The Best Catechumen Ever? Sermon for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
August 20, Year of Our + Lord 2023
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota
The Best Catechumen Ever? - Matthew 15:21-28

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

     Who was the catechist of the Canaanite woman? We must find out the name and methods of the person who taught this mother of great faith, because her level of understanding and wisdom regarding the Word of God and the teaching of Christ is wonderful. Our Lutheran mission in the Black Hills would benefit greatly if we could duplicate her level of spiritual formation among us. Consider her testimony. 

     “Lord, help me!” This is how this woman prays, even though Jesus had already twice ignored and rejected her requests.  She demonstrates the attitude that Luther encourages us to have in his explanation of the introduction of the prayer that Jesus taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven: What does this mean?  With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask him, as dear children ask their dear father.

     Only one firm confidence in the goodness of the heavenly Father could persevere against all the opposition that this Canaanite woman encountered.  Remember, she is a foreigner, a woman who should not even approach a faithful Jew. Her people are an enemy of the nation of Israel. Still, she knows that the Lord God of Israel is her heavenly Father; so she persists in prayer.

     Her trust, her love and her obedience to the commandments move her to persist. She knows well the summary of the Law of Moses, confessed by Jesus himself: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)       

     She does not give heed to the silence and exclusion of the Apostles in training, nor even the apparent insults from Jesus.   She does not take them as if they were words against her.  She can let these words roll off her back like water off a duck, because she knows, she trusts with a miraculous faith, that the Father of Jesus is her own Divine Father.  And her Father loves her. 

   And so, because of His love that she receives, the Canaanite woman also loves her neighbors, especially her first and dearest neighbor, her own daughter. For the love of her demon-tormented daughter, the Canaanite woman will not stop seeking Jesus' help.

     Considering the first chief part of the Catechism, the Ten Commandments, it is enough today that we review only the second one: You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God.    What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie or deceive by His Name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

  Taught by the Holy Spirit, this Canaanite woman understands, better than the twelve disciples, that Jesus of Nazareth is the LORD. (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Jesus is LORD, so she does not hesitate to invoke his Holy Name, in this case: Lord, Son of David.   That’s a specific and very special Biblical title.  She confesses Jesus to be the Messiah of God, the descendant of King David who is also the Anointed Savior, Yahweh Himself, come to shepherd His people.  She confesses Christ,  not only in the privacy of her home, with her family, but in public, before a group of thirteen Jewish men. She confesses her faith in Jesus not only once, but three times, never allowing Jesus' seeming rejections to discourage her.  Oh that the Name of the Lord be sanctified among us in the same way!

     It seems unlikely this woman could have heard the song of Simeon, which he sang in the Temple, holding the 40-day-old baby Jesus, some 30 years before this meeting in the region of Tyre and Sidon.  The disciples certainly don’t seem to know or embrace the promise Simeon declared to all nations. He prophesied that the infant Jesus in his arms would one day be not only the glory of the people of Israel, but also that this Baby was the salvation of the Lord, that God had “prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, the Nations, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)  

   Because of his harsh responses to the petitions of this mother, it does not seem that Jesus cares about the salvation of the foreign nations either.  It seems from his answers that Jesus shares the typical Jewish disdain for Gentiles, that is, all non-Jews.  First, our Lord doesn't say a word in response to the woman’s plea. The second time, he says: I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Finally, with this desperate mother kneeling before his feet, begging for His help, the Lord says: It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. 

   To ignore, exclude and call the Gentiles "dogs," all this fits perfectly with the typical attitude of a proud Jew against all foreigners.  Or the bigotry that can infect any proud people who forget that we are all descendants of Adam, creatures of the same Heavenly Father. 

     But despite Jesus’ harsh words, this woman is not discouraged. She knows that the promises to Abraham were not only for his descendants by blood, but, as St. Paul would teach 10 or 20 years later, it is not the children of the flesh of Abraham who are part of Israel.  Rather it is those who share Abraham’s faith in the promises, these are the true children of Israel.  (Gal. 3 and Romans 9)  

   Because of her faith in the promises, the Canaanite mother does not interpret Jesus' answers as “no.”  Each one she hears as a "yes," because she already trusts another promise that would be written by the Apostle Paul: For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, … was not Yes and No, but in him, it is always Yes.  For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.  (2 Corinthians 1:19-20)     

   The Lord had promised, therefore she persists, until she reaches her personal ‘yes’.  And it is precisely when she hears the words that seem to us the cruelest that she knows that she has reached her ‘yes.’  She has captured her Jesus,.  Listen again: Kneeling on the ground before Him, she prays: Lord, help me!  ²⁶ Answering her, Jesus said: It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.  Ouch! You and I hear an insult, and doubt God's goodness. She hears the truth, and rejoices. Because, anticipating the first letter of St. John, she knows that, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But, if we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1: 8-9)  So yes, she is a dog of a sinner, but one who believes in Jesus, God made man.  So she knows He will do whatever is best for her and her daughter.         

   It is as if Luther consulted with her when he explained the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer: And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

What does this mean?   We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them.  We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment.  So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us. 

   Full of joy, the woman confesses that yes, she is a dog, a sinner who deserves nothing from Jesus, like everyone else. But her sin does not separate her from the Son of David, for she confesses her sin, and pleads to God for mercy. She knows she has Jesus trapped in His own words and promises.  So, she calmly replies: "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table."

   Oh, what delight, what pleasure Jesus now expresses.  Finally, through their shocking dialogue, Christ leads His faithful daughter to her great confession of faith.  Which causes Jesus to exclaim, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.   What joy must have burst forth in the house, when the daughter was suddenly healed, freed from her demon. And what a surprise for the disciples, a surprise that would serve them well in a few years, when, after much resistance, they finally begin the mission to the Gentiles, to all the descendants of Abraham, that is the children of Israel by faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord and Son of David. 

   And what about us? What does this Canaanite woman of great faith teach us? I hope that we do not imagine that we are better than the disciples, or the Jews, that we could never be so tribal, so xenophobic, so dismissive of people different from ourselves.  Human nature has not changed.  We are still able to lock ourselves in our approved group, and not deal with people different from us.  We need to guard against this. 

   We must always maintain the truth of God's law, traditional biblical values, and the need for repentance.   At the same time we must remember that in Christ there is no Jew, Greek or barbarian, there are no foreigners versus natives.  The great and the small, the mighty and the weak are all included in the promises.  Neither the wealthy nor the poor are, for their economic condition, more or less valuable to God.  For by faith in Christ we are all made one Body. Especially today, when the Church is more and more rejected by the world, when it is so easy for us to turn in and insulate ourselves, we need to remember that Christ came to save the world, the whole world.  We need to remember that we too are by nature utterly sinful, like all the rest of mankind.  Our value before God is only for the sake of Christ and His forgiving sacrifice.  And Christ’s sacrificial love is for all people. 

   And may the Spirit of Christ help us learn to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in everything, even when it seems that God ignores or rejects us. Because it is God's will for us in Christ Jesus that we pray and give thanks in everything, like the Canaanite woman.   (1 Thessalonians 5)  So let us pray, for our own good, and for the life of the world.

   Let us pray, with confidence.  Because, for every baptized believer, God's answer is always yes, even when we don't understand it. We know He will answer our prayer perfectly.  In the end, He will rescue us, although we do not know when.  As St. Peter wrote, But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2^nd Peter 3:8-9)        

     Finally, I pray that we can come to understand how infinitely great the blessing of Jesus is for us. It is not necessary to have everything in this life, because this life is only a meager preview of the real and eternal life that Jesus has earned for us. The bad things of this life do not even count, not when compared with the good things of the Kingdom of Heaven.  The true blessings of this life do not need to have a luxurious or impressive appearance.  Sufficient are the crumbs of the Lord. 

