Sermon Index
September 27, 2020
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?” 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.
28 “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.”
In the United States, it is now the elections season. As always I will vote by mail. It is sometimes hard to know for whom to vote. To help us know the candidates, the candidates give speeches, they are often interviewed by reporters and there are debates. People can vote for the one they think is best. Of course, dyed-in-the-wool party members will vote for their party’s candidate no matter the qualifications of their or the other party’s candidate. This is the way elections are now and have always been throughout history.
At the time of Jesus, there were places like Greece where democracy was practiced. Even in the Old Testament some town offices were decided by votes. But when it came to choosing who would be the god that people should “fear, love, and trust above all things” (First Commandment), the Bible was not democratic. It was theocratic; it was “god-ruled.” The office of Messiah was not an elected office. It was a position appointed by God the Father, given to his Son. But sometimes in the New Testament, it seems that Jesus is running for the office of Messiah. He gives speeches about the Kingdom of God. He wants people to decide to follow him. Modern people do not want to blindly follow someone they do not know. Likewise, people wanted to know who Jesus was before deciding to follow him as their Messiah, their Savior. Jesus was “interviewed” by many people: by Satan in the wilderness, by Nicodemus at night, by the Samaritan Woman at the well, by the Pharisees and the Sadducees, by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin Council, and finally by Pontius Pilate. They challenged him on the issues: like taxes, belief in the resurrection, interpretation of the Law of Moses, etc.
Today’s Bible reading is right after Jesus had entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and people were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David.” That is like shouting “Hail to the King” or “Long live the King” or “Emperor, Banzai.” People were hoping that he would be the Messiah to take care of all their problems: religious, political, ethical, economic, medical, everything. Just like today as we want our leaders to solve all the problems of the world, starting with our personal problems.
The chief priests and the elders of the people challenged Jesus about his authority, his credentials, his experience, his birth place. Jesus knew they were just trying to trap him, so he refused to answer their question directly because he wanted them to recognize his authority. But of course, as party politics dictate, they would never believe him even if Jesus told them. They would not accept John the Baptist and they would not accept Jesus, either. Verses 24-27.
We know that the authority for both John the Baptist and Jesus came from heaven, from God. And so we are expected to vote for Jesus, that is, to give our life to his campaign, that is, to give our life to work for the things that Jesus did. Jesus gave his life, both as he lived it and as he died on the cross. Then to show that his way of doing things was the one and only way for Salvation, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. This is the proof that Jesus’ authority was from God.
Just for fun, I wonder how Jesus would respond to some of the political questions of today.
The big issues today seem to be the pandemic, health care, schools, peace, the ecology and global warming, financial security, social stability, defense, taxes, the courts, freedom, black lives matter, police and riots,
Jesus did not address any of these modern issues directly even though many of these things have been similar problems throughout human history. Jesus challenged the religious, social and political leaders of his day. He pointed out their hypocrisy and how they were not keeping the Laws which they told others to keep. The great speech that Jesus gave was the Sermon on the Mount where he talked about the Kingdom of God.
Bible passages are guiding principles for us today. Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus does not tell us what stocks to buy. He does not tell us where the next tropical storm will hit. He does not tell us whether or not a certain war will bring world peace or a certain action will bring financial security. He does not tell us whom to marry or what job to pursue. But the platform of the Kingdom of God is clear: the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself, the peace in our hearts when we pray the Lord’s Prayer in faith and trust. It is the Death, Resurrection and the Return of Jesus at the End of the World. Our political advisor in these matters is the Holy Spirit.
On American money there are the words, “In God we trust.” We do not live by the power of money, but by the grace of God. I pray that all Americans would believe that. I pray that everyone in the world, starting with you and me, would believe and make the decision to accept Jesus as their personal Savior, their Messiah.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church