God’s mercy is not for sale.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 21, October 13, 2024

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.

2 Kings 5:14-27  ¹⁴So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said.  Then his flesh was restored like the flesh of a small child, and he was clean.  ¹⁵Then he and his whole escort went back to the man of God.  He stood in front of Elisha and said, “To be sure, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.  Now accept a gift from your servant.”  ¹⁶But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not take anything.”  Even though Na’aman urged him to accept something, he refused.  ¹⁷Then Na’aman said, “If you do not want anything, please give me, your servant, as much dirt as two donkeys can carry, for your servant will never again burn incense or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord.  ¹⁸But may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there and he supports himself on my arm, then I too have to bow down in the house of Rimmon.  When I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing.”  ¹⁹Then Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”  When Na’aman had gone some distance from him, ²⁰Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “My master was too easy on this Aramean, Na’aman, when he did not accept anything that he brought.  As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”  ²¹So Gehazi chased after Na’aman.  When Na’aman saw him running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him.  He said, “Is everything all right?”  ²²Then Gehazi said, “Yes, everything is all right.  My master sent me to say, ‘Look, just now two young men from the hill country of Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets, have come to me.  Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.”  ²³Na’aman said, “Certainly!  Take two talents!”  He urged Gehazi and tied up the two talents of silver in two bags with the two sets of clothing.  Then Na’aman gave them to his two servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi.  ⁴When he came to the hill, he took the gifts from them.  Then he hid them in the house and sent the men back, so they left.  ²⁵Then he went in and attended his master.  Elisha said to him, “Where were you, Gehazi?”  Gehazi said, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”  ²⁶Then Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my heart go along when the man got down from his chariot to meet you?  Is this the time to take silver, or to accept clothes or olive groves or vineyards or sheep or cattle or male and female servants?  ²⁷Na’aman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.”  Then Gehazi went out from his presence, leprous like snow. (EHV)

God’s mercy is not for sale.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            What does it cost to attend your church?  Surprisingly, that is a real question I have been asked.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though, because our experience in life teaches us that nothing is truly free.  Someone always has to pay no matter what the claim.  Freebies offered at stores are only free because the cost is buried in other goods being sold.  Government handouts always have to be paid for by other taxpayers. 

All this has convinced the natural man that he must pay even when coming to believe in God’s free grace.  Not realizing how great God’s free providence has been for us, it is assumed that we will always have to pay for anything that helps us.  Therefore, we have to learn that God’s mercy is not for sale.

Na’aman had taken a chance on a servant girl’s promise that the prophet, Elisha, would be able to heal his leprosy.  It was truly his last hope for a cure.  Yet, when Elisha told that powerful soldier to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, the man was offended.  It seemed far too simple, too unlikely for the muddy waters of the Jordan to cure anything, but of course, the power wasn’t in the water, but in God’s promise to heal Na’aman through faith in the promise.

Na’aman almost returned to his home in a huff, uncured, but other servants intervened and convinced him to take a chance on God.  It changed Na’aman’s life in every way.  “Then his flesh was restored like the flesh of a small child, and he was clean.”  This was a hardened soldier, a man among men.  His skin had undoubtedly bore the scars of war and training, plus the leprosy had begun to eat away at the skin turning it sickly white with disease.  Yet, at the promise of God given through Elisha, he returned to Elisha with the radiant skin of youth.

More than Na’aman’s skin was healed though.  While previously, the man worshipped a multitude of gods, none on which could help him, now, Na’aman believed in the One true God, the God of Israel, Abraham, and Isaac, the God we also believe and serve.

As an experienced man of the world, Na’aman was now so grateful, that he was ready and willing to pay handsomely for his cure.  The prophet, however, understood that Na’aman, and those he would touch and teach back in his heathen country, needed to know that God’s mercy is not for sale.

At other times, Elisha had readily received gifts from fellow believers, but Elisha knew that Na’aman still needed to learn how freely God gives His mercy.  Therefore, Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not take anything.”  Even though Na’aman urged him to accept something, he refused.  Now, you and I understand that the Church carries out its mission of bringing the Gospel to the world through the offerings made by the members of the body.  We give these offerings in grateful thanksgiving for all that God does for us. 

