Do You Trust Me? Matthew 19:16-30
Consecrated Stewards 11/15/09 St. Paul , Leavenworth , KS
As you already know, I am not Pastor Mease. As some of you may know, Pastor Mease could not be here this morning and has asked that I fill in for him today. Because I am wearing a robe and stole, you probably assume that I too am an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Those of you who have been here the last couple of years also probably remember me from previous Consecrated Stewards programs of which you took part in 2008 and 2007. Still others might know me from my work with the KC Crossroads Zone of the LWML. My name is Perry Sukstorf and I am an Associate Pastor at Redeemer in Olathe
The man in our Gospel lesson is perhaps like us or perhaps not, but he is important to know and understand if we are to learn the manner in which salvation, good works and our treasures are all weaved together in the tapestry of life.
Like us, the man seems to want to do what is right and also like us, he believes in eternal life and wants the assurance that he will have it. But there are a couple problems with his understanding and his approach. Problem #1 is that he thinks these two points are compatible; that to have eternal life there must be something required of him to do to achieve it. Well, he is correct and he is wrong at the same time. He is correct in that the righteous shall have eternal life. He is wrong in asserting that he is righteous based upon his own actions.
To be righteous one has to do right things all the time and can not have ever done anything wrong. While anyone can do a good thing, or even several or many or hundreds of good things, no one is inherently good nor do they have the capacity to thwart evil throughout their entire lives. In fact, we all began our lives in sin as we were conceived and born into it because of the sinful nature we inherited from Adam.
Problem #2 is that this man is not fully prepared to hear and live with the answer to his own question. He begins on bad footing by the way in which he asks his question. He assumes the way to eternal life is a matter of doing—in fact, he even assumes it is only one thing which needs to be done; “What good deed must I do?” are his very words. He’s asking Jesus to give him the scoop, the insider’s track into heaven. “What will it take? How much does it cost? What do I need and I’ll take care of it?” might be other ways we could rephrase his question.
As we learn at the end of the account, the man had many possessions. The idea of eternal life intrigued him, and he thought, surely, he, of all people, would be able to get there. As a man of means, surely he had the resources and skills needed to gain heaven and if it required him to roll up his sleeves and do a little work, well, that was ok too. After all, he didn’t get to where he was in life without a little blood, sweat and tears along the way.
And then Jesus answers him—“keep the commandments”—PLURAL! Now, maybe the man really thought it would only take one commandment, but I doubt it. If he were a fellow Jew, as we assume he was, he would know that all of the commandments are to be kept. But, then again, maybe he was trying to just narrow things down a bit and get to the “important” commandments which would count toward heaven. Perhaps he thought Jesus would let him off the hook easy. After all, anyone can keep at least one of the commandments, can’t they? But deep down, just like you and I, I suspect, I think he knew that it wasn’t gong to be that simple. Jesus then lists the commandments in the 2nd table of the law—those concerning our neighbor. “Yes! All these I have kept.” He replied, “What do I still lack?” He asked.
Now, why he asked the 2nd question, we do not know. He had just affirmed he kept those commandments, yet he asked what he lacked. Did it mean he wasn’t sure of his salvation yet? Did he want the satisfaction of hearing Jesus affirm that he was already heaven bound? We don’t know, but regardless of the reason, Jesus knew his heart; that though he may have followed the letter of the law, he did not heed its spirit, to love his neighbor and to love his God.
You see, all of the law is about love; love for God and love for others. Every single one of the 10 commandments speak to this love. The law was never meant to be an achievement test or a merit award. Because of our sinful nature, and our own inability to keep the law, it was designed by God to show us our sin, realize our hopeless state and drive us back into his arms of love—the only arms which could do the heavy lifting the law required. The rich man wanted to feel comfort in his own works, ability and generosity but Jesus wanted him to know that salvation is not found in the self. At the very beginning of their conversation he said “there is only one who is good.” And if this man was to see that One—Jesus—he had to take his eyes off of himself. That’s why Jesus told him to sell everything and follow him. What he asked the man to do was not one of the commandments; but if he followed Jesus’ instructions, it would lead him and his heart to where Jesus knew he needed to be. He wanted the man to be selfless and rely only on Jesus.
Jesus wishes the same for you and me today. Jesus wants each of us to stop relying on ourselves and rely on him—in ALL things. When we don’t understand why things happen to us, we can rely on Christ’s protection. When we seem to fall into sin over and over again, we can rely on Christ’s forgiveness and grace. When we feel alone and afraid of what lies ahead in our lives, we can rely on his strength and comfort to keep us calm and moving forward in service to him and to one another. When we truly examine our lives in light of our faith and our Savior, we see what’s really important—our relationship with our God and the forgiveness and grace which is borne out of that loving relationship.
