LESSON: PSALM 25:1-10

He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree. Luke 1:52

No one is so high, or will ever reach such a height, of whom it is not to be feared that he could become the lowliest. On the other hand, no one has ever fallen so deeply, or will fall so deeply, that he cannot entertain hopes of becoming the highest.

The reason for these paradoxes is that all merits are set aside, and God’s goodness alone is praised. The first will be last, and the last first.

When God declares that “the first will be last,” He takes away all your presumptions and forbids you to exalt yourself, even above a whore, even if you were Abraham, David, Peter, or Paul. But when He says, “The last will be first,” He bids you cast off all despair and not to regard yourself unfavorably even in comparison with the saints, even though you were Pilate, Herod, or Sodom and Gomorrah.

For just as we have no reason at all for presumption, so also have we no reason for despair.

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PRAYER: Heavenly Father, in your Son and His work of salvation, we have all that we need for our faith and life as your children. Keep far from us all presumption and pride, that we always trust in your mercy and grace alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: MICAH 6:6-8

A man’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23

It is very necessary that this Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16) should be preached to those in our time who know that Gospel, like me and others like me, who are teachers of the whole world and become its masters. We are very prone to develop the idea that we are closer to God than others, and that we have devoured God’s Spirit with feathers and legs.

How does it come to pass that so many sects have arisen, the one undertaking this, the other that, in connection with the Gospel? Without a doubt, the reason is that more of these really think that the statement applies to them, “The first will be last,” or, if it does apply to them, they are secure and without fear and regard themselves as “the first.”

Their experience will have to tally with this statement; they must become “the last.” They simply go ahead and set up much disgraceful doctrine and blasphemy against God and the Word.

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PRAYER: Open our eyes, O God, that we always recognize that we are paupers in your sight, absolutely dependent on your grace for all that we need as your children, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 138:1-6

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5

The Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16) does not simply speak of those who are “first” and “last” in an ordinary sense as, for example, the mighty ones of this world, who are heathen and know nothing of God, are nothing in God’s sight. It speaks of those who have persuaded themselves that they are the “first” or “last” before God.

There it aims very high and hits some very important people; indeed, it is most disturbing for the greatest of the saints.

This is why Jesus told this parable to His apostles. For it can happen that one who is quite poverty-stricken in the eyes of the world, weak and despised, who has even suffered something for God’s sake and gives no appearance at all of amounting to anything, still nurtures secret ideas of self-satisfaction and begins to think that he is the “first” before God when he is actually the “last.”

On the other hand, even if anyone is so despondent and weak that he regards himself as the “last” before God, despite the fact that in the world he enjoys money, honor, and good things, he is the “first.”

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PRAYER: Empty us, O Lord, of all false pride and self-righteousness that, firmly trusting in your grace and mercy, we may always rank as those who are “first” in your sight, in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 11:33-36

The last will be first, and the first last. Matthew 20:16

We must understand the two words “last” and “first” in two respects: in respect to God and in respect to men.

“The first” before men and those who consider and conduct themselves as those who are closest to God, as “the first” before God, quite paradoxically are regarded as “the last” before God and the farthest removed from Him.

On the other hand, those who are “the last” in the eyes of men, who regard and conduct themselves as those farthest removed from God and “the last” before Him, are paradoxically the closest to God and “the first” before Him.

He who wants to be secure should closely follow the saying, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” (Matthew 23:12). For here in this Gospel, we are clearly reminded that “the first” before men is “the last” before God, and “the last” before me is “the first” before God. Similarly, “the first” before God is “the last” before men, and “the last” before God is “the first” before men.

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PRAYER: You have shown us, heavenly Father, that our salvation in Christ is beyond all human understanding and confronts man with much that seems absurd to human reason. Humble us by your grace, that we never presume to judge you and your ways with us by our own weak reasons and understanding. May we always remain firmly established in your Word of truth, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 6:25-33

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Matthew 6:33

The denarius represents the temporal welfare of men, and the favor of the household their eternal welfare. Both groups in the parable receive a denarius, an equal amount for their earthly sustenance.

Those described in the parable as “the last” did not seek as much pay as the others; all this was an additional gift to them because they sought the kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33). On top of all this, they also receive the grace which brought them eternal life, and they were happy and joyful.