At the same time, we are convinced through the Word of God that nothing we do could ever pay for what Jesus has done for us.  Nothing we could ever offer would equal the value of the forgiveness and salvation won for us on the cross by the shedding of Jesus’ precious blood for the sins of the world.  St. Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit to write, “You know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, not with things that pass away, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

In other words, God’s mercy is freely given, but a price was paid, for it was purchased for us by the most expensive exchange ever made when “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  The holy, innocent Son of God, who had no sin at all of His own, laid down His life to pay for all the sins of the world, and because of Jesus’ holy substitution, you and I and all who believe in Jesus as our Savior are counted pure and righteous in God’s eyes for Jesus’ sake.

Na’aman’s assumption was an honest mistake, and in gratitude for this miracle that saved his life and his soul, Na’aman was determined to remain a faithful follower of the One True God.  He also knew his position in life would make this a challenge.  Na’aman was his king’s right-hand man, so to speak.  He realized that to continue in that service, he would be required to enter a heathen temple, and even help his master bow down before an idol as he faithfully carried out his vocation.  Thus, he asked for forgiveness for that appearance of idol worship forced upon him.  Then Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”  This shows us that God judges what is in the heart, regardless of what appearances might be, so we can continue to serve God faithfully, even when sometimes we are forced to do things that might be problematic.  Obviously, this can only be taken so far.  We are always to serve God rather than men, but there are times, such as with Na’aman, where we will seek forgiveness for the gray areas of life.

Now, the real problem of living a faithful life soon became apparent in the servant, Gehazi.  By outward appearances, Gehazi was a faithful servant of God as he served God’s prophet, Elisha.  Yet, inwardly, we see in him a frothing cauldron of sin—greed, envy, deception, and dishonesty—all combined to bring that servant to destruction.  We might assume this foreshadows how Judas would be led into damnation through greed.

Gehazi imagined that Na’aman should have paid a price for his cure.  That servant decided that since Elisha permitted him to leave with his wealth intact, it certainly wouldn’t hurt anyone if Gehazi helped himself to some ill-gotten profit.  Greed clouded his judgment.  The servant forgot the greater lesson that God’s mercy is not for sale.  Therefore, Gehazi ran after Na’aman, lied to deceive the man into sharing his wealth, and further continued his deceptions hoping that Elisha wouldn’t notice what he had done.  When God’s prophet called Gehazi to account for his sin, Gehazi continued in his lies and received due judgment for his wickedness.

Now, to the world, this might seem a little crazy.  Why would Elisha care whether this foreigner was deprived of some of his riches so that a poor servant could finally have some prosperity?  Isn’t that the way our world seems to be going?  We hear so many promises from politicians trying to buy votes who say that the rich must pay their fair share so that the poor can become equal.  But, the ways of the world are not the ways of our God.  While we might fanaticize about having equity in life, in reality, it never really works in a world troubled by sin.  Likewise, if we had to pay for our place in God’s kingdom, no one would ever gain entrance.  We would all be too poor, too dirty, too diseased with sin to come into His presence.  We would be forever condemned.

Thank God, God’s mercy is not for sale.  Though not one person in the history of the world deserved God’s patience and merciful kindness, God sent His Son into the world to live holiness for us, to walk in our flesh as one of us, and finally, to bear our sins as Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, was led to the slaughter on the altar of the cross at Golgotha.  There, Jesus shed His holy, precious blood so that our guilt would be washed away as perfectly as Na’aman’s leprosy was healed in the Jordan’s waters.  While the world might consider Jesus’ death a shameful thing, it is for us life and hope everlasting.

Forgiveness bringing salvation is the most expensive gift ever purchased, yet it is given to us freely without money or cost, so that we are made right with God and perfectly clean in His sight.  What do we charge to come and hear that Good New’s?  Not one penny.  Yes, God accepts our offerings and uses them to spread His Good News in our world, but He doesn’t need our gifts, nor does He accept them if we imagine that we might be paying for forgiveness. 

