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Know Your Place!

          Americans generally rankle at the concept of “rank.”  “This is the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Don’t tell me someone is ranked higher than I!”  “This is the land of equal opportunity and equal rights.  Don’t tell me someone has more power or more authority than I!”  “This is America.  Don’t tell me that I have to cow-tow and give in.  That’s as bad as having to bow, kneel, or sprawl face down in the dust and kiss someone’s sandals!”

           But in reality “rank” exists.  In government there are senators, congressmen, governors, state senators, assembly men and women, and citizens.  In the military there are generals, colonels, majors, sergeants, and privates.  In schools there are principals, assistant principals, teachers, and students.  In families there are parents and children.  In businesses there are CEOs, vice-presidents, assistant managers, sales personnel, data entry people, and the maintenance crew.  The problem comes when we try to figure out, “Where do I fit in?” and especially, “How do I fit in in relation to others?” King Solomon has an answer for us.  In the two short verses of the first lesson today from Proverbs chapter twenty-five, he makes it clear that you and I won’t know where we fit in with others until we know where we fit in with God.  

Be humble before the King

            Doesn’t a knife pierce your heart when you hear of people who are pushed down, stepped on, picked on, and abused?  Doesn’t your stomach turn at the revolting thought of a little child or an elderly person being abused, or a woman in an abusive relationship?  An elderly woman pulled the emergency “help-cord” in her apartment.  No one answered, and she bled to death.  Two children had to stand by and watch as the police tried to communicate with their mother who stone drunk and couldn’t stand up.  A young woman tied her new-born in a bag and tossed the bag in a dumpster.

          As much as your heart hurts for people who are abused, these verses in Proverbs are not intended for victims of abuse.  They are meant for the majority of people in this world who fit into one of two categories, those who cover and up and those who are puffed up.  There are people with low esteem and personal insecurities who feel a need to cover up their imagined or real inadequacies and weaknesses with bravado or conceit in order to look good.  They have a problem being honest with themselves and don’t want to let anyone in on their secret selves.  Then there are others who are puffed up with pride and believe they are actually better than others, which can lead to the sins of bigotry and prejudice.

            Jesus had to deal with both types.  Do you remember the man who approached Jesus and asked, “What do I have to do to earn eternal life?”  When I read that Bible account, my first thought is that he spoke with an arrogant tone.  But could it be that his tone was one of false humility, scuffling his feet, and quietly saying, “I know you are busy, Jesus, but wouldn’t you please just give poor little ol’ me a little pat on the back?”  Could it be that he was covering up his weaknesses to make himself look good, hoping Jesus would say, “You’re just fine the way you are”?  Then there were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who held their heads so high in the air that it’s a wonder small birds didn’t fly up their nostrils.

            Jesus brought both types of people back to reality.  For the man with false humility and makeup painted over his heart, Jesus used a mirror.  He told the story of the good Samaritan.  You know the story well – about a man who was mugged and left in a ditch.  A religious leader scooted by and ignored him.  A second religious teacher did the same.  Then, Jesus said in his story, that a Samaritan came along and did everything right.  He gave the man CPR, bandaged his wounds, took him to the Hilton Hotel, gave the manager his VISA card, and said, “Take care of him and whatever he needs.  Put it on my tab.”  That story served as a mirror and showed the man the reality of his weakness and sin so that he had to admit, “I’m not as great as I thought.  I’ve not been loving to all as God expects.”  He had no where to hide.  He was brought low.

            For the religious leaders with their noses in the air Jesus used a needle.  They claimed, “We’re better than everyone else.”  But Jesus said, “You think you are right with God, but you spend so much time trying to be religious that you have ignored the basic responsibilities God has given you.  You are so busy trying to impress others by your religious ceremonies that some of you have even neglected the care of your parents.  And when you are invited to dinner, you always race for the seats of honor because you think you are so great.  But you are sneaky snakes.  You are like an expensive tomb with a neatly mowed lawn around and a fine, sparkling headstone, but underneath are maggots, worms, and rot.”  Jesus used the needle of the truth to pop the balloon of their ego.

            When Jesus uses a mirror to show us the reality of our own weakness and sin, when Jesus uses a needle to pop the balloon of our ego, he is doing that for our ultimate good.  What would you think of a house inspector who discovered that a foundation was flimsy but didn’t tell you before you bought the house, and it collapsed?  What would you think of a doctor who discovered you have cancer but didn’t tell you, and you found out months later when it was too late?  What would you think of a king who learned that all of the citizens living in the countryside around his castle were about to be slaughtered in a surprise attack but didn’t sound the alarm until minutes before the assault?  Jesus is the Great Carpenter who directs us to build our life on a solid foundation, his words and promises.  Jesus is the Great Physician who presents us with an honest diagnosis and the prognosis of what would happen to us if the spiritual cancer called sin is not treated.  Jesus is the Great King who sounds the alarm and warns us about the sneaky assaults of Satan.  Only selfishness would get us to build our lives on the foundation of our own desires.  Only foolish false humility will lead us to think that we can smear on a layer or two of religious makeup and cover our own weakness and sin.  Only an inflated ego will lead us to stand in the line of demonic fire and say, “I don’t need the protection of Jesus’ castle.”  That’s why Solomon said, “Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great ones”.  Know your place, and be humble before God, the King.  Only when you and I get the order straight with God will we be able to see how we fit in with others.

