First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Old Testament lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
King Jesus, accept our joyful shouts of praise for Your saving work. Rule
in our lives, now and always. Amen.

Introduction

A. Have you noticed that things aren’t how they should be?
1. There’s selfishness, tragedy, heartbreak, pain, evil, and injustice all
over.
A. And that is just on the outside!
2. All that is inside each of us too.
A. Even St. Paul cries out in today’s Epistle:
Romans 7:19 (NASB95)
For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I
do not want.
B. There’s not a night where we can put our head on the pillow and say,
“Thank you, God, for enabling me to live a perfect day.”
3. Every day, sin afflicts us.
A. Every day we fail even those we love.
B. Every day, others fail us too.
C. We’re a mess.
D. Not just a mess, but a hot mess.
4. Indeed, we deserve nothing but God’s punishment now and forever.
A. How we need an even more powerful and compassionate rescuer to take over!
B. Thankfully, the Lord announces to us through Zechariah:
Zechariah 9:9 (NASB95)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with
salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a
donkey.
C. King Jesus Comes to Bring You under His Reign of Peace, Freedom, and
Hope.
1. Jesus restores God as your king.
A. When the Lord brought his people out of Egypt, he wasn’t just their God;
he was also their King.
1. But God’s people weren’t content having God as their King.
2. Other nations had earthly kings.
3. Israel wanted one too.
4. God warned them through the prophet Samuel:
a. a king will tax you,
b. send your sons to war,
c. take your daughters to himself,
d. and will ultimately fail you.
e. But Israel insisted on having a king.
5. Yahweh gave them the desires of their hearts in the form of a king,
Saul, and yes, he did indeed fail them terribly.
a. After David was anointed as king, the Lord promised that one of David’s
descendants would rule on his throne forever.
B. Even David failed.
1. He murdered a loyal soldier to hide his adultery and steal his wife.
2. Solomon, David’s son, was given great wisdom, yet he failed, being led
by his 700 wives and 300 concubines into allowing the worship of false
gods.
3. After Solomon, the kingdom was divided and grew weaker.
4. King after king couldn’t measure up to Israel’s true King, the maker of
heaven and earth.
5. Eventually, the last king, Zedekiah, was taken to Babylon in chains.
6. He died in captivity, alone.
C. By Zechariah’s time in 520 BC, it looked as though God’s promise had
failed.
1. The Jews had no king.
2. They had been in exile for seventy years.
3. They’d now returned, and the temple was being rebuilt, but Jerusalem was
still in ruins.
4. Yet, Zechariah was given this powerful promise by the Lord:
Zechariah 9:9 (NASB95)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with
salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a
donkey.
D. A king is coming, and he is the Lord himself coming to save us!
1. He is a righteous, faithful, good king.
2. He will sit on David’s throne.
3. He has salvation.
4. All things that have gone wrong are going to be set right.
5. Zechariah’s words are filled with:
a. joy
b. Peace
c. freedom
d. and hope.
6. These words are a breath of fresh air for God’s people.
7. They only had to wait five hundred-plus years until these words were
fulfilled on Palm Sunday as Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem.
8. Jesus was coming to be King and Savior for all, to restore God as our
King.
2. Jesus is a humble king.
A. Your king, though he is almighty God, doesn’t mount a horse or chariot
to ride into battle with impressive flair.
1. Jesus is a humble king.
2. He rides a donkey into Jerusalem as he chooses to serve you in humility:
Zechariah 9:9 (NASB95)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with
salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a
donkey.
3. Your King doesn’t tax His people but freely gives forgiveness and mercy
to them.
4. Your King doesn’t send you or your sons into battle first.
5. No, first he makes himself an army of one to defeat sin, death, and
Satan by humbly bearing the sins of the world and their deserved punishment
and damnation.
6. Then He enlists us to follow Him in His eternal victory.
7. Your righteous King perfectly fulfills all that is demanded of you and
credits that righteousness to you as you receive Him:
a. in His Holy Word,
b. Holy Baptism,
c. and His holy body and blood.
8. Your King doesn’t force subjects to bow down to Him.
9. Instead, He graciously serves you with His word of forgiveness and
peace, which causes us to rejoice in His abundant mercy and eagerly receive
Him in reverence and joy.
