Matthew 10:5, 21-33 (Pentecost 4A)
St. John, Galveston (6/25/23)
Rev. Alan Taylor

+ In Nomine Jesu +

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

And the angel Gabriel said to Joseph, “And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

“Jesus! Only name that’s given
Under all the mighty heaven
Whereby those to sin enslaved
Burst their fetters and are saved.”
(LSB, 900 v. 5)

His is the name that is above all names. He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is the Bright Morning Star, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. His is the name confessed by the martyrs of the Church, even though it was their confession of that name that cost them their very lives. His is the name under which countless souls have left this world in peace and in hope, knowing that they would open their eyes again to see Him in all of His glory. It is in that very name that we too have hoped and trusted, and so, the prayer of our hearts is the prayer of a once condemned man, “Lord Jesus, remember ME when you come into your kingdom.”

Neutrality is not an option afforded to any of us when it comes to Jesus. Either He is God in human flesh, the Savior of the world, as He claimed to be, or He is a liar and a deceiver. And so, the name that comforts with such transcendent peace and indescribable joy, also brings with it division and strife, even hatred and violence. The fault lies not with Jesus, or His name, but in the sin of those He came to save. And the hatred of those who despise the name of Jesus, is experienced in this world, not only by Jesus Himself, but by those who dare to believe in and to confess His most holy name. “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul (Jesus said) (that is, the devil), how much more will they malign those of his household.” And then, elsewhere in the Scriptures, Jesus refers to such persecution as “cross bearing.” “If anyone would come after Me, (He says), let Him deny Himself and take up His cross and follow Me.”

There are any number of reasons why Jesus, and those who follow Him, are despised and hated by those who do not confess His name. Perhaps the most obvious of those reasons is that He calls every man, woman and child in this world to repentance. He confronts the sinfulness and the brokenness of humanity. He calls us out for doing what is wicked and wrong. And, more than that, He challenges our inner sense that any one of us is better, or more righteous and more holy than another. Sin is the disease that infects all of us and the infection is deadly in all of us apart from Jesus, who is the one and only cure. “I tell you (Jesus says); unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Equally significant among the reasons that people despise Jesus, is the fact that He identifies Himself as the only way of salvation. In other words, there aren’t all sorts of paths, or ways to God. That message conflicts with our culture’s way of looking at things. You see, we consider free will and choice among our most valued possessions in virtually every aspect of life, from life’s beginning to it’s end. Options and customization are the name of the game. We are entitled, so we think, to make all of life’s choices fit what we want and what we like.

But as to our salvation, Jesus says there is only one path, one way. And you can’t change it or customize it, you can’t add to it or take away from it. “I am the way, and the truth and the life (He says). And no one comes to the Father but by Me.” Later, the Apostle John emphasized exactly the same thing about Jesus in his First Epistle. “Who is the liar (he asked) but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”

So, there are many reasons that people deny and even hate Jesus. I’d like to mention just one more of those reasons before I move on because I think it’s significant to many of us. It has to do with the frustration we sometimes have with God and His ways. Jesus doesn’t always do things and say things the way we would want Him to do and say them. That’s a bit of bold thing for us to admit. It’s also a bit of a convoluted statement. Essentially, Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and so, He doesn’t allow us to make Him in our own image. His will is supreme and it is always good and right. More than that, His will is also merciful and loving. Some refuse to be convinced of that aspect of Jesus’ nature, because too many events in their lives have convinced them of the opposite. Perhaps though it is in those instances that we must learn to bow before God’s greater wisdom. As the Scriptures say, “God is greater than our hearts and our minds.” “My thoughts (He says) are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

Regardless of the reason, when you confess the name of Jesus, you will be hated by others. And sometimes that hatred will reach even into the family, between brothers, and between fathers and their children, and between children and their parents. The differences between light and darkness, between life and death, and between faith and unbelief are so great and so distinct, that they can’t ultimately be concealed, or ignored.

So, as the world around us goes from bad to worse, I suppose the question in our minds is, “how bad will it get?” What is it going to be like to be a Christian in the rest of the 21st century and beyond, if our Lord should so delay His return? The Apostle Paul says, “in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” Why, in such days, a man in drag might even be found doing a pole dance on a cross before a major league baseball game. For those of you who might be unaware of such things, it happened just last week.

It’s natural for us to fear those who can hurt our bodies, those who persecute our faith and the like. But Jesus says, “do not fear them.” “Do not fear them, because you are of more value to Me than you can even imagine.” “Two sparrows sold for a penny (He says). And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
I don’t know about you, but that’s a difficult thing for me to grasp and even appreciate. God has numbered even the hairs on your head! I think the essential point of that statement is that God, the One who saves you from sin and death, is a personal God. In other words, He is intimately acquainted with His creation, even with you. In fact, He knows your thoughts and the intents of your heart even before you put things to words in prayer.

The name that so many in this world despise and ridicule, is the name that is above all names. Jesus came into the world to lay claim to you, which He has done in the water of your baptism. You are His and you and He is yours. And somewhere, in being “the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Bright Morning Star, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, He has numbered the hairs on your head, and said, “behold, I have bought you with a price, you are mine.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +