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JESUS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE NATIONS.
In the name + of Jesus.
If you had been at the temple with Jesus,
you would have marveled with the apostles, “What
wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings” (Mark 13:1)! You could
have walked among the columns of Solomon’s colonnade and seen the hustle and
bustle in the temple courts. You would
have seen people praying and others bringing animals for sacrifice. Maybe you would have seen the high priest
vested in his high priestly garb walking toward the altar. If you had followed him, you would have encountered
a fence with a sign. It was written in Latin,
the language of the Roman Empire, and in Greek, the international language of
commerce. Anyone who could read would understand
it. It read, “No stranger is to enter
within the balustrade round the temple and enclosure. Whoever is caught will be himself responsible
for his ensuing death” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Warning_inscription).
The Lord had made a distinction between
the people of Israel and all other nations.
The people of Israel were God’s chosen people—chosen to be the nation
through whom the Messiah would enter the world.
The Law of Moses enforced this distinction. It directed the people of Israel about the foods
they ate, the clothing they wore, and the worship they practiced. This was done to protect and preserve the
promise of the Messiah.
This is the culture that the apostles grew
up in. They accepted it not only as
normal, but also as God’s will. When a
Canaanite woman pleaded for mercy from Jesus and Jesus replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel … It is not right to take the children's bread
and throw it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:24,26), it did not sound harsh or rude to the apostles, but
sensible.
There is always a temptation to think that the Christian Church is reserved
for a select few and—worse!—that it is up to us to select them. We might be afraid to speak to a Muslim or an
immigrant from Syria. We might avoid someone
whose past is checkered or who is presently addicted. We might conclude that some people are lost
causes, such as an idol worshipper, a murderer, or a persecutor of the Church. But if such people are beyond salvation, then
we must renounce Abraham, Moses, and St. Paul.
All are sinners; there is no doubt about that. But beware lest you think, “Sure, all are
sinners, but I am not that bad.” What
is that but to confess, “I don’t need God’s grace like others do”? Repent.
God forgive us if we ever toy with such thoughts! All need the grace of God, and no one is
beyond God’s grace.
The Jewish believers in the early Church did not think the Gentiles
would ever be God’s chosen people like they were. They believed that there would always be a
distinction and that the Gentiles would be second class. But that has never been the case according to
our Lord. The Lord protected and
preserved the promise of the Messiah by setting
Israel apart from other nations, but the Messiah would come for all the
nations. Jesus is the Savior of the
nations.
The promise of the Savior goes back to the Garden of Eden. As soon as a Savior was needed, the Savior
was promised for all. It was never
restricted to a certain group. When the
world population was reduced to Noah and his family, the promise was repeated. And again, it was given to the world. Even when God funneled the promise through
Abraham and his descendants, it was not limited to Abraham and his
descendants. The prophet Isaiah demonstrated
that in the words of our lesson today: “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name
of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath
and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring
to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their
burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my
house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:6-7). Jesus is the Savior
of the nations.
The
Gospel is good news of great joy which is for all the people. In the same way, the Law is God’s will for
all the people. It declares the good
that God demands of all people. Isaiah
declared, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness’” (Isaiah 56:1). No one disagrees that we
should keep justice. When there is injustice,
people rant, protest, and even riot. But
we regularly distort what justice is.
Think back to
when you were a child and your parents scooped out the ice cream. If someone got an extra scoop, you would cry
out for justice. You would protest, “That’s
not fair,” and demand your extra scoop.
If, however, you got the extra scoop, you be smug and maybe even gloat, “I
got more than you did!” And you would
have called it fair. I wish I could say
that we outgrow this, but we don’t. If
you see someone else get a perk or enjoy some special event, you feel ripped
off. Although you lost nothing, you are upset
that someone else gained something. You
want what they have make things fair. On
the other hand, if someone suffers, you don’t feel too bad because you did not
lose anything. We don’t keep justice.
In addition, we do
not do righteousness. We treat other
people badly and insist, “They deserve it!”
But doing righteousness does not ask about what people deserve, it seeks
to be honest, kind, decent, patient, and even generous no matter how others
treat you. But we aren’t. We seek to even scores. We prove that we are no better than anyone
else. No one is righteous. No one is superior. No one wins God’s favor because of behavior, background,
status, or ethnicity. As St. Paul reminds
us, “There is no distinction: for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).
This is why all people need a Savior, and Jesus
is the Savior of the nations. He has
come for the benefit of all. Jesus has kept
justice and done righteousness. Jesus
did not show favoritism in how he treated others. Jesus was gracious to synagogue leaders and
prostitutes. Jesus had mercy on
Samaritans and Romans as well as Jews.
Even that Canaanite woman who pleaded for mercy found it. Jesus tested her to coax a confession of
faith out of her. She held Jesus to his
promises, knowing that he is merciful.
And Jesus was and granted healing to her daughter.
Jesus also kept justice. Justice is that the guilty pay the price for
their guilt. So, Jesus took upon himself
the guilt of us all. He bore the sins of
the whole world, leaving no one out. For,
Jesus is the Savior of all people of all nations. Isaiah foretold, “Soon my
salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed” (Isaiah 56:1). The good news of
great joy which is for all people is that salvation is revealed in Jesus. Jesus is the Savior of the nations.
Only Jesus can satisfy the demands of God’s
justice. As true man, Jesus was
obligated to keep the Law of God. As
true man, Jesus was able to die for breaking God’s Law. Jesus did both—keeping the Law for us and
dying under God’s Law for us. As true
God, Jesus did both behalf of the whole world.
Bearing the guilt of all, Jesus bore the punishment of the guilty. Jesus suffered the curse of God for sins of feeling
superior to others, for sins of excluding others, and for sins of treating
others with contempt. Jesus endured the
curse of God for the sins of all people.
Therefore, the curse has been lifted from you. In exchange, Jesus’ righteousness has been
put upon you. There is no other salvation. There is no other source of forgiveness. There is no hope except through Jesus. Jesus is the Savior of the nations.
Since Jesus has saved you completely,
there are no second-class Christians. There
is no such thing as a better or a worse Christian. If we think this way, we are basing our
thoughts on people’s behavior, or perhaps on how long someone has been a Christian. But salvation is not determined by behavior
or tenure any more than it is determined by ethnicity or culture. Salvation is based on Jesus. His righteousness covers you. That means you are blameless before the Father
in heaven. Isaiah foretold, “Soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed” (Isaiah
56:1).
That has been completed by Jesus.
He is the Savior of the nations.
Jesus has also converted your minds and
hearts to love God’s word. You not only
love the good news of great joy which delivers forgiveness and salvation, you
also love the Law of God which shows you what is good. And you love God’s Law not only in theory (“Wouldn’t
it be great if everyone lived this way?”), but also in practice (“Holy Spirit,
give me strength to live this way every day”).
Therefore, you are the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. You have been joined to the Lord as his
chosen people. You minister to the Lord,
and you are his servants. For, in
everything you do, you bear his name and strive to give him glory. You love the name of the Lord and declare his
goodness. You keep his Sabbath by resting
from our labors and gathering in God’s house so that God may serve you. You receive his blessing, his mercy, his
encouragement, and his peace.
This is good news of great joy which is
still for all the people. It is not limited
to us; therefore, we want to be sure that this word is not limited by us. We declare God’s good news to as many as we
can. Jesus is the Savior of the nations,
and there are many nations who have settled in among us. Jesus is eager to have mercy upon all—black,
Hispanic, Indian, Japanese, and even white people. Nobody rejects God’s word because they have a
different skin tone, come from a different culture, or have a different accent. If people reject God’s word, it is because they
are ensnared in sin. The only way people
are set free from sin and death is through Jesus. And the only way people will know about Jesus
and his deliverance is if they are told. Isaiah said, “Soon my
salvation will come (and it comes only through Jesus), and my righteousness be revealed” (Isaiah 56:1) (and it
is revealed only by God’s word).
Isaiah had declared God’s plan: “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord … these I will bring to my holy mountain” (Isaiah 56:6,7). God brings people into his kingdom. We don’t know whom God will bring in. We only know that God’s word is the only way people are brought in. The word which sustains our faith is the same word which will instill faith into the hearts of many. Therefore, we will make known the good news of great joy because it is for all the people: Jesus is the Savior of the nations, and he desires all to be saved.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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