Proper 15 C

A Good and Hard Division

St. Luke 12:49-53     18 August 2013 – Redeemer

Celebrating My 25th Anniversary of Ordination

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Luke1249 Proper 15 C A Good and Hard Division

I’m surprised that any of you came today. It is a miracle not only that you’re here but that you are honoring me, your pastor, on the 25th anniversary of my ordination. Why am I amazed? Look at the text. Listen to Jesus After hearing His mission who would want to listen to Him? And who would want to be one of His men who brings division on earth? Yet, here we are and for that we give thanks to God.

Jesus would never make it in sales because He isn’t marketing what you want. He never promises anyone in the New Testament wealth. On the contrary Zacchaeus lost most of his estate when he met Jesus, the widow gave up her last mite, and an unnamed woman poured out her boutique oil on Jesus’ feet. Jesus never promised that faith would make life for husbands and wives or sons and daughters convenient. Instead He promises division and discord, hatred and animosity. Jesus did promise peace to His followers. The angels truly declared “Peace on earth” when Jesus was born but His peace isn’t the peace that you imagine or desire. It isn’t peace in the Middle East or peace in your home or peace at work – it is peace between God and man. And the peace comes by fire and baptism.

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:49–50, ESV) In the Old Testament fire was judgment. Fire on Sinai, fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, fire for the sacrifices and offerings. Fire in the Scriptures is linked to the burning anger of God over sin. He’s hot under the collar because you and your grandparents before you (Adam and Eve) traded peace for war, love for hate, communion for rebellion and love for selfishness. You took His gifts and you made a damned mess of things and now everything is headed for hell because the Holy One of heaven cannot stand it.

Jesus is here on earth to cast some fire, to take care of the Father’s wrath and anger. And the suspense is killing Him. God’s judgment day is coming and Jesus wishes that it were already kindled. Light the fire and let’s put an end to God’s anger. Jesus links that judgment with His baptism, but He isn’t speaking of the baptism that first comes to mind — the watery baptism in the Jordan. In that baptism Jesus soaked up your sin. He was bathed in the bath water of filthy sinners and became one with us. The baptism where God’s wrath is poured out upon earth is Jesus’ death. At the cross Jesus is baptized in blood and fire. God’s wrath is poured out upon His Son and Jesus is drowned and dies with our sin.

Now you know why Jesus wishes the fire is cast down and why the baptism is complete. He is taking the punishment for all your sins – the sin no one knows about, your favorite sin, the thousands of sins you don’t remember. He’s got them all, and not just yours, but mine and not yours and mine alone, but the whole world’s sin. He takes on Ariel Castro’s sin of kidnapping, for Adam Lanza’s sin of murder and Jerry Sandusky’s sin of perverted sex. For your sin God the Father cut off God the Son. Jesus was written off for our salvation and He knew it and felt it and endured it on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” The heavenly family was torn asunder by God’s anger so that you could return home to your Father not in fear, but in forgiveness and the certain faith that you are welcome and loved.

The heavenly family was divided to save us. The forgiveness which Christ won on the cross is a divisive forgiveness for it divides you from sin and death. When you str baptized into Christ you were baptized into His death and when God’s Holy Spirit pulls you from the waters you are separated from your sin, from death, and from the Devil’s hold. And that’s a good division – your sins are no longer with you, the grave cannot trap you, and the Devil is no longer your daddy. By virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection given to you in baptism you’re no longer in the crowd of dying sinners who love and listen to the Devil’s lies.

This is a blessed division viewed from heaven, but not from earth. By faith we have peace, but by sight Jesus is divisive. So He Himself says, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Jesus’ work divides sinners from their sin and dead men from their death, but it also divides those who believe in Him from those who do not. Jesus will not force you to believe – so Peter believes and Judas does not. Nicodemus believes, but many Pharisees do not. The wealthy Zacchaeus believes, but another rich young man walks away from Jesus.

You yourselves know of this division. By faith in Christ you have been rescued from sin and death and so when your brother chooses to attend a church where sin isn’t called sin there is division. When your son chooses to live in sin with his girlfriend there is division. When your neighbor says all paths lead to heaven there is a division.

Do you know who gets the blame for this division? Jesus does. The good news that Christ died on the cross to take away the sin of the world gets the blame and the scorn. This is how one pastor described the oddity of the good news of Christ being hated. Suppose a plane taking off from the Minneapolis airport crash lands in Lake Minnetonka. The wings break apart, fuel leaks out, and a spark from the wreckage ignites the water. A large charter boat steams into the mess and starts pulling survivors from the water, but some of the victims refuse to be rescued. They cry out in protest that those being saved are different. They demand that the boat be scuttled and everyone suffer the same fate of death.

That’s a silly scenario, but it happens all the time. You call your child to repent of a sin, to flee some wicked friends or deadly behavior. All this is done in the hope of rescue and salvation – that your child might be pulled back on board the good ship of Christendom, but he refuses to listen and blames Jesus. People get angry when Christians repeat the exclusive words of Jesus – He alone is the way, the truth and the life. And in the midst of such opposition we are tempted toward the easier way – to preach a Crossless Christ, to call sin normal and call evil good. Let me ask you, “What is easier? To speak to your children about their sex-life and living arrangements or to say nothing? To invite a friend to church when you know communion is an issue or to simply go out to brunch with them?” Why do you think the people in Jeremiah’s day loved the false prophets and hated Jeremiah the Lord’s prophet? Because Jeremiah called them to repent and the false prophet’s said, “It’s fine, don’t worry. That old Bible doesn’t apply anymore.” Jeremiah said the Lord will judge and the false prophets said, “God is love.” Jeremiah preached, “The Lord is all-present” and the prophets preached, “The Lord is in Jerusalem. He can’t see what happens in Vegas – enjoy yourself.”

So now you know why it should amaze and delight us every time the Word of the Lord is preached and any one shows up to listen. It would be easier for you to stay home and it might be more peaceful for you to do so. It would be easier for me to preach Christless sermons or not to preach at all. But by the grace of God we have been rescued from the easy way of death to the hard way of the cross and by the faith worked in our hearts we don’t see this as hard – we see it as necessary, and good, and joyous and today we give thanks. I give thanks that you called me to be your pastor and expect me to preach to you God’s Word of Jesus and you give thanks that God has preserved His Word and Sacraments among you through the office of the Holy Ministry. And our Father does all this for you and for me that we might have peace with Him in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Pr. Bruce Timm

17 August 2013 anno Domini