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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Please join me in prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The movie Mission: Impossible 7 reportedly is still about one year away from its release in theaters and soon after by streaming, and its star Tom Cruise reportedly is already preparing for the next installment, Mission: Impossible 8. Even if you have not seen any of movies 1 through 6, you may still know the idea behind them from the television series that ran in the 19‑60s, ’70s, and ’80s, in which a small team of secret government agents is used for seemingly impossible missions, which they invariably are assigned by playing back a recorded voice on a device that, when finished, self‑destructs (Wikipedia). No self-destructing recorded voice is connected with today’s Gospel Reading, but the Reading still can be said to speak of a “mission”—namely, people’s being saved and entering the Kingdom of God—a “mission” that with people is im‑possible but a mission that with God is possible. This morning we consider today’s Gospel Reading, directing our thoughts to the theme, “Mission: Possible”.
In the verses right before today’s Gospel Reading, as we heard in last week’s Gospel’s Reading (Mark 10:17-22), a man, who initially ran up and knelt before Jesus, asked Jesus what the man must do to inherit eternal life, and, after Jesus essentially told the man what he must do, the man was disheartened and went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. So, as we heard in today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus speaks about the difficulty of those who have wealth’s entering the Kingdom of God; He says a camel’s going through the eye of a needle is easier than a rich person’s entering the Kingdom of God. A rich person’s wealth is neither a way for him or her to earn entry to the Kingdom, nor is that wealth a reliable sign of God’s favor. Not only, as we heard in today’s Old Testament Reading (Ecclesiastes 5:10‑20), do riches arguably diminish one’s quality of life, but they make entry into the Kingdom more difficult (Baye, CPR 34:4, pp.36-37). And, the difficulty of the largest animal that they knew’s going through the smallest opening that they knew is the case not only with people who have wealth but, Jesus says, also with all people. When the disciples asked Jesus who then is able to be saved, Jesus essentially said that people’s being saved is im‑possible with people but possible with God.
As we heard read in the Gospel Reading, at first Jesus’s disciples were amazed at His words, and then they were exceedingly astonished. Apparently still somewhat misunderstanding, Peter contrasted himself and the other disciples to the man who had great possessions but would not go, sell them, give to the poor, and then come and follow Jesus, with Peter’s making the at least somewhat exaggerated claim that they had left everything and were following Jesus, and apparently prompting Jesus to warn them that many who are first will be last and the last first. You and I similarly may be amazed and exceedingly astonished at Jesus’s saying how difficult it will be for those who have wealth—and for people in general—to enter the Kingdom of God. You and I similarly may misunderstand and make exaggerated claims about our response to Jesus’s empowering call for us to follow Him in faith. Too often we fail to fear, love, and trust in God above all things, and too often we boast of what we think of as our good works instead of humbling ourselves over our sins. On account of those sins, all of our other sins, and our sinful natures, we deserve both death here in time and torment in hell for eternity, apart from sorrow over our sins and trust in God to forgive our sins for Jesus’s sake.
When we so repent, then God forgives us. Our being saved is im‑possible with us but possible with God. And, in saving us, God does other things that we might wrongly consider to be im‑possible. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity’s taking on human flesh is “Mission: Possible”. His mother’s conceiving, giving birth, and remaining a virgin is “Mission: Possible” (confer Luke 1:37). His death on the cross’s atoning for the sins of the whole world—including your sins and my sins—is “Mission: Possible” (confer 1 Corinthians 1:18). His rising from the dead on the third day is “Mission: Possible”. Yet, make no mistake, that our being saved and all the things that our being saved entails are “possible” with God does not necessarily mean that they were “easy” and cost God “nothing”, though, with an all‑powerful God, our speaking of the relative “ease” and “difficulty” of His doing something, even of His declaring our sins forgiven, is almost nonsensical (confer Mark 2:9). Because, out of God’s great love, Jesus died for you, when you trust in Him, then you are saved and enter the Kingdom of God, receiving the Kingdom like a little child (Mark 10:15), as a free gift, and not on the basis of anything you have done or even can do.
We are saved and enter the Kingdom of God in ways that we might wrongly consider to be im‑possible. God’s Word read and preached to groups such as this’s being the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes is “Mission: Possible” (Romans 1:16). Water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word’s working forgiveness of sins, rescuing from death and the devil, and giving eternal salvation to all who believe is “Mission: Possible”. Called ministers’ individually absolving those who repent of their sins and want to do better’s being just as valid and certain even in heaven as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself is “Mission: Possible”. And, the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ’s being under the bread and wine of the Sacrament of the Altar and giving forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation is “Mission: Possible”. All these things are not only possible with God, but they also are done by God, and they are done by God for you.
In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus says that our being saved is not im‑possible with God for all things are possible with God. Jesus’s statement of God’s total omnipotence in the Gospel Reading is in the context of our being saved (confer Grundmann, TDNT 2:308-310), and similar general statements about God’s total omnipotence elsewhere in Holy Scripture are sometimes similarly given specific application and arguably relate in some way to our being saved—for example, Sarah’s conceiving Isaac (Genesis 18:14) and Mary’s conceiving Jesus (Luke 1:37). So, we know that God will use His omnipotence in order to save us, but we seemingly must be less confident that God will use His omnipotence for other things that are less-related or un‑related to our eternal salvation—for example, His changing a national government, eliminating a congregational budget deficit, or healing a personal illness—not to mention other cases when and where God allows people to resist Him. Still, Jesus does promise that those who, for Jesus’s sake or for the Gospel, leave such things as family or lands, now in this time, will receive them back 100-fold with persecutions and, in the age to come, will receive eternal life, the ultimate Sabbath Rest described in today’s Epistle Reading (Hebrews 4:1-13). For, the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting are also “Mission: Possible”.
Maybe the current string of movies and the old T-V shows should be titled, like this sermon’s theme, “Mission: Possible”, for I am not aware of any “missions” that the so‑called “Impossible Missions Force” failed to complete: so the missions were not really “im-possible” after all. Regardless, and most importantly, with God our being saved is “Mission: Possible”. For the joy and peace that salvation brings, let us give Him endless thanks and praise.
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +