Sermon for St. Matthew, Sept. 19th

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Matthew Sunday
Sept. 19, 2010
Ezekiel 2:8-3:11; Matthew 9:9-13
Speak with my words to them

In the name of Jesus, the one who called Matthew to follow him, and the one who continues to issue that call today, amen.

Of the four evangelists, perhaps Matthew was the smartest. But Luke was the physician, wasn’t he? We think he was, but being a physician then was not the same as being a physician today. Remember that at one point leeches were considered good medical practice. And perhaps you saw the old Saturday night Live skit where Steve Martin played a barber. The barber was looked to for medical help, and the barber’s diagnosis of a young girl’s ailment was due to a small toad or dwarf living in her stomach. Google it and you’ll see how funny that skit is.

John was a fisherman, and you likely know that it doesn’t take a whole lot of smarts to bait a hook. Worm, hook, water, done. Fishing in the first century took more brawn than brains.

And we don’t know a whole lot about Mark.

But Matthew was a tax collector. That job took some brains. It required some education. It required some intellect to determine if that goat equaled enough money to satisfy the amount of tax owed, or if a couple of extra doves were needed. And it took some shrewdness to make sure that no one realized how much extra money you were collecting and keeping and making sure that Caesar got what was his.

So perhaps Matthew was the smartest of the four evangelists. Of the four gospels, Matthew’s is the longest. Matthew includes the most references to the Old Testament. Those are very simple ways to deduce that Matthew had some good gray matter between his ears.

But…Matthew’s intelligence is not our focus. When Jesus called Matthew to leave his booth, Jesus said “Follow me”, not “Follow your own path and do what you want to do”. And our OT lesson from Ezekiel gives us the calling of that great prophet.

There the Lord feeds His prophet. “Son of man, open your mouth and eat what I give you.” And Ezekiel looked and there before him was a scroll. Eat it. Fill your belly with this scroll. It is a scroll of lamentation, woe, and mourning. And when Ezekiel ate it, behold, it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

After a delectable feast on God’s Word, Ezekiel was sent to the house of Israel. God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the father of great King David, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all the people within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, God told Ezekiel to speak with my words to them. Don’t speak with your words Ezekiel. Don’t you presume to know more than me! Do not dare to speak your thoughts and your opinions and your feelings. Speak with my words to them.

Matthew was told the same thing. Follow me, the Lord Jesus told him. Speak my words to the people of Israel. Write my words to those lost sheep, to those who are stuck in their self-righteousness. Do not rely on what you know, what you think you know, or what you guess at. Rely on me, for I am the one who called you. Speak with my words to the people you meet.

That is not as easy at it sounds. We generally like how smart we are. We often are impressed by the things we can do, the way we can build something, the way we can solve problems, the way we can manage time, people, and projects. We like the way we can turn a phrase, craft a sentence, take the music on the page and improvise in a way that is quite beautiful.

We spend a lot of time in school, listening to teachers, squirreled away in the basement of the library with our books and our papers. We spend a lot of time learning, being an apprentice, listening to older workers and figuring out the ‘tricks of the trade’. And so we take pride in what we know.

But the Lord says, “Speak with my words to them.” For someone like Ezekiel, or Jeremiah or Joel or Amos, for someone like Matthew or Mark or Luke or John, for you and for me, the Lord says to us, “Not by your smarts, not by your strength, not by your creativity, but by my Spirit. It is by my Spirit who brings the living Word of the Living Savior to your ears, to your heart. Speak with my words to them.”

Who is the ‘them’? Them is out there. Them is in here. Them are at work and them are in the classroom. Speak with my words to all people. Certainly in this place, in these services conducted in the Lord’s House, it is the Word of God that is spoken, the Word that frightens and condemns, the Word that comforts and saves.

So I think we are pretty clear on who is the ‘them’.

But what words are we to speak? And whose words should spill out of our mouths?

“Speak with my words to them.” That is, the Lord’s words, the words that mean something, the words that are solid and certain, trustworthy and true. Those kind of words are not often heard in our age of half-truths, of pseudo-truth, of white lies, gray lies, red, pink, and green lies. I’m not allowed to talk to telemarketers, and this is because I generally believe what people tell me. Believing what people say is a good thing, unless the words that people say are deceptive, false, or harmful.

The words of the Lord are words that we know. They have been spoken to us. They have been applied to us, and we have been speaking them. Our worship services are sung Scripture. Have you noticed how the pages of our hymnal are replete with Bible passages? We are not speaking the words of men. We are not speaking the words of North Africans, the area from where the historic order of Christian worship originated. We are speaking, singing, and praying the Lord’s words.

They are familiar words in a familiar language. Ezekiel was not sent to a foreign land, to people with a strange tongue. Neither was Matthew. He was sent to the lost people of Israel, to the sheep who had wandered away, and through Matthew, the Lord Himself sought after His people.

Everyday we find ourselves amidst people who speak the same language as us. Whether these people are inside the Church or not, they understand loss, hurt, and rejection. Christians and non-Christians alike deal with death, hopelessness, trial, and tragedy. They know joy and happiness, peace and calm. But sadly, the people outside of the Church, who do not rejoice in the Lord’s relationship, they do not know the Victor who overcomes the losses. They do not know the Divine Healer of our hurts, nor do they know the Forgiver who reverses our rejection. They do not know Jesus and are unable to respond to His call of “Follow me”.

The Lord sends us to speak. How? When the Lord’s call comes, our excuses come out quickly. I’m too young. I’m too old. I’m not smart enough. I don’t want to be perceived as a meddler. I wouldn’t know what to say. First of all, there is no such thing as too young or too old. Children and the elderly often make the strongest statements of faith through their living. Children simply blurt out the truth that Jesus loves them and they are overjoyed with that great knowledge. The elderly testify to God’s grace as they bear up under long illnesses, often with great pain and suffering. Indeed, they that wait on the Lord shall have their strength renewed like the soaring eagles.

Secondly, you wouldn’t know what to say? You’re not smart enough? That’s right. None of us are. But you are not speaking your words. I do not offer my opinion. Speak with my words to them, says the lord. Speak your story with the words of the Lord. Speak of your sin and God’s grace. Speak of your lost condition and how the Lord found you. Speak of your weakness and God’s strength. Speak of your self-centeredness and them speak of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross.

Now some will hear and some will not. The Lord knows that people possess hard foreheads and stubborn hearts. People may close their ears. People may turn their back on us and walk away. People may respond with words of hate and condemnation. People may curl their hands into fists. We can’t control that. We know how stiff-necked and pig-headed we are. But the Lord’s command is simple: speak. Whether they hear or not is not your business. Your business is to speak. When you speak, speak the Lord’s words. You know the words. You live the words.

The Lord’s words are love. They are grace. They are forgiveness. They are the Lord’s words for you and they are in you. SDG