The Tenth Sunday after Trinity
Text: Luke 19:41-48
Whenever this Gospel is mentioned, I always think it’s important to reflect on the time when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.
Armies had surrounded the city on each side, and the walls were torn down; no stone was left unturned. The inhabitants were slaughtered, crucified, and dismembered as blood filled the streets, and the utter destruction of a civilization was at hand.
As food and water grow scarce, daughters turn against their mothers and fathers against their sons. It’s every man, woman, and child for themselves.
We live in relative peace compared to the days when Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in A.D. 70 under the Roman General Titus.
Despite Jerusalem, literally meaning “City of Peace,” there would be no peace in this place. Even today, not only military, but intense religious friction remains throughout Jerusalem and Israel.
Imagine this: over 2000 years ago, Jesus wept for Jerusalem, a city still conflicted, as He entered it to begin His journey to the cross. He wept and said, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:42)
Are we different from those who lived in Jerusalem? Do we understand what brings peace?
Are we any different from those whom Jesus tossed from the temple?
In the Old Testament reading, God came to Jeremiah and said to Judah, “Amend your ways and deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:3-4)
First, when God calls people to amend their ways, He is instructing them to repent and turn away from their sins. But He also lets them know that He can see through their words. Simply saying that this is the temple of the Lord does not make it so; one cannot rely solely on outward appearances or superficial views when it comes to being in the temple of the Lord or being a member of it.
These words from Jeremiah call on the people to abandon superficial faith and grave sins that lack true fear, love, and trust in God; sins that only lead to destruction rather than salvation.
So, what were the sins of Judah? God speaks through Jeremiah,
“Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, and make offerings to other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered! – only to go on doing all these abominations’” (Jeremiah 7:9-10)
Things did not change from the days of Jeremiah to the day of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem; the people still “stole, murdered, committed adultery, swore falsely, and made offerings to other gods that they did not know, and then come and then stood before God in His house… and said, ‘We are delivered! – only to go on doing all these abominations.’” (Jeremiah 7:9-10)
And here is a serious question for us today: are we any different from those whom Jesus tossed from the temple?
You can interpret these words from Jeremiah in a few different ways. First, during the first Holy Week, those in the Jerusalem temple had become corrupted by greed, turning it into a den of thieves.
The second question might hit closer to home for us: Are you stealing, murdering, committing adultery, giving false testimony, worshiping other gods, going to church, saying, “I’m forgiven!” but then leaving and continuing to do all these things without changing your ways?
But thirdly, is there a spiritual warfare at play here as well?
If the Church is the Bride of Christ, then how does the Bride respond to the love of the Bridegroom?
Does the Bride, the Church, allow itself to be filled with greed and focus on making a budget rather than staying faithful to His Word? Does the church become a place of bearing false witness, gossip, and breaking the 8th commandment? Does the Bride allow other gods and teachings to enter the Bridegroom’s sanctuary? In other words, does the church cheat on their Lord and Savior to avoid offending anyone?
Over the years, churches have done these things, but in doing so, they have lost God’s true and abiding word.
And when the time comes for the Church in these situations to amend her ways and repent of her sins, it remains very difficult because they have turned away and wandered so far from where God’s Word, the food and drink of His altar, is not near or even found.
Just as it was when Jerusalem was ransacked in A.D. 70, when food and water grow scarce, especially the heavenly food and drink, daughters turn against their mothers and fathers against their sons. All one sees is every man, woman, and child for themselves.
This remains an image of the Church today when God’s Word is not the center of everything we do as a gathering of God’s saints on earth.
The Word of Jesus must gather, strengthen faith, and guide us in all our ways; otherwise, the Church risks becoming a den of thieves, a superficial club of programs and activities, or just another non-profit.
If these things should occur, you can be sure that Jesus still weeps for us and says, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:42)
When the church stops focusing on Christ and Him crucified, we become just like Jerusalem that was destroyed.
The church’s walls will crumble and collapse on themselves; people will grow frustrated and short-tempered with one another, risking love, community, and eternity, and faithful generations could be lost.
All because of our departure from God’s Word, allowing sin to take root and spread among the people, fostering the belief that the Church endures because of the people.
But the Church endures because of its foundation, which is Christ Jesus, who went to the cross and died for His Bridegroom, for you.
This is pretty amazing because, despite life’s challenges, changes that sweep through a church, and the gathering of God’s saints, the Church endures because it’s built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word.
The fourth stanza of today’s sermon hymn, The Church’s One Foundation, helps put all of this into perspective for us as well. We sang,
Through toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
~LSB 644:4
Certainly, there will be ups and downs throughout life, and toils and tribulations within the Church. Some may be spiritual, others emotional, some worldly, and still others relational. Yet, everything the Church does aims to lead her people, you, and your brothers and sisters in Christ to become the victorious Church and the Church at rest.
The Church that is at peace.
To be this Church, we must sincerely gather, confess our sins, and seek to amend our ways so we can receive God’s absolution and forgiveness. In turn, this allows us to grow in faith and holiness, strengthen the foundations of God’s Church on earth, and teaches us to love not only the Lord with all our heart but also our neighbors as ourselves.
Because, in the end, the goal of every Christian is to be brought into the eternal presence of God. For this sanctuary and church to be a reflection and image of the heavenly Jerusalem, the place of eternal peace and rest.
Think about that, this sanctuary and church are to be a reflection and image of the heavenly Jerusalem.
This, my friends, should change how we live, how we gather here in this place, how we approach each service, and how we depart into our daily lives.
Because the sole purpose of this sanctuary and church is to prepare and lead you to Jesus.
So come, gather, and cling to every word of Christ. +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/