Instead, with loving kindness for those of us who could never purchase our freedom from the devil’s control, God grants us life and hope and peace in His kingdom of grace.  Forgiveness and salvation come to us completely free through the hearing of the Gospel, by the gift of the Holy Spirit in the gentle washing and Word of Baptism, and again in the body and blood of our Savior and Redeemer, freely given to us to eat and to drink in the bread and wine of our Lord’s holy Supper.

Rejoice, dear friends, and be glad, God’s mercy is not for sale.  Rather, His merciful kindness is now given to you for your everlasting good in the gracious gift of God’s love through faith in His Son.  Amen.

Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

God loves His children.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 20, October 6, 2024

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Mark 10:2-16  ²Some Pharisees came to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”  ³He replied, “What did Moses command you?”  ⁴They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”  ⁵But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of your hard hearts.  ⁶But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  ⁷For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸and the two will become one flesh.  So they are no longer two but one flesh.  ⁹Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  ¹⁰In the house his disciples asked him about this again.  ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  ¹²If she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”  ¹³Some people began bringing little children to Jesus so that he would touch them.  But the disciples rebuked them.  ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.  He said, “Let the little children come to me!  Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  ¹⁵Amen I tell you: Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  ¹⁶And he took the little children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (EHV)

God loves His children.

Dearly beloved of the Father,

            I sometimes wish that I could be as good a teacher as Jesus, but mostly, I wish I would be as good a student as Jesus would have me be.  The Pharisees came to trap Jesus with a question about divorce.  I would have been tempted to reject them with a simple no, but Jesus deftly stepped around their trap and spoke directly to the heart of their condition; they didn’t love like they should. 

It was similar with the disciples of our text.  People were bringing little children to Jesus, yet the disciples thought those children weren’t important enough to bother their Teacher, so they tried to stop those caring parents.  I would find it hard to hold my temper with such self-centered gatekeepers, but though Jesus was angered, He didn’t punish anyone.  Rather, He taught them that His love is for all people.  What you and I should learn is that no matter the age, God loves His children.

Some Pharisees came to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"  Because there were already several conflicting opinions among the Rabbis concerning this question, the Pharisees thought they could trap Jesus regardless of how he answered.  If He said, “Yes,” they would accuse Him of violating the Law, or if He said “No,” they could accuse Him of denying what Moses allowed.  One group held that divorce was permissible if a woman displeased her husband, perhaps with something mildly risqué such as going out in public without a veil covering her face.  Their main opposition, on the other hand, contended that a wife could be sent away for the slightest offense, or for none at all.  Both opinions were wrong.  Jesus sidestepped their trap by showing that their main problem was their failure to love. 

Jesus replied, “What did Moses command you?”  They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”  But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of your hard hearts.  But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.  So they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Divorce was never part of God’s plan, but as part of the civil law of Israel, Moses had allowed divorce when one of the partners was guilty of indecency.  Moses meant infidelity.  However, this statement of the Mosaic Law had been twisted by the teachers to permit men to disown their wives, for almost any reason, without repercussion. 

Jesus recognized that it was their lack of love that drove divorce.  In His answer, He returned them to the very beginning of time when God instituted marriage, explaining that God intended every marriage to be between one man and one woman, bound together physically, emotionally, willingly, and faithfully until death should part them.  When a man marries a woman, God joins the two into one unit.  Therefore, no one should separate them except God alone.  However, as Jesus points out, the hardness of hearts gets in the way.  Since sin entered the world, self-centeredness so very often controls our actions.  Instead of being united for the mutual good, our corrupted nature leads us to focus primarily on ourselves.

Thus, the same marriage troubles that afflicted their world trouble us still today.  Many act as if married but refuse the commitment of marriage.  We allow “No fault” divorce as if that is even possible.  The attitude seems to be that we marry only for as long as my partner pleases me.  At the same time, those of us who have never been divorced shouldn’t feel smug either.  Many of us have had some thoughts of divorcing a spouse.  We have, perhaps, thought of what it might be like to marry someone else.  At the very least, there have been days when selfishness made loving our partner seem extremely difficult.  So, we all must confess our guilt before the Lord.

