Sermon for August 20, 2023 – Proper 15

Psalm 133 • Genesis 45:1-15 • Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 • Matthew 15:21-28

This week’s theme is God’s unifying work. In our call to worship Psalm, the psalmist speaks of the beauty of unity. In Genesis, we see Joseph being reconciled to his brothers through forgiveness. In Romans, Paul emphasizes God’s mercy to Jews and Gentiles in unison, and in Matthew, Jesus heals a Canaanite woman’s daughter, showing that God’s mercy is for all people.

His Mercy Endures Forever

Romans 11:1,2a,29-32 (NRSVUE)

Read, or have someone read, Romans 11:1,2a and 29-32

A teacher is passing out graded assignments to his students. When he gets to Johnny he says, “On this assignment I’m giving you an 8.” Johnny replies, “Out of…?” “Mercy” says the teacher. “Out of mercy”.

 

While it’s good to have a merciful teacher, it’s way more important to have a merciful God. Some in the church of Rome assumed that God’s mercy had run out for some but was still in effect for others. Let’s dive deeper into the issue at hand and find if God’s mercy really does endure forever.

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. (Romans 11:1-2a NRSVUE)

Paul starts out this section with the question, has God rejected His people? To make sense of why Paul would ask that, we need to look at the context.

Throughout his letter to the Romans, he has been addressing the tension that has been ongoing between the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers. Some of the Gentiles were assuming that since the gospel had come to them, that could only mean that God has rejected the Jews.

Paul’s answers this question by emphatically stating this is not the case. Our modern versions of the Bible treat it politely, but Paul nearly swears with his response. The very idea to him was ludicrous. How dare anyone suggest such a thing!

As proof of the absurdity of arguing that God’s mercy ran out on the Jews, Paul offers himself as an example. He asserts that he, himself, the apostle to the Gentiles, is a descendant of Abraham. Not only that, but he is from a tribe (Benjamin) that, had it not been for God’s mercy, was nearly wiped out (Judges 20:46-48).

Paul had even been a persecutor of the church, and yet God chose to show mercy to him and went so far as to give him the great honor in bringing many people to faith in Christ. If God had wanted to stop showing mercy to the Jewish people, Paul would have been a good one to start with.

Throughout the Old Testament we see the Jewish people turning away from the covenant God had made with them. And each time, God spoke through a prophet to remind them that he is not going to break his everlasting unconditional covenant with them, but he will continue to show them mercy.

We can all think of things that we have done that were wrong. Things that were not at all what God would have wanted out of us. But in all our mistakes, all our sins, we can know that there is one who has shown us mercy and continues to do so daily. God has not given up on you, nor will he do so. His mercy endures forever.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29 NRSVUE)

In the verses between 2 and 29, Paul makes his case that although many Jews have rejected Jesus, he has not rejected them, but he has also extended his invitation to the Gentiles.

Paul points out that the inclusion of the Gentiles did not diminish the importance of the Jews in God’s plan, and that through the Jews, blessings of God would come to the whole world, and have already done so.

Paul concludes then that God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. What God has promised will come to pass. The calling that Abraham received in Genesis 12 to be a blessing to all nations has never been revoked. In fact, the fulfillment of that calling was accomplished in Christ.

If God has not given up on his people, Israel, then he will certainly not give up on us either. We have inherited the everlasting covenant established in Christ. God could no more give up on us than he could give up on his son, Jesus.

You may understand that God will continue to show you mercy, but do you ever feel like you have messed things up so badly that God could not really want anything to do with you? That his plans for you are to simply wait it out until eternity?

God is the God of infinite chances. Through his covenant with you, his love has no limits. He will never abandon you nor give up on you. To use a sports analogy, he will never kick you off the team or make you feel less than. Even if you are sitting on the bench, he reminds you of your significant contribution to the team. He will keep you in the game.

Earlier in Romans (chapter 8) Paul asked another rhetorical question. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? The obvious answer was “nothing,” and “no one.” It is not possible to be separated from his love. One of the things in chapter 8 that was mentioned was “the future.” Not even the things that we will do in the future will cause God to withhold his love and mercy from us. His mercy endures forever.

Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so also they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they also may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. (Romans 11:30-32 NRSVUE)

In these verses, Paul is explaining that God’s mercy extends to all people – both Jew and Gentile. He points out that the Gentiles, who were once disobedient have now received mercy because of the disobedience of the Jews. And similarly, the Jews have now become disobedient, but by seeing the mercy extended to the Gentiles, they may also long for that same mercy. The problem was that the Gentile believers were falling into the same trap that the Jews previously fell into. They started to conclude that mercy was only for them.

Paul’s point is that God’s mercy is not limited to any one group of people. God’s mercy is for all, regardless of their background or past behavior. And this is possible because God has bound all men to disobedience. All are prone to sin and in need of God’s mercy.

In WW2, a German pilot named Franz Stigler was ordered to shoot down a British plane flown by Lt. Charles Brown. Stigler saw how poor of a condition Brown’s plane was in and figured out that the Brit was just trying desperately to fly home. Brown was a sitting duck, and his death was certain.

Instead of obeying his orders, Stigler escorted Brown to a safe zone that was unoccupied by the Germans. After the English lieutenant landed safely, the German pilot saluted him and headed back where he lied to his commanders about destroying the wounded B-17.

Lt. Brown tracked down his unlikely merciful savior nearly fifty years after the war. The two remained friends until Stigler passed away in 2008.¹

When it comes to mercy, God does not play favorites. His concern is not which side of the battle lines you are on, what tribe you are a part of, or where your political leanings lie. His design has always been to show mercy to all. None of us are beyond the mercy of God. Let us receive his mercy today, and let’s extend his mercy towards others. His mercy endures forever!

1) https://mindsetopia.com/inspiring-stories-of-mercy/

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