ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
O God, the Strength of all them that put their trust in Thee,
mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do nothing without Thee, grant us the help of Thy grace that in keeping Thy commandments we may please Thee both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul,
for I have sinned against Thee.
V. Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Give ear to my words, O Lord: consider my meditation. Hallelujah!
Zach Engleman has returned after his trip to the Philippines.
Our nation, built upon the sacrifices of patriots and the faith of its Founders, has a Constitution that has outlived all others.
Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Dr. Lito Cruz' family, Kermit and Marie Way, Sarah Buck - diagnosis and treatment, Callie and her mother Peggy, those with emotional distress and metabolic disorders.
Those working to protect the unborn, the weakest of the weak, the poorest of the poor.
KJVs are being given away in super large, normal, and compact versions - for those with 1) eyesight issues, 2) men and women's prison ministry, and 3) children.
KJV 1 John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Second Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that through Thy holy word Thou hast called us to Thy great supper, and we beseech Thee: Quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not hear Thy word without fruit, but that we may prepare ourselves rightly for Thy kingdom, and not suffer ourselves to be hindered by any worldly care, through Thy beloved Son. Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Jesus Delivered the Invitation
KJV Luke 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
People want to know more about heavenly matters, and here it is spelled out for everyone to understand. First of all, this is a parable, which means it is a narrative that delivers a message to us, using common elements of life.
Secondly, "a certain man" is God the Father, who is summoning everyone to the Great Feast, which is everlasting life through His Son.
Thirdly, the servant (doulos - slave) is Jesus.
KJV Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (doulos - slave), and was made in the likeness of men:
If these elements are ignored, the meaning of the parable becomes confused. That is why Jesus taught in parables, so the casual listeners would fail to grasp the meaning, the situation we have today. Many people quote passages using bad translations and twist those words beyond recognition as well. The modern translations even erase verses from the Scriptures, watering down the message by removing two essential themes of the New Testament - faith and the divinity of Christ.
God the Father sent His Son to invite or call people into the Kingdom of the Messiah. This began with Jesus inviting the disciples and continued through the preaching (inviting) of Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. The miracles of Jesus were presented as primary because they supported the divine nature of His message - speaking with divine authority, not like the scribes and Pharisees. The miracles lead us to the Gospel Word, so we see that the One who raised the dead can also free us from sin, through faith in Him.
This parable, which seems obscure and difficult at first, is really exciting and motivating.
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
God sent Jesus to us to include us in that Great Feast, which begins here and continues in eternal life. "All things" are the events and narratives of the Bible, starting with Genesis 1:1. My Old Testament students admit that they are weak on that part of the Bible, and that is probably true in general. However, that means leaving out the vast amount of divine power leading up to the New Testament, which says - for example in the Gospels - "in order to fulfill the Scriptures..."
Creation, the establishment of Israel, the kingdoms of Saul, David, and Solomon, and the prophets all contribute to and frame the New Testament. I met the LCMS leader who bragged that he never believed in justification by faith alone and who also denied the Messianic passages in the Psalms. What God has established can easily be chipped away by the apostates, who are well represented in this parable.
Can we see a connection between this parable and "kiss the Son, lest He be angry" in Psalm 2? Take Jesus away from Psalm 2 and there is only nonsense.
KJV Psalm 2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
A student recently said his friend had so many problems that he went over to atheism. This parable and Psalm 2 address that issue.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
This might have been used as the first excuse because it is so funny. Someone has already bought some land, so now he has to look at it, as if the property will slip away, like a difficult and valuable animal.
13. This preaching of Christ is the great and glorious supper with which he feeds his guests and sanctifies them through his holy Baptism, and comforts and strengthens them through the Sacrament of his body and blood, that nothing may be wanting and a great plenty may be at hand and all become satisfied. Thus this supper is justly called a glorious, great supper on account of the fare and food, so costly and richly prepared that no tongue can describe it and no heart sufficiently grasp it. For it is an eternal food and an eternal drink, by partaking of which a man shall nevermore thirst nor hunger, but be forever satisfied, his thirst is quenched and he becomes joyful; and this not only for one man, but for the whole wide world, even if it were ten times wider, they would all have sufficient. For it is an inexhaustible food and an everlasting drink, as our Gospel says: He who believeth on this Lord Jesus Christ, that he was born for us of the Virgin Mary and crucified for out’ sins under Pontius Pilate, died, descended into hell, and rose again from the dead and sitteth at the right hand of God, etc.; he who believes this, eats and drinks truly from this supper. For to believe in Christ the Lord means to eat and to drink, from which the people become satisfied, fat and stout and strong, so that they are joyful forever.
This is good to remember, what Luther says, when times are difficult, disorders plague us, opponents have food fights. The parable of Lazarus reminds us too, that the person with faith in Christ is the blessed one, not the one who has no faith but enjoys endless amounts of luxuries and false friends.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
If we were talking about an E-truck, that might be a good idea. In fact, those with expensive animals can be very sensitive about the animals, their values, and their place on the farm. But this is a way of reminding us that such things seem very important at the moment, but they are nothing compared to the Great Banquet. Although we can get beaten down by a thousand negative things, we are still being nurtured by the Lord of Creation. Thus we do not cherish the least important things, which are temporary, but we store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
Personal matters displace eternal values, when allowed.
22. The third class say: The Gospel is a doctrine that will not allow covetousness, nor permit us to strive to have sufficient for our bodily needs, but commands us to risk everything, body and life, money and goods, for Christ’s sake. Therefore we will and cannot come, for we must see how we may keep our own, which God has given us. For to take a wife is not to do or undertake anything dishonorable, but to enter an honorable state, and to be at home and plan how to support yourself, which is everyone’s duty. But all this is just that by which an honest housefather commits sin, when he only thinks of this, how he may become rich, keep house well and prosper. God grant it whether it be done with or against God.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
This is how the Gospel flowed into all the lands, into the Western Roman Empire, and to the Eastern or Byzantine part of the Empire, lasting until 1453 (only one small city by then).
Europe craved spices and god, and that led to North America and South America having visitors and missionaries. The original heirs of the Gospel have converted in many places, but the numbers are few. Nevertheless, the Gospel has gone everywhere and is more appreciated in the lowest parts than the highest.
Compel Them - There Is Still Room
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
40. This constraining, however, is necessary in preaching both repentance and forgiveness of sins; for without repentance we remain too hard and obdurate under his wrath, in our sinful nature and in the kingdom of the devil. And moreover, when the terror of divine wrath strikes us, we are again too fearful, modest and disturbed, to take this to heart and believe, that he will show us such great grace and mercy, and we are always full of anxiety that we do not belong to them, and that he will reject us because of our sins and great unworthiness. Therefore he must himself command and work that men continue and persevere evermore to constrain and urge as much as possible, both by holding forth wrath for the wicked and grace for the faithful. Wrath and repentance urge man to run and cry for grace. This is then the right way a person goes to this supper, and thus from Jews and Gentiles there will be one Christian church, and all will be called alike poor, miserable people, lame and crippled, for they accept the Gospel heartily and with joy.