     Let us focus on the promises, so that we might share the faith and confidence of the Canaanite woman. In truth, our crumbs today are even better than the blessings she received that day when she boldly approached Jesus. Because we approach a better table, the altar of the New Testament, the meal that is a preview of the heavenly banquet, the Lord’s Supper, where we receive the fruit of the Cross and the Resurrection, the salvation of the world finished and perfected, once and for all. 

   As Luther explains: What is the benefit of this eating and drinking of the Sacrament?  These words “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given to us through these words.  For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

    All this, and Christ himself, present to bless us, in the Word, and under the bread and wine. Truly, a few crumbs from the table of our master will be enough,

in the Name of the Jesus, Amen. 

  

Proclaiming the Word of Faith - Sermon for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 13^th, Year of Our + Lord 2023
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota
Proclaiming the Word of Faith

In the Name of Jesus.

     There’s too much.  I could easily go way long this morning, because today’s three readings from the Word of God are all fantastic, full of glory and mystery.

     In our Old Testament reading, we hear the beginning of the LORD’s response to Job’s demand to
know “Why?”   Why are things as they are?  Why does Job suffer, even though he trusts in the LORD?  Ultimately, Job’s demands to know “why” lead us to the question, “God, why there is evil in the world?”  God starts His response with what seems like sarcasm:  "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding.  Who determined its measurements—surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it?  On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone… Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?  Declare, if you know all this.” 

     The LORD is going to break through Job’s blindness, in order to restore his faith with the Word of promise and blessing.  To do this, God starts out speaking of the creation, of the wonder of the physical world we live in, reminding Job of the fact that God is God, the Creator.  And Job is a man, a creature of God, lacking wisdom and knowledge, especially when compared to the mind of the Almighty. 

     This is often still a good place to start when we are trying to proclaim the Word of Faith to our friends and neighbors.  With 3,500 or so years of scientific endeavor since Job, we have a more detailed understanding of the universe, right down to electrons and quarks and neutrinos, subatomic particles which, we think at least, are the smallest building blocks of everything.  But where did all this stuff come from?  What exactly are electrical charge and magnetism?  What is gravity?  How does it reach across empty space to pull things toward each other?  And why does everything work in such amazing order?  What is the cause of the way things are?  How did the laws of physics come to be?

     Well, if you press a physicist, he or she will have to admit, “We don’t know why, it just is.”  Where did it come from, and how did things get the way they are?  Physicists who follow the politically correct model of refusing to discuss a Creator usually fall back on saying “well, there was this Big Bang, see, and then it all just randomly came together, following a set of rules that  came from… well, we don’t know where the rules came from.” 

   Into this mystery Christians, pastors, teachers, missionaries, and also you, we all can speak a Word of Faith.  Into this mystery we, in our everyday lives, can insert the truth that God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, has in His infinite power and wisdom made all things, just the way they are.  That God is the Creator is fundamental to the Word of faith.  Such a conversation could go places.   

     From Paul’s proclamation to the Romans we hear this morning of the daisy chain of God’s Word of Faith mission work:  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?   And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” 

    From this we understand that God is in charge of growing His Church.  Our mission is primarily His
responsibility.  Without doubt, we have roles to play, many things to do, and we should do them well.  But in the end, the best we can do is preach and confess Christ clearly, and count on the Holy Spirit to build the Church as He sees fit. 

     It’s not that God’s Mission is easy.  Many people, as Paul’s quotation from Isaiah reminds us, will reject the Word.  The proclamation of Christ goes out, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”  I talked about starting conversations with unbelievers through discussing the Creator’s Creation, and this can be a fruitful beginning.  But we need to remember that when we dare to contradict the “Voice of Science,” or the current respectable opinion about life, or sex, or family, or personal responsibility, we will, as often as not, join Job in suffering. 