“The first,” however, seek what is temporal; they accept the engagement and work for this only. For this reason, they miss out on grace and earn hell with all their heavy toil. For the former, “the last,” do not suffer from the presumption that they have actually earned the denarius; yet they get everything. When “the first” see this, they delude themselves into thinking that they should obtain much more, and they miss out on everything.

As we see clearly when we examine the hearts of those two groups, “the last” do not pay attention to their merits or deserts, but they partake of the Lord’s goodness. “The firsts,” however, pay no attention to the Lord’s goodness, but look only to their own deserts and regard the payment as due for their service and complain about the householder’s goodness.

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PRAYER: Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus, for your undeserved and full salvation, which you bestow on us feely and without cost through the ministrations of your holy Church. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 20:1-16

Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. Matthew 20:10

The Gospel comes with a levelling action and makes all men equal in sin, so that those who perform many works count for no more than the open sinners and must also become sinners and hear themselves describe in Paul’s words, “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23). No one can be justified before God by what he himself does, by his works.

At this stage, men look around and begin to despise those who have done practically nothing. They ask themselves why all their pain and labor should count for no more than the laziness and loose living of others.

They also begin to complain to the householder because they do not think it is fair. They actually blaspheme against the Gospel and become quite hardened in their work-righteousness. They love the favor and grace of God and have to content themselves with their temporal reward. They must trudge off with their denarius into condemnation because they served merely for their hire—they were not concerned about any eternal blessing. So, they receive this hire and nothing more.

The others, however, must acknowledge that they have not merited either the denarius or the favor shown to them; they received more than they bargained for. These remain in faith and are saved, and, in addition, they also have enough here for their temporal needs. For all depends on the goodwill of the householder.

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PRAYER: Preserve us, O Lord, from the hypocritical notion that we can become much better than others and thus reach a position where we may claim your blessings and mercies as merits. Keep us ever mindful of Christ’s death, not for the righteous, but for sinners. Amen.

LESSON: JOHN 17:20-26

I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word. John 17:20

Another advantage of confession is that it provides you with an opportunity to confess your errors and mistakes and to seek counsel for them. Even if there were no other reasons for it, and God did not at the same time speak to us there, I would not like to do without confession for the simple reason that it provides me with a good opportunity to open up to my brother and make my complaints and concerns known to him. It is a wretched thing for conscience to be burdened in the grip of fear without knowing where to turn for consolation.

It is very comforting for two people to get together and help each other with advice and consolation. This is a brotherly procedure and also a mark of Christian love. The one discloses his troubles; the other heals the wounds that have opened up before him. I would not trade this for the wealth of the whole world.

This confession should not be commanded and recommended in such a way that people are going to develop a bad conscience by gaining the impression that they must practice this confession before attending Communion. On the other hand, we should not disregard this confession. We can never hear too much of God’s Word and have it so firmly established in our hearts that it becomes impossible to establish it more firmly.

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PRAYER: Make your Word a bright and shining light for us, O Lord, a true means of salvation, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 18:15-20

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. John 20:23

In confession, you have the advantage that the Word is applied to you personally, as is also the case in the Sacrament. In the sermon, the Word is proclaimed to the whole congregation, and although it may have impressed you in various ways, it may not have struck you in its full import. But in confession the Word is directed to you alone; it cannot miss you.

Should you not be very happy to discover a place where God speaks to you individually? If we could actually receive a message directly from an angel, we would all probably be prepared to rush to the very ends of the earth.

Are we not crazy, wretched, and ungrateful for closing our ears to the message that is always so readily available to us? We have the Scriptures which attest that God speaks through us, and that, when God speaks to us through men in the Scriptures, it is just as though God Himself were speaking to us from His own mouth. Christ declares: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). He has also given us the assurance: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). It is God Himself who pronounces the absolution, just as it is God who baptizes a child.

Will you claim that you have no need for confession? Even though you receive the assurance of forgiveness in the Sacrament, you should nevertheless still practice confession, because here God is dealing with you personally.

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PRAYER: We thank you, Lord Jesus, for the personal comfort of forgiveness which you have made so readily available to us in the words of absolution, both collectively and individually, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.