Lutheran Church
RESURRECTION
Lay ministers serve RLC
Resurrection Lutheran Church welcomes Rev. John Hazzard as its next pastor. Pastor John has been a member of Resurrection his whole life. On Nov. 2 he was ordained by the North America Lutheran Church Bishop Dan Selbo and installed by Pastor Tim Loehrke. After retiring from Port Clinton Schools, Pastor John followed finalized his dream to become a pastor.
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Sermons
Pentecost 16 September 13, 2026
Matthew 18:21-35
Pastor John Hazzard
“The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant”
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
In today’s Gospel we continue to hear about how we, as God’s children, are to live in His kingdom. In this great message, Jesus illustrates what it means to be a childlike believer. As we work our way through the chapter we see how we are converted into humble and obedient children of God so that we might be right standing in the kingdom of heaven. Later in the message we are told that we are to be protected like children and to not lead or leave any believer in harms ways. In fact, we are called to go out of our way to help lead our brothers and sisters who are in sinful situations back to holiness and obedience. Jesus explains that if our brothers or sisters sin, we should go to them privately and try to correct the situation. If that does not work, we should take another to resolve the situation, and if that doesn’t work the Church should call them to repentance. The last resort would be for them to be excommunicated from the Church if they fail to repent of their wrongdoing.
It is at this point in Jesus’ great message we are told that we are to forgive one another when we are wronged. The whole idea behind this is that if a person comes to us to ask for forgiveness, we will forgive them and then we will regain our brother or sister. We have lots of examples in scripture of where individuals gave forgiveness in difficult situations. First, we have Joseph who forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery. Then, you may remember, David forgave King Saul who was trying to kill him. Finally, we have the greatest example of forgiveness in all of Scripture. We have God forgiving us on account of His only begotten Son taking on our sins, dying a horrible death on the cross, and then being raised on the third day. These are all examples of what Jesus was saying. The way it is supposed to work is that a person sins, you go to the person, they then repent and ask for forgiveness. When forgiveness is granted, that person is redeemed. Simon Peter is starting to get the message, and this prompted him to interrupt Jesus with a question, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. It is obvious what Jesus was saying here; we don’t forgive three times which was the Jewish tradition nor seven times. Jesus says we are to forgive endlessly.
To illustrate the point Jesus was trying to make, in Matthew 18:21–35, Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant to teach His disciples about the relationship between God’s forgiveness of us and our willingness to forgive others. The parable begins with a king who wants to settle his accounts with his servants. The king can be understood as representing God, while the servant represents a person who has a debt that he could never possibly repay. The servant owes the king ten thousand talents, an enormous amount of money that would have been completely beyond his ability to repay. We can think of a talent as being like a large bag of gold, while a denarius was more like a silver coin representing a much smaller amount. Jesus deliberately uses an enormous debt to show the difference between what humanity owes God because of sin and what one person may owe another.
The servant’s enormous debt can be understood as representing the debt of sin that we have before God. Sin creates a debt that we cannot pay through our own efforts. No matter how hard the servant worked, he could never earn enough money to satisfy the king. In the same way, we cannot work our way out of the debt of sin or make ourselves righteous before God. The servant recognizes his desperate situation and begs the king for patience, promising that he will somehow repay everything. Yet the king does something far greater than simply giving him more time. The king has compassion for him, releases him, and forgives the entire debt. In the spiritual picture of the parable, this points us toward the forgiveness that God provides through Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished on the cross. What we could never pay ourselves is forgiven because Christ paid the price for our sin.
The servant leaves the king completely forgiven, but almost immediately he encounters another servant who owes him a much smaller debt. Compared with the ten thousand talents that had just been forgiven, this debt is extremely small. The second servant also begs for patience and promises to repay what he owes. Unlike the king, however, the first servant refuses to show mercy. He demands payment and eventually has the other servant thrown into prison. The contrast is the heart of the parable. One servant has been forgiven for a debt that he could never repay, yet he refuses to forgive another person a debt that could actually be repaid.
When the other servants see what has happened, they are deeply troubled and report the matter to the king. The king calls the unforgiving servant back and confronts him about his actions. The king reminds him that he had been forgiven an enormous debt, and therefore he should have shown the same mercy to the servant who owed him so much less. Because the servant refused to extend the forgiveness that he himself had received, the king withdrew his mercy and turned him over to the tormentors until his debt was paid.
Jesus uses this final part of the parable to give a serious warning about an unforgiving heart. The debt is so enormous that it could never actually be repaid. Therefore, being turned over to the tormentors represents an ongoing judgment from which the servant has no ability to free himself. The picture is one of eternal punishment because the debt remains impossible to pay. The only reason the servant had been free in the first place was because the king had chosen to forgive the debt.
The message Jesus is communicating is that receiving God’s forgiveness cannot be separated from our willingness to forgive those who have wronged us. Jesus is not presenting forgiveness as something we earn from God by forgiving other people. Rather, He is showing that a person who has truly understood the enormous forgiveness they have received from God should become willing to extend that same forgiveness to others. The servant’s problem was not that he had failed to receive mercy; he had received mercy in an extraordinary way. His problem was that he received mercy but refused to show mercy.
This is why Jesus makes the difference between the two debts so important. The ten thousand talents represent an overwhelming debt that the servant could never pay. The smaller debt owed to him represents the offenses and wrongs that other people may commit against us. Jesus is showing that, compared with the immeasurable debt of our sin before God, the debts we are asked to forgive others are small. This does not mean that the wrongs people commit against us are unimportant or that forgiveness means pretending that something harmful did not happen. Rather, the parable teaches that because God has shown us such great mercy, we are called to extend mercy to others.
The king’s response also shows how seriously God takes an unforgiving heart. The servant wanted to receive forgiveness for himself while refusing to give forgiveness to someone else. Jesus is showing that we cannot claim to embrace God’s mercy while deliberately withholding mercy from others. The forgiven person is expected to become a forgiving person. The mercy that God gives us is meant to change the way we respond when someone sins against us.
In this sense, the parable connects directly with the Gospel. Our sin creates a debt we cannot pay, but God provides forgiveness through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. We stand before God not because we have successfully paid our own debt, but because He has shown us mercy. Therefore, when someone else has a debt against us because of something they have done, Jesus calls us to remember the mercy we ourselves have received. The servant in the parable failed to do this. He looked at the small debt owed to him but forgot the enormous debt that had just been forgiven.
Jesus ends the parable by applying its message directly to His disciples: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:35). The emphasis is on forgiveness coming “from your hearts.” Jesus is dealing not merely with an outward decision to stop seeking repayment, but with the condition of the heart. The person who has experienced God’s forgiveness is called to release others from the debts they owe because of their offenses. The parable makes clear that forgiveness is not an optional addition to the Christian life. It is evidence that we understand and have received the mercy of God.
This came in the form of Jesus’ response to Simon Peter’s question of; how often are we to forgive those who wrong us? Jesus’ response to this question might shock you or upset you because Jesus answered the question with “not seven times but seventy times seven times.” In other words, we are to forgive as many times as someone asks us to forgive them.
We may find this response upsetting because many times we wield our unforgiveness like a sword hoping to somehow get even for all the wrongs that person had committed against us. We feel that this is the only way we can hurt them back. The fact of the matter is most of the time we end up cutting ourselves deeply both emotionally and spiritually. Who better to give us this imperative than Jesus, our Lord and Savior who more than anyone knows what it means to be unfairly offended and harmed.
It is easy for us to forgive our own children because we know they are weak and are in desperate need of forgiveness. Never are we more like God than when we forgive those who harmed us, and never are we farther from God than when we refuse forgiveness. We should forgive others because we know we are weak and are in desperate need of forgiveness ourselves.
There are several examples of forgiveness being demonstrated in Scripture. We have Joseph forgiving his brothers who sold him into slavery. We have David forgiving Soul who wanted to destroy him because he threatened Soul’s kingship. And, of course, we have the greatest picture of forgiveness in that God forgives us because of Christ and the work of the cross.
You can talk about how "forgiveness" has lost its meaning and its power in our colloquial vernacular. Then you can continue about what forgiveness really means to the person forgiving, to the person being forgiven, and for our relationship with God and Christ. If you want to go that route. Then move into what then that means for the ultimate forgiver! God who forgives all our transgressions, though we break his laws and mortally wound his generosity every day. We turn our backs on him, deny him, or forget about him when we should be thanking and praising him. And yet... he does not forsake us. He uplifts us. He takes us by the hand and rejoices at every small victory in our lives and celebrates every time we finally remember to return to Him. Even though we don't deserve it! He celebrates... because as Christ taught us last week. What shepherd, having 100 sheep and noticing one had gone astray wouldn't drop EVERYTHING to go and find the lost one! So too does God, every day... go looking for us! To renew us, to lead us, to uphold us, and to reunite us with Him in ways only He can. We are so lucky to have God in our lives. The great forgiver who forgives us even when we don't deserve it and could never earn it! We just need to learn to forgive ourselves. Let go of the guilt that we hang like a badge of honor around our necks! Because if God has already forgiven us, who are we to go against His will!
