Have compassion on them. - Matthew 9:35-10:4

Today is a special day here at Messiah.  In a few moments I will install Zach Neumann as our first vicar.  Zach, on behalf of the members of Messiah, I welcome you.  Zach, you are going to like it here.  I don’t know if you have heard, but John Creek, according to U.S. News & World Report, is ranked the #1 place to live in the United States.  (that’s a little statistic I like to mention every now and then).  It is understandable why this is the #1 place to live.  First the city itself has a high standard of living, it is safe and secure, and the schools like our own Preschool Academy are excellent.  But also, Johns Creek is close enough to Atlanta to enjoy all the benefits of a big (arts & entertainment) without having to live in a big city.  We are close enough to the mountains that you can be standing in the middle of a trout stream ripping lips within minutes and we are close enough to the ocean for a weekend getaway at the beach. 

Johns Creek is a great place to live, and Messiah is a great place to serve.  U.S. News & World Report hasn’t done a study on best congregations in America.  But, and I’m certain you didn’t know this, according to WELS Congregational Services, Messiah is ranked the #1 congregation to belong to in the Wisconsin Synod.  O.K. I made that up.  To my knowledge WELS congregational services has not ranked the churches in our church body, but if they did, I feel like Messiah would be near the top of the list.  This is a congregation that knows the bible.  There are 5 Masters of Theology that belong to this congregation and countless others whose biblical knowledge would give any seminarian a run for their money.  Musically this congregation is stacked with talent.  We have piano players who make Billy Joel sound like a beginner and a variety of musicians who can play anything you can strum, beat on, or blow into.  We have vocalist whose harmonies will make you think an angel showed up to sing the hymns.  Messiah is led by highly intelligent and insightful lay leaders and a host of dedicated servants who work behind the scenes to get it done.  Messiah is full of kind and caring people.  They give each other flowers send each other cards call and check in on each other and are genuinely concerned about what is going on in each other’s lives.  Messiah has a reputation of taking very good care of her called workers and Zach, they will take good care of you.  And these people are fun.  If you get invited to… anything, go.  These people are quick to laugh and know how to have a good time.  Even the quiet ones who might be too shy to invite you to a night out on the town.  Pay attention to the quiet ones, some of them have the quickest wits and will say the most hilarious things. 

The people you will be serving this year are awesome.  They are also broken.  Sometimes it will be easy to see.  Occasionally they will say and do mean nasty ugly things to other people.  But more often, they will say and do mean nasty ugly things to themselves.  They are intelligent people but they will do stupid stuff.  And when they do that stupid stuff, they will do what Adam and Eve did when they did a stupid thing, they will try to run and hide from God and by association run and hide from God’s pastors and people.  They are good people but sometimes they will do and say things that good people do not do or say.  Sometimes it will be easy to see that these people are a broken people, other times it will not be so easy.  Some of these people have learned to hide their brokenness.  They hide it behind a convincing smile and believable laugh or by pretending to always be in a good mood.  They seem to have the perfect family, perfect career, perfect house and home.  But behind it all … you never know what is going on in someone else’s home, but I can tell you this I have seen more than my fair share of perfect homes full of broken people. 

Jesus was surrounded by people just like these people.  Saint Matthew tells us Jesus had been traveling “35 through all the towns and villages” of Galilee.  Jesus spent most of his time on the northern shore of the sea of Galilee.  I have never been there, but from what I can tell it looks like a reasonably nice place to live, I don’t know if it is Johns Creek nice, but it looks nice.  The towns and villages along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee were along a major trade route between Egypt and Asia.  Which means these towns and villages were full of all sorts of people from all sorts of places.  They spoke different languages, had different customs and traditions.  But one thing all these people had in common was they were all broken.  Broken in different ways and to varying degrees, but none the less, broken.  I am sure just like the people who congregate here, some of the people in the crowds that surrounded Jesus were obviously broken; their lives were a complete mess.  They were sick, they were diseased, and some of them were even demon possessed.  Some of them were obviously broken, but I imagine others, probably even most were able to hide their brokenness in the same way that some, probably even most, of the people who congregate here hide their brokenness.

