Sermon Reformation Day
Sunday October 30, 2011
Matthew 11:12-19
Jesus in our text today is dealing with the frustration of unbelief. This has been an ongoing tension between God and his people. Not much has improved since man rejected God’s Word in the Garden of Eden.
Jesus in the text brings out the violent reaction against the kingdom of God. Against the prophets who were sent including John the Baptist to the people. John the Baptist gets treated no better than the other servants of God as he is under arrest and imprisoned. Jesus reference to those taking the kingdom by force however could refer to all the repentant sinners entering the Kingdom of God. But for this to be possible, there would be a violent end for Jesus, the Lamb of God, who would suffer God’s wrath for their sins and for our sins.
This of course, is a mixed message of both suffering and salvation, a reason for mourning and a reason for dancing. But Jesus generation does not get it. They get the two things mixed up since they are not aware of their sin. Jesus says, “It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ “
Presumably for this saying Jesus and John are the flute player and singer respectively. John was all about preparation that led to repentance. John lived a Spartan life. He ate survivor man food. He wore rough clothes. His abode was in the wilderness and He preached the Law. He sang the dirge in order to bring about contrition and repentance, in other words mourning. His purpose was to baptize those confessing their sins. He was preparing them to hear Jesus’ absolution.
Jesus on the other hand was the good news. He was fulfilling the Law. He was forgiving the sins. He was lifting the burdens of the heavy laden. Jesus was healing and raising people from the dead. He was making wine and He was celebrating and feasting with His disciples with food and drink. These all are causes for dancing.
But the religious leaders would not mourn their sins at the appearance of John or dance at the appearance of Jesus. Rather they got it backwards they rejoiced when John was imprisoned and they mourned at the success of Jesus to the point of putting him to death. They rejected Jesus righteousness before God for their own. They relied on their ability to keep the Law by works.
Dr. Martin Luther had it backwards too for many years. Young Luther did not dance because he thought it was on him to keep the law. The appearance of Jesus even in the sacrament was a fearful judge, a cause for mourning. This was the extra-biblical teaching of the Roman Church. It was not until he was illuminated by the passage from Romans where the apostle writes, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28). Through this passage and others like it that Martin heard the flute, started to dance, started to celebrate the promises given by Jesus in the Gospel.
Many others who followed Dr. Luther also heard the tune of the flute that had been muffled by the church for so many years. The church was in need of a Reformation. Even Luther’s opponents could agree to that but they were more interested in moral reforms than they were doctrinal. The combination of power, wealth and spiritual authority had corrupted the office of the pope but it was also found in the lower offices. There were men who had paid the pope for multiple bishoprics. They held the title of archbishop but they were not interested in preaching the gospel or providing spiritual care but in collecting taxes from the lands they were given to control. They were no different than secular princes.
A moral reformation only would not be enough. It would be like treating the symptom of the disease instead of the disease itself. In this the disease which still plagues the Roman Church and many others is their flawed teaching of justification. Whereas Luther taught it was faith alone that saves in accordance with Romans 3. The Roman church taught salvation was attained through faith and works.
Now we do not deny that works will accompany faith but we do not go looking for works to do to add to our faith to merit our salvation. Nor do we look to the merits of saints or Mary the mother of Jesus to help us attain the beatific vision or heaven. The work of salvation is done solely by Jesus, Christ alone, without any worthiness or merit in us, that is the meaning of grace alone. We know this not by appealing to extra-biblical resources or popes but by scripture alone.
This should be good news. But this was not good news for a church that resembled the Jewish religious establishment of Jesus time with all its canons and laws than the true Christian church that it claimed and still claims visibly to be. Sadly, even today the Roman church’s position on justification has not changed. When a prominent member of the Roman Catholic church was asked at a Symposium at our Ft. Wayne seminary whether he believed he was going to heaven. His response was that it was presumptuous to make such an assertion. Whenever works are added to faith even if it is making a decision or saying the sinner’s prayer, it creates doubt or worse a false sense of self justifying confidence.
Does our church today, does the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod need reformation? I would say, yes. Not unlike the church of the middle ages many foreign doctrines from American Evangelicalism have been introduced into our church body especially through the practice of worship. Services begin with celebrating when we should be expressing contrition for our sins and sometimes we treat the gospel laden liturgy and our historic hymns as dirges. We sing with happiness about our works and love for Jesus and we are bored when we sing about what Jesus has done for us. When this occurs it is back words.
We are happy when we should be mourning and mourn when we should be dancing. It turns worship into a law for us to do rather than receiving from Jesus the gospel. Offering different styles of services is also offering different content and therefore a different theology, a different gospel, especially when the music and the texts are borrowed from foreign confessions. And it is not just the music but it affects how we pray and how we speak and confess our Lord. I am not speaking of our congregation specifically but our church body as a whole.
Luther when he reformed the liturgy of the sacrament of the altar, he did not rewrite but he removed those prayers that referred to the sacrifice of the mass. He removed the content that was added during the middle ages to turn the Mass into a meritorious work performed by priest on behalf of the people.
American Evangelicalism sees worship as something the people do for God not what God does for you. The sacraments have been turned into impotent symbols and acts of obedience on your part. The emphasis is on deeds not creeds. This sounds to me like a return to works righteousness.
This is not the first time the Lutherans have been influenced by American Evangelicalism. It also happened in the early 19th century when one Lutheran church leader Rev. Samuel S. Schumucker circulated a recommendation to the church that for the sake of Christian unity with other faiths that we abandon our exclusively Lutheran doctrines of Baptism, Confession and Absolution and the Lord’s Supper. Schumucker also promoted the idea of using revivalistic or new measures in worship which plied at the emotions, so that the subject would make a decision for Christ. You see error is not content with simply cohabitating but it wishes to take over.
This however sparked a reformation of its own in the mid 19th century led by figures such as Rev. C.F.W. Walther, Rev. Wilhelm Sihler and Rev. Charles Porterfield Krauth. These men opposed the new measures in worship and upheld the historic worship and the confessions of the church. God used these men to reform the Lutheran church and preserve the unadulterated Gospel among us.
Today I believe the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in the 21st century is in the midst of a Reformation as more pastors and congregations are taking their worship and confessions more seriously but also joyfully. We mourn when the law is preached and we celebrate when the gospel is proclaimed and the sacraments received because Jesus is in them through the Holy Spirit working salvation in your hearts.
We give thanks to the Lord for in the despite the violent attacks of the devil, He preserves His church. He preserves his Word. As Jesus promises, “heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” (Lk 21:33) And “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18) Truly, A mighty fortress is our God!
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