That is what God does for us. We wander away, and He comes looking for us. We forget Him, and He calls us back. We stumble, and He reaches out His hand. We fall, and He helps us stand again. He leads us, renews us, upholds us, and rejoices over every small step we take back toward Him. He does not wait for us to become perfect before He loves us. He does not wait for us to become worthy before He searches for us. He searches for us precisely because we are lost and need to be found. And when we finally turn around and return to Him, He does not stand there with crossed arms reminding us of everything we have done wrong. He rejoices. The God who created us rejoices when His children come home.
That is the God who forgives us. He forgives us even though we do not deserve it. He forgives us even though we could never earn it. He forgives us even though we continue to fall short. And He offers that forgiveness through the immeasurable gift of Jesus Christ. So perhaps one of the hardest things we have to learn is not simply how to forgive others, but how to accept the forgiveness God has already given us. We have to learn to put down the millstone. We have to stop dragging our guilt behind us as though carrying it proves that we are sorry enough. We have to stop wearing our shame like a badge of honor. If God has forgiven us, then continuing to condemn ourselves is not humility. It is refusing to accept the mercy God has offered.
The message of Jesus is that God's forgiveness is meant to change us. Because we have been forgiven, we are called to forgive. Because we have received mercy, we are called to show mercy. Because Christ has lifted our burden, we should not willingly place that burden back upon ourselves. And because God continues to seek us when we wander away, we should never believe that we are beyond His reach.
God is not waiting for us to become worthy of His forgiveness. He is calling us to receive it, to live in it, and to allow it to transform the way we see ourselves, the way we see others, and the way we understand our relationship with Him. The great forgiver has already reached out His hand. The question is whether we will finally have the humility to take it.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
All Saints Day November 1, 2026
Sermon Text—Matthew 5:1-12
Pastor Joh Hazzard
“Saints in God’s Kingdom”
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
All Saints Sunday is a special time in the life of the Church when we remember and give thanks to God for all those who have gone before us in the faith and who now rest in His eternal presence. It is also a time for us to reflect on what it means to be among the saints of God, not because of anything we have done to earn such a title, but because of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:1-12 are so fitting for this day. In the Beatitudes, Jesus describes those who are truly blessed in the kingdom of heaven, and as we listen to His words, we are reminded that being a saint is not about being perfect or somehow deserving God's favor. Rather, it is about recognizing our need for His grace and trusting in the salvation He has freely given us through Christ. As we remember those who have died in the faith and rejoice in the promise of eternal life, we are also reminded that we, too, are children of God, called to live in the hope and assurance of His promises. And as Jesus begins to explain what it means to be blessed, we soon discover that these blessings are not earned by us but given to us through the grace of our loving King and Savior.
Jesus starts out by explaining, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” As with many of Jesus’ teachings in Holy Scripture, this doesn’t seem to make sense at first. It is almost as if Jesus has this backwards. How can we inherit the kingdom of heaven if we are poor in spirit? The answer is that we cannot inherit the kingdom on our own. Once again, there is nothing we can do to earn such an inheritance. The only way any of us can enter God’s kingdom is by receiving it as a gift of His grace through the understanding and faith we place in Christ. So here, Jesus is teaching us that we must become poor in spirit, devastated and grieved by the realization of how deeply we have sinned and continue to sin against a holy and righteous God. It is when we come to this place of spiritual poverty, recognizing the seriousness of our sin and our inability to save ourselves, that our hearts begin to understand how desperately we need a Savior. Only then can we truly humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins, and seek His forgiveness. In His mercy and grace, God offers us forgiveness through Christ and graciously gives us an inheritance that we could never earn on our own, the privilege of entering His kingdom. This is what it means to be poor in spirit: to recognize that we have nothing of our own to offer God that could make us worthy of His kingdom, but that through Christ, we may receive what we could never obtain for ourselves.
Jesus continues and explains those who mourn are blessed; there is a day of comfort that awaits them. Jesus was not referring to the mourning that takes place because we feel as if life has run us over at times, He was referring to our active sharing of our sorrow because of our sinful nature, the appalling condition of this fallen world we live in, and the certain doom of those who refuse His mercy. These are the mourners who will be comforted in the coming day when, “God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.” The good news is that believers do all their mourning in this life; for unbelievers, the grief they are experiencing today is only the beginning of the eternal sorrow they will experience for all of eternity.
Christ also explained that “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” When we hear this, some may be thinking that Jesus was referring here to a person that is weak and lets other people walk all over them. In fact, most of society today views a meek person as someone they can control or easily take advantage of. The meek person Jesus describes is one who takes on his spirit and then is sealed and protected by the Holy Spirit. For Paul reminds us in Ephesians 1:13-14, “ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The meek person is gentle and kind when it comes to his own cause, willing to endure hardship and even personal mistreatment without seeking revenge. Yet, when it comes to standing up for God's truth or defending those who are vulnerable, that same meek person can show great courage and strength. The meek person may appear to be among the last to inherit the earth in the eyes of the world, but Jesus assures us that the day is coming when all things will be made right. When Christ, our King, returns to establish His reign, those who belong to Him will share in the inheritance He has promised.
Next, a blessing is proclaimed to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: they are promised fulfillment. These are people who value honesty, integrity, and justice in society. As members of the body of Christ, they understand the importance of worshipping, praising, and spreading the good news of the Gospel of Christ. Gamaliel Bradford described those who thirst for righteousness as having “a thirst no earthly stream can satisfy, a hunger that must feed on Christ or die.” These individuals will be filled in Christ’s kingdom; for righteousness will reign and corruption will give way to a standard of perfection established in the kingdom of God.
In God’s kingdom, the merciful are blessed, for they shall receive mercy. In order to be merciful, we must be actively compassionate toward others. In one sense, this means helping those who are in need, whether it is convenient for us or not. In another sense, it means withholding punishment, resentment, or ill will toward those who continually offend us. This may be one of the most difficult character traits for us to exhibit, and it is one of the reasons Jesus shared the parable of the unmerciful servant. You may recall that in this story, the king forgave his servant a debt that amounted to an enormous sum of money, a debt the servant could never have repaid. Yet, that same servant immediately went out and found another individual who owed him only a fraction of what he had been forgiven, roughly the equivalent of a few months' wages, and had him thrown into debtor's prison because he could not repay the debt. When the king heard what the servant had done, he was angered by his lack of mercy and withdrew his forgiveness, requiring the servant to face the consequences of the debt he could never repay. Through this parable, Jesus reminds us that we cannot expect to receive mercy from God while refusing to show mercy to others. As Christians, we must remember just how much we have been forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ, and that realization should lead us to extend that same compassion and forgiveness to those who have sinned against us. A lack of mercy is a serious matter, for when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, our actions and the condition of our hearts will be brought before Him. This does not mean that we earn or lose our salvation through our own works, for salvation remains a gift of God's grace received through faith in Christ alone. Rather, our willingness to show mercy is evidence of the mercy we ourselves have received. As we stand before Christ, our righteous Judge, we should not take His grace for granted but instead allow His love and forgiveness to shape the way we treat others. For those who have truly come to understand the mercy of God will also seek to be merciful toward others. Just as Christ has taken our sin from us, He most certainly heal our hurts if we let Him.
As Jesus continues to proclaim His message to His disciples and all who are listening, He reveals that the pure in heart are blessed, for they shall see God. A pure-hearted person is one whose motives are sincere, whose thoughts are directed toward what is holy and righteous, and whose conscience is clear before God. This does not mean that a person is without sin, for we all continue to struggle with sin in our lives. Rather, it means that we seek to have a heart that is devoted to God, desiring to live according to His will and trusting in His grace and forgiveness when we fall short. The promise that “they shall see God” can be understood in several different ways. First, those who are pure in heart begin to experience the presence of God now through fellowship with Him in His Word and through the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. At times, God may also allow individuals to experience His presence in extraordinary and deeply personal ways. And, of course, the greatest fulfillment of this promise will come when Christ returns and we see Him face to face, dwelling in the presence of our Lord for all eternity.
Jesus then goes on to say, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” When we hear these words, we must understand that a peacemaker is not simply someone who avoids conflict or tries to keep everyone happy. A true peacemaker is one who seeks to bring reconciliation, healing, and understanding where there is division and strife. As children of God, we are called to reflect the character of our heavenly Father by seeking peace with others whenever possible. This does not mean that we compromise God's truth or remain silent when we see sin and injustice taking place. Rather, it means that we seek to address these matters with love, humility, patience, and a desire to restore what has been broken. We must remember that sin has separated us from God, and it is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that peace between God and humanity has been made possible. As recipients of this grace, we are called to share that same spirit of reconciliation with those around us. When we forgive those who have wronged us, seek to resolve disagreements, and help bring others together rather than drive them apart, we demonstrate the love of Christ in our lives. The world may often encourage us to seek revenge, hold grudges, or insist on having the last word, but Jesus calls us to a different way of living. Those who seek to make peace reflect the heart of their heavenly Father, and they will be recognized as His children.
