Mark 6:34; The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; July 21, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

When [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34, ESV)

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus had compassion. That God himself would have compassion on human beings is a radical statement. The Greek gods, the Roman gods, didn’t have compassion. Human beings, they say, were created for their amusement. Those gods took advantage, taunted, deceived and belittled people. But the true God has compassion. Jesus, God himself in human flesh, has compassion.

The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, literally bleeds compassion. He does more than feed the people, although he did that, he feeds them with the Good News. Jesus immediate reaction to this compassion is to teach.

[Jesus] began to teach them many things.

Like Mary sitting at Jesus feet, listening to his teaching. Despite Martha’s insistence that she should be helping take care of all their guests, Jesus says what is important.

Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”” (Luke 10:42b, ESV)

That is Jesus having compassion. Repeatedly we see his compassion.

The word compassion in Greek is σπλαγχνίζομαι. It is onomatopoeia. That means it sounds like what it means. Splunk. You have heard of spelunking? It is cave exploring. You go deep into the bowels of the earth (something I would never do!). The word itself has to do with the bowels. When pagans would make an offering, they would splat the internal organs on the altar for sacrifice. splunk. The word speaks to the place Jesus’ compassion is found. Deep seated. Down in his bowels. It is compassion that led to great action. This compassion led Jesus to the cross. That is a picture of real compassion. Jesus’ shed his blood, for the sake of those on whom he had compassion. It shows his σπλαγχνίζομαι goes way beyond daily bread. Jesus’ compassion is about the forgiveness of sins. The cross was the only way for that to be accomplished. He teaches sinners about their sin and how he will accomplish forgiveness. He puts his compassion to practice as he takes the place of sinners on the cross. He suffers the pain and humiliation of a the very public spectacle of crucifixion (Despite the pictures of it, Jesus was likely total nude on the cross). He suffers the dreadful punishment of sinners. And it is not only physical torment; he suffers hell for sinners. He dies the death of sinners. Jesus, God and man, dies for sinners. Jesus is buried in the grave of sinners.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, ESV)

That is σπλαγχνίζομαι.



Jesus loves people. He created us as complete human beings. He understands our needs and wants, he created them, after all. But it is deeper than that. He became a human. He was hungry, he was thirsty, he cried, and he laughed. The world, corrupted by sin, fell on him full force. The gods of the old world sometimes appeared as human, but not like Jesus. He was human, completely and fully. Just think a little bit about what that really means. Jesus had compassion, σπλαγχνίζομαι, for people in dire straits. He saw suffering from illness, hunger, poverty, mistreatment, loneliness, directionlessness, depression, anger, hate, murder, plagued by demons, and facing death. Compassion was his response. It is the same as you feel when you see these things, only more. Because he was not only a man, but also God, he had God’s compassion. And God’s compassion always leads to action. Jesus healed, cast out demons, feed people, fought back against injustice, and even raised the dead. Jesus is God doing his proper work. That is, setting things back in order, curing the real problem for human beings, sin, death and hell. Compassion would have it no other way.

So, the question comes up, “If Jesus was so full of σπλαγχνίζομαι, why didn’t he just heal everyone, why didn’t he cure all the lepers, why didn’t he raise all the dead?” After all the people he did miracles for were only a handful of humanity. It is a great question. Why God, did I have to suffer through a divorce? Why did my parents die from cancer? You have similar questions of your own. The answer is: I don’t know. What I know is faulty, corrupted by sin, and self-centered. But God is driven by love and compassion. God has complete and perfect knowledge. God is never self-centered. You see that clearly in Jesus.

For our sake [the Father] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8, ESV)

We have all played the game, “If I was God for a day.” Well, thank God, I’m not God. By the way, I thank God that you are not God, too. He does all things perfectly. That means when we suffer all the things that living in a world broken by sin, we can be assured that God only allows all those things to happen for our benefit, our perfect benefit, that is. After all he says in his Word,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV)

“All things” that means the death of loved ones, illness, anything that happens to you for “for good”.

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19, ESV)

Faith is the call to believe despite what it looks like and the heart ache it causes. That doesn’t mean we understand why, it only means we put our trust in Jesus knowing that he is faithful and full of compassion, σπλαγχνίζομαι. What better place to place your trust in the One who has shown himself faithful. He went to the cross to save you from sin, death and hell, will he not be faithful in all things?

And, even more. Although Jesus didn’t heal everyone, although he didn’t raise everyone from death, he will. It is what we mean when we confess the creed, “The resurrection of the body”. That is where God’s compassion comes full circle.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:18–25, ESV)

Just think about the “glory to be revealed to us.” That means we’ll see the reason for everything that has happened to us. How everything worked together for our good, that is, toward our salvation. Even the smallest thing we thought was terrible will have had the purpose of bringing us to be with Jesus forever. Not to mention all the good things. It will be the biggest “ah ha” moment of all time. The God who has σπλαγχνίζομαι will be responsible for all of it.

Well, for now, it isn’t easy to experience all these troubles in our lives. We will often plead God for a different outcome. There will be many times when we don’t see any possible good from them. There will be many times when we struggle to be at peace. It is specifically those times when God calls us to lean on him, the God of σπλαγχνίζομαι, compassion. Jesus has complete understanding of what it means to be human, to suffer as humans do.

And it isn’t only that. Human compassion is a good thing. We are compassionate towards one another. How comforting it is to have a friend hold your hand when you are suffering. And many people are even very good at showing compassion. As good as it is, as necessary as it is, God’s compassion in Jesus is very different. Jesus shows compassion that has a faint reflection in the compassion of people. But his is perfect. That’s easy to say, but what do I mean? Jesus compassion is perfect because it is founded in a promise. That promise is that our suffering will come to an end. It is the promise of the resurrection. Jesus died on the cross was buried and will come again. He comes to put all suffering to an end. That is what his σπλαγχνίζομαι is, a compassion that says, it is only for a little while.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

That’s what forgiveness is, a promise of the redemption of our bodies, healing, life from death, no more suffering, no more pain. We as the chosen people of God, will live again in these physical bodies, as pinchable as your flesh is now. And then, it will be without what we constantly know, suffering, pain and sorrow. It is so pervasive that our physical experience can’t comprehend what that really means. But this is what I do know.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8)

We can only imagine what the joy of our redeemed bodies will be like, and that will fall well short of reality.

Jesus shows σπλαγχνίζομαι, compassion. It is a real, tangible thing. Suffering for a purpose is countered by compassion. We are not left alone to suffer. He gives gifts through his church that give us comfort and strength, in faith, to stand. And Jesus’ compassion is available. You know the time and place. You know your brothers and sisters in Christ who act, in the Holy Spirit, on Jesus’ behalf. You hear God’s comforting words of the Gospel. You open your mouth and receive the One Who Has Compassion. You are bathed in the promises of God at the font. It isn’t complicated. It is found in everyday ordinary things. No visions necessary. No complicated prayers necessary (Just think about the Lord’s Prayer, how simple it is). A hug of support from a brother or sister in Christ. You sit and open your ears. You stand (kneel in the future) and take Jesus’ compassion through an open mouth. You remember your baptism, even though you might not actually remember it, where God adopted you.

That is σπλαγχνίζομαι. It is found fully in Jesus Christ, in his cross, in Holy Bapism, in fellow Christians, in his Word, and water and wine. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

2 Corinthians 12.1-10; Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; July 7, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Conceit is a dangerous thing. In the scramble to get along in this world a little conceit seems to go a long way. It was Andy Warhol who said that in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes. I think he really meant that to be a good thing about the future. But now that we are here, I’m not so sure. Isn’t a lot of what’s going on in the world today based on conceit?

A cell phone means I’m so important I can’t afford to miss a single call. No matter what conversation is taking place, that cell phone call takes priority. Everyone rolls their eyes at the guy who takes a call during a movie, but if the little thing starts giggling in your pocket (or mine) we are all (except Jay and Greg) very likely to answer it too. Whatever the call is, it’s more important, I’m more important, than whatever you are doing with me right now. I’m more important than the commotion caused by my need to answer the phone. In fact, when was the last time you went to a large gathering of people, and you didn’t hear the phone ring?

Internet influencers are very popular. They spout their opinions about everything from politics to makeup. What they are called tells it all. Influencers influence. There are thousands of internet influencers. It’s as if their opinions are worth more than others simply because they have a podcast. They believe their opinions are more important because they have a following on the net. If you aren’t an influencer, if you don’t have a podcast, you simply don’t matter.

And don’t get me started on Facebook. Just the name alone has conceit in it; my “face” out there for the world to see. Full disclosure, the church has a Facebook page. I have one too. I’ve said I use it to keep in touch with friends. I tell myself that I’ve gotten in touch with some friends that I hadn’t seen in years. I’ve not really spoken to them. I just know what they had for breakfast. If you know what X is (formally twitter) Twitter is… In 140 characters describe what you are doing right now. (Actually, it is never true, because you’ve interrupted whatever you are doing to send a twitter message!) As if everyone in the world wants to know what I’m doing right now. By the way, I don’t eat breakfast. With X you are never out of touch ‘cause your ‘tweets’ (are they still called tweets?) come and go from your cell phone. It’s a way to ‘publish’ your text messages “What am I doing right now” to the world. And it’s all based on conceit. Really it is. My life is important enough that everyone should know what I’m doing. I’ve got drama and intrigue enough to spare and everyone should be interested in my life. I’ve got it all! Look at me! I deserve to be famous. There was a poll that said that most young adults believe that fame is a reasonable way for a person with no talent to make a living. That’s what conceit is. I’m worth all attention.

Well, I guess it’s a good thing we are immune to conceit in the church, right? Hardly, God does something great, and we are the first to take the credit. It is one of my pet peeves. Someone asked how big your church is. “Well, we worship around 100 people every Sunday.” No! We worship God, in Trinity and Unity, the one who saved us from sin, death and hell through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We don’t worship people! I think in a way we try to say, “we must be doing something right because we have certain people, well known Synod figures who attend our church.” It is especially hard for pastors to set aside themselves when things are going well in a congregation. After all there is a certain character trait in all pastors that makes them want to be the center of attention. If we didn’t have it, we couldn’t be a pastor. And yet, the work that happens in the church is God’s work, not the pastors. If a church is growing as God would have it grow it is doing so because the Holy Spirit is working through Word and Sacrament. But people want to give credit to people. Pastors want to take credit for themselves. Let’s make this very personal. In my sinful nature I want to take credit for all the good things that have happened here at Life in Christ. My conceit tells me I’m the reason. The Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin and shows me the forgiveness of the cross. Please remember, nothing good that happens here is because of me, rather the Holy Spirit works through God’s Word and Sacrament, convicting people of their sin and showing them their Savior, Jesus Christ. To God be all the Glory for His Work in the church. I am only trying to be faithful to what I have been given to do. At least that’s what I say in public. So much for the pastor’s confession.

How about you? Where does your conceit lie? Do you look to the culture around you to determine what’s good for you? Do you want your fifteen minutes of fame? Do you want credit for your support of the church, as if the church would collapse without you? Does everything have to be done your way; because you are just conceited enough to think that your way is the only right way? Do you count your faithfulness to the church through all its trouble the reason this church is still here? You see folks, here’s the rub, isn’t it? There are a great many good things that you have done and do on a regular basis for this church. But instead of seeing them as God working through you, you want to take the credit. Better yet, you want someone else to recognize you for doing it. When was the last time you were disgusted because you didn’t get a thank you. Do you see the sin here? You see when we read this text, we tend to look at Paul as if he had some special predisposition to the sin of conceit. We think that God had to do something to prevent him from taking credit where no credit was due. But Paul is simply human. His temptation to conceit is no different from yours or mine. So here we are, you, me, St. Paul pointing to ourselves asking for credit that isn’t ours to take.

Whenever we talk about our story of sin, we find the same story in the Garden. Conceit was at the heart of what Adam and Eve did when they disobeyed God.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6, ESV)

“the tree was to be desired to make one wise.” Eve wanted that wisdom for herself. She wanted to make her own decisions about right and wrong. She wanted to have control of herself, and take the credit for herself. She didn’t want to be dependent on God, or Adam or anyone. Conceit is to think of yourself more highly than you ought. She thought of herself more important than God. And Adam, well he was standing right by her the whole time egging her on. He wanted it, too. He just made his wife do it first.

That’s conceit, really; placing ourselves above God; thinking of ourselves more highly than God; putting God in his place, below us. We do it all the time. And it is a dangerous place to be. If we want to be on our own before God, we can do that. But imagine standing before God in the final judgment. He says, “Do you have anything to say in your defense?” What can we offer? Half righteous works that we did for our own benefit? Gifts that we gave to the church with a grudging heart or in hopes of receiving accolades from others? None of that will stand up to a judge who demands perfection. When we stand on our own, when we are taking credit, all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags, polluted by sin. And the wages of sin is death, eternal death.

So now you see what St. Paul is talking about. God beat down his sin with a healthy dose of the law. For him it came in this “thorn in the flesh.” It kept him humble. It kept him focusing on Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of his sin. It kept reminding him that all that God was doing was God’s doing. After all it is God’s doing that really matters isn’t it? We are filled with conceit. Jesus humbled himself on the cross and shed his blood to cleanse us of all our sin. We are full of ourselves. Jesus thought of nothing but us as he bled and died. We take credit. Jesus gives all glory to God the Father and submits to God’s will perfectly. Even to death on the cross. We think we know what’s best. Jesus takes the difficult road to the cross, the only way for sinners to be saved. It is there on the cross that your sin is forgiven. It is there on the cross that God does something about your self-centered conceit. It is there on the cross that God washes you clean through Jesus’ blood. It is there on the cross the God himself in Jesus Christ suffers the eternal punishment you deserve for thinking more of yourself than others and God. You are his baptized, loved, forgiven child. Through the washing of water and the Word you are dead to the sin of conceit.

Consider Paul’s words in Romans, he is speaking about God’s work for you in Jesus, through Holy Baptism:

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:8-11, ESV)

So, what do we do? What does it mean to be dead to sin? Work hard and give the credit to God. Do what’s necessary for the church to continue doing its work, let the Word proclaimed here be foremost. Make sure Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sin is proclaimed from this pulpit. (Yes, that means holding your preachers accountable!). Give generously to the budget of the church and for missionaries in all parts of the world. Care for your neighbors when they need it, no matter what the need is. Feed your family. And most importantly, tell people about the forgiveness that God has for them in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Confess your conceit in all these things. Take your sin to Jesus. He will wash you in his blood shed on the cross. Open your mouth and receive the forgiveness that God pours into you through Jesus’ body and blood. And then rejoice in what he is doing in his church through you, despite your sin. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.