Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Trinity Lutheran Church-Columbia, MO
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
When you listen to the appointed Gospel, it might seem like Jesus is giving substandard religious advice; that is to say, when you take Jesus’ word at face value, you probably do more good for yourself if you were willing to splurge on some tried and true self-help books and a trusted counselor and some good networking opportunities rather than listen to him lecture us about prayer and fasting and good works. Obviously, we could obtain counsel and advice from the likes of Elon Musk, Jordan Peterson, or your favorite podcaster, and many of you do. What do they say, in varying degrees? They say don’t do good things to get the attention of others. Do them because they are good. Don’t love material possessions, instead love virtues that are long-lasting. They say things that are generally true. The Buddhists and the Mormons and most of the religions of men teach the same thing. Most of the thoughts are correct, they recognize true virtue and how easily our thinking is corrupted and what a quagmire fallen creation is. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise than when you really think honestly about the human condition, everyone should come to same conclusions: we all suffer from the inordinate love of the good, whether it be the opinions of others or power or wanting to life a better life, all of it an attempt at achieving righteousness before men. Of course, there is more to Jesus’ instruction than what Elon or Jordan can offer.
Unlike Elon, Jordan, Oprah, or your podcaster, Jesus reveals that His Father sees in secret. This is a description of His omniscience. There is no way to fool the Father. If there ever could be a time when our right hand did not know what the left was doing, God would still know. When we harden our consciences, pretending that God doesn’t know why we decided to go on sinning with something we know to be wrong, or are able to suppress a memory of wickedness of past sins, or pretend that what we did was justified, God knows the truth. He is not fooled, there is nothing that He does not notice. We need this reminder.
We need this reminder because God’s rewards and punishments are often delayed on this side of glory, we do not always suffer the consequences of our sins immediately. Addiction numbs slowly. Sometimes it takes years for the full consequences of a sin of habit to catch up to us. This delay can cause us to become deluded. We are easily lulled into complacency, thinking we can go on sinning because we weren’t caught. Thus, we should fear His wrath even if it does not come quickly and not do anything against His commandments.
But there is more to the Father’s omniscience than simply threats. He sees in secret primarily because He is interested and His interest is motivated by love. He sees our true nature; He knows what we are in our fallen hearts, that deep down we are not good; that we are sick and selfish. And yet, He still loves us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
The Lord Jesus does not call us to do good works purely, without any ulterior or perverse motives, that would be nice if we were able to do that, but we are not. So He also calls us to enter into the secret place of faith; that is, to know that He Himself, as the Risen Christ, is with us in our weakness, with His Father and the Spirit. We are sinners and yet we have been justified by His blood. He knows what we are, what we have done, and what we are still doing. And it does not prevent Him from loving us and sending His Spirit to work true repentance. So He is doing more than watching as some disinterested or curious person: He interferes. For He is alive and active, speaking and guiding us with His Word, praying with us, using our works of mercy for the good of the world, and training us through fasting. This is hidden to the world, but revealed to us by the Gospel. All the best self-help books and podcasters will never grasp this. And because these are revealed by the Gospel it makes, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, much more than an obligation or objectively good. They are delightful to God because they are done in faith, because you are more than known by God-you are known as only a Father can know his children. And this assurance should certainly stop us from being lulled into the trap wherein we might fall back into works righteousness. Run away from any one who tells you that if you do good works you are probably falling back into the spell of the Law. Jesus tells us to do good works. And we are to do them because they are objectively good in the Father’s sight; and we are to do them because they are commanded. But the Gospel makes these things to be acts of fellowship with Him, and this world cannot see or understand. He uses them for our good and the good of others.
So it is that the rewards of the Father often go unseen by the world, but soon you will be vindicated and avenged and your works will follow you. But even now you go into the secret place of the Father and you know the Truth. You know His love, His forgiveness, His mercy.