          From God’s perspective, when he looks at government, military, education, families, and business, whom do you think he considers to be more important – governing rulers or citizens, generals or privates, teachers or students, parents or children, employers or employees?  The answer, of course, is neither.  All are equally sinful in God’s view and equally covered by his forgiving love.  Only when we know our place in relation to God, the King of the universe, will we be able to develop a better attitude about our place in life.  Then human relationships fall into place.  Do you want to get along with others better?  Then, first of all, know your place with God, and that starts by realizing how small and weak and helpless we are but how big and awesome and powerful he is.  He has the might and means to raise us up and work out everything for our eternal good, which is exactly what he promises.  Know your place, and be humble before God, your King.

Be raised by the King

          The concern for good grammar seems to be a lost art.  There are some folks here today who can remember parsing sentences and analyzing parts of speech in English classes.  But it seems that nowadays even people in radio and television have little use for proper grammar.  Time and again you can hear announcers misuse the reflexive pronoun, “In a few minutes there will be a special news conference which will be attended by the station manager and myself.”  Oops!  He should have said, “The station manager and me.”  The news anchor tries to tell a personal funny story and says, “There is a disagreement between Joe and I regarding the likelihood of rain in the forecast.”  Ouch!  It should be, “Between Joe and me.”  Then there’s the afternoon news guy on the radio who said that after reporting a big news story, the next one is “anti-climatic.”  What he should have said was “anti-climactic” because I’m pretty sure that his next story wasn’t opposed to the existence of weather.  

          You can wince at grammatical gaffes or try to ignore them, as you so kindly do when you hear them from this pulpit.  But there is a grammatical issue that we dare not ignore because it has eternal implications.  It has to do with the difference between an active and a passive verb.  When an active verb is used, the subject of the sentence is doing the action.  When a passive verb is used, the subject of the sentence is receiving the action.  If a cab driver in Milwaukee was not a baseball fan and asked a customer last Sunday what happened at Miller Park, there would be a huge difference between hearing, “Ryan Braun hit the ball” and “Ryan Braun was hit by the ball.”  In the first statement, Braun was the hitter.  In the second he was the hittee.

          People who have experienced the mirror and the needle of God know that when it comes to being the subject of a sentence that describes how we get in with God, only a passive verb will do.  When the mirror of God shows our weakness and sin, we know that there is no way we can perform surgery on ourselves.  We simply do not have to skills or know-how to eliminate our own spiritual cancer.  When the needle of God bursts our ego-bubble, or when he sounds the alarm, we know that there is no way we can withstand temptation on our own.  So there we lie, face down in the dust before God, the King, deformed and deflated, in fact, dead.

            But our King performs miracles.  Jairus’ daughter would never say, “I raised myself off this death bed.”  The young man from Nain would never say, “I made myself sit up in this coffin.”  Lazarus would never say, “I caused myself to walk out of my tomb.”  No!  They would sing in unison chorus, “I was raised by Jesus!”  “Was raised” is a passive verb.  If a human being like Jairus’ daughter or the young man from Nain or Lazarus or you or me is to be the subject of a sentence describing how to enter a relationship with God, an active verb will not do.  In fact, it is heresy.  We cannot raise ourselves to enter a close relationship with God.  If we are the subject of the sentence, only a passive verb will do.  We were raised by God.  That’s what Solomon learned oh-so well, and that’s what he meant when he wrote, “It is better for [the king] to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman”.  Our King humbled himself, even to death on a cross, so that we won’t be humbled in hell but raised to royalty as sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

            What that means is that you and I no longer have to loose sleep over our place in life.  Does God want us to use our gifts to advance ourselves in education and business, if possible?  Certainly!  But if a promotion never happens, if we remain low-person on the totem pole, even if we get stepped on or picked on, we still are jewels in the Savior’s royal crown.  We still are seated with him in the heavenly realms.  We still are loved by our Savior, and he promises that will never change.  That’s what helps us fit in with others.  Manipulating and maneuvering, whining and weaseling, competitiveness and conniving are not necessary because we live in the confidence that we are already “in” with God.  Know your place, and be raised by Jesus, your King.

            You may never grab headlines by performing heroic efforts.  In fact, you may never have a place in life different from the one you now have.  But don’t despair.  As the apostle wrote, “Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, that he might lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).  Thanks to Jesus we have a place with God!  Amen.                                                                       

Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on September 05, 2010

Services

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Mondays 6:30 pm

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church | 1209 North Broadway Milwaukee, WI 53202 | (414) 271-3006

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