Jesus further instructed His disciples, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  If she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”  This may sound harsh to our modern, permissive ears.  However, because God loves His children of every age, He wants our marriages filled with blessings, with mutual love and respect; where each person is perfectly committed to the partner in a union that is mutually beneficial and a blessing every day; where outside relationships always take second place, and divorce has no place at all.

Now, one of the main reasons God instituted marriage was to bring children into the world and give them a beneficial place to grow.  Just as He loves grownups, God loves His children.  Mark recorded this incident:

Some people began bringing little children to Jesus so that he would touch them.  But the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.  He said, “Let the little children come to me!  Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Amen I tell you: Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the little children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

This is really what God’s love is all about.  In His perfect knowledge, God knew man would sin and would need a Savior.  Consequently, God intended marriage to be a picture of the relationship between the Savior and His Bride, the Church.  Jesus tells us that no one comes to the Father except through Him.  Therefore, God wants us to enjoy good, solid marriages so that they picture the great blessings that He gives us as the Bride of Christ. 

As part of that picture, in addition to wanting each of us truly to love our spouse, Jesus tells us to bring the children to Him, because that is the only way anyone is forgiven and saved from eternal punishment.  Christ’s kingdom and redemption are for all people—there is no age restriction.

The disciples were guilty of the same failings as some modern teachers in that they didn’t want Jesus bothered by these little ones.  However, no one is saved without the gift of faith that comes only by the work of God.  Our decisions don’t save us.  Intellectual learning isn’t our ticket to heaven.  Only God-given faith, which He can give at any age, brings with it the forgiveness of sins that Jesus won for us all on the cross.

Like the disciples that long ago day, you and I are sinners.  We all have failed to love as we should.  We have even often hindered our children, perhaps by our own frailties and neglect of God’s Word, maybe by putting too much emphasis on the things of this world, perhaps by simple neglect to teach as we rise up and when we lie down, as we sit at home and while we walk down the road—as Moses taught.  We each have been guilty of hindering the children instead of leading them daily to Jesus.

Yet, like those little ones in our text, it is given to us to know Jesus by faith.  God drew us into His loving arms as His Holy Spirit brought us to believe in Jesus.  As Jesus picked up those little children and blessed them, they met Jesus face to face, and thereafter, they knew Him as Lord and Savior.  Those infants weren’t caught up in the adult schemes that ultimately led Jesus to His cross at Golgotha.  They met Jesus as Lord, and that was enough.

That really is our story too.  When you were sprinkled with the water and Word of Baptism, Jesus was there, holding you as a dear child for whom He died, and He blessed you there with faith in Him.  As you hear God’s Word preached to you Sunday after Sunday, Jesus is here holding you in His strong arms, assuring you again and again that in your repentance you are forgiven for all your sins were nailed with Him to the cross.

For all the times you have sinned against God with your wicked thoughts of divorce, lust for another, apathy toward your spouse, or neglect of the children’s spiritual needs, Jesus continued loving you all as His one and only bride, the Church.  By bringing us to recognize our guilt and repent of our sin, He loves us with an everlasting love that doesn’t change.  Jesus lived that perfect love as our substitute while here on earth, and He loved us perfectly as He gave up His life on the cross to pay for our selfishness or lack of true love.

Dear friends, Old Testament Israel behaved many times like an adulterous wife, yet time after time in forgiveness, God took her back as His bride.  Today, He invites all people to enjoy His great love, and those who believe in Jesus are counted righteous as the Son’s dear bride.  Through the faith Christ gives in Word and Sacrament, we will be His beloved forever.

God loves His children.  He loves you so much that He wants your marriages to be a thing of blessing all the days you both shall live.  More than that, God wants to bless you with eternal face to face time with Jesus.  Because of the selfless love Jesus showed to His Church while He lived here on earth and the sacrifice He made on your behalf, He will continue to hold you in His loving arms and carry you home to His eternal heaven.  There, our neglect and self-centeredness will be put away, finally a thing of the past, and we will be loved by our Groom forever.  No more will we fail to love.  No more will anything trouble our relationships, for we all will put on immortality and peace.  In heaven, we will love as God has loved us, and we will rejoice in His saving love forevermore.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.