   This is because today so many people take the very unscientific position that “Science” is not to be questioned.  Then at the same time they insist IN ALL CAPS that whatever cracked pot idea being forced on us by our supposed betters must be accepted by all people.  Or else.  So, in some places a male athlete can decide tomorrow he is a girl and compete against real females, with all his biological advantages of size and strength in place.  And eleven and twelve year olds who are confused about who they are encouraged to take chemicals and consider mutilating surgeries to “change” their gender. 

   For some, the current theories of origins and evolution are the ultimate authority that must not be questioned.  For others, the insane idea that sex is merely a social construct is the holy grail that must be defended at all costs. 

   So Christian confessors who dare even to just ask difficult questions must be shouted down, or silenced.  Dissent is not allowed in our popular culture.     

     Being involved in the Mission of God has always been hard at times, because Satan hates the Good News that robs him of all his power.  Pentecost events still happen.  At the same time, and all too often, the mob is still trying to stone the Paul’s of our day.  The devil will stir up opposition,  whenever he can, a determined opposition that will be convinced it is doing good when it persecutes the Church of Christ. 

   Mission work is difficult, but we dare to engage in it, because it is also wonderful.  We participate in God’s Mission because we know the peace that passes all understanding.  We know the joy of sins forgiven and righteousness restored.  We know that Christ is risen, never to die again, and so in Him, we too will conquer death, and persecution.  We are called to rest in the promises of Jesus, and pursue the tasks He has set before each of us.  And we are promised that, even when all seems lost, our Good Shepherd is still taking care of us. 

     Peter learned this lesson a frightful way, as we heard in our Gospel this morning.  Have you ever nearly drowned?  Even a few seconds of believing you are about to go under the water forever is soul shaking. 

   The Word of Faith we proclaim is just that, a Word of Faith.  Neither Peter nor Job received what they demanded.  Job wanted a humanly comprehensible explanation of suffering.  Peter wanted a visibly observable proof of Christ and His power. 

    From them, especially from Peter, may we inwardly digest the critical lesson about being involved in God’s Mission, which we have already heard: Christian Mission is God’s Mission.  Mission belongs to the LORD, it is enacted by Him, and we are simply called to trust in Him and do the things He has told us to do.  Which will not necessarily be the things we think should be done. 

      As our Gospel this morning begins, Jesus has just fed 5,000 men and their families from five loaves and two fishes.  The twelve disciples were put to work in this miraculous meal, distributing the bread and fish to the assembled people, who had grown hungry in their efforts to bring their sick and lame to be healed by Jesus.  Through Word and Sign, Jesus had been caring for the crowds.  Then He also met their immediate physical need, filling their stomachs, with 12 baskets of bread left over for the disciples to gather up.  If ever the Twelve were going to be convinced of the divine power and authority of Jesus, if ever they would have confidence in Him, you would think it would be now. 

      But their faith fades quickly.  Jesus tells the Twelve to cross the lake in the boat, while He dismisses the crowds and retreats to the mountainside alone to pray.  Struggling to make headway on the stormy lake, a nighttime of harassment by the creation leaves the Twelve weak and full of fear.  Then, in the fourth watch of the night, that is, at three or four in the morning, Jesus comes to them, walking on the sea. The battered disciples see Him approaching, on top of the water, and they are terrified.  "It’s a ghost!" they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus speaks to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." They hear the same voice, the same Word of Faith, that Jesus had already spoken to them many times, including during another storm in a boat on the same lake.   Jesus’ Word should have been enough to make them rejoice.  But not quite.  Peter answers Jesus, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."         

      If?  Oh, Peter.  You know Jesus.  He just spoke to you – “Fear not, it is I,” much like He once said to you, “Fear not, from now on you will be catching men.”  Jesus had already, many times, spoken the Word of Faith and Forgiveness to Peter.  But in this scary moment, Peter starts His prayer, “Lord, if it is You...”  This is not a prayer of faith. 

      I’m so glad you and I don’t pray like this.  I’m so glad we never try to bargain with God.  I’m so glad we never say to Jesus – Lord, if you’ll help me, then I will be faithful.  Lord, if you get me out of this mess I’ve made, then I’ll clean up my act.  Lord, if you keep Grandpa alive, then I’ll go back to church.  Lord, if… 

      Peter’s prayer, like too many of ours, flows from unbelief.  And, on top of that, Peter challenges Jesus to prove Himself by allowing Peter to complete a self-chosen work!  "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."  Let me do a miracle too, Jesus, then I’ll believe in You.  Let me decide what is the right way for me to serve in Your Mission, Jesus.  Let me be impressive and special, then I’ll be all in for You. 

      We may have not served at the feeding of the 5,000 like Peter, but we have the Word of God recorded in Scripture.  We have the blessings God has poured out on His Church through 2,000 years.  We have risen Christ with us in Word and Sacrament.  And yet, how often do our prayers sound like this: “God, if you prove Yourself to me by doing this thing I want, then I’ll do some other thing, that I choose, for you.”?   Not a lot of “Thy will be done” in such a prayer.   

      Peter’s prayer was faithless, and, consciously or unconsciously, he chose a work that was all about puffing himself up.  Let me do something impressive, Lord.  And yet, because His plan for Peter was bigger than Peter’s many limitations, Jesus humors him. 

    “O.k., Pete, I’ll give you just enough rope to hang yourself.  Come.”  Jesus needs to cut through Peter’s pride and unbelief, so He gives the command that Peter demands, “Come to me, walk on water.  Let’s see it.” 

    Be careful what you ask for in your misguided prayers; Peter got more than he bargained for.  And what’s the result of self-chosen works that flow from unbelief?  The wind and the waves of life quickly distract us puny creatures, and staring at them in fear, we sink.  God will allow our foolish pride to get us into trouble, sometimes big trouble, so that we repent.  Fearing for his life and finally realizing his foolishness, Peter repents of his self-chosen work and his doubt, and cries out in desperation – “Lord, save me!” 

      He who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.  Jesus immediately rescues Peter from danger, and rebukes his unbelief.  And so we see that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God made man.  He is rightly to be worshiped. 

      Sadly, Peter wasn’t done messing up his part of God’s Mission, and neither are you and I.  Our pattern of doubt and self-chosen works has not ended yet.  Miraculous meals and water rescues were not enough to make Peter useful in God’s Mission, not enough to give him enduring faith.  Likewise, all the blessings we receive in this life, despite our sins, are still not enough to make us truly faithful.  We need more.  So Jesus did all that was necessary. 

      At the feeding of 5,000, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, a foreshadowing of the night when He was betrayed and did the same, only this time adding the Word of Faith – this is my Body, given for you.  And this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  And, as He always does, Jesus fulfilled the promise of that Word, in this case the very next afternoon, on a Cross outside Jerusalem.  There He paid for the sins of the whole world, washing them away with His blood.  There He died our death, and made our way into God’s eternal favor.    

      The Word of Faith which we proclaim is not about miraculous meals of bread and fish, nor about spectacular miracles like water-walking.  The Word of Faith is the Word of the Cross, the Word of sins forgiven for the sake of the holy, innocent suffering and death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, given into death for our sins, and raised for our justification, our salvation.  The Mission of God is not about the Church being powerful or impressive or full of earthly miracles.  No, the Mission of God is all about the proclamation of free forgiveness, won for sinners at the Cross and Empty Tomb, and delivered to us, and all who will hear, through the Gospel in Word, Water, Wheat and Wine. 

      Every time you pick up the Word of Christ, every time you hear Scripture read, every time you kneel at this altar and feast on the Body and Blood of Jesus, your resurrected Savior is with you, speaking to you.  He says, “Fear not, it is I.”  Jesus is with you to save when you gather here, and He goes with you when you leave.  Believe it, and rest in His peace.  Then God will use you in His Mission, in just the way He knows best, wherever our gracious LORD leads us,

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.    

