Sunday, September 22, 2024

Sermon -- 18th Sunday after Pentecost (September 22, 2024)

NUMBERS 12:1-15

THE GREAT ONES ARE DEVOTED TO HUMBLE SERVICE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Miriam, Aaron, and Moses were brothers and sister.  Miriam was the oldest, and Moses was the youngest.  At this point, they were all well over 80 years old.  As it can happen among siblings, Miriam and Aaron issued complaints about Moses.  Their initial complaint was that Moses had married a Cushite woman, that is, probably an Ethiopian woman.  We can only guess what their issue with her was.  Was their complaint that Moses had not taken an Israelite woman?  Did they despise a bi-racial marriage?  I don’t know.  But it appears that this was not the real issue.  That was revealed in their next list of complaints. 

     “They said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?  Has he not spoken through us also’” (Numbers 12:2)?  It appears that they were envious that baby brother was receiving greater attention and glory than they were.  Now, both Aaron and Miriam had served the Lord in their vocations.  Aaron was the high priest who ministered daily before the Lord.  Miriam led the women in songs of praise, most notably after Israel had crossed the Red Sea.  But Moses was clearly given greater honor.  He was the Lord’s prophet.  He was the chosen deliverer of God’s people.  Perhaps God favored him above everyone else.

     Envy is an especially ugly sin.  We envy people who have received blessings that we have not received.  And it is not as though we had to be robbed for others to receive their blessings.  We lose nothing, but we despise those who have been given what we have not.  What’s worse is that envy produces other sins.  It fosters a bitterness and hatred.  If you let envy take root, eventually you hate everything about that other person.  You hate the way they dress.  You are annoyed by what they say.  You criticize their gestures, their choices, and their children.  And that leads to slander, as you work to get other people to agree with you that this other person is a terrible person.  Why?  Because God blessed them differently than he has blessed you.  That seems to be what was behind the gripe about Moses’ wife.  Since Miriam and Aaron envied the glory Moses had received, they learned to despise other things about him too.

     “And the Lord heard it” (Numbers 12:2).  Whether we voice our envy out loud or let it fester in our hearts, the Lord knows.  His anger is kindled because his gracious gifts were not enough for us.  And his anger is kindled because we will not rejoice in God’s goodness to others.  The Lord summoned Aaron and Miriam and held them accountable for their sinful attitudes.  They craved greatness; Moses did not.  The great ones are devoted to humble service.

     If you recall the history of Moses, he had desired greatness at one time.  Moses had been raised as a son of Pharaoh, although he knew his parents, his heritage, and the covenant of the Lord.  When he was forty, he chose to reject Egypt and be known as an Israelite.  When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite slave, Moses took it upon himself to execute justice.  He killed the Egyptian, perhaps expecting the Israelites to rally to him as their leader and savior.  Moses tried to seize greatness, but it failed miserably.  Moses fled and went into hiding for forty years.  When Moses was 80-years-old, the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush called Moses to deliver Israel.  By this time, Moses did not want this job.  He gave all kinds of excuses why he shouldn’t do it.  The Lord basically told him, “Tough luck.  You are the man.  Go.”  Moses did not crave greatness anymore.  That was fine.  God did not call him to be great, but to humble service. 

     When Moses was criticized, the Lord defended his servant.  Aaron and Miriam had demanded their own recognition as God’s prophets.  The Lord told them, “If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.  Not so with my servant Moses.  He is faithful in all my house.  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord” (Numbers 12:6-8).  Moses did what God gave him to do, not because he sought glory, but because God called him to do it.  The great ones are devoted to humble service.

     This lust for glory and this envy is a common malady.  It marks us all as sinners.  Even the apostles fell into it, arguing more than once about which of them was the greatest.  But what makes someone great?  We are accustomed to people who are rewarded and recognized for major accomplishments as the great ones.  Our Lord Jesus Christ defines it entirely different.  He said, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).  This humble service is done no matter what vocation God has called you to.  The great ones are devoted to humble service.

     The CEO of a corporation may revel in his power and prestige.  If so, he seeks his own honor and glory.  But a CEO may recognize that he is the servant of all who are under his charge.  He seeks their good in how he directs the company, and he seeks the good of his customers in the service or goods he provides.  The same is true for a president or governor.  They should rightly see themselves as servants of the people, not masters of an empire. 

     On the other end, some people have what is deemed a lowly vocation.  We may be impressed with the doctors at a hospital, but what about the people who sweep and mop the floors?  Do we look down on them, as if to say, “I guess that’s the best they could do”?  But they do great things because they prevent infections by keeping the place clean.  The stay-at-home mom who changes the diaper of a child who just spit up all over her shirt is doing a noble work.  She receives no pay or recognition, but she does more for her child than all CEO’s put together.  These are great works even though our society has taught us to think that the only service worth doing is the stuff you get paid for.  For those who are in Christ, we view our vocations differently than the rest of the world.  Like Miriam and Aaron, the world seeks recognition and glory.  But Jesus has taught us that great ones are devoted to humble service, not seeking to be praised, but to serve for the good of one’s neighbor and for the glory of God.  And if you should get recognized and well-compensated for it, well, then, God be praised for that, too.

     “When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. … And Aaron said to Moses, ‘Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned’” (Numbers 12:10-11).  The Lord had confronted them for their sin.  The Lord chastised them for their sin.  And Miriam and Aaron repented of their sin.  And who interceded for them?  Moses—whom they had sinned against!  “Moses cried to the Lord, ‘O God, please heal her—please’” (Numbers 12:13).  Moses did not revel in Miriam getting her comeuppance.  Continuing in humble service, Moses prayed for her to be healed and restored.

     This pre-figures Jesus.  While Moses was credited with being the most meek man on earth, Jesus exceeds him in meekness.  He is God and possesses all glory and majesty; nevertheless, he emptied himself of these things to become a man.  And more than becoming a man, he came as a servant.  Rather than seek his own glory and good, Jesus lived to secure glory and good for sinners.  He who is worthy of all honor and glory came for those who are worthy of none of it.  Our sins have earned us scorn and shame.  But Jesus came to serve us.  He took upon himself the shame of our guilt.  And even though there is no more shameful death than death on a cross, Jesus scorned its shame in order to redeem us.  Jesus died a death he did not deserve and bore a punishment he had not earned.  What’s more, Jesus did this for the very people who had sinned against him.  As he was being nailed to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).  And then he laid down his life as the atoning sacrifice which has won our forgiveness, has restored us to innocence, and reconciled us to God the Father.  There is no greater service that could be performed for us.  For, Jesus has rescued us from the hellish torment we have earned and has granted us eternal glory in heavenly peace.

     The great ones are devoted to humble service.  And we can take up our humble service without any degree of envy since we do not serve for the praise of men but for the glory of God.  There is nothing shameful about our humble service, whatever it may be.  In fact, we all stand on equal footing before our Lord.

     We demonstrate that when we begin our Divine Service each week.  All of us confess together that we are sinful.  There is nothing in our confession of sins which speaks about degrees of sinfulness.  We are all the same, bearing guilt for the sins we should not have done and for the good works we should have done but didn’t.  We may be different in our specific thoughts, words, and actions, but our guilt is the same.  We are all sinful.

     And then God treats us all the same.  We plead for mercy from God the Father for the sake of Jesus Christ.  And he declares his forgiveness completely.  The innocent blood of Jesus has washed us completely clean.  No one is told that they have more work to do to clean themselves up before forgiveness comes.  God’s mercy is not dependent upon what we promise to do next.  Instead, God gives a full pardon for every offense.  God acquits us of all guilt.  Therefore we are all the same—redeemed by the blood of Jesus, reconciled to God the Father, children of the Most High God, sons and daughters of the resurrection, and heirs to everlasting glory and peace.  This comes through Jesus whose humble service has served our highest good.

     For this reason, you do not need to be envious of anyone.  Whatever accolades or recognition anyone gets is momentary glory.  Whatever blessings are poured out are given so that people can do good to others with them.  And if God chooses to give you less, then God, in his wisdom, had determined that this is good for you.  He teaches you to receive his gifts with thanks and to be content with them.  But all these things are temporary.  Thanks to Jesus Christ, you have been given everything that truly matters, everything that has eternal value.  If you are children of the Most High God, what else could God give you that is greater?  You are his great ones, his saints.  The Lord was devoted to you with his humble service; so now you get to imitate his humble service for the good of your neighbor and the glory of God.  This is how you do great things.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Due to recurring spam, all comments will now be moderated. Please be patient.