From the Pen of St. Paul
In
the name + of Jesus.
Jesus told a parable about a rich farmer
who became much richer because of a bumper crop. Since his barns were too small to contain his
whole harvest, he built bigger barns. He
secured his fortune, and he chose to enjoy the rest of his life in leisure and
luxury. We could argue that this man had
achieved the American dream.
You’ve probably heard it said, “If you
want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
That’s because God often has different plans for us. And often, God’s plans are the opposite of
what we want. Our plans focus on
ourselves, our desires, and our glory. In
his mercy and wisdom, God may redirect us or God may dispose of our plans altogether. In the case of the rich farmer, his plans
were, “Relax, eat,
drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19). God’s plans were, “Fool! This
night your soul is required of you, and the things you have
prepared, whose will they be” (Luke 12:20)? Then Jesus explained why we should regard
this man as a fool instead of with envy: “So is the one who lays up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20).
St. Paul picks up on this thought, although Paul’s words are not so much
focused on money. St. Paul urges us to focus
on Jesus above any worldly effort or accumulation. He begins, “If then you have been raised with
Christ…” (Colossians 3:1). Paul is
not calling into question the faith of the Colossians or of you. Perhaps a better translation would be “since.” It is like saying, “If the Democrats control Congress…”;
they do. Since they do, whatever you say
afterwards should be true. So, since “you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds on things
that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). Then St. Paul tells you why we are to be
focused on Christ. “For you have
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
When you were baptized into Christ, united
himself to you. He took what is yours—your
sin and guilt—and died under God’s wrath in your place. His death is your death. And Jesus gives you what is his. His life is your life. His glory is your glory. His path is your path. Jesus is the way through this life and into
the next. Just as Jesus lived in
humility and weakness, so now do you. Like
you, Jesus lived in a world of stubbed toes, splinters, blood, sweat, and
tears. Like Jesus, you also endure
insults, mockery, and people who disappoint and frustrate you. Fleshly bodies are feeble, frail, and mortal. Just as there is nothing about your
appearance which is glorious, so also the prophet Isaiah foretold about Jesus, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and
no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2).
Jesus suffered and
died in humility and weakness. The image
of Jesus on the cross, if it is accurately portrayed, should make you avert
your eyes. His bleeding, naked, frail body
being pulled lifeless from the cross is pathetic. The only reason you find it endearing is
because you know that his death is the payment for all your sins. It did not look glorious; it looked grotesque. But on the third day, Jesus rose from the
dead with a glorified body. He is no
longer subject to death or weakness or struggles. Jesus lives, forever free from death, forever
untouched by the schemes of wicked men, forever over Satan and all demonic
forces. Jesus lives and reigns in glory. His glory was witnessed by the apostles. His glory will be seen by all creation when
Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead.
We are focused
on Jesus because he is the way to our glorious future. “For your life is hidden with Christ
in God. When Christ who is your life
appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4). For now, your glory is hidden. Yes, you are the children of God. Yes, you are the heirs of the heavenly
kingdom. But that is not evident
now. These things are yours by faith. When Jesus comes again, we and all the world
will see and know this glory to be true.
We will think, act, and appear as the glorious children of God Jesus
says we are. We will be like Jesus. As it was with Jesus, so it is with us: The glory
comes at the resurrection from the dead.
We are focused on Jesus so that we are assured of the glory hidden now
and the glory to be received when he comes again.
We are focused
on Christ. “Seek the things that
are above… Set your minds on things that
are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). Everything which the world esteems as
glorious is passing away. The prophet
Jeremiah wrote, “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not
the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let
him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am
the Lord who practices
steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these
things I delight, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). The
world and all its glory will pass away, so why invest yourself in that or boast
about it? Why build your kingdom here
when “here” will be destroyed by flames?
Why build your kingdom now when “now” is momentary and eternity is
coming? We are focused on Christ whose
kingdom endures forever.
You have probably heard it said that some Christians are so heavenly minded
that they are no earthly good. That can happen. Although this world is passing away, we still
live in it. We do not seek its glory;
our glory is that we serve for the good of others. We do not take our focus off Christ to do it. In fact, we can’t. To serve in a God-pleasing way, we must keep
focused on the heavenly things—the kingdom and the word of God. This is how the Holy Spirit informs and
inspires our attitudes and behavior. In
order to serve in a way that glorifies our Lord, we keep our focus on Christ.
St. Paul shows us how: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is
idolatry. On account of these the wrath
of God is coming. In these you too once
walked, when you were living in them. But
now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and obscene talk from your mouth” (Colossians 3:5-8). The sinful nature
still clings to us. It still influences us
to revert to worldly words and actions. It
never produces anything profitable or beneficial, so it must never be rewarded.
It must be put to death.
St. Paul
mentions a number of sinful attitudes that are common to mankind, and he calls
you to put them away. We will limit our
focus to anger and wrath. What is it
that makes you angry? It is likely something
or someone which prevents you from getting your way. Now there may be occasions when your anger is
justified. For example, when Moses came
down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, he saw the people of Israel
engaged in the wicked and perverse worship of a golden calf. In his anger, Moses slammed the tablets to
the ground and shattered them. Then he
pulverized the golden calf, scattered the gold residue in the water, and made
the Israelites drink it. In all of this,
Moses was not seeking his own glory or trying to get his way. He saw the people under his care abandoning
the living God for a dead idol, exchanging glory for shame, and abandoning
heaven for hell.
Our anger is
rarely stirred up by such noble motives.
We are enraged when the slow car is in the far left lane. We snarl when our text does not get answered
for more than 30 minutes. We are upset
when no one notices that the dishes are done or the laundry is folded. We get angry because we assume that every
inconvenience is a sign of disrespect. We
fume because people are not as focused on us and our problems and our
achievements as we are. Repent. Unchecked anger turns into shouting, threats,
violence, and murder. Anger and wrath
have not benefited your neighbor, and they have not made your life any better
either.
Our Lord Jesus
Christ has valid reasons to be angry with us for our selfish, worldly
ways. But he does not treat us as our
sins deserve. He is merciful. He died under God’s wrath to pay the price
for ours. Having rescued us, Jesus calls
us to put our sins to death. Focused on
Christ, we “put off the old self with its practices and have
put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after
the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10). Sin cannot be ignored, or it will ensnare you. It must be put off by daily repentance. We cast off our old ways, and our Lord renews
us day by day. The Holy Spirit works in
us so that we live with our minds set on things above. That does not mean we think of angels, harps,
and clouds. It means that we want to be
like Jesus.
We are focused
on Christ as we live in a world that rejects his word and mocks godly
living. As we had considered before,
Jesus lived in such a world and yet was faithful to the Father. Jesus served many people who were only
interested in his miracles and thought little of the words of eternal
life. Jesus did good to them
anyway. We are focused on Christ; so, we
also serve our fellow man. Even if our
service is despised, we do good anyway. Jesus
confessed the truth before others because he desired to save them. Some slandered Jesus for his testimony. They plotted his death. When they put him under oath, they made him confess
that he is the Christ, the Son of God, so that they could condemn him for blasphemy. Jesus made the good confession, and then died
for the sins of all—for sins of anger, impurity, obscenity, and every evil deed
and desire. We are focused on Christ; so,
we also confess the truth and expose the devil’s lies. We confess no matter how much the world hates
the truth—first, because we love God’s truth and second because the only hope anyone
has of being saved is to hear that truth.
We are focused on Christ. He is
the only source of life in a dying world.
He maintains faithful love in a world of failed promises. He guarantees the only glory that will endure.
We are focused on Christ. His mercy endures, his kingdom is eternal, and his promises are unshakable. Everything else will pass away, so we need not cling to earthly glories, and we dare not let earthly desires cling to us. Since “you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). Soon enough, you will live and reign with him in everlasting glory. So it will be with everyone whose treasure is Jesus and is rich toward God.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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