 

Jacob I Loved, but Esau I Hated: Good News for You! Sermon for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost           
August 6^th, Year of Our + Lord 2023
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, SD 
Jacob I Loved, but Esau I Hated:  
Good News, for You! 

   Today we have heard and get to ponder what I am sure is a favorite passage of Scripture for many of you.  “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 

   What?  You don’t like “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”?  Were you thinking perhaps I was going to say: "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Yes, that’s a great verse, wonderful, free, life-giving food and drink, from the Lord’s hand to our our hungry mouths and souls.       

   Or, maybe you really like this promise from the LORD: Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.  I can listen to those words all day, especially that last bit that names names. 

   Or, perhaps the Word of God which made your heart sing this morning is the feeding of the 5,000.  The disciples suggest it’s time to send the crowds on their way, but Jesus says: "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."   That’s crazy, of course, because they “have only five loaves … and two fish." But Jesus takes over and says, "Bring them here to me... Then He ordered the crowds to sit, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, that is He gave thanks, and then  He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples.   That sounds familiar, doesn’t it?   Almost like a dress rehearsal for another dinner, an even greater meal to come.  But back to our text; the joyful miracle that day was that they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.  And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.  I can certainly see how that might be your favorite bit of God’s Word before us this morning. 

   But maybe you’re not so comfortable with “Jacob I loved, but Esau, I hated.”  And I get it; that doesn’t seem very “Gospel-y.”  Where’s the good news in “Jacob I loved, but Esau, I hated”?  We rightly recoil from the word “hate.” Perhaps, because we have felt the hate of others.  Being hated is bad, almost as bad as being loved is good.  Or, perhaps we have ourselves struggled with hatred for others.  There is nothing more caustic to the soul than to hate a fellow human being. 

   Christians will have enemies, and there are proper and right ways for us to resist and oppose people who seek to harm us or our loved ones.  But, we ask God to help us not to hate.  Indeed, because of what Christ has done for us, we even pray for our enemies, that the Holy Spirit would turn their hearts, to convert them with His love. 

   The word ‘hate’ throws us off.  Then there is another problem with this verse: “Jacob I loved, but Esau, I hated.”  You see, some Christians start with this text to establish their notion that in matters of salvation, God arbitrarily chooses for some people, e.g. Jacob, and arbitrarily chooses against other people, e.g. Esau.  That’s mistaken, and a terribly dark spiritual turn to take, which can lead one down the road to doubt and despair.  Because if the Lord God is willy-nilly choosing against some people, how do I really know if He has chosen for me? 

   Thankfully, this is not what Paul is teaching us with this text.  Now, our Epistle reading from Romans chapter 9 is certainly heart-wrenching, dealing as it does with the sad fact that people very dear to us may cut themselves off from Christ.  This is what the unbelieving Jews had done, those of Paul’s own people who rejected Christ and His Gospel.  We all could share similar examples from our own lives, of people we love who reject Jesus.  This is a difficult burden for Christians, and a reason for our constant prayer, and for patient love and witness to these folks.    

   But, with the sentence: “Jacob I loved, but Esau, I hated,” Paul actually means to encourage us with the good news that our election, God’s choosing of us for salvation, does not depend on our works, but rather on His call.  That is to say, your salvation does not depend on you and the goodness of your works, but rather salvation depends solely on God’s gracious Word of forgiveness and salvation, the free reconciliation to Him that is delivered to unworthy sinners like us, through the Gospel.  “Jacob I loved, but Esau, I hated” is good news, although it takes a bit of spiritual spade work to grasp it.  So let’s dig in. 

   The first thing to clear up is what the Lord is not saying with “Jacob I loved, but Esau, I hated.”  Jacob and Esau are the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca, Esau being the firstborn.  As the firstborn, Esau was expected to be the favorite, the inheritor, and the son of Promise, through whom the plan of God for the descendents of Abraham and Isaac would be worked.  But this was not God’s plan. 

   Despite being the younger brother, and despite not being a very nice person, Jacob was freely chosen by God to be the son of Promise, the one in the line of salvation.  And so the patriarchs of Israel are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not Esau.  This does not mean that Esau was cut off from God.  More on that later.  For now, understand that the Holy Spirit does not intend for us to think “hating” Esau means God arbitrarily chose against him, certainly not that God eternally condemned Esau before he was born. 

   Listen again carefully to what Paul does say: though they, [Esau and Jacob], were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call - [Rebecca their mother] was told, "The older will serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."  This reversal serves to show us that salvation is not by works, but rather is God’s gracious gift, a free call of God, despite what we sinners deserve. 

   “Esau I hated” is hard for us to hear, but we should understand that the word ‘hate’ is used here not as an utter rejection, but rather having to do with priority.  Like when Jesus says: “whoever does not hate his mother and father cannot be my disciple,” (see Luke 14 and Matthew 10).  Jesus doesn’t want you to literally ‘hate’ your mother and father, or anyone else in your family.  That would contradict the 4^th commandment, and dozens of other commands to love your parents, and all your family, and even your enemies. 

   What Jesus means is we are not to love our parents or other family members more than we love Him and His Father.  That is to say, as much as we are called to love our parents, God comes first.  And, (God forbid this happen to any of us), if loving and obeying your parents should somehow require you to reject and hate God, well, God comes first.   We are to cling to Him above our parents.  Indeed, by thus “hating” them, we are actually loving them, by seeking the best for them.  You love them by confessing the way of true life that is to fear, love and trust in God above all things.    

   Similarly, when God chose to work out salvation through the younger Jacob rather than the rightful heir, the firstborn Esau, He was choosing Jacob for a special calling, but He was not utterly rejecting Esau forever.  In the Malachi chapter 1 passage from which Paul quotes, the prophet is actually speaking of Jacob and Esau as peoples, as the nations-in-history which grew from their descendants.  From Jacob came the people of Israel, forever favored by God for salvation’s sake, while Edom, the nation that came from Esau, and which frequently opposed Israel, would never prevail. 

   This did not and does not mean that Esau, nor all the people of Edom, were eternally condemned from conception.  All who trust in the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all those who trust in the Christ, the coming one who would be their Seed, their Descendent and Savior.  All such faithful souls are members of the true Israel, no matter if they are Hebrews or Gentiles. 

   The man Esau himself is not even rejected by God in his lifetime.  Certainly he sinned in his disregard for the value of his birthright, which Esau sold to Jacob in a moment of hunger, for the price of a bowl of stew.  Jacob equally sinned in cunningly taking advantage of Esau in a weak moment.  And of course Jacob and Rachel sinned in deceiving blind Isaac into bestowing his blessing on Jacob.  You remember the scheme, how with his mother’s help and some animal skins, Jacob pretended to be hairy Esau, fooling Isaac and stealing the blessing intended for his older brother.  Like you and me, all of these people are prime examples of poor, miserable sinners. 

   So, it’s a very good thing that our election, our salvation, is by God’s grace, and not based on our works.  And, if you keep reading in Genesis you will see that Esau and Jacob, though for a long time bitter enemies, ended up reconciling and patching the family back together.  Even more, the Lord granted that Esau should become the father of a great nation, (see Genesis chapters 33 and 36)  God’s ‘hating’ of Esau is not to be understood as an arbitrary and eternal choice against him.  The promise of the Gospel is for Esau as much as for Jacob, although salvation history would be lived out through the Descendent of Jacob. 

   To close our meditation this morning, there’s another level of Good News in the sentence “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  For this insight, I am indebted to Pastor Nathan Dudley, an LCMS pastor in Kansas whom I am blessed and privileged to call my friend.  Pastor Dudley, (or Pastor Do-Right, as I like to call him), showed me that the story of Esau and Jacob is also an icon of the Gospel in a more specific way: namely, that Esau foreshadows Jesus Christ.  If we zoom out our lens a bit, we will see some familiar contours in the story of these brothers. 

   Esau is the firstborn, and so according to custom the rightful heir of his father.  Indeed, Esau is his father’s beloved son, his favorite.  Younger brother Jacob is a momma’s boy and a grasping schemer.  He was clinging to Esau’s heel at birth, seeking from the beginning of his life to trip Esau and steal his rightful place.  Jacob achieves this with the stew-for-birthright extortion, and then again when he disguised himself to steal blind-old-Isaac’s final blessing. 

   The firstborn suffers, so that the younger brother can be blessed, despite his wickedness, despite what he really deserves.  Even more, when they reconcile, Jacob declares that he see the face of God in the face of his big brother.  Finally, without excusing any of the sin involved in the process, this blessing of the younger is the Lord’s intention, from the start.  Do you see the similarity with Jesus? 

   Without doubt, in many and various ways, Jesus is different and greater than Esau.  This is the case with every Old Testament Christ-figure: Isaac, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Elijah, David were all sinful, and yet they were also icons of Christ.  And of course, Jesus outshines them all, by far.   For He is the eternal image of His Father, God forever.  And yet, Jesus’ work of salvation shares many touchpoints with their stories, and with Esau’s. 

   Jesus is the eternal firstborn Son, not of Isaac, but of God the Father.  For a time, Jesus gives up His rightful place, His birthright as the King of Glory, not to fill His hungry belly, but rather because He hungers and thirsts for righteousness.  Jesus gives up His birthright because He hungers and thirsts to win righteousness for us, His younger brothers and sisters.  You see, the eternal Son of God made Himself our brother, our truly BIG brother, in order to change places with us.  Like our first parents in the Garden, we sinners naturally scheme to take Jesus’ place, to break with the will of our Father and make ourselves like God and steal every blessing.  But instead of wiping us out for our scheming rebellion, Jesus accepts His destiny, His path. 

   Like Esau, only infinitely more so, the eternal firstborn Son of God goes down, all the way down, to the depths of Hell, in order that we, the sons and daughters of Jacob by faith, the New Israel, might be lifted up, all the way up, to the place of Christ’s glory.  Because of Jesus’ acceptance of God’s hatred of sin, because of our Savior’s humiliation and suffering, the Father now looks at us, who are covered in the skins of Christ’s righteousness, and gives us His blessing.  Covered by Christ, we are a pleasing aroma to God the Father, and so we share in His eternal blessing for His beloved Son. 

   Finally, there is this happy and eternal difference between Christ and Esau.  For Esau in his lifetime missed out; he never rose to fully return to the place of his birthright and blessing.  But Jesus did.  Jesus sank lower than anyone ever has, but He did not stay down.  Jesus rose from the dead, having vanquished Hell, sin and Satan.  Jesus rose, and He brought Jacob, that is, Israel, with Him.  In the resurrection, ascension and eternal heavenly enthronement of the crucified Jesus, the future and place of God’s chosen has been secured, for today, and forever and ever. 

   And so we rejoice in the undeserved forgiveness and election of God.  We draw near to His banqueting table, seeking the face of God, coming to take and eat wine and bread without cost, rich food for eternity, given and shed for us.  We begin to realize that this miracle, although invisible, is far greater than the multiplied bread and fish that fed the 5,000.  For this bread and wine are made to be the richest of stews, the medicine of immortality, the meal of God’s elect, the very Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, in which we receive forgiveness, life and salvation.  All this, because of God’s sure love for Jacob, today, and forever and ever. 

   Come, let us eat and be satisfied, and rejoice in the Father’s blessing, Amen.