This relationship is the most important relationship we have. Job in the Old Testament knew that. Even when all of his other relationships had been removed from him, his faith in God did not waiver. Surely, he questioned God; he cried out to God and asked, “Why are you doing this to me?” Sound familiar? To which God replied,
[Job 38:4-13] 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'? 12 "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?”
Basically God was asking Job, “Don’t you trust me? Don’t you think I’ll take care of you? Do you really think I’ve forgotten about you or will just let you suffer and die alone?” After hearing these words Job was greatly humbled and then reaffirmed his earlier confession of the faith for the One who created him and in whom he had his salvation. At that earlier occasion he said,
[Job 19:25-27] “25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”
Once he could look beyond his present concerns and issues, and once he turned over all his problems--even his very life--into God’s care, he quit feeling the pressure of needing to remedy those issues by his own power or strength. Once he totally commended all he had, which at this point was virtually just his weak, frail body, Job found peace. Once he quit worrying about what he had lost or what he might lose in the future, he was restored. He regained his health, he continued to live a long life and for his faithfulness to God, his wealth was even restored two-fold. The man in the Gospel lesson today could not do that. He couldn’t follow Job’s example, which he surely knew if he was indeed a Hebrew. He wanted to follow Jesus, but couldn’t trust him to lead.
Trust is earned. We don’t give anything to any person or cause in which we don’t believe or trust in. We give to the Kiwanis club because they help kids. The Lions Club has a track record of helping those with vision problems. We donate to politicians when we believe they will stand up and vote for those laws which we feel would be helpful to rule our country, and we give to charities for the good they do in our community.
We give as a way of supporting and enabling those activities which we ourselves are incapable of doing on our own or to leverage our efforts in a greater capacity with or through others. And we only give that support where there is trust. Even in our daily spending, we make decisions based upon which brands or companies have gained our trust to provide a good product at a fair price. Whether it’s going to certain restaurants, buying a particular tooth paste, hiring a certain tax accountant, or choosing which gas to buy, we make decisions to trust and to put our money where we trust. Consequently, where our money goes, we go.
As Christians we have a leader who is far more trustworthy than any social service organization or charity. We have a God, who has a performance record that shines far brighter than any product or service we might be loyal to. We even have the benefit of knowing the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection AFTER it happened, unlike the man in our Gospel who spoke to Jesus before those events. Yet, we find ourselves in a place where even we just can’t let go and say, “Jesus take the wheel” , as a popular country song puts it.
As each of us lives our lives of faith, Jesus asks us too, “Do you trust me?” Sometimes it might be a scolding like Job got, but more often than not, it’s a loveing invitation to rest totally in his care. From the moment our head was raised from that baptismal font and we were washed of our original sin and made members of the Body of Christ, Jesus said, “Trust me.” Each time we come before him and ask for his forgiveness and receive his absolution Jesus says, “Trust me.” Every time we go to this altar and receive his body and blood in the bread and wine of Holy Communion he says, “Trust me.”
He’s proven himself time and time again, in both word and deed. He makes the invitation to us over and over again, “Follow me and I will give you rest.” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” “Knock and the door will be open to you.” And to follow Jesus, is to trust Jesus and let Jesus lead you in every aspect of your life.
Those of you who are members here will be given the opportunity next week to trust Jesus in a way which expresses your trust in him in the financial realm of your life. You will do this as you consecrate your stewardship before God by making a financial commitment to his Church. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your trust in his care for you in this life, as well as the life to come, as you consider what portion of his blessings which you will return to him as first-fruits offerings of thanksgiving. This is a spiritual matter and as such is to be given the same prayerful care and concern as all the other aspects of your faith. I would encourage each of you to take time this week to enumerate all the blessings he has showered upon you, not just this past year, as we so often do at thanksgiving time, but throughout your entire life, including your eternal life which you have yet to enjoy in heaven. Take stock of all the times you put your trust in the Lord and he did not let you down. Recall all of the times in your life when you did not trust in the Lord and he cared for you anyway and made sure that even in the bad times, good came out of that which Satan meant for harm against you, all because you love God and he loves you.
Our Lord and Savior is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. But he also deserves our total trust in him, for he has never let us fall in the past. He has always shown himself to be faithful to his promises and trustworthy in his deeds. And we know that regardless of our future here on this earth, there is nothing which can separate us from the love he has for us in Christ Jesus. And because of that, we trust him when he says in John that he is now preparing a place for us in heaven.
Lord Jesus, let us always trust in you for our provision, our life and our salvation. In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.
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