THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
5 July Anno + Domini 2009
"Be Mercifulâ€
Luke 6:37-42 (Gen. 50:15-21; Rom. 12:14-21)
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Why are Joseph's brothers so afraid? Why do they feel the need to lie to Joseph, telling him that their father's dying request was that Joseph forgive them? It is because they know what they truly deserve for the evil they had done to Joseph. Out of jealousy and hatred, they sold their brother into slavery. They hoped they would never hear from him again. They disowned him completely. Whether he lived or died didn't matter to them; they simply wanted him out of their lives. And now - now - that their father is dead and they fear that Joseph will finally take his revenge, they make up the lie. It doesn't matter that Joseph has taken them in and cared for their needs. They ignore the fact that he has embraced them and shown them his love, never even giving the hint that he desired to get even with them. They simply can't wrap their minds around the fact that Joseph has forgiven them and forgotten their dastardly deeds toward him. It doesn't compute. Surely, they think, he is just biding his time, waiting for the opportunity to settle the score. They think this because they know themselves. They know what they would do if they were in his shoes. They would want some payback. So, they lie to Joseph in the attempt to save their guilty skin. They will not rely on their brother's mercy. That's too risky. Better to convince Joseph that dad has commanded him to show them mercy. That's a safer bet, for they know how much Joseph loved their father. If they can convince him that their father's dying wish was for Joseph to forgive them, maybe, just maybe, Joseph would comply.
And all of this simply breaks Joseph's heart. He weeps, for he has long since forgiven his brothers. He has taken them in and lavished them with his love. How could they possibly think that he's still somehow plotting their destruction? He has gone out of his way to arrange for their safety, to care for them in their time of need, to give them a place to live, to make sure that they and their children have food to eat. What more could he have done to prove to them that he loved them, that he had forgiven them, that he wanted nothing but the best for them?
Nevertheless, Joseph knows what his brothers need. They need assurance. So, he gives it to them. He speaks his word of absolution to them, telling them that what they meant for evil, God meant for good. He tells them that he will provide for them and their little ones. He comforts them. He says to them, "Do not fear, for I have forgiven you.†More than that, he has forgotten their sins against him.
How much like Joseph's brothers are we? For we have been shown remarkable love and mercy by our Father in heaven. He sent His Son into the world to save us - to live a perfect life in our place and to pay the price for every single one of our sins on the cross with His precious blood. He has gone out of His way to show us mercy. He promises us that Jesus has done everything necessary for our salvation. He promises us that through faith in Jesus we are forgiven. What's more, He promises us that He will remember our sins no more. For our sins are gone. Jesus bore them all on the cross and put them to death. And yet, we still feel the need to barter with God. We're still often very afraid that He will give us what we deserve for our sins. Mercy is still far too often a lost concept on us, for we know, like Joseph's brothers, what is in our hearts, and how pitiful we are at the whole showing mercy to others business.
This is, by the way, the reason we come to Church week in and week out. It's not to fulfill some obligation or to make us feel a little better about ourselves. It's because we know how desperately we are in need of God's mercy. It's because, like Joseph's brothers, we need to be reassured that God is merciful to us. It's because we need to hear the salvation story of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, time and time again. It's because we need to hear Him say to us, "I forgive you all your sins.†We need that because our sins are great and many, and we know what we deserve because of them. So, we come here to find refuge. We come here because we fear the Lord and know that He alone can provide the refuge we need. We come here to plead for ourselves, to fall down before the Lord, crying out, "Lord, have mercy upon us!â€
And the Good News - the remarkable, wonderful Good News - is that our Lord fills our ears with what they need to hear. Like Joseph, He assures us that He has forgiven us, that He remembers our sins no more, and that He will provide for us. Like Joseph, He rescues us from the famine of life in this dead and dying world and brings us into a new Land, His Eternal Kingdom, to care for our every need. Like Joseph, He makes sure that we are well fed, for He provides for our every bodily need in this life, but, more than that, feeds us on the Bread of Life, His very Body and Blood, to strengthen and preserve us spiritually. He never lets us down. His mercy endures forever. It is never spent. There is always more. He gives to us good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. We are always more than okay in the arms of our loving Savior, who laid down His perfect, sinless life in our place, that we imperfect, sinful people would be counted as holy and righteous in the eyes of our heavenly Father.
Dear friends in Christ, on this weekend when we busy ourselves with the celebration of our country's independence, let us remember and give thanks for the freedom we have been given from the tyranny of our sins. God's temporal and eternal wrath, which we definitely deserve, has been spent in full upon His Son on the cross of Calvary. There is nothing left to spend on us. We are forgiven and free, securely saved by the Blood of the Lamb. We who believe in Jesus, who trust in Him alone, have nothing to fear, for we will not get what we deserve, but have been, and will continue to be, shown mercy.
And, this ought to elicit a response in our lives. Thus, Jesus commands, "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.†Notice that He doesn't say, "Your salvation depends upon whether or not you are merciful.†Neither does He say, "Your salvation depends upon how merciful you are toward others.†If that was the case, we would all be doomed, for who among us can possibly say that they've been merciful toward others at all times in their lives? Who among us has not failed to show mercy when we should have? Who among us has not sought to get even, to take revenge, and to settle the score with those who have wronged us in some way? This command of our Lord to be merciful is a gracious invitation to live as He would have us live. It is a fruit of the faith He bestows upon us through Word and Sacrament. It is a statement of who we are when we are living in Him, being filled by Him, and clothed with Him through faith. He wants the best for us in this life and in the life to come. He knows that showing mercy to others is the best way to live. And, you know it, too. For while every single one of us has failed far too often to show mercy to others the way we should, we have experienced doing so at times in our lives. And, if we reflect on those times when we did show mercy, we will remember how wonderful it felt for us to do so. We know how good it is for us to forgive those who have wronged us, for we know how good it is for us to be forgiven for all the wrong we've done. And, besides, that's our prayer, isn't it? Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.
So, be merciful, dear friends. Strive to show others the love and mercy you have been shown by your Father in heaven. Not to win your salvation. Not as a necessary requirement for your entrance into heaven. That's finished. Jesus said so on the cross. But, as people loved by God, forgiven by the sacrifice of the Son, live not for self, but for God and for others. That's who you are as Christians. And, when you fail, repent, knowing and believing that your Savior didn't fail, but loved you to the end. And then get out there and try again. Never stop trying. Never stop striving to show others the love and mercy you have been shown. That's how you live and breathe as Christians in this dead and dying world. That's how others know that you are connected in Communion with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit empower you to do so, not for your sakes, but for the sake of others, that Christ's Kingdom may be expanded, and our lives would be gracious fruits to that end. In His Holy and Precious Name. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.