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In
the name + of Jesus.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord repeated the promise that the Savior. He foretold what he would be like and what he would do. One description is from the prophet Isaiah: “He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear” (Isaiah 11:3). This baffles us, because we know of no other way to judge. When a witness is called to the stand in court, he is not asked to tell us what he thinks about the accused or to offer conjecture about his motives. Such questioning instantly finds objection and is dismissed. Witnesses are asked only to testify to what they have seen and heard.
Likewise, we make judgments about people
based on what we see and hear. Is the
person we are talking about a good person or a jerk? Is he honorable or despicable? But we often don’t know enough for our
judgment to be fair. If you see a man
hunched over and yelling at a woman, you may conclude that he is abusive and that
she is a victim. Later, you may learn
that she is hard of hearing. What we see
and hear often deceives us.
This is also true in the kingdom of God. “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed
good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and
sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also”
(Matthew 13:24-26). As the plants began to sprout, they all
looked the same. No one could tell the
difference between the wheat and the weeds.
Since weeds are undesirable, the workers suggested pulling them all out.
But if you can’t tell wheat from weeds, your
judgment will lead to disaster. So, the
master said, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time
I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles
to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matthew 13:30).
The particular weeds in the parable are
called “tares” in the King James Version.
Some translations might call them darnel. They are known as “false wheat” because they
look exactly like wheat when they are growing. You can’t tell the difference. The problem is that darnel is poisonous. If you eat it, it will make you sick. It could kill you. The only way you can tell the difference is
when the heads of grain are produced.
The heads of darnel are purple. Only
when the crops are mature and ready for harvest can the poisonous darnel be separated
and destroyed while the good wheat is kept.
The harvest is Judgment Day. That is when the Lord will separate the wicked
and the righteous. He will not be fooled
at the final judgment, and he is not fooled by it now. The Lord knows the righteous. We, however, cannot tell who is righteous in
God’s eyes and who is not. We can find examples
of atheists who are kind, generous, honest, hard-working, and honorable. We can also find examples of people who
profess the Christian faith who are rude, crude, lying, thieving, and manipulative. Perhaps you have had people question your
character, saying, “I can’t believe that came out of your mouth. I thought you were a Christian.” Our actions can give people reason to
challenge our confession. No one who knows
you will call you perfect.
Consider this example. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had settled in a
territory where the king was named Abimelech.
Abraham, knowing that his wife, Sarah, was a beautiful woman, feared
that he would be killed so that his wife would be claimed by another man. So, Abraham told Sarah, “Say that you are my sister.” King Abimelech took notice of Sarah and added
her to his harem. Then the Lord appeared
to Abimelech in a dream, saying, “Behold, you
are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife”
(Genesis 20:3). Understandably, Abimelech was confused and pleaded
his innocence. How could he know that Sarah
was Abraham’s wife when they said she was his sister? The Lord showed mercy on Abimelech because he
had acted in innocence. But here is the
surprising twist. The Lord said to Abimelech,
“Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will
pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you
shall surely die, you and all who are yours” (Genesis 20:7). So, the Lord was pleased with Abraham who had
lied, but his wrath was against Abimelech who had acted in ignorance. What gives?
The Lord knows the
righteous, and he counted Abraham righteous despite his sins. Why?
The Bible tells us: “(Abraham) believed the LORD, and he counted it
to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).
Abraham had no righteousness of his own.
His sin against Abimelech and other events prove that. Yet, by faith Abraham believed that the righteousness
of the Messiah to come covered him.
However, since Abimelech did not believe in the Lord, he remained in his
sin no matter how much integrity he had. Granted, Abimelech’s integrity was admirable,
but integrity does not save us, any more than we are saved by being nice, sincere,
or decent.
In order to dwell in the presence of the
holy God, one must be holy. God cannot
permit even a blemish of sin to dwell with him; for then it would no longer be
a holy place. The Bible has us ponder
this: “Who shall ascend the
hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy
place? He who has clean hands
and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3,4).
So, if you want to dwell in the home of righteousness, you yourself must
be righteous. You must be without even a
smudge of guilt. This is proper justice. The guilty are punished, but the righteous
are blessed. And the Lord knows the
righteous.
So, how can we get the righteous we need to
stand before the Lord? I know my hands
are dirty. I know my mouth is filthy. I know that my heart is not pure. This is why the Lord sent a Savior. Once again, an Old Testament promise described
him: “This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness”
(Jeremiah 23:6). It is not merely
that he is the righteous Lord. He is,
but it is more. It is for our
benefit. The Lord is OUR righteousness.
Jesus did all things in perfect agreement
with the Commandments of God. He lived
with clean hands—doing only good to other people and giving generously of his
time, his effort, and his healing touch.
He had a pure heart—demonstrating compassion for those whose lives were
a mess, showing patience to disciples who just did not get his lessons on humble
service, and even praying for those who were putting him to death. That perfect, obedient, innocent life is not
just an example of righteousness, Jesus has made it our
righteousness. This is what the Lord
says: “As many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). The very
righteousness you need to stand in the presence of God has been bestowed upon
you. It is not your own righteousness, but
it has been given to you by Jesus so that you will not perish. The Lord knows the righteous. And the reason the Lord knows is this: He has
given that righteousness to you. He is
the source and giver of your righteousness.
So, you shall not be judged based on your own merits. You are judged according to the merits of
Jesus Christ. And if you are judged
based on Jesus’ merits, you are pure. The
Lord knows the righteous, and he is our righteousness.
When the servants saw that the wheat and
the darnel were growing together, they recognized the problem, but the master said, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at
harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind
them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matthew
13:30). We might become frustrated that the Lord lets
the righteous and the evil intermingle.
Like the angels, we might also plead with the Lord to banish the evil so
that the righteous may thrive. Yet, the
Lord does not do this.
One of the reasons that we are frustrated
by the righteous being mixed in with the wicked is because we do not want the
influence of the wicked foisted upon us.
We want to be preserved from wickedness rather than be swept away by it. That has always been a concern. Lot moved into the city of Sodom for safety
reasons, and it left a profound, negative effect on his family. Solomon was influenced by his wives to adopt
foreign gods. For the sake of their
happiness, he abandoned the faith. Such examples
and more ought to stir us up to prayer and devotion to God’s word and sacraments
so that he will preserve us. So, even
though the Lord’s wrath remains on the wicked, he uses it for our good—keeping us
devoted to the word so that we will not be enticed away to sin and death.
The Lord knows the righteous, and by word
and sacrament he preserves us in his righteousness. But he still has us mingle among the
unrighteous. This serves God’s purpose,
too. For, how will you have any influence
on other people if you don’t speak with them or live among them? If we do not confess God’s truth, how can it
be heard? How will the wicked be snatched
out of death and judgment if they do not learn about Jesus who saves sinners? Where will anyone find hope and comfort if
they do not hear about the righteousness which guarantees the peace of Paradise?
The Lord knows the righteous. He is the one who plants the good seed in the
world so that he will gather the wheat into his barn. He is the one who labors to make us fruitful
and productive. And while we give
evidence that we are sinners, we certainly also give evidence that we are God’s
people. For the Lord works in us and
forms us to be more like him—compassionate, kind, patient, forgiving, truthful,
helpful, noble, and moral. These traits
do not save us, but they are evidence that we are saved. It is still the merits of Jesus which save
us. The Lord is pleased with us because
Jesus has made us pleasing to him. He is
our righteousness. He is our comfort. He is our peace.
On the Last Day, when the angels go forth to separate the righteous from the wicked, the Lord will know that you are his. Jesus says, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). Then, we will finally be what we have always wanted to be—God’s people who look, act, think, and live like God’s people. Then, we will not merely be covered in righteousness; we will be confirmed in righteousness. The Lord knows the righteous, and he will make us known as his righteous ones.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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