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“THIS IS THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD”

Luke 20:9-20

It was a little strange to close our final Scripture reading for today with the words, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” Strange, because the term ‘Gospel’ literally means ‘good news,’ and if you were listening carefully to the Gospel reading, it might have seemed as though there was very little if any good news contained in it.

Instead, what we have is a parable in which Jesus recounts the history of the Israelites and their rejection of God’s Word. The servants who were sent to collect the fruit of the vineyard in the parable represented the prophets of the Old Testament. One by one God sent them to the people of Israel to look for the fruit of faith; and one by one they all were mistreated and cast out. Finally, the owner of the vineyard decided to send his own son to them. But the result was that they murdered the son as well—an obvious reference to Jesus’ impending crucifixion. So that, finally, God’s retribution fell harshly upon them. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

Well, we are told that the scribes and the chief priests understood perfectly that Jesus had spoken this parable against them. So that, when they heard it, they replied, “Surely not!” and the text says, “and sought to lay hands on him at that very hour.

It’s not an uplifting story. It seems completely devoid of any good news. It is a parable of self-righteousness and corresponding judgment. Nevertheless, the Gospel is in there in the midst of that judgment; we just have to look a little more closely to find it. And the place where we discover it is in the fact that, the owner of the vineyard’s son was cast out and killed.

Now, at first glance, that is not a happy thought; until we realize the ultimate reason for the Son’s death. You see, Jesus’ death means the forgiveness of the world’s sin. It means the end of sin’s wrath and punishment as far as God is concerned. For, as Jesus suffered and died on the cross, all of the sinful, hateful actions of the world—from the murderous intentions of the scribes and the Pharisees, to the daily transgressions that each one of us is guilty of committing personally—all of those sins are forgiven. The punishment is meted out. The guilty tenants of the vineyard are all destroyed, so to speak, in one, fell swoop. Only… we are not the ones who are destroyed, even though we are the ones guilty of constantly rejecting God’s Word. Rather, it is Jesus Christ Who is destroyed. He suffers and dies in our place. Our lives are spared eternally. And that, dearly beloved, is good news! Jesus’ death on the cross is, in fact, the greatest news.

I want to speak to you from personal experience for a moment in order to try and illustrate to you the importance of this Gospel. When I meet people outside of Good Shepherd for the first time, and they find out that I’m a pastor, they’re often eager to tell me about their spiritual beliefs. They might tell me what church they go to—if, indeed, they go to church. And usually the next comment is a question as to whether or not I’m acquainted with their own minister. Or else, they will simply tell me what their thoughts are as to what it means to be a Christian. And I commend them for that. We should all be so eager to witness to Jesus Christ in our conversations.

But I can’t tell you how often those views which are shared with me mention absolutely nothing about Jesus or of the fact that He died on the cross for our salvation.

Now, some might assume that that is simply a given in most people’s minds. But, it isn’t; it really isn’t. Because, the sad fact is that most people don’t see the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as THE focal point of the Christian faith. Rather, they look at the conduct of their own lives—their deeds, their charity, their kindness to others—as the basis of what it means to be a Christian.

And while our faith most certainly should be producing the fruits of love and benevolence toward others, it still must be a faith grounded in the fact that Jesus Christ is our Savior from eternal death—and not simply, Jesus Christ as a moral example for us to follow.

Listen again to the words of St. Paul from our Epistle reading for today. If anyone should have been able to hold up his own life as a shining example of living the Christian life, it would have been the apostle Paul; who, by the grace of God, turned away from his former life of being a persecutor of Christians to become arguably the greatest missionary for the Christian Church. But notice how he talks about himself:

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Those things that he is counting as rubbish are his own good deeds. All of the wonderful things that he accomplished in his service of the Lord he counts as nothing. For, he knows that in the view of an absolutely perfect and holy God, he still has nothing to boast about.

Now, try that one out on those who would like to hold up their own lives as the example of what it means to be a Christian. How do you think they would react to the message if you told them that they’re good deeds were rubbish in God’s sight? Probably not very well. Just like the tenants in the Lord’s parable, we are not apt to give up our own rights and our own claim to what we think is our own property.

And so St. Paul continues: I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him,” (and now listen to what he says about what it means to be found in Christ), “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,” (in other words, thinking that being on good terms with God comes by what we have done) “but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

The righteousness that comes from God. People, that is the only genuine righteousness there is. That is the only righteousness that can stand before God without the threat of condemnation. It must be His own righteousness that He freely bestows upon us as a gift or there is no righteousness. It must be the righteousness from God which is received by faith.

Faith! Faith in what? Faith in yourself? Trust in the life that you have led? No! But, faith in Jesus Christ as the One Who died on the cross in our place in order that we might have the full forgiveness of sins and, with it, the complete assurance of life everlasting.

And because you have that assurance, understand that God has every right to look for the fruit of that faith in your life. God didn’t place you into the vineyard so that you could lazily and selfishly tend to your own desires, but in order that you would labor. Work diligently; make every effort to live according to your holy calling. You see, God knows the power of His Word that He has bestowed upon you. He knows what it is able to accomplish as His Spirit works in your hearts to transform you into people who live to honor Him. In the words of the prophet Isaiah from our Old Testament reading today, God says that you are, “the people whom I formed for myself that [you] might declare my praise,” (Is. 43:21

And you declare God’s praise when your life, your words, and your desires all center upon Jesus Christ your Savior. Never take your calling for granted. Strive to live in the salvation which is yours with such earnestness that… it almost would be as if it wasn’t within your grasp quite yet. Like St. Paul writes, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead… I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own,” (Phil. 3:12-14). Jesus Christ has made you His own!

The Son was cast out and killed; yes that really is good news! Jesus was nailed to the cross; it’s the greatest news that the world could ever hear! God’s anger for our sins has been appeased and now the Heavenly Father looks at us through the holy sacrifice of Jesus Christ and sees us as being holy for His sake. This, and nothing else, is THE Gospel of our Lord, in which we press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.





Isaiah 43:16–21

16Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”



Philippians 3:8–14

8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.



Luke 20:9–20 9[Jesus] began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 19The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.