THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY January 19,22 & 23, 2000

St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church - Watertown, WI

YOU ARE NOT JUST A NUMBER WITH THE LORD MARK 7:31-37

Have you ever felt that no one knows who you are and no one cares about you whether you are alive or dead? Have you ever called a business and never had an opportunity to speak to a real live person? When you called the phone answered and you heard a recorded voice say, "If you want to open an account, push 1; if you have a question about a bill, press 2; if you have lost your charge card, press 3; if you would like to speak to a service representative, press 4." You press 4 and you get some nice sounding music which is occasionally interrupted by an recording, "Your call is important to us. All of our representatives and presently busy. Please hold on until the next available representative can handle your call." After 15 minutes of listening to music and how important your call is, you hang up in frustration and anger. It is getting almost impossible to speak to a real live human being to have your questions answered and to transact any business. Everything is done by pushing a button on your telephone or else typing on your computer.

Have you also noticed that the first thing that representatives want when you get through to them is your account number? Your name is not important, but your account number is how you are identified on their computer. We have account numbers, charge plate numbers, social security numbers, insurance policy numbers and the list goes on. Even in schools our children are assigned numbers. Our college students have a student ID number so that their records, financial and academic, can be found on the university's computer. Our grade school students may even be assigned a number which corresponds with their numbered line in the teacher's grade book.

In our large congregation, we face a similar problem. With over 3,250 members the pastors don't always know who our members are and the members don't always know the pastors. A few weeks ago someone called and said, "Pastor Werner, this is Todd." The first thought that raced through my mind was "Todd who?" and finally I asked. We have several dozen men whose first name is Todd and unfortunately, I am not able to recognize and identify every member's voice with their name. Our membership is also identified by numbers. Every member in the congregation has a number in our computer. As our congregation and community continue to grow, the personal touch and contact that we attempt to offer becomes more and more difficult.

In such a world it is very easy to feel that no one cares, no one knows nor are they interested in my needs and concerns. The Word of God before us today reminds us of a very important truth that each of us needs to take with us throughout our lives. The truth is this YOU ARE NOT JUST A NUMBER WITH THE LORD. An unfortunate but true fact is that I) We Live In An Impersonal World. But lest we despair and think that no one cares or is concerned about me our Savior Jesus in his ministry reminds us that II) We Have A Personal God.

WE LIVE IN AN IMPERSONAL WORLD

Do you know who your neighbors are? Do you even care or have time to be concerned about who lives next to you? As the city of Watertown continues to grow and more and more new homes and apartments are being built, you will find that people will know less and less about the people who live next door to them, across the street or who is in the apartment down the hall or upstairs from them. Even in our congregation when we were making home visits, I was amazed that people who lived across the street from each other and belonged to the same church did not know each other. We are becoming more and more detached from other people. We have little or no interest in others. Why is this? It is evidence of the basic evil nature that lives in each of us. We look out for ourselves and care little or anything for anyone else.

All of us are infected with this evil condition called sin. Sin is not just what we do wrong or don't do right. Sin is a condition, like a disease. It is a disease we are born with. We inherited it from our parents. As David wrote, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) This is something most of us have been taught since we were young children and so we easily say, "Sure. I am a sinner. So what else is new? I have believed that all my life." Yet we fail to recognize what a mess sin makes of this world and our own personal lives. So often we get into the blaming mode where we are busy blaming others and circumstances for some of the problems we encounter in life rather than acknowledging this is because of sin, my sinful nature and the sinful natures of everyone else that I come in contact with on a daily basis. When we see the lack of caring, the lack of concern for others, the disinterest in other people and their lives, this is all a result of sin. More and more we try and insulate ourselves from others and draw within ourselves and do our own thing.

This is not new. We see example after example throughout the pages of the Bible of the lack of concern and care that people have for their fellow human beings. Think of Cain's answer to the Lord when God asked him, "Where is your brother, Abel?" (Genesis 4:9a). Cain's swift response was, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9b) Cain knew very well where is brother was. He was dead. Cain had killed him in a fit of jealousy. Or we think of the brothers of Joseph whom we read about in our first lesson. They hated Joseph. They were going to kill him, but instead, they sold him into slavery. But just think what they did to their father, Jacob, who loved Joseph. They led him to believe that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. Would you like children like that? Or look at King David. He gets one of his officer's wives pregnant. Has the officer killed and then tries to cover up the sin by marrying the pregnant widow. Who was David looking out for? Himself, of course.

This basic selfish nature shows itself in our lives everyday. It is in my life and it's in yours. It shows itself when we show little or no concern for others, but think first and foremost of me.

WE HAVE A PERSONAL GOD

When you live in such an impersonal world, you begin to think that this is the way everyone is and if I don't look out for number one, no one else will. Our Savior comes to us today and assures us that this is not the way everyone is and we do have a personal and loving God. Our loving and caring Savior knows and understands each of us personally and he does all things well in our lives.

You and I are not just numbers with God. He knows each of us personally and treats us according to our needs. Consider the situation that Mark records for us in the ministry of Jesus. Our Lord had gone into the region of the Decapolis. This was an area north and east of the Sea of Galilee. It was an area populated mostly by Gentiles, non-Jews. Jesus had been in this vicinity once before about six month earlier. At that time he had driven demons out of a man and allowed those demons to enter a herd of pigs. The demons caused the pigs to run off a cliff and drown. The people were so frightened of Jesus that they asked him to leave. Six months later when Jesus returns, the reception is much different. People knew about Jesus. Evidently, the man who had been healed had spread the news of what Jesus had done. Now people were bringing their friends and family members to Jesus to be healed. Some men brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and mute. He could neither hear nor speak. They asked Jesus to lay his hands on him. As we watch Jesus deal with this man, we see how our Lord takes the man's personal needs into consideration.

Notice that Jesus takes the man aside. He does not deal with him in front of the large crowd. Why not? This whole scene must have been very confusing for this man. He could not hear anything that we being said. He did not understand what was happening. So our Savior takes him aside. He takes his fingers and puts them in his ears. He then spits and takes a hold of the man's tongue. Then he looks up to heaven to indicate to this man where his help was coming from. He then says, "Ephphatha" which means, "be opened". Immediately the mans ears were opened and his tongue was loosed so that he spoke plainly and clearly.

The Lord deals with each of us in a personal way also. We are not just a number on a computer to our Savior. He knows the needs and problems that each of us is facing. He knows our weaknesses and shortcomings. He knows our pet sins. He also knows our strengths and special gifts. And he does what is best for each of us. At times we may wonder about that. But remember our Lord's promise, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) These words God spoke to the children of Israel while they were living in exile in Babylon. Things were not so rosy for them. God had allowed them to be taken by force from their homes and homeland and to live in a foreign and strange land. Yet God assures them that his plans for them were for their good. Or we are reminded of Joseph who did not have such a great time when he first got to Egypt. He ended up in prison because he would not commit adultery with his master's wife. Yet when all was said and done, Joseph was able to say to his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20) Are you and I always able to say when we encounter hardships, financial setbacks, incurable diseases, the death of a loved one, "These are for my good. Because God always does what is best for me?" It's not easy. Yet we need to see the hand of our loving Lord in all these things and remember the Lord is dealing with me personally and with what I need at this point in my life. His plans are always for my good. As David once wrote, "My times are in God's hands."

After Jesus had healed the deaf and mute man, he commanded the people who had seen this not to say anything. Why not? Jesus had come to this earth for one purpose only to save the human race. The Jews in Jesus' day were looking for an earthly king who would work to get rid of the Romans from Palestine and make Israel a great military and political power like they had been under Kings David and Solomon. They were not looking for nor expecting a Savior from sin, death and the control of the devil. So lest people try and come and take Jesus by force and attempt to make him an earthly king, Jesus told people not to spread this news about this healing all over. He did not want people to follow him simply because they thought he could be their meal ticket or their cure for every illness. Jesus had a single focus. He had come to live and die for all people to save us from eternal death and punishment.

After the healing, the people made this comment, "He has done everything well." How true. He had done what was best for the deaf and mute man. He has done what is best for you and me also. The first good thing that he has done well for us is that he lived and died for us. Then he opened our ears so that we have been able to hear and believe the Word of God and to trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

When you feel all alone and that no one knows you and no one cares about you, remember you have someone who does know you. He cares about you and he will always do what is best for you. That someone is the Lord your God who gave you life, who delivered you from eternal death in hell and who by the power of the Holy Spirit lives in you. You are not just a number with the Lord.

Amen