Finally, Jesus tells us, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Once again, these words may seem to contradict what we would normally consider a blessing. How can someone who is being persecuted, mistreated, or rejected be considered blessed? The answer is found in the promise that Jesus gives. Those who are persecuted because of their faithfulness to God are not forgotten, nor have they lost the favor of their heavenly Father. In fact, their suffering may be evidence that they are standing firm in their commitment to Christ in a world that does not always welcome His truth. To be persecuted for righteousness' sake means that we experience opposition because we seek to live according to God's Word, uphold His truth, and remain faithful to Christ even when doing so comes at a personal cost. This does not mean that every disagreement or hardship we experience is persecution for the sake of righteousness. Rather, Jesus is speaking of those who suffer because they belong to Him and refuse to abandon their faithfulness to His teachings. Throughout history, many Christians have faced ridicule, rejection, imprisonment, and even death because of their confession of Christ. And yet, even in the face of such suffering, they have held firmly to the promise that their inheritance is not found in the approval of this world, but in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus reminds us that our reward is not necessarily found in the comfort or acceptance we receive during this earthly life, but in the eternal promises of God. The world may reject those who stand for Christ, but Christ will never abandon those who belong to Him. As Jesus further explains, we are to rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted for His sake, because our reward in heaven is great. This does not mean that we should seek out suffering or take pleasure in being mistreated. Rather, it means that we can face opposition with confidence, knowing that our salvation rests in Christ and that no earthly suffering can take away the inheritance He has promised us. For those who remain faithful to Him can look forward to the day when Christ returns, makes all things right, and welcomes His people into the fullness of His eternal kingdom.
It is important to remember the purpose of the Beatitudes and that is that they describe the inner qualities and attitudes that the Holy Spirit produces in the saints. These are internal spiritual realities that create a clean heart within the believer so that they are not cast away from the presence of the Lord and are able to experience the joy of salvation given to them by God. The Beatitudes are not some sort of multiple-choice question where we work to circle all that apply; they are the qualities that are exhibited in God’s kingdom, not by any work or manipulation that we attempt, but by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
And as we celebrate All Saints Sunday, we are reminded that those whom we remember today were not saints because they were without sin or because they had somehow earned their way into heaven. They were saints because they belonged to Christ, who forgave their sins and gave them the promise of eternal life. And that same promise belongs to us as children of God. For just as we remember with thanksgiving those who have gone before us in the faith, we also look forward to the day when Christ will return and gather all His saints together into His everlasting kingdom, where we will experience the fullness of the joy and salvation that He has so graciously given to us.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keeps your hearts and minds in our Risen Lord and Savior; Jesus the Christ.
Pentecost 18 September 27, 2026
Text—Matthew 21:23-32
Pastor John Hazzard
“By Whose Authority?”
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Matthew 21:23 begins, Jesus returns to the temple, making the temple once again the setting of a confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders. The theme of Jesus and the temple is intricately connected with another important theme throughout this passage, the authority of Jesus and the opposition of the religious leaders to that authority. Matthew tells us, “The chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” Their question was not primarily about the content of Jesus’ teaching. Instead, they challenged the authority behind His actions. When they asked, “By what authority are you doing these things?” they were likely referring to everything Jesus had done in Jerusalem, particularly his triumphant entry into the city, his actions in the temple, and the people he welcomed and healed there.
The previous day had been an action-packed day filled with events that challenged the religious establishment of the chief priest, scribes, and religious leaders. Jesus had just entered Jerusalem to the praise of the Passover crowds, overturned the tables of the money changers, drove out those who were using the temple for their own financial gain, and opened the temple courts to people who had often been excluded in the past. The blind and the lame came to Him, and he healed them. Children were also present, praising God because of what they had witnessed. These actions were deeply controversial because they challenged the traditions and expectations that had been established in temple worship. Jesus was demonstrating that the temple was not to be a place where people were excluded, exploited, or prevented from encountering God. Instead, he was revealing God's heart for those who were hurting, needy, and often excluded from society.
The chief priests and elders, therefore, wanted to know who had given Jesus the authority to do all these things. Their question was really a challenge to whether or not he had a right to act the way he did. Jesus, however, responded to their question with a question of his own, something that was common in rabbinical debate. He said, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” Jesus' question went directly to the heart of the matter. What was the source of John the Baptist's authority? Was John sent by God, or was his ministry merely human in origin?
The answer should have been straightforward, but the religious leaders found themselves trapped by their own unwillingness to acknowledge the truth. If they answered, “From heaven,” Jesus could immediately ask them, “Why then did you not believe him?” If they answered, “From man,” they feared the response of the people, because the crowds regarded John as a prophet. Their dilemma exposed something important about their hearts. They were not primarily concerned with discovering the truth. They were more concerned with protecting themselves and maintaining their position. They debated among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” Finally, they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” Jesus then replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Their response demonstrated that they were unwilling to make the judgment that the evidence demanded. John had come announcing God's message of repentance and preparing the way for Jesus, yet these religious authorities had refused to believe him. If they could not recognize God's authority in John's ministry, they were certainly not prepared to recognize the divine authority standing before them in Jesus. Their problem was not a lack of evidence—they had plenty of evidence that demonstrated who Jesus was—it was a refusal to respond faithfully to the evidence God had placed before them.
Jesus then continues his response by telling the Parable of the Two Sons in Matthew 21:28–32. A father approaches his first son and says, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” The son initially refuses, saying, “I will not,” but afterward he changes his mind and goes. The father then approaches his second son and gives him the same command. This son responds, “I will go, sir,” but ultimately does not go. Jesus asks the religious leaders a simple question: “Which of the two did the will of his father?” The answer is obvious, and they respond, “The first.”
In giving that answer, the religious leaders unknowingly condemn their own behavior. The point of the parable is not simply that actions speak louder than words, although that is certainly an important theme throughout Matthew's Gospel. Jesus applies the parable directly to the religious leaders and their response to John. He tells them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And, even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”
The two sons therefore represent two very different responses to God. The first son initially refuses his father's command but later he has a change of heart and obeys. The second son says the right thing but ultimately refuses to do what his father commanded. In Jesus' application, the tax collectors and prostitutes are like the first son. They had lived lives that were openly sinful and had initially been far from God, but when John preached repentance, they believed him, turned from their sin, and responded to God's call. The religious leaders, on the other hand, were like the second son. They spoke as though they belonged to God and claimed to be devoted to His commands, yet when God's messenger came, they refused to listen.
This is why Jesus' words are so striking. The people whom the religious leaders considered sinners and outsiders were responding to God while the people who considered themselves spiritually righteous were refusing to respond. Jesus was not approving of the sinful lives of the tax collectors and prostitutes. Instead, He was pointing to the transforming power of repentance. Those who recognized their need for God and responded to His call were entering the kingdom, while those who believed they had no need to repent were shutting themselves out. The issue is always not what we have done or said in the past, but what we do as God’s children when God confronts us with His truth. You may even be asking yourself right now, am I even willing to listen to what God is saying in my life to begin with.
When Jesus says, “John came to you in the way of righteousness,” there are several possible dimensions to His statement. John himself may be understood as a righteous servant of God, or as one who taught others the way of a righteousness. Most importantly, however, John played a vital role in God's plan of salvation by preparing the way for Christ. Pastors O’Donnel and Wendt remind us John the Baptist’s message pointed people toward repentance and ultimately toward Jesus, in whom true righteousness is found. The religious leaders had heard John's message and had witnessed the response of others, yet they refused to change their minds and believe. Their words said one thing, but their lives demonstrated another.
This parable speaks powerfully to us as members of the body of Christ. You see, we may say all the right things and still fail to live according to what we profess. We can talk about faith, love, compassion, grace, mercy, and the Gospel, but our faith is meant to be lived out in the way we treat people and in the choices we make every day. We are called to be doers, not merely sayers. Our lives should give visible evidence of the faith we claim to possess. What we say with our mouths should be consistent with what people see in our lives. Our obedience does not earn God's love or salvation, but genuine faith should produce a life that increasingly reflects the One in whom we have placed our faith.
That means we cannot allow inconvenience, discomfort, social differences, or fear to keep us from the people God places in our lives. We should not avoid those who are suffering simply because their circumstances are difficult. We should not turn away from the needy because helping them might cost us time, money, comfort, or energy. We should not distance ourselves from people simply because they do not believe as we believe. Instead, we are called to reach out in love. Jesus demonstrated this repeatedly. He went toward the hurting, the rejected, the poor, the sick, and the people society often pushed aside. He did not compromise the truth, but that does not mean He withholds his compassion for those who are broken and continuously let Him down.
As the body of Christ, we are called to do the same. We serve because Christ served us. We love because He first loved us. We show mercy because we have received mercy. And when God gives us an opportunity to speak about our faith, we should be willing to share the good news of the Gospel. Our witness should not consist only of words, but neither should we assume that our actions alone are enough. We are called to both live the Gospel and proclaim the Gospel. Our lives should demonstrate the reality of our faith, and our words should point people to Jesus.
In that sense, the Church is called to be a voice crying in the wilderness. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ by calling people to repentance and pointing them toward the One who was coming. We are now called and given the responsibility of pointing people toward the Christ who has come, died for our sins, risen again, and offers salvation to all who believe. We do that not merely from a pulpit or inside a church building, but in our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, communities, and everyday encounters with the people God places in our lives.
