Knock, Knock
I took two preaching courses here at The LTS this January. Here is one of the sermons I prepared for the course. This is for the pericope for Proper 6A (June 15)
Matthew 9:35 - 10:15
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.
Knock, knock.
Hi, I’m Bartholomew. This is my friend Thaddeus. We are traveling disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. He is a new teacher, and he has sent us out to the people of Israel. We want to tell you that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Now, for no charge, we have come to your town to heal the sick, clean lepers, cast out demons and maybe raise some people who died. Could we stay with you for a few days in exchange for our services?
The disciples probably did not go to each house like door-to-door vacuum cleaner sales persons who have a set script to work from. They were sent out with very explicit instructions. They were given a territory to work. They were given a list with a few things to do. They were to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven was near. Cure the sick. Cleanse the lepers. Cast out demons. Raise the dead.
They were given more instructions on what not to do and what not to take, than those they received on what it is they should actually do. They are prohibited from being paid. They are prohibited to take any money with them. They are not to take extra clothes or food. They are to not just go to any home, but are to seek out “worthy” homes to take them in. If a household is worthy, they are to share their peace with the family and bless them. If the disciples come to an unworthy household, or find people who are not willing to listen, the disciples are to reject them and all traces of them. The disciples are to “shake off their dust from your feet.” But even those who did invite the disciples in had to be worthy in the disciples’ eyes. What would that worthiness look like?
My first job after receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration was selling Kirby vacuum cleaners, door to door. I was given very explicit instructions. I was given a territory to work. I was given a list of things to do, and a list of things not to do.
Having faced what I would assume to be numerous rejections; any open door would qualify as being worthy. But Jesus gives His disciples a higher standard, as He always seems to do. The people must not only be open and welcoming, but also attentive and willing to listen.
What makes a town welcoming? What does a listening home do? What does worthy look like? Is it putting out the best you have, the finest foods and fruits? Is it cleaning up? Is it being extraordinarily hospitable? Does it mean reserving the best for the disciples? Will you ignore everything else going on so you can focus on what they say and do? Will you be sure everyone is alert, and hanging on their every word and deed?
From my vacuum peddling days, (which lasted all of a week) anyone who was willing to let me in the door so I could do my demonstration was welcoming and attentive. Anyone who would put up with my pre-packaged pitch, and would let me vacuum their living room so I could get my $10 per presentation was worthy in my eyes. I was worried about picking up all of their dust. I was not worried about shaking it from my shoes.
Matthew does not share with us of the results of the disciples’ journeys. We do not know if they were successful, or not. We cannot tell how they were received. We have no idea if the doors to homes were thrown open for them, or slammed in their faces? We are unsure if they were invited in for dinner, or escorted to the city gates?
So if these two highly motivated young disciples were to knock on your door when you got home from church, how would you respond? Would your home be deemed to be worthy? Would your town? Would you?
If Bartholomew and Thaddaeus were to visit St. John, what would happen? Would we be deemed to be worthy? We could we put out the best we have. We could have Karl roast a pig, and have Becky make and decorate a cake. We could put out a marvelous potluck spread of casseroles, including the finest Jell-O salads. We could cut the grass, trim the bushes and pull the weeds. We can dust and vacuum. We can assign the friendliest greeters to meet them. We could sing only the songs that everyone can sing well. We can save the best seats for the disciples, the ones down front that no one sits in anyway. We can make sure no one falls asleep when the disciples are talking. We can turn off all cell phones and other distractions.
But it would not matter. The disciples would come. They would look around. They might do a few miracles; heal a few people, maybe raise someone whose time really had not yet come. But then they would turn, walk away and shake our dust from their feet. They would then move on to the next prospect on their list.
We would not be found worthy. We could not be found worthy. Because we are not. Jesus told us what the two greatest commandments are. We do not follow even these two. We do not love the Lord our God with our whole hearts. We do not love our neighbors as ourselves. We may try. We will struggle and strain to do so. But we don’t.
But we don’t have to. Jesus, who set the bar high on who was worthy, and Jesus, who told us by what standards we would be deemed worthy, knew we could not pass this test. So he passed it for us. His blood was poured out for many, for us, for the forgiveness of our sins.
Jesus has compassion for us. He knows that we are helpless and harassed. He knows we are sheep without a shepherd. So He became our shepherd, the Good Shepherd.
By his sacrifice, we have been made worthy. The seeds planted by Jesus, the seeds planted by His disciples and by all the disciples who have followed, have taken root and become a plentiful harvest. Our shepherd, who is also the Lord of the harvest, needs laborers to reap that harvest, and to sow more seeds. It is that call of discipleship we all hear and are called to.
By the sacrifice of himself, Jesus has made us all worthy. We do not have to worry about the dust from our homes being shaken from the feet of disciples. We are called to be part of the process.
