Living with and Loving Weeds

In Nomine Iesu
St. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
July 20, 2008
Pentecost 10A-Proper 11

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~

How does your garden grow? I’m glad to report that my garden is doing quite well. The green bean harvest has begun. And if present trends continue, we’ll be up to our elbows in zucchini by this time next week. This has been an exceptionally good year for my garden—plenty of moisture and plenty of sunshine. I’ve outfoxed the rabbits, and the bugs have bugged out.

But weeds—well, weeds are a perennial problem. The battle is ongoing. There are no vegetable gardens with only vegetables—no flower gardens with only flowers. No grain fields with only grain. The weeds are always there too. I still go after weeds the old fashioned way: I pull them and I whack them with my garden hoe. But if you were to inspect my garden closely, you’d find that the weeds are thriving right up next to the bean stalks—right beside the eggplants—just inside the tomato cages—there, in closest proximity to my productive plants are the weeds. You see, I can’t whack those weeds without also whacking the precious plants next to them. And so I have learned to live with those weeds, not wanting to damage the nearby vegetables.

Weeds have always been a problem; and in today’s Gospel reading Jesus spins out a parable based on the perennial problem of weeds. In this parable, “all the world is God’s own field.” And in this field the Son of Man goes about sowing His good seed. But this very same field—the very same furrows—are tainted, defiled, and contaminated by a weed-sowing enemy. This enemy is the devil, and he’s bold and brazen in his ability to produce weeds in God’s field.

This is the first point that Jesus makes in this parable: Wherever the good seed of God’s Word is preached and planted, right there the devil is lurking in the shadows, waiting to work over the very same soil with a noxious array of bad seed. Always, without fail, right alongside the Word of God something else—something undesirable—is also growing up. The seeds of sin and unbelief are being mixed and mingled and planted right alongside the good, faith-producing seed of God’s Word.

This means that even right here in this holy house, among those who offer here their worship and praise, right here and now the devil is also sowing his seeds of sin and unbelief. It’s not just in bars and brothels that the demonic enemies of God scatter their seeds. No, they would much rather sow the ground between pulpit and pew, in seminaries and synodical conventions. Whenever and wherever the good seed of God’s Word is being sown, there you can be sure that the devil is sowing his seed too.

Martin Luther saw this truth at work throughout the whole history of the church. Wherever the pure gospel was preached and sown, there the devil raised up wicked men to oppose it. Luther laid out the evidence of the devil’s weedy work in a sermon on this very text. He said: “Angels become devils. One of the apostles betrayed Christ. Christians become heretics. Out of the [OT] people of God came the wicked men who nailed Christ to the cross. So it happens still [today]” (Day by Day, p.83). What happens? Weeds happen! Wherever God’s garden grows, the devil is also cultivating a crop of corruption.

The surprise of this parable—the thing that gets the gardener in me—is that God tolerates the weeds! When the indignant servants in the parable ask permission to pull up the weeds, the Master says, “No. Because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.” The weeds in God’s garden will not be pulled. No herbicides will be applied. The weeds are tolerated for now. They are allowed to grow until the Day of Harvest. I ask you, what kind of a gardener—what kind of a farmer—could ever have such a high degree of weed tolerance? Or to put the horticultural in theological terms, why does God allow evil and sin and temptation to sprout up right alongside goodness and righteousness? Why does God permit the ungodly and the wicked to grow and thrive right next to the righteous? Why is the garden of our God not neatly manicured, but strewn with dandelions and thistles?

Beloved in the Lord, this is how God’s garden grows: It grows with the devil’s weeds and the Savior’s fruitful vines intermingled and tangled up. And sometimes, you can’t tell what’s what and who’s who. If nothing else, this shows our God’s incredible patience for sinners—that He wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Unlike some other religions of the world which have no toleration—which teach and preach hatred and death to the infidels—your God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish—but for all to come to repentance and faith. He says, “Let the weeds grow too.”

Jesus Christ is the reason for God’s weed-friendly ways. You see, in Jesus alone is the power to transform the worst of weeds into the most fruitful branches of the living vine. In Jesus, what is the vilest weed today could be the saintliest child of God tomorrow. Jesus has died for all. In Him God was reconciling the whole world of weeds to Himself, not counting our sins against us. Instead, the Savior bore those sins in His body on the cross. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, became like a giant weed Himself, carrying the noxious sins of the entire weed-infested world. And God the Father cut down that sin-bearing weed. He was put to death for our trespasses and was raised again for our justification. He was put to death and raised again so that sinners and unbelievers and the worst of all weeds might one day shine like the sun in the Father’s glorious kingdom.