Ultimately, the Parable of the Two Sons challenges us to examine whether our lives match our words. It is easy to say, “Yes, Lord,” but the question is whether we actually go into the vineyard and do what our Father has called us to do. The body of Christ glorifies God not simply by talking about Him, but by living in obedience to him, serving others in love, caring for those who are hurting, welcoming those who feel forgotten, and faithfully sharing the good news of Jesus whenever God gives us the opportunity. Our lives should become a living testimony to the One we claim to follow. We are called to be more than people who speak about Christ; we are called to be His voice in a world that desperately needs to see and hear the truth of the Gospel.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. The one by whose authority sin, death, and the devil have been conquered. AMEN
Pentecost 19 October 4, 2026
Sermon Text: Matthew 21:33-46
Pastor John Hazzard
“The Parable of the Wicked Tenants”
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
The common thread that runs through our readings this morning is the question of whether the Lord will find faithfulness, justice, and fruitfulness in His people or whether He will find a wasteland like that old vineyard, Israel.
As we heard in our first reading of Isaiah this morning, Israel was like a very fertile vineyard that was nevertheless essentially fruitless. God did everything for His Old Testament covenant people. He planted them, defended them, cared for them, and loved them. In other words, He made the vineyard fertile and gave them every opportunity to produce a good harvest. God was faithful, yet Israel was faithless. The Lord expected justice and righteousness, but instead He found the wild crop of idolatry, bloodshed, and cries of distress.
Unfortunately, this has been a pattern for Israel and for us, as His chosen people, again and again throughout history. We may never fully appreciate the magnitude of our own unfaithfulness, just as Israel failed to comprehend theirs. Yet, we can repent. We can return to the Lord. And we see that God remains faithful even when we are not. As Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” This verse reassures us that God's faithfulness does not depend upon our consistency, performance, or perfection. His faithfulness is rooted in His unchanging character. Thank God that it does not depend on us.
We may boast, “We are the Church,” just as Israel was tempted to find confidence merely in its privileged position as God's covenant people. We may even think that we have some personal reason to be confident before God, but none of this is what our hope is based on. As Paul came to understand, our confidence cannot rest upon our pedigree, our religious position, our accomplishments, or our own righteousness. Knowing Christ and Him crucified is the answer. Christ’s righteousness is what matters. You see, our only hope is that His righteousness becomes ours through faith in Him. Apart from Christ, we have nothing to boast about.
This is the setting in which we should hear Jesus' parable of the Wicked Vineyard Tenants in Matthew 21:33–46. Jesus tells the story of a landowner who carefully prepared a vineyard. He planted that vineyard with choice vines, placed a protective hedge around it, dug a winepress, and built a watchtower. He then entrusted the vineyard to tenants and went away.
Every detail of Jesus’ parable emphasizes the generosity and care of the landowner. He did not give the tenants an undeveloped field and then demand fruit from them. He provided them with everything necessary for the vineyard to prosper. He planted it, protected it, equipped it, and entrusted it to others. The tenants were, therefore, responsible for caring for what had been entrusted to them, and when harvest time came, they were expected to give the landowner the fruit that rightfully belonged to him.
The vineyard represents Israel, God's covenant people, whom He had chosen, cultivated, protected, and blessed. Throughout Israel's history, God had demonstrated His faithfulness by delivering His people from slavery in Egypt, leading them into the Promised Land, protecting them from their enemies, providing for them in their time of need, giving them His Law, and repeatedly calling them back to Himself whenever they wandered. The hedge around the vineyard is a picture God's providential care and protection of His people, while the careful preparation of the vineyard illustrates the abundance of what God had provided.
God had every right to expect fruit from His vineyard. He expected faithfulness, obedience, righteousness, justice, and worship of Him alone. Yet Israel repeatedly turned away from God through idolatry and disobedience. The problem was not that God had failed to provide what His people needed. The problem was that His people had failed to respond faithfully to what God had so graciously given them.
When harvest time came, the landowner sent servants to collect the fruit, but the tenants seized them, beat some, killed others, and stoned others. These servants represent the prophets whom God repeatedly sent to Israel throughout the Old Testament. The prophets came bearing God's Word. They called the people and their leaders to repentance, faithfulness, justice, righteousness, and to exclusively worship of the Lord. Yet many of God's messengers were rejected, persecuted, mistreated, and killed by their own countrymen in very heinous ways.
The pattern in Jesus' parable reflects the long history of Israel's rejection of the prophetic word. Yet notice the patience of the landowner. God did not abandon His people after their first act of rebellion. He continued to send His messengers. He continued to call them back. He continued to give them opportunities to repent. The history of Israel is therefore not only a history of human rebellion, it is also a testimony to the extraordinary patience, mercy, and faithfulness of God.
Finally, the landowner sent his son, saying, “They will respect my son.” This is the central point of the parable. The son represents Jesus Christ, the beloved and unique Son of God. The tenants, however, said, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” They seized the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Jesus was revealing that He himself was the Son whom the religious leaders were about to reject. The parable therefore moves beyond Israel's rejection of the prophets and points directly toward Christ's coming crucifixion. The tenants' rejection of the son represents the rejection of Jesus by those who refused to recognize Him as the long-awaited Messiah.
The timing of Jesus' teaching makes this even more significant. Jesus had entered Jerusalem on what we traditionally understand as Palm Sunday, when the crowds welcomed Him with cries of “Hosanna.” In the days that followed, he confronted the fruitlessness of Israel's religious leadership, symbolized by the judgment upon the fig tree. He cleansed the temple and confronted the religious leaders who had turned His Father's house into a place of corruption. It was in this setting that Jesus told the Parable of the Wicked Vineyard Tenants.
The parable speaks directly to the spiritual condition of the Jewish religious leaders standing before Him. The very pattern that had characterized Israel's history—the rejection of God's messengers—was reaching its climax. The prophets had been rejected, and now the Son of God Himself stood before them. Within days, Jesus would be rejected, handed over, crucified, and killed. And yet, even here, God's grace and sovereignty are evident. The rejection and death of the Son would not bring God's purposes to an end.
Jesus asks the religious leaders what the landowner will do to those wicked tenants. They answer that he will destroy those wicked men and lease the vineyard to others who will give him the fruit at the proper time. Jesus then turns their own answer back upon them. He declares that the kingdom of God will be taken from them and given to a people producing its fruits. Then to emphasize His point even more, Jesus quotes Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The rejected stone is Jesus Himself. The One whom the leaders reject is the One whom God establishes as the foundation of His plan of salvation for all of Humanity.
This is the great paradox at the heart of the Gospel. The Son is rejected, yet He becomes the cornerstone. He is cast out, yet God makes Him foundational. He is crucified, yet through His death and resurrection God accomplishes His saving purpose. The message, therefore, is not simply that Israel had failed morally. It is specifically a warning concerning the rejection of God's Messiah and the consequences of refusing the Son whom God had sent. The vineyard had been entrusted to them, but privilege without faithfulness does not produce fruit. Being near the things of God is not the same as belonging to God.
This is what makes this warning so personal. A vineyard that produces only bad fruit is ultimately a wasted vineyard. The warning of Scripture is that the Lord will not allow His vineyard to remain forever barren. God’s Israel is the people who belong to Christ and become a new creation through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul describes in Galatians 6:14–16 they should pay careful attention to what the Lord did with the vineyard of old.
Being born in Israel did not make someone a child of God any more than standing in a vineyard makes someone a grapevine. Religious pedigree cannot save us. Heritage cannot save us. Church membership cannot save us. Our own righteousness cannot save us. Paul understood this personally. He had every reason, humanly possible, to boast in his pedigree and religious accomplishments, yet he placed no confidence in them. His entire confidence was in Christ, His death, and His resurrection. Paul understood that Christ alone is the means of attaining the resurrection from the dead.
The most tragic form of barrenness, then, is the rejection of Jesus as the Christ. Israel had received God's promises, His covenant, His Law, His prophets, His protection, and His presence, yet the leaders ultimately rejected the Son Himself. The vineyard had been richly prepared, but its tenants refused to give the owner what belonged to Him. They rejected the prophets, and finally they rejected the Son. Yet the very One who was rejected by His own people became, by “the Lord's doing,” the cornerstone. The rejection of Christ did not defeat God's purpose. Instead, through the cross and resurrection, God established Christ as the foundation of His Church, and the blessings of God's kingdom would now extend to the nations.
The promise and warning of Isaiah's vineyard, therefore, finds their fulfillment in Christ. The Lord's vineyard is no longer understood merely in terms of one nation according to the flesh. Through Christ, people from every nation are brought into God's covenant people. What was once centered in Israel now extends throughout the world. The whole world has become God's vineyard, and those who have been entrusted with His grace are called to bear fruit worthy of the One who planted it.
So, the question that confronts us this morning is not merely, “What happened to Israel?” The question is, “What kind of fruit is being produced in us?” We should never imagine that simply being called Christians, or belonging to the Church, is enough. Our confidence is not in ourselves. Our confidence is in Christ. We are fruitful only because we have been united to Him, the true cornerstone, and because His life produces fruit in those who belong to Him.
The Lord has planted His vineyard. He has provided everything necessary. He has been patient with us. He has sent His Word to us. And He has given us His Son.
May He therefore find in us what He sought from His vineyard of old: not wild grapes, but the fruit of faith; not injustice, but righteousness; not rebellion, but obedience; not barrenness, but fruitfulness. And above all, we may never reject the Son.
Let us Pray: Gracious God, you gave Your Son into the hands of sinful men who killed Him. I pray with all my heart that you forgive us when we reject or forget about Your unfailing love and grant us the fullness of Your salvation. We give thanks to the Lord, for You are good; for Your steadfast love endures forever! Let us always remember that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever! AMEN
Reformation Sunday October 25, 2026
Sermon Text - ROMANS 3:19-28 and JOHN 8:31-36
Pastor John Hazzard
“This Above All We Believe”
GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR CRUCIFIED AND RISEN LORD AND SAVIOUR - JESUS THE CHRIST
Each year Reformation Sunday loudly proclaims the very foundation of Christ’s Church. It celebrates the 16th Century Reformation that completely reshaped the Christian Church by taking it back to its 1st Century roots in God’s Word, but Reformation Sunday is far more than that; it shines the Light of Faith on those sacred roots in the three cardinal doctrines of Christian Faith and Life, Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), and Sola Fide (Faith Alone).
The Reformation didn’t happen overnight. The events that led to it were shaped by generations of people who stood up for what they believed was the truth. Long before Martin Luther became known for challenging the church on October 31, 1517, others had already begun questioning its teachings and practices.
The “Great Schism,” the name used to describe the theological and cultural separation of the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches, weakened the authority of the papacy, while early reformers like John Wycliffe and Jan Hus spoke out against problems within the church. Wycliffe wanted people to have access to the Bible in their own language, and Hus challenged the corruption he saw among church leaders. Both faced serious consequences for their beliefs, and Hus was eventually burned at the stake.
Luther could have faced a similar fate, but he had the support of Frederick III of Saxony, a powerful German prince-elector. In fact, he was one of seven men who were responsible for choosing the Holy Roman Emperor. It was for this reason that Fredrick III was able to protect Luther from the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. At the same time, Gutenberg’s printing press made it possible for ideas and writings to spread much more quickly, helping Luther’s message reach people across Europe. Today we would say that his message went viral. All these events came together to help spark the Protestant Reformation, as people began questioning whether the church had strayed from the teachings of the Bible.
As we remember the Reformation today, we are reminded of the three important truths at the heart of the Protestant faith: Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Sola Scriptura. This means that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and that Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. These truths continue to remind us that our salvation rests not on our own efforts, but on the grace of God and our faith in Him.
SOLA GRATIA
Sola Gratia, or Grace Alone, reminds us that God’s love for us is a gift we neither deserve nor can ever earn. God created us in His own image because He desires to love us and live in a relationship with us, both now and for all eternity. From the very beginning, God gave us the precious gifts of life, a soul, and the ability to know Him, love Him, and live in a relationship with Him. None of this was something we earned or achieved for ourselves. It was given to us simply because of God’s great love for us.
Sadly, it didn’t take long for humanity to turn away from this wonderful gift. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they chose to go against God’s will and put their own desires ahead of trusting Him. Through sin and temptation, humanity’s relationship with God was broken, and the perfect fellowship we were created to enjoy was damaged. Yet, even when we turned away from Him, God did not turn away from us. He did not abandon us or take back His love. Instead, He continued to reach out to us, offering us an even greater gift through His Son, Jesus Christ. As we hear in our Epistle reading, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” yet we “are now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” What an amazing expression of God’s love! Even though we have sinned and fallen short of His glory, God offers us forgiveness, redemption, and the promise of eternal life through Jesus. This is the heart of Sola Gratia—Grace Alone. It reminds us that we cannot earn our salvation through our good work, our accomplishments, or our own efforts. Salvation is a gift from God, freely given out of His great love and received through faith. On this Reformation Sunday, we are reminded that God’s grace is not something we achieve, but something we receive with thankful hearts. We stand in the light of this wonderful truth: we are saved not because of what we have done for God, but because of what God, through His grace, has done for us in Jesus Christ.
SOLA SCRIPTURA
Usually, when we receive a gift, it comes with a card or note telling us who gave it to us and why. If the gift needs to be put together or requires special knowledge to use, it may also come with a booklet of instructions to help us understand how it works and how to make the most of it. In many ways, Sola Scriptura, or Scripture Alone, is God’s wonderful gift of communication to us. The Holy Bible is like a divine card that reveals who Jesus Christ is and why He came into the world, and it is our sacred guide for learning how to live in Christ and follow the path God has set before us.
Through His Word, God shows us the truth about our relationship with Him and our need for His love and forgiveness. The Law reveals our sins and reminds us that we fall short of what God desires for us. The Gospel brings us the Good News that, even when others may give up on us, God never does. He continues to reach out to us with His love and mercy, giving us everything we truly need through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and through the promises He gives us in Holy Scripture. These are gifts that do more than help us through our earthly lives; they restore our relationship with God and give us the promise of eternal life.
With Sola Scriptura, we believe and confess that the Holy Bible is God’s revealed Word to us, speaking through both Law and Gospel. It is the final authority for our faith and life, guiding us in what we believe, how we live, and how we understand God’s plan for our salvation. In our Gospel reading this morning, Jesus promises, “If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Jesus calls us to be His students, continually learning from Him and growing in our understanding of His Word. He wants us to study Scripture, not simply to gain knowledge, but to know Him more deeply and to discover the freedom that comes through His truth. The truth Jesus offers is not just another set of ideas or instructions; it is the truth that frees us from the power of sin and points us toward the life God intends for us.
We see this truth most clearly in Jesus Himself. We see it in the way He lived among us as God in human flesh, in the things He taught, in the love and compassion He showed through His actions, and ultimately in the way He willingly offered His perfect life as the sacrifice for our sins on the cross. Jesus is the living Word of God, and through Him, we see the depth of God’s love and the lengths to which God was willing to go to save us. The Bible reveals this wonderful story of God’s love, from His promises throughout history to their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Even the words Bible and Holy help us understand the special gift God has given us. The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblos, pronounced “BEE-bloss,” meaning “book.” The word Holy describes something set apart by God for His special purpose. We see this throughout our Christian faith in Holy Baptism, where our sins are washed away and we are welcomed as God’s people; in Holy Communion, where we receive the gifts of our Lord and Savior; in the Holy Christian Church, where God’s people gather in His name; and in Holy Matrimony, where marriage is established as a sacred union under God. In the same way, the Holy Bible is a gift set apart by God as His means of communicating His Word, His promises, and His will to us.
This is the heart of Sola Scriptura—Scripture Alone. God has given us His Word to guide us, teach us, correct us, and strengthen us in faith. Through Scripture, we learn who God is, who we are, and what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. The Word of God has been written for us in Holy Scripture and made known to us in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. What a wonderful gift God has given us! His Word does not leave us to find our own way through life but points us toward Christ and shows us the path of faith God calls us to follow. Sola Scriptura reminds us that God has given us the truth we need in His Word, so that we may know Christ, trust His promises, and live in the freedom of His grace.
SOLA FIDE
Sola Fide, or Faith Alone, reminds us that God’s wonderful gifts become living and active in our lives through faith. These gifts are not simply things we know about or hear about; they are gifts we are called to trust and receive with our whole hearts. More importantly, our faith is not simply a belief in the gifts themselves, but a complete trust in the Giver of those gifts—God Himself. Through faith, we receive His promises, trust in His forgiveness, and live in the assurance of His love for us, both now and for all eternity. And the wonderful news is that even this faith is a gift from God, something we cannot earn or produce through our own efforts. As Martin Luther so beautifully confessed in his Explanation to the Third Article of the Creed, “I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith.” What a wondrous gift this is! God not only gives us His grace and His Word but also gives us the faith through which we trust in His promises and receive His saving love.
This morning, our chancel is glowing with the color red, a color rich with meaning for our Christian faith. Red reminds us of the flames of fire through which the Holy Spirit empowered God’s people on Pentecost and continues to strengthen His people today. It represents the holy fire of the Spirit, burning away the garbage of faithlessness and sin while awakening and strengthening our faith and empowering us to live faithfully as God’s people. Red also reminds us of the blood Jesus shed on the cross for our redemption, as well as the blood of the martyrs who were willing to suffer and die for the faith the Holy Spirit had given them. Their courage reminds us that faith is not something we create within ourselves, but a precious gift from God, one that the Spirit continues to nurture and strengthen in us each day.
As we look at our paraments and banners, we see the dove and flames representing the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible proclaiming the infallible Word of God, and the Holy Christian Church symbolized by an old galley ship. This ship gives us a wonderful picture of our life together as God’s people. Jesus Christ Himself is the captain, leading and directing His Church toward the destination He has prepared for us. The Word of God sets the direction and the cadence, much like the drummer who keeps the rowers moving together in rhythm. And who are the rowers? You and me, along with all of God’s people, are gifted by His grace and strengthened through faith to serve Him and carry His Word into the world. We do not travel this journey alone, nor do we set our own course. We follow our Lord Jesus, guided by His Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Through these three great truths of the Reformation—Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura, and Sola Fide—we are reminded of how blessed we are to be Children of the Living God. He gives us His grace, His Word, and the gift of faith through which we trust in Him and receive His promises. Together, these truths reveal the loving relationship God desires to share with each of us and with all of us, both now and throughout eternity. What wondrous gifts we have been given! We have every reason to celebrate God’s grace, cherish His Word, and give thanks for the faith He has planted and nurtured within us. These are not gifts to celebrate only on Reformation Sunday, but gifts to treasure and live by every day of our lives, now and eternally.
As we proclaim in our mission statement each Sunday, “The mission to which the Lord has called us as Resurrection Lutheran Church is to lovingly and faithfully proclaim the Word of God as revealed incarnately in Jesus Christ and inerrantly in the Holy Bible.” May God continue to strengthen us through His grace, guide us through His Word, and sustain us through the gift of faith, so that together we may faithfully proclaim Christ’s love to the world. For these are the gifts that ground our faith, unite us as His Church, and lead us in the promise of eternal life. Thanks be to God for His wonderful gifts of Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, and Faith Alone!
THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSES ALL HUMAN UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS - OUR LORD AND SAVIOR WHO GIVES US HIMSELF AND THE GIFTS THAT TRULY MATTER NOW AND ETERNALLY. AMEN.
Pentecost 20 October 11, 2026
Sermon Text: Matthew 22:1-14
Pastor John Hazzard
“Parable of the Wedding Feast”
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from our savior Jesus Christ.
Today in our Gospel text, we hear the last of three parables Jesus delivers concerning the ultimate judgment that God will bring upon those who reject Him and His only Son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent into the world to save. Before we get into today’s parable, I want to give you a sense of just how quickly the events are unfolding as Jesus moves toward the cross where He will be crucified.
On Saturday, Jesus arrives at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus as He and His disciples prepare to celebrate the Feast of Passover in nearby Jerusalem. On Sunday, He spends time just outside of Jerusalem preaching to the great multitudes of pilgrims who have gathered for the feast. Then, on Monday, Jesus enters Jerusalem humbly, riding on the colt of a donkey, while the people shout, “Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest!” These people wanted to believe with all their hearts that Jesus was going to be their military Messiah, the one who would come and deliver them from Roman occupation. Instead of attacking the Romans, Jesus turns His attention toward the corrupt Jewish religious system. On Tuesday, He cleanses the Temple, driving out the merchants and money changers who turned His Father’s house into a “den of thieves.” Then we come to Wednesday, just a matter of hours before the religious leaders will turn Jesus over to the Roman authorities to be put to death.
In response to Jesus’ actions and to the sudden attention the people had been giving Him, the Jewish religious leaders challenged Him by asking, “By whose authority do you do these things?” It was at this point that Jesus responds with a trilogy of parables, each one making clear that God’s ultimate judgment is not based upon outward appearances, religious credentials, self-righteousness, or indifference. God looks at the condition of the heart. Today, we hear the last of those three parables, The Parable of the Wedding Feast.
Jesus proclaimed in His parable, “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”
In the first part of Jesus’ parable, we hear something that is truly remarkable. The king personally invited guests to come to the banquet, but they refused to come, returned to their work, while others abused and even killed the king’s servants.
All of those listening to this parable at that time would have found this hard to believe. I am sure many were thinking, who in their right mind would turn down an invitation to a marriage feast, especially one conducted by the king himself.
In early Jewish culture wedding feasts lasted for days. This means that guests would be fed and cared for by the king for an extended period of time. Additionally, who in their right mind would turn down the king’s invitation when doing so may have had deadly consequences. Even if people had to turn down the wedding invitation, most would doubt that anyone would be foolish enough to kill the king’s servants.
People in the parable are so appalled by the invitation that they would rather reject those who bring the message or, worse yet, see them dead, than accept the invitation themselves. They hate the king so much that they would rather die than sit down at his table and enjoy his magnificent meal. Today, these are the people who are set on publicly mocking God, silencing the voice of the Church, and martyring Christians.
As far-fetched as this may have seemed to all those listening, this is exactly what happened. Even today, people are invited to the greatest of all wedding feasts, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb described in Revelation Chapter 19. This Marriage Supper is a prophetic, end-time celebration that symbolizes the final and eternal union between Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, and those who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior—the Bride, or the Church. Yet, as wonderful and eternal as this Marriage Supper is going to be, there will be some who will not be there because of their lack of interest. They care more about the secular things of this world than securing a seat at the table.
Sadly, people get so caught up in the demands and distractions of their day-to-day lives that they fail to recognize, or simply ignore, God's call to enter into a right relationship with Him. These people choose today over forever. Work, family, possessions, entertainment, ambitions, and the endless concerns of this life can consume so much of our attention that we leave little or no room for the One who gave us life in the first place. Yet, God's invitation still stands. He calls us to turn from the things that compete for our hearts and to come into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. The invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is not merely an invitation to an event; it is an invitation to know God, to belong to Him, and to share in His eternal kingdom. The question we should ask ourselves right now is if we are allowing ourselves to be so consumed by the things of this world that we miss the invitation to the eternal celebration that awaits those who respond to God’s gracious invitation.
Once the king heard that the people he invited ignored him and what they did to his servants, he became angry and destroyed the murders and burned their city. As we think about this part of Jesus’ parable we can’t help but think about the destruction of Jerusalem, both its people and the temple itself, in 70 AD. Interestingly enough the historian Josephus recorded that close to a million Jews had been killed and another 97,000 were forced into slavery by the Romans. This attests to the depth of meaning and significance that we find in Jesus’ parables.
Once the king washes his hands of those he had first invited, he then orders his servants to go out and invite all who are willing to come. The wedding hall was filled with both bad and good guests. This gathering of both “good and bad” points to the fact that God’s invitation to salvation is open to everyone without exception. God loves us, “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” He loves us so much that He has given us His Word and Sacraments and the assistance of the holy spirit so that we understand the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He died, was raised on third day, took on our sin, and became the perfect sacrifice so that we are justified and can be found righteous before a Holy God. All we need to do is by faith except God’s invitation with a repentant heart.
Even though we have these truths, there are those who do not believe or take time to hear and understand the good news of the Gospel. This is precisely the condition of the man whom the king describes as having no wedding garment. It was for this reason that we hear, 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The reference to the person who was not wearing the appropriate wedding garment is puzzling to many. It has nothing to do with the possibility that the rejected guest could not afford such a garment, because if a garment were required, it would have been the host’s responsibility to provide one. Nor is this passage a backhanded attempt to reestablish the idea of salvation by good works. Rather, this passage speaks to the person who wishes to participate in God’s banquet of grace but has no desire to respond through servant discipleship. In this situation, we find exactly what the king found in the man who had no wedding garment: he was not clothed in righteousness. This man seems to have believed that there was no real need for faith. All that was necessary was simply to show up. Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave a name to this dangerous misconception: he called it “cheap grace.”
Cheap grace is the idea that all we must do is simply show up on Sunday mornings. Those who possess this understanding of grace believe that God’s love and forgiveness are free gifts that require nothing from the so-called believer. Bonhoeffer described cheap grace as the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, grace without discipleship, communion without confession, and absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is a grace that we dangerously bestow upon ourselves. It allows us to feel religious without having to take up our cross, a cross that requires us to sacrifice our comfort, our status, and, especially, our self-interest. Cheap grace justifies the sin instead of transforming the sinner. It offers forgiveness without a change of heart.
For Lutherans, cheap grace refers to the flawed idea that God’s forgiveness is a free pass to continue living in sin without true repentance, discipleship, or a changed life. It is grace separated from the life of faith. It is forgiveness separated from transformation. It is the desire to receive the benefits of Christ without the willingness to follow Christ.
This stands in stark contrast to what we might call “costly grace.” Costly grace is the gospel that must be sought again and again, the gift that must be asked for, and the door at which a person must knock. It is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. Yet, it is grace because it gives us life. As Bonhoeffer reminds us, it is “grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate” that leads us away from the true nature of the Gospel.
Cheap grace can lead us dangerously into expecting forgiveness without repentance, communion without confession, and salvation without discipleship. It can cause us to ignore God’s Great Commandment: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul. It can also cause us to neglect the Great Commission—to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded.
The passage, then, speaks directly to the person who wishes to participate in God’s banquet of grace but has no desire to respond with servant discipleship. The message of these verses is not that we earn our place at God’s banquet through our own righteousness. Rather, God’s Kingdom is marked by a complete change of heart and mind—a change that is demonstrated outwardly through a life of faith toward God and love for our neighbor, produced by God’s own Spirit working within us.
Just as Paul affirms in Galatians 3:27, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” To be clothed in Christ is to receive what we could never provide for ourselves. In living the life of faith, we do not trust in our own merit, worthiness, or good work. Instead, we look to Christ alone. We seek to be clothed in His righteousness, trusting in the promise that He has given us. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:1–4, our hope is not found in what we can accomplish for ourselves, but in what God has accomplished for us through Christ.