B. Your King looks so utterly gentle and lowly as He first reigns on the
cross, but there He establishes a kingdom that will never fail.
1. Though humble, He is powerful.
2. Though He seems weak, He alone defends us, cutting off the chariots and
warhorses and battle bows.
3. He destroys death from the inside so that it is only an empty shell of
itself.
4. He is a powerful warrior!
5. He is able to set us free!
3. Jesus offers the peace of His kingdom to all.
A. So Zechariah rejoices:
Zechariah 9:10 (NASB95)
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And
the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And
His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the
earth.
B. The word for “nations” here is the word for Gentile nations.
1. King Jesus is king for all people.
2. He is King for you, whoever you are.
3. Jesus offers peace to all.
4. Oddly enough, Israel wanted a king so they could be like all the
nations, but now in Christ Jesus, God gave His people a king who is for all
nations.
5. The one whom all the nations desperately need.
C. Zechariah 9:10 (NASB95)
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And
the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And
His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the
earth.
1. King Jesus doesn’t just speak peace.
2. He delivers peace—that is, peace with God.
3. He doesn’t give some sort of peaceful feeling.
4. Nor is His peace the mere absence of warfare.
5. But it is a rich peace of harmony, wholeness, and blessedness.
6. Through His saving death and resurrection, right now Jesus speaks peace
to you:
a. Forgiveness–restoration as his dearly beloved brothers and sisters.
b. He also guarantees that the day of resurrection is coming when, as you
remain in Him, all illness, weakness, and pain will be banished and you
will be set free from sin forever, basking in His eternal peace.
D. And already today Jesus comes humbly right into our midst.
1. Today Jesus speaks peace in his word of absolution, cleansing our sin
from us, and in:
Zechariah 9:11 (NASB95)
As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set
your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
2. He rides in on bread and wine, His very body and His blood of the new
covenant—the new testament—the blood-bought promise of God himself.
3. From the world’s point of view, the Lord’s Supper isn’t a powerful
event.
a. It appears to be a very small, little meal.
b. But you know from the words of King Jesus what’s actually happening.
c. Heaven invades earth right here.
d. Jesus comes to all in His body and blood.
e. Make no mistake about it: He is a powerful King coming into our midst, a
King who can destroy and condemn eternally.
f. But thankfully, to you who repent of your sins and trust Jesus’ saving
work, He comes gently:
1) to touch you,
2) to cleanse you from the inside out.
3) He forgives you.
4) He strengthens you.
5) He meets you,
6) He dines with you,
7) and He encourages you.
8) He gathers you at the table with his Father and the Holy Spirit.
E. King Jesus sets you right again with the Father.

1. Your mighty King, He defends you from Satan’s attacks.
2. He cuts off the chariots, warhorses, and battle bows and keeps you safe
in his peace.
3. As Martin Luther wrote to encourage Christians to the Sacrament of the
Altar as a defense against Satan, the world, and our sinful nature:
a. “If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment
aimed at you [Ephesians 6:16], you would be glad to come to the Sacrament
as often as possible. But there is no reason why we walk about so securely
and carelessly, except that we neither think nor believe that we are in the
flesh and in this wicked world or in the devil’s kingdom” (LC V 82).
Psalm 91:1 (NASB95)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of
the Almighty.
b. How does that happen?
1) By letting Jesus defend you and fight for you in His saving body and
blood.
4. Jesus’ reign has room for you.
A. The Lord urges us through Zechariah:
Zechariah 9:12 (NASB95)
Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am
declaring that I will restore double to you.
B. Zechariah started his book with these words:
Zechariah 1:3 (NASB95)
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,”
declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of
hosts.
C. To return to the Lord is:
1. to repent of our sin,
2. That is, to turn away from our sin,
3. to turn from trying to save ourselves,
4. to turn from despair and hopelessness,
5. to come home again trusting our gracious Father, who longs to greet us.
6. In a sense, every time we’re gathering around our Lord’s Word, we’re
returning home.
7. We confess our failure,
8. rejoice in our Lord’s mercy,
9. and turn back to the only one who can rescue and deliver us.
10. We come out of exile into the joyful liberty of God’s holy people.
D. Admittedly, we cannot see the reign of Jesus.
1. All we can see is a cosmos in chaos.
2. We are heartbroken by sin and what sin has destroyed.
3. But our Lord’s Word does not fail us.
4. He keeps His promises.
5. He is reigning.
6. He will visibly return to set His faithful forever free.
7. And Jesus’ reign has room for you.
8. In King Jesus, you will live a full life forever.
E. In the meantime, we’re “prisoners of hope.”

1. That is, we have hope.
2. Not the vague wish for a better future.
3. We have the certain, joyful confidence of what is coming in Christ.
4. Our certain hope is that Jesus will:
a. visibly return,
b. the dead will rise,
c. and we will be changed;
d. that sin will be no more;
e. that death will no more burden us;
f. that pain, heartbreak, and trial will be over;
g. that we will sin, disappoint, and fail no more.
h. The clock is not ticking down to our end but to the fullness of the
reign of our eternal King.
i. Our King has come and continues to come for us.
5. This hope in Christ:
a. holds us,
b. keeps us,
c. guards us in protective custody until our hope becomes sight.
F. Thanks be to God, King Jesus comes to bring you under His reign of
peace, freedom, and hope.

Conclusion

A. The Isenheim Altarpiece is the masterwork of a German artist named
Matthias Grünewald, painted in the 1500s for a monastery in northeastern
France.
1. Look for the picture of it on the last page of the bulletin.
2. It features Jesus’ crucifixion.
3. Jesus’ hands are wrenched upward:
A. showing both his agony and his trust toward his Father.
4. One of the unique features is the marks on Jesus’ body.
A. These depict the stripes inflicted by the Roman army’s experts in
cruelty.
B. But the scars look like the marks of the deadly, infectious disease that
many suffered at that time there in Isenheim.
C. The monks ran a hospital to help the ill.
D. In other words, if you had that terrible disease, you could see Jesus
bearing your griefs and carrying your sorrows, or if you were treating
those with this disease, you could see Jesus bearing its ugliness too.
B. So imagine how this sinful world must have appeared to Jesus’ divine
senses.
1. In His coming to us as our Brother, what did Jesus see, feel, and smell?
2. And how great the challenge to turn all of this around?
3. But He rode right into it.
4. He came not holding his divine nose but coming humbly, speaking peace.
5. Remember the opening words of our sermon text:
Zechariah 9:9–10 (NASB95)
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with
salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a
donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem;
And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations;
And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of
the earth.
6. He:
A. drove out demons,
B. healed every manner of illness and disease,
C. blew away the stench of death,
D. and replaced broken hearts with hearts of flesh.
C. So how do we live under Jesus’ reign?
1. We gather to celebrate His reign over us and to receive him.
2. We rejoice and shout aloud encouraging one another by our Lord’s song of
victory.
3. We generously forgive those who sin against us, knowing the fullness of
Jesus’ forgiveness for us.
4. We live as those confident of our joyful future:
A. every burden,
B. heartbreak, trouble,
C. and pain will not last, but our life under King Jesus’ reign will
flourish.
5. Like our King, we long for all to live with us under His reign.
6. And we wait in joyful, confident hope.
7. Our King has come, still comes to us today, and will come again to set
us free. Amen.
D. Let us pray:
Dearest Jesus, I praise You that when we are yoked to You, no burden is too
heavy. Amen.
E. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
F. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for today.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
LSB 659:1-2 Lord of Our Life
Lord of our life and God of our salvation,
Star of our night and hope of ev’ry nation:
Hear and receive Your Church’s supplication,
Lord God Almighty.

See round Your ark the hungry billows curling;
See how Your foes their banners are unfurling
And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling,
O Lord, preserve us.

Introduction

A. A Lutheran pastor had a second full-time job outside the church—as a
painter at an auto body shop.
1. This is what is called being a worker-priest.
2. One of his fellow employees, also a Christian but not Lutheran, was a
funny guy who almost on a daily basis would yell at the pastor, “Look busy!
Jesus is coming!”
3. This, of course, meant to compare Jesus with a boss who would punish an
employee for being lazy.
B. Sometimes, the pastor would jokingly yell back things to the other guy
to have a good laugh but also to teach him.
1. One time, the pastor might say, “Oh, Jesus already came. Didn’t you meet
him?”
2. Another time, the pastor would yell, “If Jesus is coming, you’re in big
trouble!”
