The Purpose of Religion

September 28, 2014


EPISTLE LESSON: Philippians 2:1–4, 14–18
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
L: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.


C: Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia, Alleluia!
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Twenty-first Chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

GOSPEL LESSON: Matthew 21:23–32 [Jesus’ authority is questioned.]
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”
P: This is the Gospel of our Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

What is the purpose of religion? Ask different people and you can get a big variety of answers. Some of the purposes and uses of religion are nobler than others. Not in any particular order, here are some of the purposes of religion.

  • 1. To get to heaven.
  • 2. To have a better life right now: health, wealth, and happiness.
  • 3. To be in service to others that they might be blessed.
  • 4. To control other people. Machiavellianism, Marxism (“opiate of the people”), political activists, terrorist groups, parents.
  • 5. To make money. This is the livelihood of preachers, evangelists, musicians, artists, etc.
  • 6. To have national or racial or ethnic identity. E.g., Judaism, Shintoism.
  • 7. To get inward spiritual peace.
  • 8. To escape the realities and stress of life.
  • 9. To have fun. Like in the youth group or ladies’ group or men’s group or the choir or bowling league or bingo.
  • 10. To worship God.
  • 11. To live a good, moral, ethical life, both personally and for everyone in society.
  • 12. To do the will of God. As the parable of Jesus says, to work in God’s vineyard.

    The reason I ask what the purpose of religion is, is to help us understand today’s Bible readings. Matthew 21:23, “And when Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” In other words, why are you trying to change our religion and the way we do things?

    What does the word “religion” mean? I think that “religion” is the way one thinks about their faith in God and so how one lives out their faith in God. And so there are various religions in the world because people believe in various gods. For example, Christians believe in the Triune God, and so we celebrate Christmas and Easter and live in a way that reflects the love of God. On the other hand, Hindu believers have their gods and have their festivals and customs that fit that belief. Cults have their evil gods that leads their followers to do horrible, evil things.

    And so our Christian religion is our faith in Christ. We live according to his teachings. As the Gospel reading today teaches, we accept and trust the authority of Jesus, because his authority comes from heaven. Jesus taught the Word of God. And so we follow his teachings in our lives, and that becomes our religion, our religious life.

    In the Bible, the religious life of a Christian is like working for God in his vineyard. And Jesus told the parable of the two sons who were told by their father to work in the vineyard. One boy said he would go but did not, the other boy said he would not go but changed his mind and did go. And this is a parable for us, too. Often we are like the first son who said he would work but did not. We have said that we believe in God. In baptism and in confirmation, we promise to remain loyal to God all our lives until we die. But when we sin, we are breaking our promise. We are like the Jewish chief priests and elders who refused to accept the authority of Jesus and his teaching because it would mean they would have to change their lives. We want to live our lives the way we want to, and often that is not according the will of God.

    At other times we are like the other son, and realize our sin. We know that Christ does have authority in our lives, and we realize that his teaching, his religion, is the best. And so we change our minds and hearts, we repent, and return to the vineyard of God.

    With the full authority of God the Father, Jesus worked in the vineyard of God. He preached the Good News, he healed the sick, he fed the hungry, and he comforted the grieving. Having the authority of God, he took upon himself the sin of the world. He died on the cross as the sacrifice to forgive that sin. After his resurrection, he gave to his disciples, and therefore to the church, the authority not only to talk about forgiveness, but to actually forgive sin. “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven,” he said (John 20:23). And that becomes the core of our Christian religion.

    The purpose of the Christian religion is to forgive sin. That is the message of the cross. That is why Jesus was born at Bethlehem. That is why he died and rose. That forgiveness becomes our way of life. Because we can forgive other people we can love other people. Because we know that God has forgiven us personally, we can even love ourselves, and live in the love of Jesus.

    St. Paul wrote a beautiful letter to the church in the town of Philippi. He encourages them to live their faith. His words have meaning for us, too, as we live in this vineyard of God in Okinawa. And so let’s finish with the words of today’s Epistle reading.


    Philippians 2:1–4, 14–18

    So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

    Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

    L: This is the Word of the Lord.

    C: Thanks be to God.

    Amen.

    Michael Nearhood, Pastor
    Okinawa Lutheran Church


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