LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:14	hello today let’s talk about the image
0:18	of God the scripture before us is
0:22	Matthew chapter 22 veres 15 to 22 we are
0:26	told that the Pharisees are already
0:29	plotting how they might entrap
0:33	Jesus point one image of the
0:37	devil Matthew records that the Pharisees
0:40	sent a delegation to trap Jesus but
0:43	we’re given an an unexpected piece of
0:46	information the Pharisees are
0:48	accompanied by some
0:50	herodians now that is odd because these
0:52	two groups are political enemies the
0:55	Pharisees are Works righteous religious
0:58	conservatives supporting an independent
1:01	Jewish state but the herodians are
1:04	unrighteous political liberals
1:06	supporting a Roman
1:09	occupation what got them
1:12	together well both groups wanted to
1:15	protect their power and both groups saw
1:17	Jesus as a threat so they plotted
1:20	together to discredit and humiliate the
1:23	Lord here was their plan they would ask
1:26	Jesus a question that had no right
1:29	answer
1:30	for you Star Trek fans it was the
1:33	kobashi Maru the no- win scenario the
1:37	question was is it lawful to pay taxes
1:41	to Caesar the Pharisees would answer no
1:45	because they did not want to acknowledge
1:47	that the Romans had any power over
1:50	them the herodians would answer yes
1:54	because they supported Herod Antipas the
1:57	ruling power he was the the son of Herod
2:00	the Great who had by the way tried to
2:03	kill Jesus at his
2:05	birth so if Jesus answered do not pay
2:09	the tax the herodians would report him
2:12	as a political subversive and have him
2:15	arrested if Jesus said pay the tax the
2:19	Pharisees would decry him as a Roman
2:22	sympathizer and the people would reject
2:24	him either way both groups felt that
2:27	they surely would be able to discredit
2:30	Jesus so what did Jesus do
2:35	first the Lord confronted both groups
2:38	saying why are you testing me now the
2:42	word testing is very
2:45	important the root of this word in Greek
2:48	is
2:49	pzo which means to test or to
2:52	tempt this is the word that’s used to
2:55	describe the devil in Matthew chapter 4
2:58	when Jesus is test Ed or tempted in the
3:01	desert the tempter tempted the Lord the
3:04	same word is used here by Jesus and the
3:06	implication is that the Pharisees and
3:08	the herodians are acting like the
3:11	devil Jesus also calls them
3:15	hocr
3:16	Hypocrites meaning play actors wearing
3:19	masks of
3:21	deception then Jesus turned the tables
3:23	on them and he asked them for the coin
3:26	that was used to pay the tax Jesus asks
3:29	who’s image and inscription is this and
3:32	they acknowledge that it was the image
3:33	of Caesar and it had his
3:37	inscription today we know that it read
3:39	tiberious Caesar son of divine
3:43	Augustus that inscription was a claim
3:46	that Caesar was divine or a
3:49	God so Jesus said render to Caesar the
3:53	things that are Caesars and render to
3:56	God the things that are God
4:00	in short the coin is made in the image
4:02	of Caesar it belongs to him but Humanity
4:06	was made in the image of God and you
4:09	belong to God in fact all of creation is
4:13	God’s including that coin and your
4:16	political system and your temple worship
4:19	and you
4:21	yourselves your every coin every word
4:24	every action your every hope and hate
4:28	your every sacrificial act and every
4:32	selfs serving act all of yourself
4:35	belongs to God so says Jesus render to
4:39	God the things that are
4:42	gods that was the response of the Lord
4:44	it was a direct confrontation calling
4:47	them to examine not only their actions
4:49	but their
4:51	hearts the words that Jesus used to
4:54	confront the Pharisees and herodians
4:57	implied that they had lost the image of
5:00	God and we’re displaying instead the
5:03	image of the
5:05	devil point two image of
5:09	God Jesus was saying even more than what
5:12	might initially come to our minds Jesus
5:15	had made specific reference now to the
5:17	image of God on the one hand and to the
5:20	work of the devil on the
5:22	other
5:25	so here’s the
5:27	implication when God created Adam and
5:30	Eve they wore the image of
5:33	God but to tell the truth we are so
5:36	fallen from the Garden today that we
5:38	cannot even imagine what the image of
5:40	God really means Luther gives us his
5:43	ideas in his lectures on Genesis Luther
5:47	reminds us that Adam and Eve were given
5:49	authority over the Earth they were to
5:52	subdue the Earth and rule over it the
5:54	fish of the sea the birds of the air
5:56	every living thing Luther says that in
5:58	order to do knew that humankind had to
6:00	be keenly intelligent Adam and Eve would
6:03	have had understanding of every creature
6:08	and of all animals and of all plants of
6:11	all fish and all birds perfect knowledge
6:14	of all creation and
6:18	furthermore because Adam and Eve would
6:21	have been required to handle the
6:24	creatures to subdue them they could do
6:28	so as we would domestic puppies Luther
6:32	says in the beginning humankind was
6:34	Superior to every other creature his
6:36	eyes were sharper than an eagle his arms
6:39	were stronger than a bears but of more
6:41	importance by far the real difference
6:44	before the fall was on the inside of the
6:48	newly created human being Adam and Eve
6:51	were created with Wills that knew the
6:54	will of God and were themselves good and
6:57	godly they walked with God
7:00	and they spoke with God face to face
7:03	they were content in their lives and
7:05	content in their favor with
7:08	God imagine if you can their emotions
7:12	were at perfect
7:14	peace they had no fear of anything not
7:18	of death not of any creature Eve was not
7:21	afraid to speak to a snake that stood up
7:24	5T tall and spoke to her they were not
7:28	afraid because because they knew God and
7:30	they were With God all of that was true
7:35	before the
7:36	fall but with the original sin
7:39	everything changed and today we are so
7:41	Fallen that we cannot even imagine what
7:43	it was like to be in the image of God
7:48	the image of God in us has been diseased
7:51	and destroyed it is as corrupted as a
7:54	human being who is diseased with
7:57	Leprosy his flesh is withered and
7:59	rotting and dead this is the picture on
8:03	the outside of what has happened to us
8:06	on the inside because of the
8:09	Fall our minds emotions desires and
8:13	hearts are diseased our souls are as
8:17	rotten on the inside as lepos flesh
8:19	would be on the
8:22	outside so it was no surprise that the
8:25	Pharisees and the herodians were
8:27	deceitful and lying ing manipulative
8:30	selfish and evil it was no surprise that
8:34	they Twisted the truth and plotted to
8:36	get what they wanted and as awful as it
8:40	sounds do we not see these same traits
8:43	in ourselves yes for we too are Fallen
8:47	creatures though we were made in the
8:49	image of God the image was lost in the
8:51	fall and remains only in its diseased
8:54	form in us how can we possibly do as
8:58	Jesus commanded it in the scripture and
9:00	render to God the things that are God’s
9:03	can we render to God all that is his
9:07	that is all of
9:10	ourselves can you render all of your
9:13	life every thought and word and
9:18	deed point three render to
9:23	God now we have just a glimpse of what
9:26	Jesus was seeing when he looked at the
9:27	Pharisees and herodians and we have just
9:30	a glimpse of what Jesus is seeing when
9:32	he looks at you and
9:34	me Jesus looks right through us right
9:38	into our hearts and he sees that we are
9:41	poor Beggars every one of us as the
9:44	Bible says there is none who is
9:45	righteous know not one all are in
9:48	spiritual poverty all are sinners in
9:52	fact all are enemies of God Romans
9:55	chapter 5 all break the first
9:58	commandment having other gods before him
10:00	primarily we worship
10:03	ourselves and our own selfish fears and
10:06	our own self-centered
10:08	wants even though the Bible teaches us
10:11	to take every thought captive and hold
10:12	it obedient to Christ second Corinthians
10:15	10 we do not
10:19	no instead we ruminate and
10:22	meditate and
10:25	deliberate upon evil things that tempt
10:28	us or accuse us or frighten
10:32	us from the fall we have lost the
10:34	ability to want God and to know God we
10:37	do not fear love and trust
10:40	God how can we be restored we are so
10:44	Fallen that our only hope is for God to
10:46	change the equation we need God to beat
10:51	our kobashi Maru nowin scenario we need
10:54	God to create us
10:57	again of course of course beloved that’s
11:00	exactly what he’s done in Jesus Christ
11:04	by grace through faith in Jesus we have
11:06	become New Creations we have been born
11:09	again by water and the spirit we’ve
11:13	become children of God and inheritors of
11:16	eternal life by grace through faith in
11:20	Jesus we could not save ourselves we
11:23	were dead in our sin but God sent his
11:27	son to be our savior and he has
11:29	transformed us from darkness and death
11:32	into light and life the image of God is
11:37	being restored to us Children of the
11:40	second birth the Waters of holy
11:43	baptism in them we were born again
11:47	washed clean and joined to the death and
11:50	resurrection of Christ now Jesus himself
11:53	lives within us and the Holy Spirit
11:55	Works in our minds and hearts the redeem
11:59	deemed have the unfinished image of God
12:04	on the last day God will bring it to
12:06	Perfection until that
12:09	time we have many gifts to celebrate we
12:12	are counted as righteous by grace
12:14	through faith which Christ has created
12:16	in our hearts by his word so when God
12:19	sees us he does not see our sin but
12:21	instead he sees the righteousness of
12:23	Christ and more we are set free from the
12:27	Dominion and dis destruction of sin
12:30	death and the Devil by our baptism into
12:33	Christ the word of Christ is in our
12:35	hearts so that we know God’s Will and we
12:38	are inspired to do it we do not of
12:41	course do it perfectly but by God’s
12:44	grace and mercy we are trying to live in
12:47	Holiness and
12:48	Purity we are not saved by our Holiness
12:52	and thankfully we are not condemned by
12:54	our lack of it we are saved by grace
12:58	through faith faith in Jesus Christ and
13:00	we are forgiven restored strengthened
13:04	and blessed by the Divine body and blood
13:07	of Christ in his holy supper thanks be
13:10	to God Christ Jesus is restoring to us
13:15	the image of God that was given to
13:17	humankind before the fall even
13:21	now as St Paul writes to the Corinthians
13:24	in 2 Corinthians chter 3: 18
13:29	we all with unveiled face beholding as
13:34	in a mirror the glory of the Lord are
13:37	being transformed into the same image
13:40	from glory to glory just as from the
13:42	Lord the spirit we are being transformed
13:46	the image of God is being restored in us
13:50	so walk each day on this Earth in His
13:54	image and with his companionship and you
13:57	await the final day when he will come
14:00	again and take you to himself when the
14:02	fullness of the image of God will be
14:06	perfected and fully
14:08	restored in
14:10	you
14:19	[Music]
14:26	[Music]
14:27	amen