Knock, knock.
Matthew 9:35 - 10:15
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.
Knock, knock.
Hi, I’m Bartholomew. This is my friend Thaddeus. We are traveling disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. He is a new teacher, and he has sent us out to the people of Israel. We want to tell you that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Now, for no charge, we have come to your town to heal the sick, clean lepers, cast out demons and maybe raise some people who died. Could we stay with you for a few days in exchange for our services?
The disciples probably did not go to each house like door-to-door vacuum cleaner sales persons who have a set script to work from. They were sent out with very explicit instructions. They were given a territory to work. They were given a list with a few things to do. They were to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven was near. Cure the sick. Cleanse the lepers. Cast out demons. Raise the dead.
They were given more instructions on what not to do and what not to take, than those they received on what it is they should actually do. They are prohibited from being paid. They are prohibited to take any money with them. They are not to take extra clothes or food. They are to not just go to any home, but are to seek out “worthy” homes to take them in. If a household is worthy, they are to share their peace with the family and bless them. If the disciples come to an unworthy household, or find people who are not willing to listen, the disciples are to reject them and all traces of them. The disciples are to “shake off their dust from your feet.” But even those who did invite the disciples in had to be worthy in the disciples’ eyes. What would that worthiness look like?
My first job after receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration was selling Kirby vacuum cleaners, door to door. I was given very explicit instructions. I was given a territory to work. I was given a list of things to do, and a list of things not to do.
Having faced what I would assume to be numerous rejections; any open door would qualify as being worthy. But Jesus gives His disciples a higher standard, as He always seems to do. The people must not only be open and welcoming, but also attentive and willing to listen.
What makes a town welcoming? What does a listening home do? What does worthy look like? Is it putting out the best you have, the finest foods and fruits? Is it cleaning up? Is it being extraordinarily hospitable? Does it mean reserving the best for the disciples? Will you ignore everything else going on so you can focus on what they say and do? Will you be sure everyone is alert, and hanging on their every word and deed?
From my vacuum peddling days, (which lasted all of a week) anyone who was willing to let me in the door so I could do my demonstration was welcoming and attentive. Anyone who would put up with my pre-packaged pitch, and would let me vacuum their living room so I could get my $10 per presentation was worthy in my eyes. I was worried about picking up all of their dust. I was not worried about shaking it from my shoes.
Matthew does not share with us of the results of the disciples’ journeys. We do not know if they were successful, or not. We cannot tell how they were received. We have no idea if the doors to homes were thrown open for them, or slammed in their faces? We are unsure if they were invited in for dinner, or escorted to the city gates?
So if these two highly motivated young disciples were to knock on your door when you got home from church, how would you respond? Would your home be deemed to be worthy? Would your town? Would you?
If Bartholomew and Thaddaeus were to visit St. John, what would happen? Would we be deemed to be worthy? We could we put out the best we have. We could have Karl roast a pig, and have Becky make and decorate a cake. We could put out a marvelous potluck spread of casseroles, including the finest Jell-O salads. We could cut the grass, trim the bushes and pull the weeds. We can dust and vacuum. We can assign the friendliest greeters to meet them. We could sing only the songs that everyone can sing well. We can save the best seats for the disciples, the ones down front that no one sits in anyway. We can make sure no one falls asleep when the disciples are talking. We can turn off all cell phones and other distractions.
But it would not matter. The disciples would come. They would look around. They might do a few miracles; heal a few people, maybe raise someone whose time really had not yet come. But then they would turn, walk away and shake our dust from their feet. They would then move on to the next prospect on their list.
We would not be found worthy. We could not be found worthy. Because we are not. Jesus told us what the two greatest commandments are. We do not follow even these two. We do not love the Lord our God with our whole hearts. We do not love our neighbors as ourselves. We may try. We will struggle and strain to do so. But we don’t.
But we don’t have to. Jesus, who set the bar high on who was worthy, and Jesus, who told us by what standards we would be deemed worthy, knew we could not pass this test. So he passed it for us. His blood was poured out for many, for us, for the forgiveness of our sins.
Jesus has compassion for us. He knows that we are helpless and harassed. He knows we are sheep without a shepherd. So He became our shepherd, the Good Shepherd.
By his sacrifice, we have been made worthy. The seeds planted by Jesus, the seeds planted by His disciples and by all the disciples who have followed, have taken root and become a plentiful harvest. Our shepherd, who is also the Lord of the harvest, needs laborers to reap that harvest, and to sow more seeds. It is that call of discipleship we all hear and are called to.
By the sacrifice of himself, Jesus has made us all worthy. We do not have to worry about the dust from our homes being shaken from the feet of disciples. We are called to be part of the process.
Knock, knock.
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