3. Once, the pastor said, very seriously, “Jesus comes to our church every
Sunday.
A. He speaks to us through the Word,
B. He forgives us,
C. and He gives us heavenly food to eat and drink in his presence.
D. Would you like to join us?”
E. That pastor was right.
F. Jesus is always coming to us in the Divine Service through his Word and
Sacraments for our forgiveness, eternal life, and communion with God
(Matthew 10:5).
C. But it rather difficult to know exactly what Jesus meant in our text by
the phrase “the Son of Man comes.”
1. He told the disciples that they would not complete going through all of
the towns of Israel until the Son of Man comes (verse 23).
2. Hadn’t he already come with his incarnation when he was conceived in the
womb of the Virgin Mary?
3. Hadn’t he already come when he was born?
4. Hadn’t he already come when he was baptized by John in the Jordan River?
5. Hadn’t he already come in his public ministry?
A. The answer to all these questions is: Yes!
6. What then does he mean by “the Son of Man comes”?
D. What are the possibilities surrounding this phrase: the Son of Man
comes?
1. Perhaps Jesus was looking ahead to his coming at His glorious
transfiguration.
2. Or He was talking about His coming on Palm Sunday when He rode
triumphantly into Jerusalem—
A. only to be betrayed,
B. tried,
C. suffer,
D. die,
E. rise again,
F. and then ascend back into heaven.
3. Another option is that He was talking about His coming to judge the
world on the Last Day.
E. These comings all did or would happen.
F. What if we might add one more option.
1. What if Jesus comes to us even now?
G. Pastors, Bible scholars, and students of the Holy Scriptures have
struggled for centuries with interpreting just what Jesus means when he
says “the Son of Man comes,” but let’s look at the possibilities
1. The Son of Man came at his incarnation.
A. The incarnation happened when Jesus was conceived in the womb of the
Virgin Mary.
Luke 1:30–35 (NASB95)
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor
with God.
31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall name Him Jesus.
32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the
Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will
have no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the
holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
B. Jesus is both Son of God and Son of Man because of the incarnation.
1. Jesus was born into the world as both God and man, fully divine and
fully human.
Matthew 1:21–23 (NASB95)
21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will
save His people from their sins.”
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through
the prophet:
23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY
SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
2. Jesus lived a perfect life as God and man for us under God’s Law to
fulfill it on our behalf.
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NASB95)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich,
yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might
become rich.
3. Jesus ministered as both God and man, preaching, healing, and serving
for our salvation and eternal life.
Luke 4:18–19 (NASB95)
18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE
GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND
RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
2. The Son of Man came to redeem us.
A. Jesus’ redeeming acts intensified after he rode into Jerusalem on Palm
Sunday and began to be rejected by the people later that day.
1. On the same night that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, Thursday of
Holy Week, he was betrayed by one of his own disciples.
Matthew 26:14–16 (NASB95)
14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And
they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.
16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
Matthew 26:21–25 (NASB95)
21 As they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will
betray Me.”
22 Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I,
Lord?”
23 And He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one
who will betray Me.
24 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that
man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that
man if he had not been born.”
25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself.”
Matthew 26:47–50 (NASB95)
47 While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up
accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief
priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss,
He is the one; seize Him.”
49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they
came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.
2. All of this led to his trial, beating, and being crowned with thorns:
Matthew 27:27–29 (NASB95)
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and
gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head,
and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked
Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
A. This then led to Jesus suffering and dying on the cross according to
God’s plan to atone for the sins of the world.
Matthew 27:33–35 (NASB95)
33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a
Skull,
34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He
was unwilling to drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among
themselves by casting lots.
B. After Jesus rested in the tomb to fulfill the Sabbath law, he was
gloriously resurrected on the third day.
1. The Son of Man came back to life!
Matthew 20:18–19 (NASB95)
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be
delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to
death,
19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify
Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
2. So now he offers eternal life to all and gives it to everyone who
believes in him.
John 11:25–26 (NASB95)
25 Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life; he who
believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe
this?”
C. Forty days later, Jesus ascended into heaven and was enthroned at the
right hand of God to prepare a place there with him for all who believe in
him as their Redeemer.
Luke 24:50–53 (NASB95)
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and
blessed them.
51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into
heaven.
52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising God.
