100. Septuagesima Sunday. I.
Lord Jesus, speak now
thy lesson of life to us all.
Gospel Lesson, Matthew 20, 1-16. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more: and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
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The faithful live before God, and do all their work in the Lord. When we do this we labor in his vineyard. Then we in all things seek the honor of the Lord, and strive after promoting the growth of God’s kingdom; namely, by increasing in faith, strengthening the brethren, and bringing the unbelieving to repentance. They only who lead this manner of life, and work for the kingdom of God, are laborers in the Lord’s vineyard. The others stand idle in the marketplace. Many men and women strive and exert themselves to the utmost, but only for the things of this life or in self-righteousness; in spite of all their labor, they stand idle in the marketplace. The Lord goes out to call the laborers into his vineyard. Some hear the call early, in the morning of their life; and so they live in faith from childhood, and practice deeds of love. Others are converted in their youth, others not until later on, and some at about the eleventh hour of their life. It is a great mercy to serve the Lord from the early morning, and to live a life which is rich in true and good works. None is able to do this of himself; the call is of God, and the power to remain faithful is given of God. “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” — It is not the fault of the Lord that many continue long in sin, and waste their day of grace. They speak a lie when they say that no man has hired them; the Lord wanted to engage them early in the morning, but they would not listen to his call. In spite of this he calls them again when the day is almost done; and if they then accept the call, he gives them a full day’s hire.
If you still stand idle in the marketplace; if you do not as yet labor for the Lord of the church; if you still live your life for the world, and not for Jesus, who lived his whole life for us alone, and who labored for us until he did sweat blood and suffer death on the cross; — then listen to his call today, and come now and labor in his vineyard. If you are young, it is not too early; the Lord was from childhood engaged in the work of the Father. If you are old, it is not too late; the time of grace still endures, — but soon it will have expired.
Besides this invitation to come and labor in the vineyard, our gospel text contains the lesson, that we are to recognize the labor itself and the reward as being pure grace on the part of God. If you begin to harbor the thought that you have by your work made God your debtor, you are no longer fit for life in his blessed fellowship. For love is then lost; and you again come under the curse of the law. No, my dear friend, all is grace; God bestows a glorious gift on you when he permits you to labor much for him. How many, who were not converted until late in life, do not continue to weep, because they wasted so much of their time in vanity, and served Satan in the fair days of their youth! The glorious privilege of devoting the whole strength of your life to the Lord’s service is a more than sufficient reward of your labor. The others, who now receive full grace for all their sin, and full salvation according to the measure of their ability to receive it, you shall regard, not with envy, but rather with sympathy, and above all with thanks to the Lord who is so unspeakably rich in grace. In the kingdom of God his gracious will and his mercy, which govern all things, are supreme; no human merit, no deeds of whatever degree or dignity have any authority.
Lord God, do thou call quickly all who can be called. Preserve all thine from pride, self-righteousness and envy. Give us humble hearts, full of love unto the end. Amen.*
Hark! the voice of Jesus crying,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are white, and harvests waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calleth,
Rich reward he offers thee:
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I; send me, send me”?
[TLH 496, LSB 826, ELH 191; listen here]
101. Septuagesima Sunday. II.
Lord Jesus, draw us after thee. Amen.
Epistle Lesson, 1 Corinthians 9, 24-10, 5. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
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The gospel lesson for today, on the laborers in the vineyard, contains a solemn warning against falling from grace; or in other words, against falling into the sin of self-righteousness. In like manner this epistle lesson earnestly exhorts us to keep in the right path. It is a great thing to be converted, to come over from the road leading to hell onto that which leads to heaven; but it is, if possible, even greater yet to remain faithful unto the end and never to quit the road until the goal is reached. A glorious, incorruptible crown beckons us at the end of the course; but they, only, receive it who are faithful unto the end. The apostle likens the Christians to men who run in a race. Even as these put forth all their strength and exert themselves to the utmost in order to win the prize, so shall we exert ourselves in order to win eternal life. In like manner as they looked intently forward and had nor ear nor eye for anything but the goal, so shall we with steady longing look upward and use our every faculty and all our time in the endeavor to secure the crown. Our spiritual exercises and all our work on earth shall be done in the Lord and have heaven as their aim. The men who took part in those athletic games mortified their flesh in order to increase their suppleness; and they willingly abstained from sensual pleasures which might unfit them for the contests; — and all this in order to win a wreath that soon withers. Us there awaits an incorruptible crown. Do we abandon all those things which might weaken us for the struggle? Do we freely renounce the lusts of the flesh for Jesus’ sake? Many go out of Egypt; but few, alas, are they who enter Canaan. They are baptized into Christ, but will not follow him; they eat and drink his Holy Supper, but their hearts turn back to the fleshpots of Egypt.
Brethren and sisters; remain faithful to the Lord. Let the work of your salvation be your sacred care. Stand steadfast in the grace of God; push all the time more deeply into the fellowship of Jesus. Watch and pray, and take heed unto yourselves; bow to the will of God when he disciplines you and humbles your pride, and become ever less in your own eyes; then shall you become all the time more rich in the Lord’s work, and receive his glory as your reward.
“When I am faint and on my dangers ponder, Then let me see the crown that beckons yonder, Of which thou gavest me thy promise true; Then shall I gather strength and heart anew.” — Give us, O God, to be faithful unto the end, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.*
From strength to strength go on,
Wrestle, and fight, and pray;
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day.
Still let the Spirit cry,
In all his soldiers, “Come,”
Till Christ the Lord descends from high,
And takes the conqueror home.
[TLH 450, listen here; or ELH 520 (sheet music here), listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.