October 9, 2024 

Today's Reading: Matthew 10:24-42

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20; Matthew 10:24-42

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus has come to forgive sins… as much is mentioned earlier in Matthew’s Gospel (1:21). So our text for today tells us not why Jesus came but the result of Jesus coming among us. This means we are to think of the text in this way… “Do not think that I came only to bring peace upon the earth, I came not only to bring peace but even more a sword.” (Gibbs; Concordia Commentary Matthew 1:1-11:1 pgs 536, 538).

Jesus came to bring peace (Luke 2:14) through His innocent and bloody death, and that forgiveness of sins will be preached to all people in the church and by the people Christ has died to save… but many reject this teaching of peace given in forgiveness. Many say, “I don’t need what you say your Jesus has come to give.” It can be frustrating for sure, especially if we take that rejection personally… but why would we take it personally? Are those who reject Christ’s innocent suffering and death, His free forgiveness, and the bestowal of life and salvation rejecting us or our works? We might think so… missionaries are sent far and wide– sometimes they’re heard, and other times they are not… Pastors sometimes preach to closed ears and hardened hearts; Jeremiah the prophet himself was told that the people of Jerusalem would not hear him (Jeremiah 7:27), and it may be that as you proclaim the truth of Christ’s victory over sin and death, as you proclaim salvation won by Christ alone, that parents, siblings, or others close to you will not listen.  

It is the Gospel, the truth of life and salvation given and bestowed freely, that is the stumbling block and the rock of offense… this Gospel stands in opposition to our inborn temptations to believe that we, of ourselves, by our good works, by our merits can save ourselves… such is not so. We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone. He has bestowed unimaginable peace to us… peace between God and us, us and our neighbor through the forgiveness of sins. It is the peace that passes understanding– and it is yours by Baptism, by the graciousness of Christ your Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and most gracious God and Father, we implore you to turn the hearts of all who have forsaken the faith once delivered to Your Church, especially those who have wandered from it or are in doubt through the corruption of Your Truth. Mercifully visit and restore them that in gladness of heart, they may take pleasure in Your Word and be made wise to salvation through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.