3. The Son of Man will come again in glory.
A. Just as Jesus ascended into heaven on the clouds of glory, so he will
come again on the clouds of glory on the Last Day.
1. Everyone who has died will be raised in their bodies from their graves
and will stand before him.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NASB95)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are
asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring
with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive
and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have
fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the
Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
2. All who are still alive when he comes will be changed, their bodies made
ready for eternity, and will fly up into the air to meet him.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52 (NASB95)
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will
be changed.
B. Jesus will judge all who have ever lived.
1. He will put the believers on his right (the sheep) and the unbelievers
(the goats) on his left.
Matthew 25:33–34, 40 (NASB95)
33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.
40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the
extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of
them, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25:41, 45-46 (NASB95)
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed
ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his
angels;
Matthew 25:45–46 (NASB95)
45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you
did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into
eternal life.”
2. Those who believed in him he will judge as righteous, and their works
will give evidence;
A. unbelievers will have nothing good to show.
1. Their “good works” seen as “filthy rags”.
3. All will be assigned to their eternal dwellings, either in heaven or in
hell.
4. The Son of Man comes now to save us.
A. Jesus instituted the apostolic and holy ministry and empowered his
pastors by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to carry on his own ministry until
the Last Day.
1. Jesus commanded his holy ministers to:
A. preach the Holy Word purely
B. and to administer rightly the Sacraments of Holy Baptism, and Holy
Communion.
2. By these means, the Holy Spirit creates and sustains in people faith to
receive forgiveness and eternal life through Christ’s gifts.
A. Explanation to the Third Article of the Creed:
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus
Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the
Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true
faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the
whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one
true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my
sins and the sins of all believers.
On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to
me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.
B. In this way, Jesus himself comes to us now in the Divine Service.
1. He is really, truly present with us through his Word and Sacraments.
2. He himself:
A. purifies us of our sins,
B. sanctifies us to share in God’s holiness,
C. and blesses us in our relationship with God and one another.
Conclusion

A. We may not be able to discern exactly what Jesus meant when he used the
phrase “the Son of Man comes,”:
1. We do know and believe that he came with his incarnation when he was
conceived in the womb of Mary to be born, live, and minister to us.
2. We do know and believe that He came to redeem us:
A. by his suffering,
B. his death on the cross,
C. his resurrection from the dead,
D. and his ascension back into heaven.
3. We do know and believe that He will come again in glory on the Last Day
to judge the world.
4. And we do know and believe that He comes to us now through His Holy Word
and Holy Sacraments in the Divine Service to bring us heavenly forgiveness
and eternal life.
A. Therefore we rejoice that the Son of Man has come to us this day and is
present with us now in this place. Amen!
B. Let us pray:
LSB 659:3-4 Lord of Our Life
Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us;
Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;
And in the day when hell itself assails us,
Grant us Your peace, Lord:

Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging,
Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging,
Peace when the world its endless war is waging,
Peace in Your heaven.
Text: Public domain
C. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
D. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
Psalm 119:65–72 (NASB95)
65You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.
66Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your
commandments.
67Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.
68You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes.
69The arrogant have forged a lie against me; With all my heart I will
observe Your precepts.
70Their heart is covered with fat, But I delight in Your law.
71It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.
72The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver
pieces. Amen.

Introduction

A. I want you to think back to when you were a young kid and you and your
family gathered around the dining room table for a big meal, whether it was
Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
1. The adults got to sit at the “big” table.
2. You, on the other hand, got to sit at the “little” table, as known as
the “kids table” and it was set off to the side, away from the big table.
3. Sitting at the kids table is like…
a) you were being banished
1. what did I do to deserve this?
b) you were a person, but not old enough to sit with the adults.
1. You had not yet earned the right to eat with the adults nor did you
deserve to be there.
B. In a sense, Matthew is sitting at the “kids” table not eating food but
instead collecting taxes.
1. Matthew is not well liked.
2. He could be overcharging people on their taxes.
3. He could be taking advantage of his countrymen.
4. He’s working for the hated Roman government collecting these taxes.
5. He has compromised himself by cooperating with them.
C. Along comes Jesus and He says, “Follow me.”
1. Amazingly, Matthew packs up his things to follow Jesus.
2. They end up at Matthew’s house, having a meal.
3. Along the way, Matthew has invited other tax collectors and “sinners.”
4. They’re having something to eat with Jesus.
5. However, the Pharisees stand off to the side, complaining, “Why does he
eat with sinners?”
D. Jesus’ answer?
1. It is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy.
2. He says he wants mercy shown, not mere religious ceremonies.

1. Who shouldn’t be eating with Jesus? The answer: We shouldn’t be.
A. So who is eating with Jesus?
1. Who would be under this umbrella term “sinners”?
B. The tax collectors are there.
1. What sin had they committed?
A. We could call it greed.
B. It could be they held onto money too tightly or money had too tight a
hold on them.
C. Their lives revolved around getting and keeping money, then buying stuff.
C. But who else is at the table?
1. You and I are at the table as well.
A. We’ve all seen how the rapidly rising inflation cuts into your income.
B. You know the damage the rising gas prices have done to your budget.
C. The volatility of the stock market makes you worry about investments or
retirement accounts.
D. Money isn’t going as far as it once did.
E. Your anxiety grows.
F. “Am I going to have enough?”
G. When your mind goes there, you begin to hold on to the money too tightly
or it takes hold of you ever more tightly.
2. So when our Lord calls for giving, generosity, and taking care of
others, we end up mostly taking care of ourselves.
A. It ought to remind us of what Paul says in Romans:
Romans 3:23 (NASB95)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
B. Who shouldn’t be eating with Jesus? We shouldn’t be.
D. Another group that gets lumped under the word “sinners” is prostitutes.
1. Now, we know that this sin involves selling one’s body for money or
acceptance or drugs or whatever.
2. But more is going on with this than just sexual immorality.
3. Underneath prostitution, you find the loss of the sanctity of sexuality
and nudity instead of where it is to be properly expressed in the marital
relationship.
4. Sex sells and buys instead of being a sacred gift for a husband and wife.
E. Do we fall under this umbrella of sinners too?
1. Perhaps not as prostitutes, but we live at a time when sexuality and
nudity are exploited, exposed, and explicit for us to see every day of our
lives.
2. How difficult it is to keep:
A. our desires,
B. our urges,
C. our eyes,
D. our minds,
E. and our hearts pure.
3. We are led to dress a certain way, to look a certain way.
4. Sites on a computer invite us to click on a link that will show us a
movie star wearing a slinky red dress or see-through top.
5. Movies routinely show couples in various stages of nudity and sexual
activity.
6. Television shows and commercials tempt viewers to keep on looking, even
fantasizing, about what counts as beauty and what we should look for or how
to act to get satisfaction.
7. We are bombarded with these:
A. images,
B. pictures,
C. seductions,
D. expectations throughout the day,
8. And they in turn infect
A. our desires,
B. our urges,
C. our thoughts,
D. our actions.
E. We, too, are sinners. Paul says:
F. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
9. Who shouldn’t be eating with Jesus?
A. We shouldn’t be.
F. What other sinners are at the table with Jesus?
1. Those who can’t keep the Law with their mouths like they should—or won’t
keep the Law.
2. Imagine the language used by some of these people at the table with
Jesus.
A. Filthy words.
B. Coarse talk.
C. Profanity.
G. It is no different today.
1. Same kind of foul language flows into our ears and perhaps out of our
mouths.
2. What do we say in anger when we lose our temper?
3. How quickly we lash out with:
A. mean words,
B. hateful words,
C. words that God never wants us to speak.
4. Hurtful words that appear on Facebook or some other social media about a
politician, someone who is different from us, someone who riles us up.
5. Paul says:
A. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
6. Who shouldn’t be eating with Jesus? We shouldn’t be.
H. What about other sinners?
1. Those who worry too much.
2. Those filled with anxiety about what’s going on.
3. The war in the Ukraine.
A. And the idea that we as a country are the ones to blame!
4. Streets that aren’t safe.
5. Cars being broken into.
6. Not enough police.
7. Afraid of what will happen in a parking lot.
I. Our Lord calls for us to trust, but we are so deep into worry that:
1. we fail to pray,
2. we fail to seek peace in his promises despite the dangers we live with
every day.
3. Paul says:
A. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
4. Who shouldn’t be eating with Jesus?
A. We shouldn’t be.
J. Then look over there.
1. The Pharisees are standing off to the side, feeling pretty good about
themselves rather than those lousy sinners and tax collectors.
2. They are looking down at those who are eating with Jesus.
A. A condescending attitude leads to comparing themselves to those people
at the table.
K. That’s a temptation too.
1. The homeless man or woman sleeping out on the front porch.
2. The woman holding a sign at the busy intersection.
3. The awkward co-worker or student who is just not “right”.
4. The public figure who made a mistake and is now being forced to resign.
5. Someone from a different race or nationality.
6. We:
A. too easily judge,
B. too easily stand off to the side like the Pharisees,
C. too easily compare ourselves with them to make us feel better about
ourselves.
7. A pearl of great wisdom:
A. “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all”
8. Paul says:
A. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
9. Who shouldn’t be eating with Jesus?
A. We shouldn’t be.
L. The Disney movie Encanto has a scene in it that touches the heart.
1. The movie’s characters include a matriarch, children, and grandchildren.
2. Mirabel is the young girl who saves a magical house.
3. But one family member doesn’t live with the family.
4. That family member is Bruno and he lives behind the walls of the house.
5. He has a special gift, but a troubling one.
6. He has a vision of what is to happen, and the vision seems dark,
foreboding.
7. So he withdraws from the family.
8. The rest of the family won’t talk about Bruno or even talk with him.
9. Yet he can see through a crack in the wall into the family dining room.
10. He can listen to the family laughing and eating together on nice plates
with good food.
11. They are at the table, but he is not.
12. Except, behind the wall, he’s made a little wood table for himself with
a chalk circle for a plate.
13. Under the plate, he has written his name, “Bruno.”
14. That image of Bruno eating by himself, walled off from his family,
looking in from the outside, can break your heart.
M. Sitting at the “kids” table.
1. That’s where I should sit.
2. That’s where you should sit.
3. Not at the adult table with Jesus.
4. Not eating with him.
5. We should be on the outside looking in.
2. Yet Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them.
A. Yes, Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them!
1. He has invited us to eat with him!
B. Now eating at Matthew’s house in our text wasn’t like eating at the food
court at a mall, where you’re with your family but you don’t know anyone
else.
1. The tables there are separated from one another, and you walk out after
a quick meal without interacting with anybody around.
2. This is also not like a formal meal, like a wedding reception, where
people are seated by how important they are or whether they are special
guests.
3. You may have a polite conversation, but where you get to sit tells
everyone who you are.
C. No, this meal is one that brings people together.
1. The tax collectors probably knew one another, and possibly the other
sinners did too.
2. Good food was had, but also laughter and hearty conversation.
3. This table didn’t reserve spots for those more important, nor did it
leave out those who didn’t fit in.
4. Everyone was welcome.
5. Anyone could sit at this table with Jesus with equal need and equal
inclusion.
6. When Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them, everything changes.
7. The table becomes a place of warm fellowship, where no one is better or
worse, and the invitation includes everyone.
D. Something else has happened at Matthew’s house.
1. It may be Matthew’s table.
2. He may have invited the tax collectors and sinners to be there.
3. But he is not at the head of the table.
4. Jesus is.
5. Jesus has become the host.
6. He is the one everyone defers to.
7. He speaks, and everyone else listens.
8. The Pharisees do not accuse Matthew of anything.
9. Instead, they question what Jesus is doing at this table.
10. And Jesus has taken charge.
11. He has welcomed sinners to sit at the table and eat with him.
E. Why has Jesus done this?
1. Why is this welcome to the sinners?
2. They need him, of course.
3. They need Him for His mercy.
4. He desires mercy from the people, not mere religious going through the
motions.
5. Yet he also knows that mercy needs to come first from Him if there is to
be mercy shown by his people.
6. And His mercy flows freely from His sacrifice of Himself.
F. Earlier in the sermon I repeated a number of times the apostle Paul’s
words:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
G. The sentence doesn’t stop there.
H. Paul goes on to say:
Romans 3:24 (NASB95)
being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus.
I. Think about another meal Jesus hosted.
1. This one happened on the night he was betrayed, when he was eating with
his closest disciples.
