Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this evening comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 26: 1-16).
It's a little odd for Lutherans to be out at church on Wednesday nights. While some Christians do it every week, others rarely do. We Lutherans do it about 10 times per year. And, if we're honest, for most of us it took some planning to get here. Because life is busy, and we and our families are busy with many worthwhile things, we often have to plan our lives in advance. To be here, you may have had to set aside other plans of yours, in favor of worship and meditation on the Passion of our Lord Jesus.
And that is the point of Lent. It's not about our plans � it's all about HIS plan. For these next weeks, we will focus on the Passion story found in Matthew'' Gospel. And the overall theme is "Not our Plans � His Plan."
There are TWO realities, Two plans happening at the same time in the events of Holy Week. There are plans by humans, plans motivated by human sin and ignorance.
The enemies of Jesus have their plans; they want to seize and kill Jesus, and the timing is all important.
They most certainly do not want to carry out their plan during the feast; they must avoid a riot among the people (26: 4-5). Judas, the betrayer, makes his plan. He receives money from the priests, and he begins to look for the opportune time to hand Jesus over (26: 16). Even Jesus' human friends, his chosen disciples have their plans, and their plans have nothing to do with what is about to happen to their Master. Their plans are for glory and honor, not for suffering and death.
But the second reality, the second plan is that designed by God the Father, and our Lord Jesus is set to hold fast to that plan. He has finished teaching now (26:1), and now he comes to the goal of all that teaching. All of His ministry comes down to this. Now the reign of God will show itself, in Jesus. Now the Father's will is about to be done. This is why He has come � to save his people from their sins, from death, and from the devil's plans.
At Passover time the Son of Man will be handed over, in order to be crucified because salvation with human beings is impossible! But with God, all things are possible, and the Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for the many (20: 28)
All things are working together toward this plan! Small parts of the plan are at work. A woman who loves her master comes and does a beautiful deed. But she gives no sign of knowing what is really happening.
She is preparing his body for burial, but she doesn't even realize that she is part of the plan. Yet her beautiful deed becomes part of the good news that will be told everywhere in the world! Jesus words about her are fulfilled again tonight as they have been millions of times before. While Jesus was carrying out his Gospel plan of self-sacrifice He said "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." What Jesus said was true. It just happened here again tonight. The beautiful work that she didn't even understand was again told in memory of her.
Even the evil plotting of Jesus' enemies will work under the direction of God's plan, and not their own. His enemies want him captured, but they repeatedly insist: NOT at the feast � but it happens at the feast anyway. They repeatedly insist: we must AVOID A RIOT among the people. But the only way they can get Pilate to agree to their demands is to cause a riot among the people.
Judas was looking for the proper time and he found it. But even Judas' time was in God's plan, after Jesus has announced that his time has drawn near, and said to Judas "Friend, do what you are here to do." God gathers up and uses all of these human plans to bring His Son to the cross! Over them all, and for us all, His plan is at work.
We have two levels of plans at work here: The misguided human plans and the plan of God. On which level should we meditate tonight and for the next weeks? On both! Why both? So we can turn from the one and cling to the other. We turn from human plans, from our own plans, from our own weaknesses, our sins, and focus in faith and hope upon God's plan in Jesus Christ. Let us turn away from our plans and meditate on HIS plan!
In human plans we find at best a foolish arrogance, and at worst, utter despair. The plans of our modern culture, and of every culture sooner or later, are those that lead to pride or hopelessness. We like to believe that we are in charge, that our human skills will give us hope. I use to be a psychologist, and I sat in many classes and professional meetings hearing how human hopelessness was a root of all kinds of depression and anxiety. Psychologists sit and ponder how to help people be more hopeful. I use to leave meetings like those, wondering what ultimate hope my colleagues thought they could possibly offer. Now don't get me wrong, the field of Psychology has many wonderful things it can offer our society, but ultimately the only eternal hope we have is the plan of Jesus. In our pride many think that our technological plans will build a better world. But then we see what the human heart does with those plans. A crazy man with a milk carton full of flammables sets it off in a crowded subway and more than 120 die. A band with fancy fireworks sets them off in a dance club and nearly 100 people die. We invent new sources of energy and potentially helpful chemicals, then find that power-crazed national leaders turn them into weapons of mass destruction.
We like to think that we are masters of our own destinies, but sooner or later, our ultimate helplessness and frailty and futility emerge. You may remember the old bumper sticker: "He who dies with the most toys wins." 20 years ago a friend and I used to tease each other with that adage whenever we collected a new toy. We'd bring it in and say: "He who dies with the most toys wins." But it's NOT TRUE. He who dies with the most toys still dies! Human plans always lead to futility.
Yet there is hope in God's plan. In God's plan we find truth and life. There is nothing in His plan that is of our doing � and that is the Good News. It's not about us and our plans. Let us let our plans go. Let us repent of our pride and thus shed our despair. Our lives are buried with Christ death and resurrection in Baptism (Romans 6). He is not looking just to give us some advice on minor adjustments to our plans for our life. He is looking to involve us in the greatest, grandest plan for all time, for eternity. It is proper stewardship to wisely use the earthly gifts God has chosen to give us in His plan. We don't just sit around waiting for Jesus to return (see 2 Thessalonians 3: 6ff). But we always remember that all our earthly plans are imbedded within HIS great and glorious heavenly plan.
This time of Lent, this journey through Matthew is all about Jesus, all about God's plan. Our whole life in Christ � all the important questions have as their answer "Jesus is crucified for us." In him is a plan that brings peace and strength and comfort all our days. It is a plan that works even when we don't feel like it is working. Such is God and his plan. He is determined to save us. Like the woman, we may not always understand how we are a part of His plan. But whenever we respond to Him in faith, we can be confident of being in His plan. God has a plan. His plan cannot be turned aside by any human power. God has a plan, for you and Jesus has carried it out. By His Word we hear of this plan again and again, as we need to. By His Word He calls us into His plan forever.
The folly of the disciples will be left behind in Jesus plan. The evil plotting of his enemies will be put to use in God's plan. And we are given this Lenten gift to meditate, and to ponder and to trust. Not in our plans. But in HIS plan. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)
(This sermon series was suggested by Rev. Dr. Jeff Gibbs of Concordia Seminary to pastors in the Kansas District at our convocation in January 2003. This particular sermon is modified from, but heavily dependent upon suggestions by Dr. Gibbs.)