The wedding garment, then, points us toward the very heart of the Gospel. We do not come to the banquet because we are worthy. We come because Christ has invited us. We do not clothe ourselves in righteousness. Christ clothes us in His righteousness. But having received that grace, we are called to live as His disciples. Grace is freely given, but it is never cheap. It calls us to repentance, to faith, to service, to love, and ultimately to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in our crucified and risen Lord and Savior; Jesus the Christ. The one whom we will honor eternally at the Great Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Pentecost 21 October 18, 2026
Text—Matthew 22:15-22
Pastor John Hazzard
“Give to God the Things That Are God’s”
Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ memorable teaching on Matthew 22:15-22, his brilliant wisdom is on full display when he’s faced with a political and theological trap designed to destroy his ministry. Confronted by an unlikely alliance of Pharisees and Herodians, Jesus is asked a loaded question: is it lawful to pay taxes to the oppressive Emperor Ceasar? As our Gospel text unfolds, we see that Jesus’ answer cleverly avoids their political snare, while delivering an important theological truth that truly defines the boundaries of what it means to live as a child of God. By demonstrating that the coin belongs to Ceasar because it bears his physical image, Jesus shifts the focus to a much greater reality: humanity belongs exclusively to God because we bear the divine image of our Creator.
Ultimately, we must remember that while we owe the state our civil duty and taxes, we owe our very souls, our worship, and our ultimate allegiance to God alone. Living out this double allegiance is one of the greatest challenges we face as Christians. To see how Jesus navigates the trap that was set before Him, let’s begin to examine the desperate strategy used by his opponents to force him into a political corner.
It is obvious that the religious leaders, the Pharisees, and Jewish officials, the Herodians, considered Jesus to be a threat to their authority. These two groups of leaders normally had nothing to do with each other. The Herodians were those officials who were loyal to King Herod and were more than willing to cooperate with the Roman authorities to maintain their favored status and position. The Pharisees viewed king Herod and his officials, the Herodians, as nothing more than immoral traitors. So, when they plotted together to trick Jesus, they finally found something they both had in common, eliminating Jesus. They saw Jesus as someone who was both undermining their religious authority and causing unrest that would draw negative attention from Rome.
These Herodian/Pharisaic underlings tried to disguise their identities and their intentions when they began to flatter Jesus before asking Him the question they felt would discredit Him no matter how he responded. As many wolves in sheep’s clothing do, they started their question with flattery saying, “…Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” No truer description could be spoken. I am sure they were trying to butter Jesus up so that he would let his guard down by responding in a way that would either discredit or incriminate him. It is amazing to think about how hard people work and what they are willing to go through to maintain or advance themselves in their various cultural settings while sacrificing the time they spend studying, worshipping, and communing with God.
Jesus saw right through the trap and refused to respond directly to their disingenuous question. But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Unfortunately, through most of Christian history, Christians have not totally understood the important point Jesus so cleverly made in His amazing response. Some Christians have come to the wrong conclusion that Jesus was trying to say that there is a clear division between the Church and the State, between the secular and the sacred.
Sadly, that same misunderstanding continues to exist in our world today. There are many people who believe that faith and everyday life should be kept in separate compartments, that religion belongs to the church on Sunday morning but has no place in the public square the rest of the week. They believe that faith is a private matter, something to be practiced within the walls of the church but not brought into our schools, our workplaces, our government, or the decisions that shape our society. In their minds, there ought to be a clear dividing line between the sacred and the secular, between what belongs to God and what belongs to the world. But is that really what Jesus was teaching when He said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s”?
So, if Jesus was not teaching us to draw a sharp dividing line between the sacred and the secular, between our faith and our everyday lives, how then are we to understand His words? It is easy for people today to fall into one of two extremes. The first is to withdraw from the world altogether, believing that the best way to remain faithful to God is to separate ourselves from the people, responsibilities, and affairs of everyday life. Martin Luther came to understand the error in this kind of thinking. Having once devoted himself to monastic life, Luther eventually came to see that serving God was not limited to a monastery, a church building, or a life removed from the world. God calls His people to live out their faith in the very places where he has placed them. We are called to serve our neighbors, fulfill our responsibilities, care for those in need, and bear witness to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our faith is not something we put up on Sunday morning and take off when we leave the church. Our faith should be what shapes the way we live every day of our lives.
The other extreme is just as dangerous. Rather than withdrawing from the world, some become so absorbed in its values, expectations, and opinions that they gradually push God aside. When the teachings of Scripture conflict with popular opinion, they choose the approval of the world over the Word of God. Some even become uncomfortable, offended, or outraged at the suggestion that God has a claim upon their lives and that His Word should guide their decisions. In such a world, faith is welcomed as long as it remains private, as long as it stays within the walls of the church, and as long as it does not challenge the way people choose to live.
But brothers and sisters in Christ, neither of these extremes reflects the fullness of our calling. We are not called to abandon the world, nor are we called to surrender our faith to it. We are called to live in the world as people who belong to God. We are citizens of an earthly kingdom, with responsibilities to our families, our communities, and our governing authorities. At the same time, we are citizens of the heavenly kingdom, redeemed by Christ and called to live according to His Word. We live here on earth, but our identity, our hope, and our ultimate allegiance are found in Jesus Christ. This is where Martin Luther’s teaching on the two kingdoms helps us understand the words of Jesus in our Gospel lesson. God works through earthly authorities to maintain order and serve the needs of this world, even when those authorities do not know Him or acknowledge His purposes. We see this in the story of King Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus was not a king of Israel, nor was he a faithful part of God’s covenant people in the same way as His chosen people were. Yet God used him to accomplish his purposes by allowing the Israelites to return from exile and rebuild Jerusalem. The Lord was not limited by Cyrus’s knowledge of Him, nor was His sovereign power diminished because a foreign ruler occupied the throne. God remained in control, working through earthly events to care for His people and fulfill His promises.
The same truth reminds us that God can work through earthly authorities even when those authorities do not share our faith. As Christians, we are called to respect legitimate governing authority, fulfill our civic responsibilities, and serve our neighbors faithfully. Yet our obedience to earthly rulers is never greater than our obedience to God. When the demands of the world conflict with the clear teaching of God's Word, we must remember who holds ultimate authority over our lives.
Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees and Herodians, then, is not an invitation to divide our lives into two separate compartments, one belonging to God and the other belonging to the world. He is teaching us to recognize that earthly authority has its place, but it is never absolute. We may owe Caesar our taxes, our civic duties, and respect due to lawful authority. However, we owe God something far greater. We owe Him our worship, our obedience, our love, and our very lives.
And this brings us to the most important part of Jesus’ answer: “And to God the things that are God’s.” At first, these words might seem rather simple. After all, we understand that we should give God what belongs to Him. But have we ever stopped to ask ourselves what, exactly, belongs to God? What is it that we are called to render unto Him? To answer that question, we need to look again at the coin Jesus held before His accusers. The coin belonged to Caesar because it bore Caesar’s image and inscription. But if the image on the coin identified what belonged to Caesar, what does the image of God tell us about what belongs to Him? Genesis 1:27 tells us, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
It is important that we see the point Jesus made. The coin bore the image of Caesar, but you and I bear the image of our Creator. Caesar may have a claim upon a coin, but he does not have a claim upon our souls. The government may require us to pay our taxes, obey lawful regulations, and fulfill our civic responsibilities, but no earthly authority can rightfully claim the worship and ultimate allegiance that belong to God alone.
We were not created merely to exist, pursue our own desires, or satisfy the expectations of the world around us. We were created by God and for God. Our very lives are gifts from our Creator, and our identity is rooted in the fact that we bear His image. This means that our faith cannot be confined to Sunday morning service. It must shape how we speak to one another, how we conduct ourselves at work, how we treat our neighbors, how we raise our children, how we respond to those who disagree with us, and how we make the decisions that shape our lives.
When we leave this sanctuary, we do not leave God behind. When we enter our workplaces, our schools, our communities, or the public square, we do not stop being Christians. We do not have one set of values for Sunday morning and another for the rest of the week. The God we worship here is the same God who calls us to serve faithfully wherever we go. Our Christian faith is not simply one part of our lives; it is the foundation upon which every part of our lives is to be built. And we do all of this, not because we believe that our good works will earn God's favor, but because God has already shown His love for us through Jesus Christ. We do not obey God in order to purchase our salvation. We obey Him because, in Christ, we have received the gift of salvation. Our love and obedience are the fruits of faith, the grateful response of people who know that they belong to the Lord.
So, when the world tells us to keep our faith to ourselves, we must remember that our faith is not ours to hide away. When the world pressures us to compromise the truth of God's Word, we must remember that we belong to a kingdom that will never pass away. And when earthly authorities demand our loyalty, we must remember that our respect for them can never replace our devotion to the One who created us, redeemed us, and sustained us. As we think about today’s gospel text, I want you to look closely at the coin that is your life. We give our taxes to the government, our time to our employers, and our attention to the many responsibilities of this world. But we must never forget that our souls belong to God.