Obviously broken people are difficult people to be around.  They displace aggression like an ocean liner displaces water and if you happen to be in their wake, you are likely to have hate and hostility wash over you in waves.  Total strangers can get swept up in the tidal wave of hurtful words and hateful actions that flow from the mouths of broken people.  Everyone here has probably witnessed a broken person cussing out a cashier, threatening a neighbor, or in some other way just being a jerk.  Obviously broken people are difficult to be around, but the ones who have learned to hide their brokenness can be downright dangerous.  People who hide their brokenness eventually erupt like a volcano and spew pain and sorrow onto everyone around them.  The pressure of trying to hide brokenness builds up and when these people blow up they blow up and the people who are closest to them are often the ones who get burned the worst.

You would think the best thing to do would be to avoid the broken people.  But here is the problem you can’t avoid the broken people; the broken people are everywhere; they are all around us.  Even if you were to isolate yourself from all the broken people and you were all by yourself in a bunker with nobody in there but you and you alone, you would quickly discover that there was a broken person in that bunker.   We are all broken people!  If you can’t see that, then you are hiding your brokenness even from yourself and you my fried are the most dangerous one of all.

Jesus didn’t avoid the broken people, He embraced them.  Saint Matthew tells us “36 When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  Jesus had compassion on the broken people.  His heart ached for them; the sight of their pain physical affected Him, and it stirred something inside of Him that filled Him with a desire to take the pain away.  You see, Jesus was able to look beyond the brokenness.  Jesus was able to see what was causing the people around him to say and do all the mean nasty ugly things they said and did to each other and to themselves.  Jesus saw that these broken people were “harassed and helpless”.  A vicious combination of accusation from Satan and guilt from their own sin was tearing these people apart.  They were like sheep that had gotten caught in a briar patch and the thorns were tearing away at their flesh.  That is what guilt does to people, it entangles them and tears away at them.  The more they struggle the more entangled and wounded they become.  Eventually they become frustrated and afraid; afraid that they will never be free from the guilt that has entangled them and like an animal biting and kicking at anything and anyone within reach they tend to lash out in mean nasty ugly ways.

Jesus looked beyond the brokenness and saw people who were so wrapped up in their own guilt that they were frustrated and afraid.  You should know that by the way.  I am about to apply this lesson to our soon to be vicar but before I do you should know Jesus sees you.  He sees how broken you are, He sees how your guilt has entangled you and wounds you.  He knows you are harassed and helpless, that you are frustrated and afraid.  Jesus sees you and His heart breaks for you because Jesus loves you.  Jesus loves you so much that He did something about that guilt that has you feeling harassed and helpless.  Jesus lived His entire life surrounded by broken people, but Jesus Himself never broke, not once.  It is important to be reminded of that because Jesus was treated like a broken man.  Thorns tore at His flesh and guilt fastened His hands and feet to the cross.  But it was not His guilt that bound Him.  It was yours and it was mine.  Jesus took the guilt of your sin upon Himself so that you could be set free from the briar patch of sin and guilt. 

But that is not all that Jesus did for you.  Though you have been set free from the guilt of your sin, Jesus knows sometimes you still feel harassed and helpless.  So, Jesus sent out men who would have compassion on the broken people. Men like Peter, James, John, men like me, and Zach, one day God willing (and if I do my job properly) men like you.  I am going to do what I can to make you the best preacher and teacher that you can be.  I am going to show you how to visit shut-ins, counsel couples, plan events and manage volunteers.  I am going to help you learn all the things a pastor should know so that he can do his job effectively and efficiently.  But I am going to tell you right now what you need to do if you want to be a great pastor.  You need to do what Jesus did, you need to have compassion on them.  Occasionally these good people are going to do things that good people don’t do or say.  Like Adam and Eve, they are going to do stupid stuff and when they do that stupid stuff they will be embarrassed and ashamed and they may lash out at you or other people in their lives or they like Adam and Eve may try to run and hide.  It is the job of the pastor to have compassion on the broken people.  To look beyond their brokenness and see how harassed and helpless they are.  To remind them that Jesus has set them free from their guilt.  To assure them that one day, because of Jesus they will be broken no more.  Zach, if you only learn one thing from me this year learn this, have compassion on them.

And then enjoy them.  Go golfing with Brandon and the boys.  See if the Schroeders will take you out on their new boat.  Try to get Andy to pour you a good bourbon.  Talk to Leah about anything, try not to get stumped by Tim in Bible Class, ask Franny Mae and friends if you are bussin’ or cheugy.  Hangout with the musicians, high-five the children, oh and get some bear-hugs from Ann and Linda.  There is an entire cast of characters in this congregation and each one of them is worth getting to know and every one of them needs compassion.  Zach, welcome to Messiah.  You are going to like it here.  Amen.