Christ Jesus as our Savior, we are healed of our worst ailment, the disease of sin. 

Today, as we remember those original believers, is our work any different?  You and I may not have the power to heal physical ailments.  God doesn’t promise that every Christian will have that gift, but He did give us the keys to the kingdom of heaven where there is no more illness, suffering, sorrow, or pain.  God has given us the ability to proclaim Christ crucified, to forgive the sins of the penitent, and to share the Gospel medicine that heals the sin-sickness that infected us all. 

Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “… As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’  Heal the sick.  Raise the dead.  Cleanse lepers.  Drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give.”  Those last six words teach us that Jesus was perfectly focused on our main problem, the sin-sickness within.  Jesus hadn’t healed even one of those twelve disciples of a physical ailment, but He had brought to each of them the gift of life, the message of the eternal healing of their sin-sick souls through faith in Him.

Dear friends, “Freely you have received, freely give.”  You were brought to faith in Jesus without any cost on your part.  Your sins were paid for on the cross of Golgotha without any contribution from you, me, or anyone else but Jesus.  The promise of salvation and eternal life won for you by Christ is brought to you solely through the Holy Spirit’s work in Word and Baptism.  As your parents brought you to that life-giving fountain, God set no charge of what you must do or give to be saved.  He simply washed away your sins with the words “Baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus paid the full ransom price for your sins.  He gave His life to make you right before God; nothing more is needed for your forgiveness; nothing more is required for you to live forever with God in heaven.  It sounds so simple that many people struggle to believe it.  They wonder, how can I be saved simply by believing in Jesus and not doing something to please God?  It is beyond human understanding, but Jesus tells us plainly, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)  And as you have heard so many times, Paul assured us, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” (Ephesians 2:8)

So, what can we do?  As we look around the world, we can certainly see people who need to hear of the great love and salvation won for all by Jesus.  Therefore, the first thing we can do is answer Jesus’ call to pray.  Pray that God will move more believing young men to prepare for the ministry of the Gospel.  Pray that God sends someone with the message of the Gospel to each lost sinner.  Pray that God will open the heart of every lost soul to hear the truth before it’s too late.  And at the same time, pray that God makes you an instrument of His grace. 

We all remember Jesus’ instruction, “Go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  Let’s not forget to do that, also, right here at home.  Jesus sent His disciples first “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  So, who do you know that has wandered from the flock?  Who do you know that still needs to hear the saving message of the Gospel?  For whom can you pray?  Do you need help or courage to do these things?  Jesus promises, “And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) 

The reality is, we have no reason to play the “If then” game, for we have been blessed with the greatest riches mankind has ever known—the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life.  Remember that Jesus took your guilt.  Know that you have been forgiven of every sin.  Is there anyone with whom you would like to share that gift?  Are you praying God to send laborers to that person?  Can you reach out with the healing message of Christ crucified for sinners like you and me?  Can you comfort a troubled, hurting, fellow sheep with the simple truth that Jesus lived and died to save us all from sin and death?  Can you hold the hand of a guilt-ridden sinner and remind that person of God’s love for all in Jesus?  Can you help the pastor visit someone feeling the burden and guilt of sin?  Freely give the healing you were given.

Jesus told the twelve, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’  Heal the sick.  Raise the dead.  Cleanse lepers.  Drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give.”  Most of us probably won’t be given the gift of physical healing, but when we share Christ, we do participate in the healing of sin-sick souls; we do wash away the leprosy of sin as we share the message that Jesus lived and died for all people.  When we share Christ crucified with a tormented soul, and he or she believes, do we not drive the devil far away and raise that dead soul to life everlasting?  The answer is surely and certainly, “Yes!”  Therefore, beloved ones, Freely give the healing you were given.  Amen.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.