This just leaves one question: What should we do with the weeds for now? What should we do about the people who by all appearances have separated themselves from Jesus and His church? What should we do with the weeds? It’s clear that God tolerates them. It’s clear that it’s not our job to consign some to hell and others to heaven. God and His angels will handle that at the end of the age. Nor is it right for us to condone their sin in any way. For now, God simply calls us to throw the doors of the church wide open, to give all men and women the chance to hear the Word of the Gospel and take it to heart. Because in hearing that Word is the power to transform the worst of weeds into living branches of the true vine, Jesus Christ.

Before you leave here today, I want you to think of the weeds in your life—the people you know who for all intents and purposes are not growing in the grace of Jesus Christ—people who manifest a spirit that is not the Holy Spirit. Maybe there are weeds among your co-workers, among your friends, among your family. The message of the Scriptures concerning these souls is not just a message of toleration, but of love. God calls us not just to live with the weeds—not only to tolerate them—but to love them. The great writer Dostoevski said that “to love a person means to see him as God intended him to be.” Don’t see the weeds for what they are today; see them as what God intends them to be—see them for what they can be in Christ. In the garden of our God, there is not one living soul for whom we cannot hope and pray. There is not one soul in whom the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ cannot do miraculous, life-changing things. We ourselves can testify to that.

Today you and I—we’re growing in the garden of our gracious God. The seed of His Word has taken root in you. You’ve been watered in the gentle splash of Holy Baptism. There are weeds all around. But the day will come when there will be a separation—when those who reject God’s free grace in Jesus Christ will be cast into eternal fire, and when those covered in the righteousness of Christ will shine like the sun in the Father’s eternal kingdom. Regarding that final separation, the German theologian Helmut Thielicke wrote this: “The last judgment is full of surprises. The separation of the sheep and the goats, of wheat and weeds will be made in a way completely different from that which we permit ourselves to imagine. For God is more merciful than we are, [God is] more strict than we are, and [God is] more knowing than we are. And, in every case, God is greater than our hearts” (p.82).

He who has ears, let him hear. Amen.

The Sacred Simile of Precipitation

In Nomine Iesu
Isaiah 55:10-11
July 13, 2008
Pentecost 9A – Proper 10

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~

For someone like me, who does lots of teaching, preaching and talking, there’s nothing better than a good simile. As any English teacher will tell you, a simile is a comparison of two different things, using the words “like” or “as.” We all use similes all the time. Here are some famous examples: “Life is like a box of chocolates,” or, “He’s as stubborn as a mule,” or, “She’s as busy as a beaver.” Yes, there’s nothing better than a good simile. In fact, here are some similes . . . of similes: A good simile is like fine wine and savory spice. A good simile is like a preacher’s best friend.

But when it comes to similes, no one does it better than our great God. Why shouldn’t the God who created the heavens and the earth using words also sprinkle in a few similes among those words? Why shouldn’t the God who creates repentance and faith with words spice up those words with a good simile now and then? In today’s Old Testament reading God gives us one of His best, most sacred similes. This simile is so rich and so full that an entire sermon can be based on it:

As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

This is what I like to call “The Sacred Simile of Precipitation.” God’s Word is like rain and snow. God’s Word (like precipitation) is refreshing and cleansing. God’s Word (like precipitation) is growth-causing, and life-giving, and life-sustaining. Like the sprinklers and hoses you see watering lawns this time of year, our God “waters” the world with His Word—the Words of the Bible, the words preached from pulpits—gospel words that proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ.

Now, as you know, rainfall and snowfall can be rather unpredictable. Sometimes we get too much. Sometimes we don’t get enough. But unlike precipitation that falls from clouds, God says about His Word: “It will not return to me empty. It will accomplish what I desire. It will achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” As God gives His Word to us, there’s never too much, never too little, always just right.

Isaiah was the prophet who first preached these words. In Isaiah chapter 55 the prophet is preaching about the future rebirth and restoration of Israel. But that rebirth and that restoration was to be a long time in coming. In fact, before that renewal would come, there would be judgment and exile, death and destruction. Bad times were ahead. Isaiah seems to be saying, “When times are tough—when everything seems to be going to hell in a hand-basket—hear the Word of the Lord. Drink in the promises of His Word. Be watered with the Word because that Word will not return empty. It will accomplish what God desires. It will achieve the purpose for which He sends it.”

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God’s Word—like raindrops from heaven—will accomplish IN YOU and in YOUR LIFE the very things that God desires? The evidence would seem to suggest that we don’t believe that. For if we truly believed that God’s Word always gets results in us, wouldn’t we want to be hearing that Word and studying that Word and reading that Word every day? If we truly believed that God’s Word accomplishes and achieves in us what God desires, wouldn’t our pews be full every Sunday? Wouldn’t our Bible studies be as well-attended as the Divine Service? Wouldn’t we want to invite someone to church with us all the time? Wouldn’t we give our offerings to the Lord joyfully and generously and confidently because the Word of God has had its way with us?

Why don’t we believe this? Why don’t our lives better reflect the power of the Word? Maybe it’s because we expect—we demand—immediate results, and we don’t get immediate results. We come to church. We hear the Word. And it seems that nothing changes. We get up in the morning. We open our Bibles. We have a time of devotion and prayer. And it seems that nothing changes. We feel no different. The same old problems and heartaches are still right there with us. And we conclude that the Word of God has failed—when in fact we have failed—failed to accept in faith that God’s results don’t always come on our timetable. God is at work in you for the long-haul—for eternity. You wouldn’t go out to your garden and plant your seeds, and then expect to enjoy juicy tomatoes and crispy cucumbers the very next day? That would be magical or miraculous. Yet somehow I think this is what we expect from the Word of God. And short of that, we’ll keep God’s Word as the last of our priorities and the least of our concerns.

Whenever God’s Word is last and least—whenever we fail to hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it—that’s sin. And that sin of ours is the worst of news. Or to put it in simile form, our sin is like a noose around our necks. Our sin is like a deadly, incurable, cancer. Our sin is like a guilty verdict that can never, ever be overturned.

There is but one thing that can remove your guilt and declare you innocent. The same Word of God that we sinfully ignore and reject—because of Jesus Christ that Word also declares that you are innocent—that you are forgiven—that you will live forever in God’s presence. The same Word that threatens us and condemns our sin is the same Word—the only Word—that sinners can believe and be saved.

Beloved in the Lord, Isaiah preached that God’s Word is like rain and snow—that it always accomplishes what God desires. And what’s true of God’s Word is especially true of God’s Son. You see, the object of our faith is not God’s Word, but God’s Son. It was that Son, Jesus, who ultimately accomplished what God desired. Jesus Christ achieved the purpose for which He was sent. Jesus Christ did not return to the Father empty-handed, but with wounded hands, and with a multitude of forgiven sinners, including you and me.

It is the blood of Jesus Christ, shed at the cross, that makes the Word of God grow—even in the hard soil of sinful human hearts. The cross of Jesus was planted high atop Calvary’s holy hill. There Jesus wore a choking crown of thorns. There Jesus was scorched by the blazing heat of His Father’s wrath against sin. There Jesus withered away to death as your sacred substitute. But God’s Word always gets the job done. God’s Word said that the Messiah would rise again on the third day, and that’s just what happened. And this was but a preview of your own resurrection life to come.

Brothers and sisters this good news—the good news that Jesus has taken away your bad and given you His good—this is what we call the gospel; and there’s absolutely nothing that compares to it. No simile can possibly get the job done. I could give it a try. I could say that the love of God in Christ is like winning the lottery. I could say that the love of God in Christ is like a cool breeze on a hot day in July. I could say that the love of God in Christ is like a box of chocolates. But none of these similes is good enough. Perhaps I should just say that the love of God in Christ is for you, and nothing in all creation compares to that good news. Amen.

The Yoke of Rest

In Nomine Iesu
St. Matthew 11:28-30
July 6, 2008
Pentecost 8A-Proper 9

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~

Sometimes it happens in bed. Sometimes it happens on the sofa. This time of year it can also happen on the beach. And you can be sure it happens in the La-Z-boy recliner. What happens? Rest happens! Perhaps you could add to that list of rest-full locations. Then, of course, there are places where we don’t expect to find rest: on the job, in the lawn or garden, sitting in the classroom. Those are places where work is going on. Rest and work are different things that usually happen in different places.

This is why Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel might sound somewhat confusing. When Jesus says, “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest,” that sounds great. But then He goes on to say, “Take my yoke upon you . . .” Now, this sounds like a contradiction because putting on a yoke indicates that there’s work to be done, not rest to be given. How can Jesus promise to give rest to the weary, and in the next breath tell the weary to put on his yoke? Yokes are for work, not for rest.

But let’s back up for a second. When I was growing up, the only time I heard the work “yolk” was to describe the yellow part of an egg. Of course, that’s yolk spelled Y-O-L-K. Jesus, however, is describing a yoke, spelled Y-O-K-E—an implement that was used to bind and control animals. Back in the old days, horses and oxen were yoked to pull a plow in the field. The yoke kept the beasts of burden from running off when there was work to be done. The yoke was used to control and direct the hard-working animals.

But in ancient times it wasn’t just animals that were yoked. People—slaves—often wore a yoke to show that they were under the authority of their master. Most often, instead of wearing an actual yoke, they would wear something around their neck or ankle to indicate their slave status. Incidentally, that’s the origin of the necklaces that many of you are wearing today. What used to symbolize the yoke of slavery is today a fashion statement. The same thing was true for rings worn around the finger. In fact, even today a wedding ring symbolizes that husband and wife are yoked to one another.

The point of all this is simply to show that the yoke was a sign of work; not a sign of rest. How strange, then, that Jesus should make this promise: “Take my yoke upon you . . . and you will find rest . . .” But how can a yoke—even a “light” yoke—help us find rest for our souls?

It doesn’t make sense, but this is exactly what Jesus promises you. In wearing His yoke—in submitting yourself to Him in faith—you will find rest for your soul. You can’t earn this rest by your good behavior. You can’t buy this rest with your wealth. Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” Wearing the yoke of Jesus means that your life is controlled and directed by Him. He’s the One holding the leash—pulling the reigns. Your life is bound to Christ as a bride is bound to her groom. Wearing the yoke of Jesus means walking in His ways, delighting in His will, keeping His commands.

But the problem is we’re sinners. We’re not interested in yoke-wearing or cross-bearing. We don’t care to be in submission to Jesus or anyone else for that matter. We’ll gladly take the rest that Jesus promises; but we’ll just as gladly leave the yoke-wearing and cross-bearing for somebody else. When you’re not wearing the yoke of Jesus it means that you’re living your life on your terms. Instead of faithfully receiving the rest that Jesus gives, we go looking for the rest and relaxation that money can buy—and money and buying and earnings—they become the yoke around our necks. When you’re not wearing the yoke of Jesus it means that you can wander off wherever you please—looking for cheap thrills online, or pursuing the recklessness that comes from drunkenness. When you’re not wearing the yoke of Jesus—when you’re not submitting to Jesus and His Word—it means that you want others to submit to you and you’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen—even if you have to say some things that really shouldn’t be said.

Beloved in the Lord, it’s all a lie. Apart from Jesus and His yoke, we may have the desire to do what is good, but we cannot carry it out. And the evil that we don’t want to do—these are the very things we keep on doing. You need to be yoked to Jesus. Because this is how it works: either you’re yoked to Jesus, submitting to Him, allowing Him to guide and direct you by faith; OR ELSE you’re yoked to your sins, submitting to them, allowing them to guide and direct you to a place where you will be forever “free” of Jesus.

To all of us so worn and weary of our sin, Jesus gives the invitation: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light and you—you will find rest for your souls.” Are you weary and burdened by your sin? Have you slipped out of the yoke of Jesus one too many times to follow your own sinful desires? Jesus wants you take His yoke again, and learn from Him. Learn what it means that He’s gentle and humble in heart. Learn what it means that only Jesus is able to rescue us from this body of death.

This past week I read of a Sunday school teacher who read to her class the words of Jesus where He says, “My yoke is easy.” The teacher then asked her class, “Who can tell me what a yoke is?” One little boy said, “It’s something you put on the necks of animals.” Then the teacher asked, “What is the yoke that God puts on us?” To which one little girl responded, “It’s God putting His arms around our necks.” She viewed the yoke of Jesus . . . as a hug from Jesus. She knew that wearing that yoke is not a burden, but a blessing. She knew that wearing the yoke of Jesus means living each day knowing that the Savior has placed His arms of love and forgiveness around our necks.

The arms of Jesus which are holding you today in love—those arms have carried a burden that was not easy. Jesus bore a yoke that was not light. In fact, the Greek word for “yoke” is also used for the crossbeam which Jesus took up and carried to the place of His execution (ABD, vol.6, “yoke”). Because Jesus has carried that yoke—the burden of your sin and death—today He invites you to take up His yoke of rest and forgiveness and life.

“Come to me,” says the Savior, “all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Beloved in the Lord, this is the place where weary and burdened sinners can come to Jesus. This is the place where Jesus gives you rest, peace, forgiveness and hope. In fact, Martin Luther in the Large Catechism, wrote that the words, “Come to me and I will give you rest” are nothing more than an invitation to the Lord’s Supper—to receive the body and blood of Jesus—to have the burden of your sin taken away. Here at this altar Jesus lightens your burden with His forgiveness. Here at this altar Jesus puts His arms of love right around your neck.

The yoke of Jesus gives you rest. When you’re wearing that yoke it means that Jesus is running the show—Jesus is directing your life—Jesus is leading you to heaven. He carried His cross so that you can wear His yoke. He’s done the work and you get the rest. Amen.