St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church

Sermon by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

July 1, 2007 Pentecost 5 Zechariah 13:7-9


“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the LORD almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones. In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘they are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”


People of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

Do you know who Ed Koch is? Ed Koch is kind of a bald man—a little grandpa—a man who smiles a lot! Ed Koch used to be the Mayor of New York City. Ed Koch wrote a book the other day—a children’s book called Eddie’s Little Sister Makes a Splash! Eddie and his sister Patty—and their parents go on vacation—to a cottage in the woods by a lake. The only rule for Patty is this: “You must never ever go in the water by yourself. The water is very deep and you don’t know how to swim!” Simple enough! Patty is by herself—on her own—in her swimsuit! She goes down the path to the lake. She steps into the water—where it is very shallow. She walks beside the dock—hangs on to the pier very tightly—the water not very deep at all! She takes one more step—and down she goes—the water way over her head! She cries out for help! The water goes over her head again! She swallows a huge mouth full of lake water. She can’t keep from sinking. Her big brother Eddie swims to her as fast as he can. He takes hold of her—carries her out of the water and sets her safely on the shore. She coughs—spits out a whole bunch of water and starts to cry. Quite literally Eddie saved his sister’s life. The last page of the book Eddie says, “Just don’t forget what happened at the lake!” The life lesson? Don’t go jumping in over your head! Patty says, “I’ll never forget you saved me!” Jesus of course—saved you and me from all our sins. Jesus gave up his life—so that we could have eternal life. How can we thank him? How can we begin to show our gratitude? This morning God’s Word is again our guide. God’s Word reminds us:

The LORD Is Our Shepherd!

1. His judgment will be fierce!

2. His mercy will be even greater!

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on today—is from the scroll of the prophet Zechariah. The People’s Bible paperback Bible Commentaries—has a single book to cover Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Pastor Eric Hartzell wrote that book. Pastor Hartzell was here at St. Luke’s just a couple of Sundays ago. Pastor Hartzell has served God very faithfully—doing mission work--mission work in Africa—and most recently mission work among the Apaches—native Americans in places where 114 ° in the Summer is not considered strange at all! Haggai and Zechariah preached God’s Word some 520 years before baby Jesus was born. God’s people had been in captivity—marched off into captivity some 1,000 miles from home for some 70 years—as discipline. Discipline is not the same as punishment! Discipline is always motivated by love. Discipline always has as it’s goal—to grow and change—to the glory of God! God’s discipline was fierce—because God’s people were trying to live their lives apart from their Heavenly Father. God’s discipline was so fierce—because their Heavenly Father loved them with such a determined love. Pastor Hartzell wrote, “Zechariah painted with prophetic brush on the imaginations and consciences of his people. We come upon these paintings today and see that over the years the colors have not faded and the images have not been blurred. He painted hell and heaven; he preached God’s law and his gospel!”

The scroll of the prophet Zechariah calls the people back. Return to the LORD! Come back! Chapter after chapter—the LORD uses picture language to call people to repent of their sins and to serve the living God. There is a man standing among myrtle trees. Behind him are red and brown and white horses. These horses represent angels—heavenly messengers—sent by our Heavenly Father—throughout the whole earth—spreading law and gospel! There are horns—symbols of power and strength—where God’s people were so discouraged they could not raise their heads. Then come four craftsmen—who would strike back—and terrify those who sought to frighten God’s people. There is the man with the measuring line—to measure Jerusalem. Because the LORD would so bless his people—you can’t measure Jerusalem. The city is so full of people and cattle—that you can’t have walls to hold them in. And yet the LORD will keep his people safe—so there are like walls of fire—powerful impenetrable walls of safety that the LORD alone can make. There is the picture of a woman—wickedness in a nasty lady’s body. This nasty lady is in a measuring basket—with a lead lid on it. This basket is carried away—flown away by two other nasty women—with wings like storks—carrying her away. There is a flying scroll—a scroll as wide as the front of church and much more! To read Zechariah—you need time to think and ponder and pray and discuss—to understand this word of God—that Jesus’ himself would quote.

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the LORD almighty. Jesus is the Good Shepherd—the shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Jesus is close to his Father. How close? On the night he was betrayed Jesus would say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” When Philip says—show us the Father Jesus answers: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?...Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do whatever I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:6f No one has ever been closer to God the Father—than His Son Jesus—our Redeemer!

