Of One Will
Of One Will
November 22, 1998
Luke 12:42-48
Daniel Bliss reports this epitaph on the gravestone of John Jack, whom he describes as “A Native of Africa, who died March 1773, aged about 60 years. Tho’ born in a land of slavery he was born free.” “God wills us free, man wills us slaves, I will as God wills, God’s will be done.” If we could only recognize this in all people, maybe greater justice would be served in our country, and state, and community.
But, we Americans are not familiar with justice. We have laws and police forces which help to keep us from murdering one another but they can’t unite our hearts and our minds as one. We are still bent on dominating one another. Sometimes, we even do it in the name of God if we feel we need to justify ourselves. Such clearly is abusive of our relationship with God,… but, thank God, Jesus preserves us through Word and Sacrament.
1. We are tempted… How often in human history, not just in our country, has one man abused and tyranized another in the name of God, or by claiming to act in accordance with the will of God. The Inquisition stands as an example of this kind of faithlessness.
Sadly, we are not as far removed from this kind of tyranny as we would like to believe. Within each one of us is a little anti-Christ that just wants to assert itself, as though God had died and left us in charge. We even try to excuse our unwillingness to ease the sufferings of our fellow human beings by glossing over their misery as being the will of God? Witness, the crucifixion of Jesus. We are constantly tempted to bend God’s Word and will to conform to and justify our own selfish pursuits.
Jesus says that it would be better if we had never heard of him than to be found guilty of that kind of sin, and yet that is exactly what we are guilty of. We can and do abuse our relationship with God and bring harm on our fellow man in so many ways. Some even think they are serving God’s purpose in the process. Witness, Judas the betrayer of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture is full of people who tried to hide their greed and selfishness with the façade of godliness. Two of the most memorable are Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). They lied about giving their full offering to the Lord while withholding part of it. For their shameful lying, as Peter says, “to the Holy Spirit,” they both died on the spot. Thankfully those who saw and heard these events were “seized with great fear” so as not to repeat the faithless sin of those two.
Simon Magus also stands out in this context (Acts 8:9-25). He boasted of his greatness and drew quite a following of people “with his magic.” Verse 13 even says, “Simon himself believed and was baptized.” But, when he observed the bestowal of the Holy Spirit as apostles’ laid hands on people, he offered them money for the gift they had. How foolish of him to think the gift of God could be bought with his money.
How foolish of any one of us to think that we can lie to God or buy His gifts. The apostle rightly says of such, “I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
2. Jesus preserves us…It would seem, then, that there is no hope for us. But things are not always as they seem. Jesus is, himself, the ultimate faithful and wise manager.
We see Jesus as servant at the Last Supper (Jn 13:1-17), washing the feet of the disciples. In Mk 9:35, he clearly states “if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” In Lk 22:42 Jesus makes it clear that a true servant will always seek the will of the Lord, over-against his own will.
What we see in Jesus is not just an example to follow but a promise given to us. The heart and soul of this parable is that the will of the master and the will of the steward are to be one. This is the ultimate definition of the “faithful and wise” service mentioned in v 42.
Jesus’ service to us is the forgiveness of our sins on the cross and the gift of faith that receives his grace. His service to us is embodied in His Body and Blood and the washing of the Holy Spirit. Our service is that we receive him as an unmerited blessing according to the working of his mercy. In this way we are of one will.
3. Through his Word and Sacraments. Just think about this a minute. We are given this beautiful fellowship with God but we are still tempted to abuse it.
Nevertheless, the way in which we receive this fellowship prevents us becoming tyrants. The objectivity and openness of God’s means of grace, Word and Sacrament, serve to keep us humble and harmless. In verse 44 Jesus speaks of his faithful servants being put in charge of all his possessions. Does this not also include his possessions of mercy, love, and strength, which comes to us in Word and Sacrament? It does, indeed!
The point is this. We don’t have to beat each other up with endless accusations and complaints. We are here by the means of grace. Here, we baptize and absolve people of sin in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And, in this way we simply serve what we ourselves have been served, God’s love. This is what regular worship and instruction in the Word of God is all about.
You know, our understanding of equal relationships is awful. Consider the student who hires the university professor but is then subject to him; how doctors and civil servants at times rule us. Even though all these people are technically our servants, they are elevated to partnership with us and sometimes even promoted over us, with our own consent. At the same time, those servants whom God sends are belittled, abused, and misused for their service. Where is justice?
The justice that seems so absent from our world will not be found in courtrooms or police stations, but only in the person of Christ. Where he is in fellowship, there is unity of purpose. And where there is unity of purpose all tyranny vanishes. He has united us to himself and to each other through his means of grace. He knits us together in his Church and makes us one with him, even as he and the Father are one. He has given us the Faith and made us faithful. We must be where he is and do as he wills. He expects much from us but, because we are one with him, not more than he has enabled us to do. Amen.
