Sermon Tone Analysis

Empty Chairs At Empty Tables

intro -

[thanks]

Before we begin, I want to let you know that today is not the typical Thanksgiving message.

That will happen next week.

Today, I need to take a moment to “meddle” a little.

Have you all ever been in a situation where things are just going along and then suddenly someone gets absolutely irate?

They go from 0-100 in an instant!

And all you can think to yourself is, “well that escalated quickly.”

You ever wonder why?

Such a simple question, and really, it has a super simple answer.

The answer?

Civil, adult, conversation.

That is it.

You would be surprised how many of our problems that little answer can fix!

And I want us to look into that answer today...

Matt 9:

[pray]

[firstpicslidehere…whispering secrets]

Perhaps one of the truest, if not the most timeless, aspects of the human condition is on full display in this text.

You see it right?

Now don’t look at Jesus if you want to see it, no you need to look at those people who play our role in this text - the Pharisees.

They are showing us ourselves in this moment.

So if you look back in your Bibles, what do you see about them?

This is what I see.

These teachers of the law, these folks who profess to be closer to God than those other people in their community, if not the world; they see Jesus - who they know as someone who has been walking around healing people - they see Him doing His thing, and how do they respond?

They talk to themselves.

And not just any talk.

No, I imagine that if they were saying positive and praiseworthy things to themselves that this story might not even be in the Bible!

No, they weren’t saying good stuff, really, as much as they were forming a negative opinion based on their disagreement.

But that really isn’t the worst part.

You see we all have doubts about the actions of others, and even God!

We all have moments when we just don’t understand, or even outright question.

[talk about shooting in Texas…my questions…violence in general?]

So we all question.

And for our modern day teachers of the law - us pastors - most of those questions can never be audibilized for fear of causing someone else to lose faith!

So I get it.

I really do.

So that is where these men are right now.

They are letting these thoughts, whatever they might be - maybe thoughts of anger over process or procedure - concerns over the words used instead of concerns of the message or of the actions, they were letting those things fester in their minds.

They allowed their idea of how something should be done to cloud their vision from the way that God wanted it done and in fact did it.

And more telling, they were dwelling on those thoughts instead of the thoughts of joy and wonder that would have been there had they not been so intentionally negative.

And every time he gets frustrated, he escapes by reminding himself Jesus Himself could only round up 11 people who were fully on board with what God was doing.

You know the feeling too, don’t you?

Those moments when you see the good that is supposed to be done, or worse yet, that has been done, but you disagree with the way it was done, or the person who did it, or whatever - and that clouds your vision of the miracle that happened right in front of you.

Why do we let those thoughts even enter into our minds?

I wish I had an answer, I really do.

But I don’t.

But you know what’s worse?

What’s worse in we don’t just let those thoughts in, just like these Pharisees, we actually entertain them as well!

No what do I mean by that?

Well I mean that we dwell on them.

We give them room to grow.

Instead of thinking them and then immediately reminding ourselves to have grace or to allow God room to grow in that situation, instead of that, we nurture those evil or hurtful thoughts and help them to grow.

[picoftwowolves]

That reminds me of my favorite Native American parables.

An old grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice; he said, “let me tell you a story.”

“I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.

But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy.

It is like taking a poison and wishing your enemy would die.

I have struggled with these feelings many times.”

He continued, “It is as if there are two wolves inside me.

One is good and does no harm.

He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended.

He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

But the other wolf, ah!

He is full of anger.

The littlest thing will set him into a fit of anger.

He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason.

He cannot think because of his anger and hate are so great.

It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.

Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.”

The boy looked deep into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins?”

The Grandfather smiled lovingly and whispered, “The one I feed.”

[fuzzypicofpeople]

That is us too.

And that is these pharisees here.

Our anger can blind us to the truth that is all around us, just as it did for these men who stood in the presence of a miracle.

But there’s more.

There’s more, because honestly, just hearing that we do this once isn’t enough.

And to be fair, the lesson hasn’t really yet been given!

No the real lesson comes next.

Jesus goes on from there, our text says, and sees Matthew, and He calls him to follow.

And then, church, Jesus is immediately seen going over to the house of this new disciple.

No big deal.

Just going to have a little dinner.

What’s there to be mad at?

But those old Pharisees, playing our part in this story, they come back with a vengeance.

Seeing that Jesus was doing something they didn’t agree with, those same evil thoughts came in their hearts.

I mean why wouldn’t they?

There is Jesus, reclining around a table full of sinners!

I mean why would God ever want to be around a bunch of sinners?

Why would God come to earth just to talk with those awful folks?

This was the last straw.

So they marched right over…well not to Jesus…but over to His disciples.

I mean, they wouldn’t just talk with the one they were mad at.

No, much easier to go talk to someone else, and make them mad too!

Then maybe they could all gang up on the one doing God’s work!

That’ll teach Him!

matt 9: