The Lutheran Hour
-
"Scramblin’ For Success"
- Download MP3 No bonus material MP3
-
Text: Text: Luke 14:7
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The living Lord Jesus has given us value by living, suffering, and dying for us. The empty tomb tells all who see the Savior with eyes of faith that God has accepted His Son’s sacrifice, and because of Jesus, they have been given places of honor in heaven.
Scramble for success, be number one. For some people, being number one is just about everything. At Montreal’s 1976 Olympics, Shun Fujimoto, a gymnast from Japan, broke his right knee during the team competition. There was no question that his bid for a medal was over. But Fujimoto wanted to be number one. The day after the accident, Fujimoto was scheduled to perform on the rings. The rings, which placed no pressure on his broken knee, were his strongest event. He did beautifully. Then came the moment of truth: the dismount. Fujimoto launched himself into the air doing a twisting, triple somersault. He landed solidly on both feet, jarring both knees. Fujimoto stood his ground and the arena erupted in thundering applause. Later, when he was asked to describe his dismount, Fujimoto said, “The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal and the pain is gone.” That’s how one man scrambled for success in a desire to be number one.
Scramble for success and be number one. Our world pretty much revolves around people wanting to be number one. Vincent Pilkington of Cootehill, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, is the number one turkey plucker, having done the deed in one minute and 30 seconds. David Kremer of Waukesha, Wis., is number one in vertical bowling ball stacking. A team from a brewery in Munich, Germany, is number one in opening 300 beer bottles. Danny Capps of Madison, Wis., is number one at spitting a dead cricket. Dr. Norman Gary is number one at holding honeybees in his mouth for 10 seconds. John Graham of Cumbria, England, is number one in lying, having captured the annual lying championship no less than five times, or so he says.
Scramble for success and be number one. Today’s television is packed with “reality” programs, populated with people who are willing to do just about anything in their scramble for success. The English paper Daily Mirror , wanting to see just how far people would go, ran an ad for an imaginary TV program called “Quarantine.” The ad said in part, “Not worried about looking and feeling your worst on live TV? We’re looking for charismatic, extrovert, and healthy men and women for a new reality show. Contestants will spend a week in our lab exposed to infectious diseases. Ready to face the pain to find the fame? Don’t mind the nation seeing you at your lowest ebb? If you want to become a star in a week, and rich too, then we want to hear from you.” Within a few days, more than 200 applications arrived. If the show had aired, I imagine it would have been a hit. We want to see people put their respect and integrity on the line to win money or a prize.
The scramble for success, the desire to be number one is a powerful motivator. It can also be very sad. Haven’t you shaken your head in disbelief when you saw a mother slap pounds of make up on the face of her beautiful 3-year-old daughter, force her baby’s feet into three-inch high heels and tell her to sing, “I Gotta be Me” in front of a panel of semi-celebrity judges. We are saddened when we hear of a son who comes home and tells his dad, “I made the football team,” and all the father can ask is, “But did you make first string?” Squash the competition; destroy the opposition; rub their noses into the dirt. Rioting fans at just about every football, basketbal,l and soccer championship tell us there is a tremendous desire to be number one. Number two doesn’t count. That’s the spirit we want to see. Number one is what sells tickets. Number one is what pays the multi-million dollar salaries. Number one is what compels an advertiser to spend millions. Number one is the alpha and omega of our age.
Being number one was important in the time of Jesus, too. Yes, there are differences. Today, we’re concerned about who is the number one athlete, the number one team, the number one military power. Back then, they were more concerned about who was number one in following God’s laws. The Good News teller Luke relates how one day Jesus was invited to be the honored dinner Guest at the table of a Pharisee.
Before I go any farther, let me share a little bit about the average Pharisee. Most Pharisees weren’t filthy rich. No, the average Pharisee would have been a hard worker, a self-made man. He would have been proud of that. Most Pharisees were well educated in the Scriptures. It was not unusual for a Pharisee to commit books, if not the entire Old Testament, to memory. A Pharisee would have been proud of that, too. When it came to following his faith, nobody could hold a candle to a Pharisee. He was faithful in worship; faithful in giving; faithful in every aspect of his religious life. Need I tell you, he would have been proud of those accomplishments as well.
When it came to interpreting God’s laws, that’s where the Pharisee felt he really had achieved success. If God said, “Remember the Sabbath day,” a Pharisee could advise you on exactly what God meant. Meticulously, scrupulously, a Pharisee would gladly tell you what work you could do and what things you needed to avoid. He could tell you how far you could walk, what you could cook and what would be forbidden. And as always, the Pharisee would be proud to be the possessor and purveyor of God’s wisdom to the uninitiated and ill informed. The Pharisees were, and they knew it, number one when it came to following the Commandments of God. In their minds, nobody, nobody, not even Jesus understood God better than they did.
As I said, according to the laws of hospitality, a man–a Pharisee–had invited Jesus to his home for dinner. Having the famous Jesus at his table was quite a feather in his cap. To make the most of the occasion, he invited his friends, his fellow Pharisees to the festivities. Luke is quite particular in describing the scene. He says the other invited guests were “experts in the law.” These weren’t regular Pharisees, these guests were the cream of the crop. If Jesus was going to get caught in some kind of heresy, those were the guys who could do the job.
I don’t imagine many turned down the invite. Jesus’ presence would have been a draw. Those very proud men would have made it their duty to learn all they could about this radical Rabbi from Nazareth. His teachings about God’s grace, repentance, and forgiveness would have been an ongoing topic of discussion. His miracles would have been debated at great length. No, these invited guests would have been eager, enthusiastic to see the Savior, to hear what He had to say, to pit themselves and their first place knowledge against His.
With so many proud people, we can only imagine the rush that took place when the host opened the doors of his banquet hall. Like attendees at a rock concert, these normally dignified Pharisees shoved and pushed, jockeyed for best position and placement, struggled to get the superlative seats so they could see what was going to happen. There was a rush to the places of honor. One might have claimed the special spot because of his age; another because of his contributions to charity; yet another because he was the best scholar. With sad amusement Jesus would have watched as these men scuffled and skirmished, clashed and collided.
With intense interest, these men would have settled down to observe Jesus. Luke says Jesus was being “carefully watched.” His gestures were to be judged; His comments were to be criticized. It didn’t take long before Jesus gave them something to talk about. You see, the host had conveniently brought in a man who was ill with the dropsy. Having the dropsy doesn’t mean that the man was klutzy and clumsy. No, this man had a disease, probably of the heart, liver, or kidneys which made him retain water. Since the man was not reclining at the dinner tables with the other guests, we conclude he was a human guinea pig, brought in to see what Jesus would do. If Jesus healed the man, in the Pharisee’s opinion, Jesus would have broken God’s law by doing work on the Sabbath. If Jesus didn’t heal the man, His previous preachings about caring for your neighbor, could be disregarded.
In short order, Jesus healed the man and sent him on his way. That’s understandable. The man probably would have felt uncomfortable staying in the presence of such number one successful people. Then, having healed a man’s body, Jesus tried to heal the Pharisees’ souls. This He did by teaching them about humility, and how you can be successful in God’s kingdom. You see, the Pharisees thought they could save themselves; could impress God by continuously scrambling for success, by being hard workers, and good Bible students and good contributors. They thought God should stand in awe of them and the things they did. They thought God should declare them “Number One.”
Jesus said, “It doesn’t work that way in the kingdom of God.” Jesus said, “In God’s kingdom the first are last and the last are first.” In God’s kingdom the humble are lifted up, and those that consider themselves to be a cut above everyone else are brought down. The Pharisees, as Bible scholars, should have known that. Moses was an exiled murderer, a shepherd of the Sinai, but God lifted him up. David was an insignificant lad that the Lord picked to be king and ancestor of the Messiah. God’s prophets were ordinary people whom God lifted up to proclaim His prophecies and promises.
When Jesus was to be born, God picked a humble maid from Nazareth to be the mother of our Savior. How did Mary say it? “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant … He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but He has lifted up the humble” (Luke 1:46-48, 51-52). When God wanted to tell the world the Messiah had come, He shared the Good News of great joy with some humble shepherds. When Jesus called disciples to follow Him, He lifted up humble fishermen and tax collectors and political activists. When He was dying, He lifted up a repentant criminal and brought him into heaven that very day.
With Jesus’ resurrection on the third day, He has lifted up the world to all who come to Him with a repentant heart, who say Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Lord. The Lord Jesus has always reached out to all of humanity; but almost always it has been the humble who hear Him; the lowly who appreciate His love; the helpless who welcome Him. The proud Pharisees didn’t want Jesus, but a widow received a resurrected son from His hands. His church didn’t believe in Him, but Jesus brought salvation to the home of a sinful tax collector. Powerful Pontius Pilate washed his hands of the Savior’s crucifixion, but a centurion, seeing Jesus die for the sins of humanity, confessed, “This is the Son of God.” The publicans, the possessed, and the prostitutes found peace in His passion and resurrection. The lepers, the lame, the lost and the lonely found solace in His love. The helpless and the hopeless have always found themselves being lifted up by the Savior.
Perhaps you are among those that I have just listed? This day Jesus desires to lift up both you and me. To lift us up from the sin that stains us, to rescue us from the rebellion of our hearts – that is why Jesus was born. So He might lift our souls from hell and lead us into heaven was the reason that Jesus was born, suffered, and died. Today, this Lord’s Day, He offers salvation to all who confess they have sinned and fallen short of God’s expectation of perfection. Today, the Christ promises peace and His loving presence to all who repent of what they were, and by the Holy Spirit’s power, believe Jesus can heal them as easily as He once healed a man at a Pharisee’s banquet.
This is the day that the Savior says, “Come unto me if you are weary and burdened, I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28.) This is the time that the Lord offers the kingdom of heaven to the poor in spirit; comfort to those who mourn; the rewards in heaven to those who are insulted and persecuted and maligned because of their faith in Him. This is the hour Jesus promises to be the Spiritual Physician to sick, sorry and sinful souls. This is the moment when the Christ comes to you and says, “Forget your scramble for success. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. When I am Number One in your life, your life will be changed.”
It is to share the Savior’s invitation that this broadcast exists. For almost 75 years the Holy Spirit has used “The Lutheran Hour” to bring Christ to the nations of the world, and to bring those nations to the church. That is what we would like to do for you today. If you need to know more about this Savior, call us at the number that will be given before the end of the broadcast.
But wait, I almost forgot: It is quite possible that you don’t want to be connected to a church or a family of faith. Maybe you found Jesus’ followers to be distant and indifferent. Not so long ago I did hear about a pastor who thought it would be good if everybody at worship turned around and greeted each other. To that end, he announced that next week they would begin such a practice. At the close of the service, the one in which the pastor had made his announcement, one man turned around to the lady behind him and said a cheerful, “Good morning!” She looked back at him with shock at his boldness, replied, “I beg your pardon! That friendliness business doesn’t start until next Sunday!” I admit there are such churches. But there are also places which not only preach God’s Word in its entirety, not only administer the Sacraments correctly, but who are mighty glad to see you there.
Are you afraid? Are you uncomfortable at the thought of walking through those great church doors; at not knowing the music; not knowing the people; not knowing when to stand up, sit down, or whether you should smile or look serious? Those aren’t silly concerns. Please talk to a Christian friend. They will be more than glad to bring you. Yes, I know they should talk to you, but if that hasn’t happened, you talk to them. Tell them, “I don’t know much about church. Would you be willing to take me and lead me through worship?” I think you will be surprised at the enthusiasm of their answer.
Are you afraid to be reconnected to a church? Maybe you were, in the past, part of a congregation, but then after a while you got to know the members real well, if you know what I mean. You found the pious person sitting next to you is a gigantic gossip the rest of the week. You found some rich people contributed like misers. You discovered the church had in its midst, grouches and grumblers; kids that misbehaved and parents who didn’t discipline their children sitting right next to parents who disciplined their little ones too much. You found alcoholics and drug users and gamblers and folks with foul mouths. You uncovered hypocrites with hidden skeletons in their closets.
Did those sinners put you off? Did you, like the Pharisees feel good to be associated with such scummy souls? Has your scramblin’ for success produced a perfect life with neither guilt of sin, nor need of a Savior? Do you, like the Pharisees, feel superior to everyone else? For shame. You’re quite right; the church is filled with imperfect sinners. It should be. Those are the ones Jesus has come to save. If you’re one of them, come on in, there’s room for one more. Come on in. With Jesus as the Number One person in your life, you will be surprised at how silly your previous scrambling for success really was. When you lift up Jesus, you will be amazed at how He lifts you up as well. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for September 12, 2004
Topic: Lord, Teach Us to PrayANNOUNCER: Is there a right way to pray? Pastor Ken Klaus responds to that question from one of our listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor Klaus, this listener says, “Sometimes I feel as if my prayers are too much of, ‘God, please do this,’ or ‘God, please give me that.’ What I want to know is, ‘Is there a right way to pray?’”
KLAUS: I think we can answer this question, but we’re going to come at it from kind of a different perspective. What is our relationship with God?
ANNOUNCER: Our relationship with God? Well, we are sinners who have been rescued by the Savior’s sacrifice.
KLAUS: OK, that’s good. But how does God describe His relationship with us? Does He think of us as equals to Him or superior to Him?
ANNOUNCER: No, we are not equal to the Lord, and we’re certainly not superior to Him. Nevertheless, He does call us His children.
KLAUS: And what does He call Himself?
ANNOUNCER: He calls Himself our heavenly Father.
KLAUS: Good! And that’s the way we’re going to approach the question. With you being a father, Mark, when your children talk to you, do you expect them to use a certain form of speech?
ANNOUNCER: Well, first off, generally I’m pleased that they are coming to me at all. It wouldn’t matter so much how they said something, but the fact that they were there talking with me.
KLAUS: That’s something that some fathers don’t have. That’s the way I think the Lord feels. He wants His children to come to Him. He wants them to talk with Him. It’s not so important that they have all the right words. Now, let me ask the next question. What are the things you wanted your children to talk to you about?
ANNOUNCER: Well, things like how the day went–the good things, the bad things that happened at school.
KLAUS: Our heavenly Father wants that.
ANNOUNCER: I want my children to share their problems with me.
KLAUS: Good. As a father you probably know better than they do, how to handle those problems. That’s true of our heavenly Father, as well.
ANNOUNCER: They can ask me for stuff.
KLAUS: Our heavenly Father has told us to do that, too.
ANNOUNCER: And I want them to learn how to say, “Thank you.”
KLAUS: I think that would be true of the heavenly Father, as well.
ANNOUNCER: So really, anything and everything that an earthly father wants to hear from his children – that’s what God wants to hear from us.
KLAUS: Yes, with a caveat. I would say, “Anything and everything a good, fair, and loving earthly father wants to hear from his children is what God wants to hear from us.”
ANNOUNCER: Why do you make that important distinction?
KLAUS: Over the years answering this question, I’ve found that some children had a terrible relationship with their fathers. When I talk about God wanting to be treated like a father, they have a hard time understanding that. But let’s continue. Mark, is there anything that you didn’t like to hear from your kids?
ANNOUNCER: Well, I think their attitude was important.
KLAUS: Explain.
ANNOUNCER: I don’t want them to give orders or show disrespect.
KLAUS: “Hey , you—Dad–gimme the car keys!” Now, I can see how that doesn’t sit well. Nor would the Lord be especially pleased to have His children come to Him in prayer and say, “God, do this” or “do that,” as though He owes it to us. It just wouldn’t go. No, as parents we want our children to come to us realizing that we are in the driver’s seat, and they are the ones who need assistance. There are probably a couple of other things we ought to say as well.
ANNOUNCER: What would that be?
KLAUS: God wants us to give thanks. Children must be taught to give thanks. Often they take for granted the blessings that their parents bestow.
ANNOUNCER: And many of those blessings come at a great sacrifice to the parents.
KLAUS: So it is for the Lord. In His mercy, He gave His Son to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil. Now, God hears our prayers for Jesus’ sake.
ANNOUNCER: That’s also how we end all of our prayers. We say, “This we ask in Jesus’ Name.”
KLAUS: Exactly so. Because of Jesus, we have a heavenly Father. God wants our prayers to be offered in faith – believing, not demanding but requesting. He wants our prayers to be offered in Jesus’ Name. When that is done, we’ve got a good prayer.
ANNOUNCER: But our caller is concerned because she always seems to be asking God for something.
KLAUS: She did say that and that is easily correctable. Once she realizes she is talking with a benevolent Father, her prayer life will be changed. She will be thanking God for health, and praising Him for a Savior, and the “gimme this” and “gimme that,” even if it’s said with a “please,” will fall into its proper place.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. We hope that answers our listener’s question. Now if you, the listener would like us to discuss a question or a concern you have, call us at our toll free number, that is 1-800-876-9880.