May 4, 2008 — The Seventh Sunday of Easter
“God provides Faithful Servants for Unfaithful Ones” — Pastor Lassman
Listen to the sermon with the player below, or, download. (Right Click)
My Fellow Redeemed in Christ,
It always hurts when we read in the newspaper or hear on the news about a pastor or priest who has been arrested for child molestation or who has had an affair with someone in the church or done something else to dishonor Christ and his church. It also hurts when we hear of all the differences in teachings among Christians. What a poor witness to the world. No wonder non-Christians get confused and offended. Why should they become Christians when Christians can’t even agree on what they believe and teach? But even though this is very sad we must also keep all of this in perspective because none of this is new. Such shocking scandal and division has existed in the church from the very beginning.—it all began with Judas. In our text for this morning we hear about those first Christians dealing with all that scandal and disappointment and looking to God to find a qualified replacement for Judas. For “God provides faithful servants for unfaithful ones.”
I. It is always disappointing when a servant of Christ proves to be unfaithful or divisive. Although we might always be disappointed we should never really be surprised because the scriptures warn us that there will be unfaithful servants of Jesus Christ.
A. Indeed, Peter says that the Scriptures warned about the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. He refers to two psalms written by King David. The first psalm speaks to Judas being removed from his office, Psalm 69: 25: “may his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it.” The second psalm speaks to someone taking his place, Psalm 109: 8: “let another take his office.” Peter says that these words were spoken by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of King David. This is why we call the Bible “God’s word” even though it was written by human beings. For what they wrote did not come from them…but from the Holy Spirit who led them to write what they did. For thirty pieces of silver Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Later he felt sorry for what he did and Matthew tells us that he returned the money to the Jewish leaders. But they really didn’t’ want the money because it was “blood money”, money used to put someone to death. How’s that for hypocrisy? So the Jewish officials used the money to buy a burial plot in Jerusalem for strangers. That plot of ground became known as the “field of blood” because it was purchased with money that was used to betray Jesus and kill him. And according to Matthew’s gospel Judas went out and hanged himself and later, as Peter tells us in our text, his body fell to the ground and burst open. And everyone knew this scandalous story as Peter says, “and it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” What a scandal. Not a good way to begin Christianity. I’m sure all those first Christians were embarrassed by it and it must have hurt the credibility of the message of Jesus Christ who was betrayed by one of his own.
B. You see then? There is nothing new. Such things have been happening in the Christian church ever since the days of Judas. There always have been and there always will be traitors of Christ from among his own followers who cause a scandal. Jesus warned us in his sermon on the mount: “watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Every pastor who preaches, teaches or lives in ways that are contrary to God’s word is a Judas who betrays Jesus and the gospel ministry. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It is estimated that there are over 650 different Christian denominations in the United States. Why? Because they all teach different things. Why have a separate denomination unless you teach things that are different from the others? We should never think that Jesus is happy about all these different denominations that have different teachings. If there are differences in teachings someone is right and someone is wrong… someone is being unfaithful to Jesus Christ. Jesus wants all Christian churches to teach the same thing and believe the same thing as he says in our gospel lesson—“for I have given them the words that you gave me….holy Father, keep them in our name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” To be one means, among other things, to teach the same doctrine. How can Christians be one in Christ when they teach and believe contradictory teachings? For the last two thousands years there have been many Judases in the church who betray Jesus and bring division and scandal to his church. And we must never forget this.
II. But our text for this morning also shows us that God replaces such unfaithful servants with faithful ones.
A. Since the twelve apostles were the counterpart of the twelve tribes of Israel, the church needed to replace Judas and to once again make the number of apostles twelve. But there were certain requirements. And one of those requirements was that the replacement had to be a man as Peter says, “one of the men who have accompanied us…to take the place in this ministry and apostleship…” and in keeping with this requirement we are told “and they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias”. Jesus had picked twelve men to be his apostles and only a man could take the place of Judas. Of course, many devout and pious women had followed Jesus in his earthly ministry and yet Jesus did not pick any woman to be an apostle. Are we going to sit in judgment of Jesus for doing this? Are we to charge Jesus with being a male chauvinistic pig? Are we to say that Jesus did something wrong or that he was a child of times and culture and didn’t know any better? Jesus wasn’t afraid of controversy and telling the truth. If he had wanted women to be among the apostles he certainly would not have been afraid to do that. You and I might not be critical of Jesus picking only men but there are some who are. But Jesus picked twelve men because God wants the home and church to have male leadership. This began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. And just as the apostles were males so also pastors are to be males as Paul writes in first Timothy: “now the overseer must be the husband of but one wife…he must manage his own family well…if he does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” Here Paul connects the spiritual leadership of the husband in the family with male leadership in the church which is the family of God. And so the modern day practice of women pastors might be good American democracy but it is contrary to God’s will and, like Judas, betrays Christ who chose twelve men. Thus those first Christians considered only two men to take the place of Judas and God chose Matthias to take his place.
B. However, there were other qualifications other than being male. Not all the men were qualified to replace Judas. This man had to have been an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry from his baptism by John to his resurrection from dead and his ascension into heaven. Our Christian faith is based on history and eyewitness accounts. The apostles were commissioned by Jesus to proclaim God’s forgiveness of sins and victory over death. For Jesus had told the apostles “all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28: 18-20). But just as not all the men were qualified to be an apostle so likewise not all men are qualified to be a pastor. They too have qualifications which Paul describes in his first letter to Timothy: “the overseer must be above reproach…sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money…moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders…” (3:2-7). It is especially important that the pastor be “able to teach” for like the apostles his main responsibility is to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in all its fullness and truth. Because the goal of all preaching and teaching is what Jesus says in our gospel lesson: “that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Conclusion: so then, just as the apostle Judas betrayed Jesus there have also been pastors who have betrayed him. But just as unfaithful Judas was replaced with faithful Matthias so likewise God continues to provide faithful pastors for his church. Men whose heart he knows and who are qualified to be shepherds of Christ’s flock. For the gospel ministry belongs to Jesus. He has determined both what is to be preached and who is to preach it. For the last five years, and soon a sixth, we have seen God at work in the vicarage program. In these vicars we see God is still at work in giving faithful servants to his church…and we are thankful. Amen!