“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.” Some 550 years later—on the night he was betrayed—in the upper room Jesus himself said, “You will all fall away…for it is written: “’I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times. But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. Mark 14:27-31 The disciples didn’t understand. Did they not realize—did they not recognize that what Jesus was saying was a quote from the scroll of Zechariah? Were fishermen and tax collectors and political zealots supposed to know God’s Word? Yes, they were! Jesus expects carpenters and plumbers and electricians to know God’s Word. Jesus expects stay at home moms—home makers and people who make bread and can vegetables and make frozen pizzas—people who cut the grass at golf courses and make soda and work at restaurants—to know God’s Word! Jesus expects you and me to know all about Zechariah. It isn’t right for us to expect teachers at Lakeside and Prep—at MLC and at the Seminary to know God’s Word for us! Jesus wants you to know God’s Word! The disciples didn’t get it when Jesus said, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee!” The disciples didn’t get this part either. If they did—they would have all gone to Joseph’s garden to meet and greet the risen Savior—but they didn’t! They didn’t understand. And so they argued with Jesus! Can you imagine that? Can you imagine telling Jesus—no—you are wrong? Do we argue with Jesus? If you argue with your parents—argue and talk back to your earthly mom and earthly dad—you are breaking the 4th commandment. If we argue with the parents Jesus gave us—it’s just like arguing with Jesus! If we argue with our teachers at school and talk back to them—that’s wrong, too! If we argue with police officers or school boards—the church council or our national government—with anger and disrespect—we are really disrespecting our Savior—who placed these people in authority over us! The more we study God’s Word—the more careful we will be—to show respect for Jesus and everyone who represents his order and authority.

“In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.” If you drive through Fort Atkinson—downtown—a pretty good chunk of Main Street is chewed up. There are some great big signs that say—No Thru Traffic. You are not supposed to go thru there. And yet if you watch—there is a steady stream of people who go around the sign—over the torn up part—around the sign on the other end. What are they going to do—give everybody a ticket? Wouldn’t people be surprised—if, once you went around that second sign—and quickly turned the corner—there stood one of Fort Atkinson’s finest—with one of those little carrot flashlights—signaling people to pull over—while a whole bunch of officers wrote out tickets as fast as they could! 2/3s struck down—2/3s perish—it’s not easy to put a good spin on struck down and perish—is it? The 1/3 that is still left—I will bring into the fire. I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. The fires of trouble and testing—burn away all that is pointless and useless and worthless! Trouble and testing make it painfully obvious what matters and what doesn’t! Things and stuff don’t matter! It doesn’t matter if there are some rust spots on your car—or some soda cans rolling around by the back seat. To doesn’t matter if your lawn has some crab grass or quack grass or some bare spots. To doesn’t matter if your hair is just so—or your teeth are just so—or your skin is just so. It doesn’t matter if all your papers are organized—all the tools in your garage hung up on peg board—doesn’t matter if you have all the dust from behind your refrigerator—or all the lint out of your clothes dryer. Things and stuff don’t matter. Jesus’ forgiving love matters and people matter—because Jesus died to save them. Heaven matters—because to die apart from Jesus means to be lost for ever!

“I will say, ‘they are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” The LORD—the Great I AM—the Holy One of Israel—changes not. God is love! We were in Perkins the other day. I was having potato pancakes—on the recommendation of my friend. We were waiting for our food—when a little moth flew by us—into one of those window blinds—the thin little metal strips—all with the strings and the long plastic rod. In a moment you are confronted with the choice—if you are the daddy—do you quickly take your paper napkin and squash that bug—wrap it up in your napkin—twist it really tight—quickly push it to the bottom of your pocket—and it’s all gone? Or—do you very quickly and carefully—get the blind out of the way—and very quickly catch the moth in your hand. Hold him tight—so he doesn’t escape—but not so tight that you break a wing. Carry this little insect through the restaurant—out the double doors—let him go as you hum a verse of “Born free!” How silly for a dumb bug? Why didn’t God just squish us—ugly little worthless insects that we are? Why didn’t God just squish us and start all over? Why didn’t He just make a whole bunch of angels to glorify himself and be done? I don’t know. All I do know—is his love—his amazing grace—that sacrificed his one and only Son—to save us from all our sins! Jesus paid that price willingly to save a wretch like me!

“I will say, ‘they are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” We love the LORD because he first loved us. That’s very important to keep straight. We have not chosen him. He has chosen us and made us his own by grace alone! How great is the love the Father has lavished on us—that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! We are God’s people—and the LORD is our God—because he has taken away all our sins. A man named Glen gave a talk at my last Lutheran Elementary School—Waucousta Lutheran Grade School. This man named Glen walked across the United States. It took him a whole year to do it. On the way he picked up trash. Along the way he picked up garbage that people throw out of their cars and trucks. He picked up 1,331 trash bags—each weighing about 6 pounds. He picked up somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 tons of garbage! That’s a lot of garbage. None of it was his garbage. None of it was his trash. Other people made the mess and he cleaned it up. Nobody paid him. Nobody paid him for picking up the trash. He even paid for all the trash bags. Would you do that? Would you clean up somebody else’s mess? Or do you say to yourself—that’s not my fault? Why should I clean it up? We did all the sins. We made all the mistakes. We did ten thousand times ten thousand things that were painfully hurtful and wrong. And Jesus cleaned it all up. Jesus paid for my sins with his holy life—and his innocent suffering and death—so that we should be his own and live under his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteous, innocence and blessedness! How wonderful is that? We are God’s people—and the Great I AM is our God. Amen!


To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz