Pentecost 16
Jesu Juva
“Restoring the Devastated”
Text: Matthew 18:15-20
(Ezekiel 33:7-9)
Grace, mercy, and peace to
you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
As
the pictures came back from
And
yet, when it comes to spiritual matters of sin and forgiveness, it seems that
we are exactly the opposite. The
devastation caused by sin in our world is even
worse than the pictures we have seen this week. But do our stomachs churn and our hearts ache
over this? Do we want to help and
restore those devastated, or are we cold to their needs? Not wanting to be bothered, not wanting to
extend ourselves? Our friends and
neighbors and co-workers are caught in addiction to all shapes and sizes of
sins, to false belief, superstition, and ignorance. And they need our help. They need to be restored to the life of faith
in Jesus Christ. But how often are we
silent? . . . If not acting to help those devastated this
week is unthinkable, what about this?
When not just life, but eternal
life is at stake!
This
is what the Word of God to Ezekiel, and the words of Jesus in the Holy Gospel,
would have us understand today. That there is devastation
all around us, and people in need of restoration. Jesus saw this, and so He had compassion – a
Greek word meaning that His stomach churned about it; His heart ached so that
He cried over
So why don’t we?
Perhaps
it is because we underestimate the devastation caused by sin, and perhaps we do
that because it so often cannot be seen.
We saw the TV pictures this
week. But our friends and neighbors and
co-workers seem to be doing just fine without our help – maybe even better than
us! But if we believe God’s Word, we
know that the spiritual reality is not what we see. For often inside huge homes are lonely
people. Inside well-dressed people are
often spiritual beggars. Inside a
prideful, boastful, seemingly confident person is often a frightened child. And they need our help.
Or
perhaps we do nothing because we ourselves have been hurt. When someone sins against you, you are hurt,
and you may be angry, and that hurt and anger prevents us from seeing that the
same sin that has hurt us has hurt that other person as well. For that’s what sin does. It doesn’t only hurt the one sinned against,
it hurts the sinner as it separates from God, as it damages faith. And sin left unchecked to run rampant can
ultimately kill faith.
Or
perhaps we do nothing because the sin against
us has flared up the sin within us,
and so we seek to hurt back. We want
revenge. We want that person to come and
humble themselves and ask for forgiveness – and then maybe, maybe we’ll forgive. If they really mean it.
If we’re
satisfied with their repentance. If . . .
and do you see? The devastating
effects of sin! It is a downward spiral,
feeding on itself, devastating everyone in its wake!
And
so, Jesus says, set aside your anger, your concern for yourself, your
self-righteous indignation. Repent of
your own sin, forgive, and have concern for your brother. Concern for his
devastation, to help him, to bind up his wounds, and restore him. If we do not, we are not only hurting him, we
are hurting ourselves. And, as
But that’s easier said than done, isn’t
it?
Unless you think of our situation, and what Jesus has
done for you. For it is not just others who are effected – we are
the ones who have been devastated by sin; by the catastrophic damage caused by
Satan in the Garden of Eden. And
interestingly, the Scriptures often depict that sin as a flood – like what we
saw this week: a flood that we cannot stop, that crashes in upon us and
overwhelms us and drowns us in its torrents (i.e.,
1 Pt 4:4). And in that sin we are lost, were it not for
the compassion of our brother, Jesus.
Our brother who can see inside our masks and the brave and false fronts
we put up, and sees that no, we’re not okay! Our brother who is hurt by
our sin, but does not hurt us back.
Our brother who has every right to be angry at us for the damage we do
to Him and His world, but instead of seeking revenge, sought to restore
us. Not waiting first to be asked, but
by sending His prophets (like Ezekiel) to speak to us His Word of warning [Law] and His
Word of restoration and forgiveness [Gospel], and then coming Himself. The Son of God coming into
this torrent and flood of sin as our brother, and rescuing us at the cost of
His own life. Why? Because He saw. He saw the devastation. He saw the pain and misery. He saw the hopelessness and despair. And in love, He had to act. And He gained His brothers.
And
not just once does Jesus restore us, or a few times, but constantly. For while His cross and resurrection took
place at one moment in time, the effects and benefits and blessings – His
restoration and forgiveness – are for all time.
X
And so just as the folks in the South need water
to live, so do we – and Jesus gives us His water; His restoration and
forgiveness given us in Holy Baptism, as He adopts us as His children, so that
we are no longer children of sin and Satan, but children of God. X The folks in the South need food to live, and so do we
– and Jesus gives us His food; His restoration and forgiveness given us in the
bread and wine, His own body and blood, of Holy Communion, to feed us and
strengthen us at His Table. X
And just as the folks in the South need hope and
confidence for the future, so do we – and Jesus gives us His Word: His restoration
and forgiveness given us as He absolves us of the guilt of our sin, gives and
strengthens faith, and leads us in His way.
. . . And all this He does – giving us these lifelines He does – not
because we ask for it, not because we deserve it, and not for any other reason
than that in His great love for us, He has compassion on us, and His heart goes
out to us, to restore us. To restore us
back into Him, into His family, into His Church, into the life eternal, which
He has always planned and desired for us.
And
today, He sends us to do the same. To do
for others what He has done for us. To win our brothers and sisters. Hard? Yes. Impossible? No. For He does not ask you to do this on your
own, but has already given you all you need.
The love and compassion and forgiveness to give, He has already given to
you, and continues to give to you. It is
not yours to keep or withhold. It is
yours to give. And in
giving, to restore. To restore
those who are lost, who are hurting, who are
devastated. And in so doing, being like Christ. Being the Christian that you are. Stories of heroism and self-sacrifice are
already beginning to come out of
You
know, so often, when we read or hear the words of the Holy Gospel today, we
skip the beginning and run right to the excommunication part! Kick the sinner out! Yeah!
. . . But that’s not what these
words are all about. They are about gaining your brother. Loving him enough to point
out the sin, and to give forgiveness – even when it is not asked for. It is about caring and restoring, which we
cannot do unless we have first forgiven him.
It is about knowing that I am stuck in my sins,
and though the Law is hard to hear, being grateful for it, that I may be
restored. And that (as
we heard) the power for that restoration lies not up in Heaven, but even here
on earth. That
I can be sure. That my
brother, my Good Shepherd, the very Son of God, who is not willing that any
should be lost, is here for me. For
where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.
Two
or three gathered in His Name. To confess and receive His absolution. To receive His Word and
Sacrament. To go with His
blessing, forgiven and restored. We are
the ones so gathered in His Name, and in His presence. We have received. Now go and see with His eyes. Go and care with His compassion. Go and love with His love. Restore your brothers and sisters, even as
your brother has restored you.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts
and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.