06/07/2026
For this Second Sunday after Pentecost, we have this old Pharisee laying out his argument for including gentiles into the gathering of the Church, without the need of circumcision. The Roman church was divided because of nasty rumors about the gentiles. It was in the Jewish Christians absences, the gentile Christians stepped into leadership roles of the church. When the Jewish Christians returned, there were stories of known Roman educational practices being projected upon the gentile Christians. Paul addressed the said-rumors in the first chapter of this letter, and compared such practices to idolatry, but then in the second chapter he addresses those who were weaponizing the laws — laws that they didn’t fully keep — to clobber the gentile Christians. With both arguing parties “called to the carpet” with not much hope of justice, Paul launches into the third chapter with “justification by grace through faith”. In our text for today from the fourth chapter, Paul supports his argument beautifully by explaining even Abraham story of being reckoned as righteous was hundreds years before the law — interestingly in both Hebrew and Greek, the root word for righteousness and justification is the same word. It is in these two chapters Luther will place his argument before the Medieval Church for justification by grace through faith in his argument against indulgences.
Jesus, in our Matthew text is expanding his rag-tag group of his disciples, and he’s doing so with what the religious types consider the dregs of society, tax collectors and sinners. After addressing the self righteous religious types, who complained about those Jesus hung out with, a leader of the synagogue approached Jesus about the death of his daughter. As Jesus was on his way to see what he could do (wink wink, nudge nudge), a woman silently approaches him, just to touch the fringe of his garment for what she knew would be healing. When Jesus realized what had taken place, he turned and told her her faith made her whole. It was not her religious practices, but her faith that made her whole. Mmm… I always found that very interesting. Then he goes on to the synagogue leaders house and resuscitates his daughter.
Come join us at Trinity Lutheran Church at 9:30am and Redeemer Lutheran Church at 11am. Both services will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook.
Provided to YouTube by Reunion RecordsStep By Step · Rich Mullins...