2. Even though he knew:
A. Judas would betray him,
B. Peter would deny him,
C. and the rest would run away,
D. he still welcomed them to the table.
3. He ate with them.
4. They were sinners just like you and me.
J. Then He heads to the table of the cross.
1. He is at the lonely table off to the side of Jerusalem.
2. He is abandoned.
3. Left alone.
4. He is sitting on the outside looking in at Jerusalem, the Holy City.
5. What is he doing there?
6. He is showing mercy by sacrificing Himself.
7. All the sinful flesh has to offer:
A. the greed,
B. the lust,
C. the fear,
D. the anger,
E. the worry,
F. the condescension,
G. all of it!
1. He has taken it on Himself.
2. Out of this sacrifice comes the mercy of His forgiveness.
3. Like the good physician who knows just what the sick need, Jesus
welcomes us in His merciful forgiveness.
K. Three days later, He rises from the dead.
1. Some days later, he has another meal.
2. Peter, John, James, Nathanael, Thomas, and a couple other disciples
decide to go fishing.
3. They don’t catch anything.
4. From the shore, Jesus calls out to them and tells them to throw their
nets on the right side of the boat.
5. Whoa! 153 large fish in the nets.
6. John says:
A. “It’s the Lord.”
7. Peter plunges into the water and sloshes as fast as he can go to the
shore to be with Jesus.
8. When everyone else is out of the boat, what is waiting for them?
9. A meal.
10. Breakfast is served.
11. When the meal is over, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him.
A. Three times Peter had denied him.
B. Three times he needed to hear Jesus restore him.
C. He is welcomed back into the family, back to the table of Christ’s mercy
for all eternity.
L. Who is eating with Jesus?
1. Sinners.
2. Sinners like you and me.
3. All because Jesus is at the head of the table.
4. All because He is the host.
5. All of us are included.
6. All of us are welcome.
7. All of us are forgiven.
M. What table is being talked about here?
1. It’s this table, the altar.
2. When you approach this altar, what do you hear me tell you?
A. Welcome to the Lord’s Table!
3. Here Jesus is the host. not us.
4. Here Jesus welcomes us with His very body and blood given and shed on
the cross for our forgiveness, life, and salvation.
5. Here we receive the risen Christ, who welcomes us once again.
6. We receive mercy from him.
N. We leave from this table, following Him.
1. We leave from this table and what happens?:
A. that greed becomes more and more a spirit of generosity and giving.
B. the lust and desires become more and more a commitment for that gift of
sexuality to be kept sacred in the marital relationship.
C. the worry and fear become more and more a peace that surpasses all
understanding.
D. the anger becomes more and more patience and compassion, using our words
to encourage (that is, to bring courage to) someone.
E. we more and more respect another person no matter what his or her place
or status is in life.
F. and follow Jesus by showing mercy not just on Sunday or when we find it
convenient, but on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday!
Conclusion
A. Back to the movie Encanto.
1. Near the end of the movie, Bruno has helped Mirabel see what she needs
to do to save the family.
2. But the magical house still collapses.
3. All seems to be lost until Mirabel brings reconciliation with the
family’s matriarch.
4. The house is rebuilt, with the help of people from a nearby town.
5. Mirabel inserts a special doorknob that brings the house back to life
again.
6. Even more important, Bruno is welcomed back into the family.
7. The whole family gathers together for a picture.
8. Everyone is smiling, and right in the center of that picture is Bruno.
9. He is no longer an outcast, behind the walls, left out.
10. Imagine, after the picture is taken, this family going into the house
and having a big meal together.
11. Bruno has his place with everyone.
12. You hear laughter and warm conversation as good food is eaten.
13. Love flows freely around that table, as we hear in verse 10 of our text
for this morning:
Matthew 9:10 (NASB95)
Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house,
behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and
His disciples.
B. Picture that moment here today.
1. Brothers and sisters in Christ, Gathering Together at This Table:
A. in Joy,
B. in Closeness,
C. in Love,
D. in Forgiveness
E. Why? All because of Jesus’ Sacrifice and Mercy.
2. Remember, Jesus is the host, and he says to you:
A. “Welcome to my table.” Amen.
C. Let us pray:
Lord, teach us to love Your Word. Show us Your steadfast mercy in every
verse. Give us the faith to believe that all You have said is true and that
all Your promises will be fulfilled in Christ. Let us seek You with our
whole heart and find You in Your Word. Amen.
D. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
E. In the Name of the Father…Amen.