The Waiting Game (Jude 20-25)

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But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:20-25

Flipping through the TV channels the other day, I came up with a great idea for a new program. It would be a half-hour long game show entitled “The Waiting Game.” What would make this show new and exciting is the fact that I would give the contestants their prizes at the beginning of the show. Right from the first minute of air time they would all know exactly what was in store for them at the end of the half-hour. And to make it even more unbelievably wonderful, during the course of the show there would be no trivia questions to answer, no feats of skill to accomplish. No one would be made to sing or dance or act or tell jokes to gain their prize; all the contestants would have to do is simply wait. Can’t you just picture it all! They could sit in really comfortable chairs, or maybe on a couple of sofas. They could sit quietly for the half-hour thinking to themselves, or they could talk to one another if they really wanted to. I think it has real potential to be a ratings giant! What about you?

Well, you don’t have to worry, I already tried passing it by some network executives. They weren’t in the least bit interested. They said the whole thing sounded insincere, like a big joke, and asked me where I got such a crazy idea. Believe it or not, I got the idea from looking at the lives of Christians, my own included. You see, we are all right now at this very moment, playing the waiting game. In these last few days of the church year our focus has ever more increasingly been upon Christ, who has promised to return. We are waiting, as St. Jude put it, for our (21) “Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life.”

Part of this waiting involves getting ready. In the Gospel of Mark for this week Jesus told us to always be ready because we don’t know how long we might have to wait. Jude also points out the importance of this personal preparation. He gives a fourfold exhortation to Christians. First, we are to continue building ourselves up in our most holy faith. We are to continue to go to Church, to hear God’s Word and to receive His Sacraments. Second, we are to pray in the Holy Spirit. The Holy sprit gives us the strength and the words we need to talk with God on a personal basis. Third, Jude tells us to keep ourselves in God’s love. God’s love will never leave us, but we can surely turn our backs on it. Finally, Jude tells us to always keep our attention fixed on the mercy of Jesus Christ which will bring us to eternal life. As Christians we know that the prize is already ours, we need only wait for that final fulfillment of all God’s promises when Christ returns again in glory. So in the meantime, we wait, and we watch, and we prepare.

And yet if our lives as Christians were nothing more than this “Waiting Game,” this drawing in upon ourselves in preparation for the end; we could easily become as insincere as this fictional game show I described to you. This time in which we wait is not a necessary evil we all must endure. If that were so, then God would be like a mischievous child tormenting a cat by dangling a string just out of its reach. Our time here would be a punishment. But, God is not a tormentor, and our time here is not a punishment. Our time of waiting is a gift from a loving God. It is a time in which God calls us not only to be prepared but also to be active.

For as much as our text from Jude calls us to focus upon God’s gifts and promises, it also calls us to use the time left to us to serve others. Jude outlines several groups of people and the ways in which we are to be of help to them. First we are to be merciful to those who doubt. These are our fellow believers: Our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are beset by false teachers, improper expectations, and the temptations of the world around us. We are called to use these last times to build them up in their most holy faith as well as our own.

The second group we are called to serve is in much worse shape. “Snatch others from the fire and save them …” Many people around us are in mortal danger. They have never heard of the mercies of Christ, or don’t yet believe in Him. Our call to serve them is most urgent. It is hard to interpret a phrase like “snatching from the fire” in a nonchalant, “whenever I can get around to it” kind of attitude. This is THE most important and urgent task you’ve been given – one to be done right now, before it is too late.

The final group mentioned in the text is one step beyond the previous two. As with these first two groups, these also are people who we are to treat with mercy. This group, however, also deserves our fear. These are the ones so stained by their beliefs and lifestyles that they are a danger to be around. They are the ungodly, unrepentant few, who outwardly seek to trap and ensnare the righteous. They are the overly worldly, those who have so fallen victim to their sinful flesh even their clothing is stained. But Jude doesn’t say that even these souls can be left alone! We are to treat them with mercy, despite the dangers to ourselves.

This all seems like a pretty daunting task, I will admit. If the prize is ours then wouldn’t it be easier just to keep ourselves safe and prepared, while we wait? After all, our salvation doesn’t depend upon our good deeds does it? Of course not! But just because we are justified it does not mean that we have been given the right to slack off either. We should never boil the Gospel down to little more than an excuse for inactivity. Saying in effect, “Thats OK because I’m forgiven anyway.” That kind of thinking is at best, insincere. The Gospel is so much more than that. It not only sets a hard task before us, it gives us the strength and courage to face up to it. The precious blood of Christ serves not to coat our lives with exuses, but to course through our veins, pumping life and energy into all that we do in His name and for His kingdom.

Just look at the way that Jude speaks about Christ. “To him who is able to keep you from falling, and present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” Christ is our strength in all that we do. He was here, in the flesh, to take the burden of our sin. He came back in life, to give us eternal life. He is here with us in every deed, to bear us up and keep us from falling. The promise of Christ is not a promise of an easy way out. It is a promise of the strength needed to keep trying. Furthermore, Christ himself is the one who will bring us before God, when our time of waiting is done. None of our actions will help or hinder us in coming before God. Whether we served others well or not. Whether we are able to snatch anyone from the fire, or just get our hands burnt trying. Jesus will bring us and set us down before the Almighty. And as we stand there with Him, we will be blameless, free of guilt and shame, and full of all joy at all that Jesus has done for us.

In these last few days of our church year, and then on into the season of Advent which is quickly approaching, let us continue to prepare ourselves and to serve others. Let us keep our hearts and minds directed toward Our Lord Jesus and that glorious day when all his promises will be fulfilled. That is surely something worth waiting for.

Amen.

 

Who’s The Greatest? (Mark 9:30-37)

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Jesus and the Twelve were returning from a visit to the villages around Caesarea Philippi (Mk8:27-38) and from the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk 9:2-13), where Jesus had revealed himself to Peter, James and John in glory. At both places the Lord had talked to the disciples about the events soon to take place in Jerusalem involving His suffering, death and resurrection. He lays all His cards out on the table for each of the disciples to plainly see.

This was the Lord’s last visit to Galilee before His death, a private visit away from the crowds which had surrounded Him on many previous trips through this area. Jesus was not wanting anyone to know where they were. The reason for this period of privacy is told us in the words of our text: (31b) He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

Public preaching was now relegated to the background. The private instruction of the disciples was the priority item on Jesus’ agenda. In these out-of-the-way places Jesus was devoting Himself to the last, intensive training of the Twelve, especially preparing them for the end. It all related to what would happen to “the Son of Man,” the Redeemer, in His divine-human natures. He who by his many miracles had demonstrated His power over all things was going to “be betrayed into the hands of men.” Did this sound like something that happens only to the greatest?

Jesus would be “killed” and would “rise again.” That which had been prophesied concerning Him from the beginning was about to be fulfilled. Indeed, it is precisely in the fulfilling of God’s Word for us that Jesus’ true greatness lies. This was no oblique and shrouded reference to the series of events which would earn salvation for all mankind. Jesus again spoke directly about the events that would soon come to pass. Events that make Him the greatest that ever was.

How disappointing, therefore, the words of our text which follow: (32) But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. Mark describes a continuing state of ignorance and fear on the part of the Twelve. They simply would not grasp what seemed incredibly horrible to them. Unfortunately, their thoughts seemed to stop with the words “be killed.” This didn’t fit into their ideas of how Jesus would establish His Messianic rule. Great men like the Messiah don’t lay down their life. They ask others to lay theirs down for them! That is also why they even feared to ask about it. Don’t we do the same when we hesitate even to discuss matters that worry us or frighten us?

One might look upon this reluctance to accept the necessity of the cross in God’s plan of salvation as a matter of stubborn obtuseness. But should it surprise us? Many who wish to be called Christians today imagine that the chief purpose of the Church is found in activities which relegate into the background the message of a Saviour crucified for sin. They suppose that the main goal of Christianity lies in spectacular demonstrations for social and political reform, or in making this a better world in which to live, or in engaging in activist programs which show that the church is a real “force for good” in this world.

The central message of the Bible is clear, but a “blood religion” – death for life, and the sacrifice of God for us – does not appeal to the people of this world. Who really wants to hear repeated references to the ugliness of personal sin and the divine necessity of a sacrificial cross to atone for it. Sometimes even we Christians may cringe at the thought of having to hear it one more time. Yet, as Jesus reminded the Twelve repeatedly, these were inescapable requirements of His mission. This was the measure of His true greatness. Christ’s sacrificial death and glorious resurrection are mankind’s only way of justification before a holy and righteous God.

And what comes next shows us the response Christ wants to find in those who accept his notions of greatness: (33-34) They come to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

That the disciples were still filled with false hopes concerning the Messianic kingdom couldn’t be more apparent. The disciples did not want to say what they had been arguing about. “They kept quiet.” They clammed up. They must have sensed that their ideas of greatness did not agree with what Jesus had been talking about when He spoke of the necessity of His sacrifice and death.

And how right they were! (35) Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” True greatness is determined for Christians the same way it was for our Lord. Not by deeds which receive the greatest outward attention, but by humble service, often scarcely recognized, It is found in giving up those childish notions that there is some greater recognition we deserve, some reward to be gained. The essence of true spiritual greatness in Christ’s kingdom is determined by the amount of humble, selfless service which a person contributes on behalf of others. Again, not for any kind of personal gain, but simply out of thankfulness for grace already received. How different from the standards which the unbelieving world uses in determining greatness!

The weak, the lonely, the destitute … the cast off and the discarded … the sick and hurting … the disgraced and the unlovable … these are the recipients of our best love and attention. These are the focus of our care and our energies. Not because it is pleasant. Not because they can give anything back. Not because of something they might one day become. Just simply because the greatness of God is such that He has so much to give them in Christ — and He has chosen us to be the means by which it is brought to bear in their lives.

In order to illustrate this principle of greatness among Christian disciples, the Lord does a striking thing: (36,37) - He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. What an object lesson for the Twelve! Whoever receives one of these little children “in my name” – literally “upon” my name, “on the basis of my name” – welcomes Jesus himself. To receive a child in the name of Jesus means more than physical care. It involves spiritual care as well — being concerned about the child’s eternal welfare. Jesus says that the business of taking care of this need is the highest kind of ministry in His kingdom. What Jesus calls greatness in his kingdom is also greatness in the eyes of the Father who sent him. This is why VBS, Sunday School, and Children’s outreach events are so important in the life of a congregation! In doing these things we were echoing our heavenly Father’s own priorities.

But whether we show our greatness in providing for the spiritual welfare of our city’s children, or by helping the homeless, sponsoring the refugee, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick or lonely, or giving dignity to the downtrodden and outcast; it is not really our greatness we are showing to the world. When we do these and so many other things, we are simply reflecting the greatness of Christ who has first done all this for us. His Baptism has given us a heavenly home, welcomed us into God’s family. His Word gives dignity, wisdom and forgiveness. His promises bring comfort in times of distress. His very body and blood feed us and give us strength to live in the greatness to which we are called. Remember the greatness of your Lord. Give thanks for his great mercies to you and then and only then you too will be great. Both here in this life and in the kingdom to come.

AMEN.