Pentecost 24c Luke 20:27-40 Focus On Christ

Exodus 3:1-15 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17

There came to Jesus some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection. Who were the Sadducees? They were laypeople and the chief priests of the Temple who claimed to be descendants of Zadok, the high priest during the reign of King David. They were made up of mostly wealthy and privileged families in Jerusalem who supported the Roman Government.

They considered the first five books of the Bible and the written Law contained therein to be the only true and inspired word of God. They were happy to make sacrifices for the sins of mankind and saw no need for more instructions than which had already been given.  So they essentially ignored the other 34 books of the Old Testament. Consequently they denied the resurrection from the dead and the existence of angels. And since there was no resurrection, they did not need someone to die for their sins.

We have people like that today; people who pick and choose what they want to believe and what they do not want to believe. “Parts of the Bible”, they say, “are the words of God but other parts are only man’s opinion.” So they decide for themselves what the words of God are and what are not.  To make matters worse, they go on to say that other parts of God’s word only applied during those times and do not apply to our modern and more civilized society. By doing so they can justify their own favorite sins. My friends, it was sinful for the Sadducees to pick and chose to believe only certain parts of the Bible and it still is sinful today.

On the other hand the Pharisees believed all 39 books of the Old Testament to be the true word of God. But the fact is they added to the Scriptures Oral tradition; that is words and laws that were not given by God. While the Sadducees subtracted from the word of God, the Pharisees added to His word. Adding to God’s word is just as much of a sin as subtracting from it. In fact the biggest lies are those that contain the most truth because they become more believable.

These Pharisees were called scribes because they inscribed these new traditions into a book called the Mishnah. As the Mishnah grew larger, the means of salvation through a Messiah became less important.  By the time of Christ, the Pharisees had developed there own alternate path to salvation while at the same time believing in the resurrection and in angels.  So rather than expecting a Savior to pay for their sins, they were looking for a Savior to be their leader.

That danger still exists today. All too often we focus on what we have done rather than on what Christ has done for us. Yes, many today will say that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, but many do not take their own sins seriously. There is an attitude that cries aloud, “Thank God that Jesus has died for that person because he is so sinful, he could never make it into heaven on his own.” “But I am not so bad that I really need to be covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.”

The prevailing wisdom among many is that you are basically good and you can cooperate in your own salvation; that your good works outweigh the sins that you commit and for that reason God will welcome you into heaven based upon how wonderful you are. Therefore it is no big deal if you only come to church to receive the forgiveness of your sins once in a while.  

In our Epistle lesson Paul speaks about a rebellion; a great falling away that must take place before Jesus will return. That falling away is taking place right before our eyes but most are too blind to see that it is happening. And what is most frightening is that just as the Sadducees and the Pharisees had set hope for a Messiah aside, the same thing will take place within the church of all believers.  

The scribes, otherwise known as the Pharisees are the Lord’s most serious opponent because while they confess the word of God to be true, they are in reality teaching a completely different way of salvation.  Ironically, because they have the word of God, they would be the ones most likely to become followers of Jesus and many of them actually did.

But because of their tendency to fall back on their good works, they were also in the most danger of returning to their false doctrine of salvation by works.

What the Sadducees and the Pharisees both had in common is that they saw no real need for a Savior. Consequently, they plotted against Him.  Those in the Temple who rejected Jesus actually became the mechanism by which Christ would be led to the cross and crucified.  Many today are preaching about how to live a better life yet you rarely hear them preaching Christ crucified. Many today set them selves up as holy proclaimers of the Word and yet they never use the means of grace. There is no confession of Christ as the one who paid for their sins, no absolution of sins, no baptism for the remission of sins and no Lord’s Supper where the grace of God is bestowed abundantly upon believers.

Proverbs 16:25 says; “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  That way is the way of the Chief Priests and the Scribes; it is the way of the world and it is the way of Salvation by works and not by faith. It is where the focus is not placed on God and the work of Jesus on the cross, but on the works of man. Many are being led down that wide path of destruction in these last days!  

But there is another way. What is that way? Jesus Himself answered that question in John (14:6-7) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus says in Matthew (7:13- 14) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

You are saved by grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ alone and not by your works so that no one can boast.

 As a believer in Jesus Christ you are not condemned for your sins nor are you saved by your good works.  In worship, you establish a relationship with God. In worship Jesus removes the burden of sin from your shoulders and He accepts your gifts of good works as thank offerings for the salvation He has given you.

While it is true that your good works are the fruit produced from your faith, the opposite is not true. Your good works do not produce faith. Saint Paul tells you in Hebrews 11, “without faith (in Christ) it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Faith is only produced through the Holy Spirit opening up your heart to believe.  Therefore faith is given to you through the Gospel as a free gift by God for the sake of Jesus Christ and not through anything you do.  The means by which such faith is given is in the Word of God, in the Word and water of baptism and your faith is strengthened through the means of Christ’s very Body and blood given to you in His Supper. 

In Luke (13:24-25) Jesus also tells you, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’”

The effort to enter through that door does not come through the works that you do, but by the faith that you nourish through the worship of Jesus Christ. Worship is how Jesus gets to know your name. You cannot get through the narrow gate by carrying a load of guilt or even good works. Instead, you come in faith and humility, knowing that Jesus Christ has forgiven your sins and sanctified you to do good works. And as you bow down before the Lord at that narrow gate, Jesus will recognize you as one of His own and pull you through that gate and into heaven.

Then you will see the true riches that await you.  Then all of your questions will be answered. May our Lord come quickly.  In Jesus name, Amen.