The question Jesus leaves us with is this: Are we willing to render unto God the things that are God’s? Are we willing to let His Word guide our lives, His love shape our relationships, and our faith be evident not only on Sunday morning, but every day of the week? Remember, brothers and sisters, you bear the image of the living God. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you have been forgiven and redeemed by His grace. Therefore, respect earthly authority, fulfill your earthly responsibilities, and serve your neighbor faithfully, but never give the world the devotion that belongs to God alone. So, the next time you look at a coin, remember Caesar’s image stamped upon it. Then remember the image of God stamped upon you. The coin may belong to Caesar, but you belong to God. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s. To Him alone belongs our worship, our allegiance, and our very lives.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ, our risen lord and savior. Amen
Pentecost 17 September 20, 2026
Text—Mattherw 20:1-16
Pastor John Hazzard
“The Free Gift of God’s Grace”
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
We live in a world obsessed with fairness. We want everything to be precisely calculated. It reminds me of the guy who died and stood before the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter looked at him and said, "Here’s how it works. You need 1,000 points to get in. Tell me your good deeds.” The man felt pretty confident. He said, “I attended church every Sunday, gave my tithe, and served on several committees.” Peter nodded, "Excellent! That’s 1 point.” The man gasped. "Only 1 point? Okay... I also started a soup kitchen in my city and fed hundreds of hungry people." St. Peter said, "That’s Wonderful! That’s another point." The man started sweating. "Two points?! Look, I was happily married to the same woman for more than 50 years, that’s gotta be worth more than just one point." Peter smiled, "Fantastic! That's 1 more point. You have 3 points." Total panic set in. The man cried out, "At this rate, the only way I'm getting in is by the grace of God!" Peter smiled and said, "Exactly. That's 1,000 points. Come on in."
We laugh, but the truth is, human beings absolutely hate this kind of math. We want to earn our way, and we get incredibly frustrated when someone else gets the same reward for less effort. Take what happened to Gunther when he helped his neighbors. One day, a father asked his son to help him clean out their muddy, hot garage, a grueling job that took four hours to complete. With only one hour left of cleaning, the father noticed his neighbor, Gunther Tharp, sitting idly on his porch. The father invited Gunther over to carry out the final three light boxes. Of course, Gunther jumped at the opportunity and even suggested that maybe they could go get ice cream once they were done. When they finished the job, the dad took both boys to Dairy Queen. He bought Gunther a large, premium Blizzard with extra toppings. And then, he turned to his son and bought him the exact same large Blizzard. The boy threw a fit. "I worked four times harder than Gunther in all of this heat!" Gunther turned to the boy and said, “Cheer up, if it wasn’t for me, your dad would have never thought to buy us ice cream. The boy focused entirely on Gunther’s unearned reward rather than enjoying the sweet, cold treat his father freely bought for him. This is precisely the human heart condition Jesus exposes in his parable of the vineyard workers.
Jesus tells us that a master went out and hired workers for his vineyard at various times throughout the day some at 9:00 in the morning, some at noon, and others at 3:00 and 5:00 in the evening. The master agreed to pay the first group a denarius and promised what was right for the rest. Then the time finally came for the workers to be paid what was owed to them. Shockingly, all the workers received a full denarius regardless of when they started. The early workers grumbled when they received the same wage as those that showed up late. They were quick to point out how they worked longer through the heat of the day, but the master defended his generosity. Jesus concluded His story by stating, "So the last will be first, and the first last."
What a remarkable story. As you can imagine, the disciples and all those listening must have been shocked about what they had just heard. I can only imagine what they were thinking. “That’s not fair, those hired early in the morning worked much longer than those hired in the last hour of the day.” “Ya, not only that, but the early workers had to toil in the hot sun while the ‘Johnny come lately’ came just in time to put everything away.”
For most of us, this makes no sense at all: if you want something in this world you are going to have to earn it. It is the way everything in this world seems to work. At our job, if we want to get paid, we need to work. If we want a promotion or a pay raise, we must work harder than those around us. At the grocery store if you want to take your groceries home, including that pumpkin pie you bought for your husband because you know he deserves it, you have to pay at the clerk at the checkout counter. We even see this reasoning in the relationship we have with people. If we want to make friends, we must be friendly and understanding. Of course, if we do the hard work, pay the price, go out of our way to care more about those around us more than our own wants and desires, we expect to get paid in some fashion; after all what is fair is fair. This all makes perfect sense for most of us, and I imagine this might have been the message you shared with your kids as they were growing up. I know I tried to.
So, it is no surprise that people today, as well as those first century Judeans, expect God to work this way as well. For those who believe that there is a God, but don’t believe what He reveals about himself in scripture, they assume that God blesses us for the good we do and that He punishes the bad that other people do. In many cases people feel slighted or betrayed in some fashion when those around them are blessed even though they seem to do nothing good to deserve it. Most people just want to receive from God what they deserve, and I tell you be incredibly careful in what you ask for, because you just might get it. I personally do not want from God what I deserve because what I deserve is eternal damnation. Grace, God given salvation that was made possible by Jesus’ death on the cross for us even though we did nothing to deserve it, is uncomprehensible for the non-Christian world. The free gift of God’s grace is a complete reversal of everything people expect as they function in the secular world around them.
Those of us that look forward to Sunday morning ever week should know what a wonderful gift of love and mercy God’s grace is. God has revealed His grace to us in the person of Jesus Christ, and as Lutheran’s we articulate this with particular clarity when we echo what Martin Luther explained in his small catechism as he responded to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed by proclaiming, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him.” He then says: “But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel (the good news found in the scripture), enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” In other words, salvation has come to us by God’s free grace and favor. Sure, salvation is given by grace alone, not by any kind of work we might perform. It’s the Holy Spirit that comes to us and offers us the free gift of our salvation. All we have to do is accept it by faith alone.
As today’s parable unfolds, we begin to see that salvation is a gift from God, and that gift is the same for all believers, no matter when we are called. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus reminds us that God’s grace is not something we earn by the length of time we have served Him, but something He freely gives according to His goodness. The workers who came at the beginning of the day received the same wage as those who came later, illustrating that the gift of salvation is not based upon our accomplishments, how long we have followed Christ, or how much we believe we deserve. Ephesians 2:8–9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Salvation is therefore received, not earned. Whether a person comes to Christ early in life or turns to Him near the end of life, the same gracious gift of forgiveness and eternal life is offered through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 declares, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The question, then, is not how long we have worked in the vineyard, but whether we will receive the gift God has graciously provided. Like the workers in the parable, we are called to trust in the goodness of the Master and accept His gift by faith. As Romans 10:9 reminds us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” God’s grace is sufficient, His invitation is extended to all, and salvation is received by faith in Christ.
And finally, an important message we hear in the parable that is easily overlooked is that God does not give up on us. He is continuously calling us and revealing Himself to us, even when we have ignored Him, wandered away, or failed to recognize His voice. In today’s parable, the master continues to relentlessly go back to the square all day to call more workers into his vineyard. This reminds us that God’s invitation is continually being extended. He meets us where we are and calls us to Himself, regardless of how late it may seem. His patience demonstrates that He desires us to respond to His grace rather than remain separated from Him. As 2 Peter 3:9 says, “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.”
Through all of Scripture, we see that God is a God who seeks us and calls us back to Himself. Even when we turn away, He continues to pursue us with His love and mercy. Jesus says in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” God takes the initiative by drawing our hearts toward Him, revealing His truth, and giving us opportunities to respond. He also tells us in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” The image is powerful: Christ continues to knock and invites us to open the door and welcome Him into our lives.
The parable also reminds us that it is never too late to answer God's call. The workers who came at the last minute were still welcomed into the vineyard and received the master's generosity. In the same way, God does not measure us by how early or how perfectly we responded to Him, we just need to respond. What matters is that we hear His call and respond in faith. As we heard in our first lesson, Isaiah 55:6 encourages us, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” God's continued calling is evidence of His mercy. He patiently reaches out to us, reveals Himself through His Word, through others, and through the circumstances of our lives, giving us opportunity after opportunity to turn toward Him. We just need to be open and sensitive to the power of the Holy Spirit when we He is present in our lives. We shouldn’t just ignore Him and brush Him off as we go through lives. We should reach for Him as we pray, read our Bibles, and go about our life outside the walls of this Church. God’s grace reminds us that we are never beyond His reach, and His invitation remains open to those who will hear His voice and respond.
So, what should we take away from Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard? First, we should know that salvation is not something we earn; it is a gift of God’s grace. A gift that is the same for all. Secondly, this parable reminds us that God does not give up on us, His children. Like the master who repeatedly returned to the marketplace throughout the day, God continues to call us. He continues to speak through His Word, through the people He places in our lives, through prayer, and through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. His invitation does not depend upon our past failures or how late we think it may be. As long as we hear His call, there is an opportunity to turn toward Him and receive His grace.
And perhaps that is why Jesus ends this parable with those challenging words: “So the last will be first, and the first last.” In God’s kingdom, everything is turned upside down. The world tells us that we must earn what we receive, prove ourselves worthy, and make sure that everyone gets exactly what they deserve. Jesus tells us something entirely different. He tells us to trust the goodness of the Master. He tells us that His grace is greater than our failures, greater than our accomplishments, and greater than anything we could ever earn for ourselves. So let us not spend our lives comparing ourselves to others or wondering whether someone else deserves God’s grace. Instead, let us give thanks that God has chosen to be gracious to us. Let us listen for His voice, respond to His call, and live each day trusting in the mercy He has shown us through Jesus Christ. Whether we have been in the vineyard for many years or have only just heard the Master's call, the promise remains the same: God’s grace is sufficient, His mercy is abundant, and through faith in Jesus Christ, the gift of eternal life is ours. Thanks be to God for a Master who never stops calling us and who, in His great love, gives us far more than we could ever deserve. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.