The Second Sunday after Trinity

Text: Proverbs 9:1-10 & Luke 14:15-24

The first reading this morning came from the book of Proverbs. In many ways, the book of Proverbs can be difficult to understand. A reason for this is that a proverb often requires the reader to meditate on it to grasp its deep meaning and truth. 

You see, proverbs are usually short sayings that express deep, universal truths regarding life.

So how might one begin to understand this proverb?

Well, throughout the generations, the Church has confessed that Scripture interprets Scripture. Meaning, the key to understanding a verse, passage, or book of the Bible often resides in another verse, passage, or book of the Bible.

Alright, so how are we to understand this morning’s Old Testament reading from the Book of Proverbs? By using today’s Gospel reading.

The reading from Proverbs began, “Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.”

To begin, what has Proverbs already said about wisdom? For this, we go to the concluding verse today, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

This fear that produces wisdom is nothing other than the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods.”

What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

So, who builds the house? It is God who constructs the house of wisdom and knowledge. The seven pillars symbolize the house, and the Lord’s tabernacle built by Moses and Solomon, the place where God came to be with His people, Israel.

In the second verse, the Proverb says, “She (Wisdom) has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.”

In other words, the meal has been prepared for the guests.

And here, you should hear the words of today’s Gospel as Jesus said, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.”

Both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel begin with the preparation of a great banquet, as if they are mirroring one another.

Just as Jesus said, many were invited, and the servants went out to tell those who were invited to come to the feast, the Proverb said,

            She (Wisdom) has sent out her young women to call

                        from the highest places in the town,

            “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

                        To him who lacks sense she says,

            “Come, eat of my bread

                        and drink of the wine I have mixed.

            Leave your simple ways, and live,

                        and walk in the way of insight.”

It’s interesting that in the original Hebrew, the word for “Whoever is simple” is “Gullible.” So, “Whoever is gullible, let him turn in here! To him who lacks sense she says, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.’”

Being “gullible” or “lacking sense” in this case means being foolish or vulnerable to deception. 

In a way, these people sound like those who were invited to the same banquet Jesus was speaking about in the Gospel, when the servant said, “Come, for everything is now ready.”

The first person responded to the servant, saying, “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.”

Or the second guest who said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.”

Or even the third who responded, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”

The things that are causing those who have been invited to the feast to be vulnerable or fall for deception are the things of this world, the people and things of this life.

Take a moment and consider for yourself how you have been gullible, how you’ve permitted yourself to be led to lack sense, the ways you have not heard the call of God, the call of Wisdom to come to the house and temple of God, where He has prepared a banquet for you.

Have you been gullible to the voice of the world, have you acted without sense like those who have been invited to the great banquet that has been prepared?

Surely you have, as the Psalmist wrote, you were conceived and born in sin. (Psalm 51:5)

For this, you must repent, hear God’s call, and return.

But if a servant of God approaches you, often a pastor or sometimes a brother or sister in Christ, to invite you or a loved one back to the banquet of God, how do you think this conversation usually unfolds? What do you believe a person’s demeanor and attitude are during such an exchange? 

Well, this depends on the Christian’s maturity in the Christian faith.

And I believe this story plays out with these verses from the Proverb,

            Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

                        and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

            Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

                        reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

A person who gets distracted by worldly things and falls in love with them will react defensively when invited to turn away from their sin; they will respond to God’s servant with spite, ignoring the love and care with which the servant of Christ has been sent to them.

However, the wise man, the one who truly has faith, will receive the servant of the Lord’s words with love and charity. They will return to the banquet and begin to walk the road of godly wisdom and understanding, the way of faith in Jesus Christ and eternal life. 

Which is, after all, where both of these readings today are leading us—like last week—to the division of eternal separation from God and the eternal presence of God. 

For those who do not heed the call of God to be in His house, the source of wisdom and life, they will be left in the pits of Hades and never taste the banquet of heaven, while those who heed the call will receive eternal life. 

Now, fast-forward to today, these truths remain difficult for us because some of those who ignore God’s call, who have become gullible and lacking sense, are our friends, family members, and members of the Church.

We desire our friends, family, and every individual who has their name on the church’s rolls to not only gather with us around this altar to receive a taste of the heavenly banquet, but we desire them to be with us eternally.

But when they cease to hear God’s word or His invitation, we must do a difficult thing; it’s difficult because we’re human and always wanting to fix things. We must entrust these people to God and pray for the Holy Spirit to work faith within them.

This serves as a good reminder that none of this is our work, but it is God who sends out the messengers with His Word and creates faith.

Alright, so what should we learn from these readings today?

First, we must study the Scriptures; we need to read them daily because Scripture interprets Scripture. When someone begins to understand the Scriptures, they start to grasp and interpret the more difficult parts and see the many connections, as in our reading from the Old Testament and the Gospel today. 

But also, through the study of God’s Word, you are equipped to be God’s messengers, to carry His Word into your daily lives and invite your friends, family, and delinquent members of the Church to return to His holy house, built with and through His Word.

Secondly, if a friend, family member, or church member ignores God’s invitation to the feast, remember that this city, country, and world are filled with poor, crippled, blind, and lame people who need God’s word and invitation. Often, these individuals are hidden in plain sight; they are right in front of you, concealing their struggles behind a mask to appear strong, but, like you, they need help.

So why not invite them to join us here, to hear God’s invitation, to gather around His altar as cripples and beggars, in need of His wisdom and healing?

Ultimately, this is the point of the Proverb: God has prepared a feast for everyone to enjoy, inviting you and all willing to come and receive, especially those who are sinful and in need. However, one must humbly accept this invitation with charity and love, turning away from the callings of this world, because you will only grow in wisdom and faith and receive forgiveness and eternal life when you gather around the Wisdom of the Lord. 

And while the world may ridicule or reject you for this faith as heard in our readings today, don’t forget that God’s wisdom doesn’t always appear in the same ways as earthly wisdom, for St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

The cross of Jesus is the power of God; it’s where Jesus secured salvation for you, taking upon Himself the sins that have made you poor, crippled, and lame. The cross is where forgiveness and eternal life are obtained for you. The cross is the lens that reveals the Scriptures to you, that reveals the Wisdom of God. The cross is the key to understanding your heavenly Father’s great love for you and His desire for you and your neighbor to be gathered into His eternal feast. So, hear His call and invitation, bring the crosses of your life to Him, and be led to the banquet of eternal life. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org

The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/