Author: Nina Schmidt

In the nature of this sin-broken world, we live in it as creatures of broken hearts. All the sorrow of our broken hearts collects in these simple words from the text, “the only son of his mother, and she was a widow” (vs. 12). You might recall that widows would be given over to their son’s care in lieu of their husband. Now, with her only son dead, the widow anticipated a paucity of care. She had no one dedicated to look after her. All she had to live on was being cast into the grave, irretrievably.

Jesus looks on her with compassion. Perhaps he looked upon her as he looked upon another widow who had cast all she had to live on into the Temple treasury, irretrievably (Lk. 21:1-4). In each case, his compassion motivates him to act. For the widow at Nain, he acts for her directly, speaking her son from death to life, and then he “gave him to his mother” (vs. 15). For the widow in the Temple, Jesus acts indirectly for her as he delivers all his people from religion’s deadly sacrificial system into life… delivers them into life… life in his name. Jesus provides for each widow all they have to live on.

There is yet another widow alluded to in this text. Think back, if you will, to the widow at Zarephath, the widow who cared for the prophet Elijah. In her house, the Lord provided all that she, her son, and Elijah needed to live on…. But then, the son died. Elijah beseeched the Lord on the son’s behalf and the Lord retrieved him from the bonds of death. Here is the connection. The exact same words are used of Elijah as are used of Jesus: he “gave him back to his mother” (vs. 15 & 1 Kings 17:23). The people in the crowd of witnesses—both the “great crowd” and the “considerable crowd” (vs. 11 & 12)—likened Jesus to a great prophet risen among them (vs. 16), a prophet great as Elijah had been.

This crowd, in contrast to those of Jerusalem over whom Jesus lamented (Lk. 19:44), this crowd knew the time of their visitation. Their God had come to them (and you) in the person of Jesus. Jesus has come taking your weaknesses, carrying your diseases, and healing your every ill (Mt. 8:17). He is all you have to live on.

Table Talk: Discuss the time of your God’s visitation bringing all you need to live on.

Pray: Father, grant me to hear your Word and receive the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ who is my life. Amen

Luke 7:11-17

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep. 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say to you, arise. 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has arisen among us! and God has visited his people! 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

The truth of Jesus’ declaration opens Luther’s words on the bondage of the will to greater importance. Luther famously argues that the human being is like a beast of burden. Either God is in the saddle or Satan is in the saddle but one or the other is going to ride the beast. God and Satan contend for the saddle seat, but they do not share the seat. The human… the sinner… the person… you… you and I cannot have two masters. With Satan in the saddle, our love and devotion are directed toward him and his lies. The things of God are hated and despised. With God in the saddle, however, our love and devotion are directed toward him, and the lies of Satan are despised and hated.

In the text before us today, money—or the love of money—is named by Jesus as the presenting symptom of Satan in the saddle. The resulting lie is revealed by the presence of anxiety… anxiety about your life. The superficial appearances of life, things such as food, drink, and clothing should not bring anxiety. God cares for the birds of the air… God cares for the lilies and the grass of the field… why should you—the capstone work of God’s sixth day labors—doubt that God would care for you? Indeed, Christ has come to be the Lord of your conscience and, as long as he rules there, you have the kingdom of God and his righteousness. With God and Christ seated on the throne of your conscience, they are in the saddle. Satan and all his lies, including those regarding the love of money and anxiety over life, are dethroned, put under the Lord’s feet.

While we are still in the flesh… while we live out the days of our baptism… the throne of our conscience remains under contention. The appropriate use of money, the lack of anxiety, and spontaneous works of love useful to our neighbors are all helpful symptoms that Jesus is Lord of our conscience. However, when our conscience begins to say, “I should… I must… I ought to… I have to…,” when we begin to gather money for its own sake… when anxiety over the things of life comes over us… well, then we have lost being “content in all things” (Ph. 4:12). Jesus is no longer Lord of our conscience or in the saddle of our life. Go! Hear the gospel! Listen to your preacher and have the Word of God rule over you once again.

Table Talk: Discuss the contention of God and Satan for the throne of your conscience.

Pray: Father, let me hear your Word that I would be content. Amen

Matthew 6:24-34

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.