Sunday Mar 7th, thoughts going in

Lent 3
Luke 13:1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. 2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? 3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. 4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”6 Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’
8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9 If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

In our Lenten series “Roads of Life,” this week’s road is called the Road of Judgment. As I’ve read & re-read this passage, several thoughts come to mind, thoughts like: “It is appointed unto man once to die, and then comes judgment (Heb 9:27),” and “no one gets out of here alive.”

I remember as a seminarian sitting in homiletics class (preaching class) hearing about the “mirror of reality.” Lutheran pastors are formed to preach in terms of LAW and GOSPEL. Ideally, from a given text, the preacher is to point out God’s demands that we’ve failed to meet (LAW), and also present God’s free grace that’s been showered upon us for the sake of his Son Jesus (GOSPEL). The Law, especially in its use here, is supposed to function as a ‘mirror.’ It’s supposed to point out to the sinner our short-comings, the places where we’ve offended God, and God’s righteous indignation at this offense. It is supposed to drive us to our knees for the purpose of responding to the Gospel.

Homiletically speaking, such Law/Gospel emphasis is supposed to be detectable in nearly every type/form of Lutheran preaching—with one exception: the funeral sermon. As finite creatures fully cognizant of our own limited life span, there is no need for the “mirror of the Law” when the “mirror of reality”……the coffin containing the dead body of a friend or loved one….is up there staring us in the face. Even the youngest, most vibrant among us cannot escape the reality of death and our own finitude.

That’s what this passage is about. DEATH HAPPENS. And for those who haven’t died **YET**, this is no indication of an inherent “extra-righteousness” within. Vss 1-5 are composed of interesting contrasts: Galileans vs Judeans; those cut down by human treachery vs those who perished “needlessly” in an accident. The only thing they have in common is that each of those people woke up that morning expecting that they’d have more days on planet earth. But they didn’t. It is appointed unto man once to die, and then comes judgment. No one gets outa here alive.

Since the solution isn’t a matter of living longer if we so choose, the ONLY thing we CAN do is adopt a life of REPENTANCE….hence the parable of the fig tree. While the absence of fruit on the tree corresponds to an absence of repentance, it is noteworthy that the Christ figure/gardener stands as both the intercessor and the initiator, vs 8: “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention.” As the Scriptures tell us, “Today is [always] the day of salvation.” But the beautiful gospel news isn’t simply that God calls us to repent, it’s that Christ our intercessor initiates this second chance life of repentance FOR US. HOW? By intersecting his life with ours….which is always through Word and Sacrament. These are not empty externals, but powerful means by which Christ comes to us and makes a difference in our lives.


Cheers,

TM