Sixth Sunday after Trinity, 2002
Matthew 5:20-26

Have you heard the expression, "He's as patient as a tick"? Neither have I. But it would be a fitting one. Ticks climb bushes and grass to about waist level and wait. They sit there for many months or years until a particular kind of host comes near enough for the tick to get a "ride" and feed. Adult ticks may live for one to several years without eating or drinking water. Their long life is due to a slow metabolism. They breathe only a few times each hour. Moreover, they are able to suck moisture from air when it is humid. Most ticks probably die from lack of water or food. Those that do get lucky grab on to a passing person or animal. They crawl up the host until exposed skin is found. As soon as they find an ideal spot they penetrate the skin with their mouth and start drinking blood. [This information comes from the directions on a set of tick-removing pliers I recently bought to go backpacking in Oklahoma.]

Scripture teaches us that the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes patience, or longsuffering (Galatians 5:22). While patience has become a neglected virtue in modern times, it was previously a prominent theme. For instance, Tertullian, the second-century African theologian, saw patience as foundational to Christian morality; the lack of patience key to the fall. How did Tertullian connect impatience with the fall? Satan became impatient with God's decision to give dominion to man. Satan rebelled and tempted the woman. Adam and Eve likewise failed at patience. Instead of waiting for permission and the proper moment to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Eve impatiently bit into the forbidden fruit. Adam wasn't patient either. He joined her. Sin, death and the curse came crashing down. For Tertullian, impatience is bound up in original sin, and can be traced to every other sin that we commit.

Tertullian was not alone. Cyprian, Augustine, Gregory I, Calvin, the Puritans, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, you name it, all were adamant about the importance of patience. It may take some reflection, but once we begin seeing the connections, we discover the destructiveness of impatience everywhere.

Take, for example our gospel passage from the Sermon on the Mount. Much of what Jesus taught can be read as a commentary on the meaning of patience. "Blessed are the poor in spirit Blessed those who mourn Blessed are the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted" (Matthew 5:3-12). These are the beatitudes. The poor in spirit and meek patiently await God's help. The mourners patiently bear their afflictions without self-pity. The merciful patiently renounce the idea of vengeance. The peacemakers create tranquility where there has been discord. And let's not forget those who patiently endure persecution for Christ's sake.

Jesus teaches in our gospel passage, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder', and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment." But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ' Raca !' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'you fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."

It was obvious to the Lord's listeners that murder was a serious sin. The Pharisees thought that they were obeying the Sixth Commandment by avoiding murder. They limited the command to the external, physical, premeditated extinguishing of life. But such a view is shallow, and makes light of sin. The Holy Almighty is displeased by even the slightest sin. The Lord Jesus deepens the commandment by internalizing it. He does not merely condemn the act of murder, He condemns the thoughts and attitudes that lead up to it, He condemns even the unloving words and gestures unjustly directed towards our neighbor. That is what " Raca !" and "you fool!" mean.

The Church has accepted her Lord's teaching. The letter of the law is not sufficient; Christ's kingdom requires the spirit of the law as well. The Heidelberg Catechism puts it well. Question 104 asks, "What is God's will for you in the sixth commandment? Answer: "I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor ­ not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds ­ and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword." Question 105 continues, "Is it enough then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? Answer: "No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies."

The catechism thus gives the sixth commandment a broad application. And isn't that what God had in mind when He gave the commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai? He surely had in His mind more than physical murder. He desired that the inner person be so guided by patience that the heart would be free of causeless anger. This is the goal that Jesus sets before us.

The next verses, Matthew 5:23-26, tell us how to heal bad blood and divisions among brethren.

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Unwarranted anger afflicts the world, and when it takes place in the Body of Christ, it separates brothers and sisters, creating animosity. What is the remedy for ill-will? Reconciliation. Christians must seek peaceful resolution. Jesus mandates that serious steps be taken to restore fellowship. (And the path of reconciliation will go much smoother with patience.) How does the process work? It starts with an offense. For one reason or another someone offends and another is offended. A cruel remark slips by, mud is thrown, gossip whispered, an insult barked in front of others; these are the things that separate brethren. When discord develops, it is better to deal with it. On trivial matters, love and patience can cover the minor slights. But we do not bury larger issues. Jesus commands brethren to come together and straighten out their problems. It doesn't matter whether you are the offended or the offender, the Lord requires that you go and speak with the other party (Matthew 18:15). Seeking reconciliation is so important that Jesus tells you to leave your gift at the altar. He demands that you interrupt your worship and take care of it. How do we apply this in the Church today? Does the Lord want you to get up out of your pew and go speak to the person in the middle of our liturgy? Probably not. But do it as soon as possible. Leaving your gift at the altar illustrates the priority Jesus gives to good relations among Christians. Nobody really enjoys all the time, effort, and concentration it takes to restore friendships, but it is necessary.

Patience is woven throughout the reconciliation process. It demands that we bear with the weakness we discover in others, granting them forgiveness. We leave our gift before the altar, approach the one who has wronged us and seek restored relations. Matthew 18 warns us that it will not always be successful. Sadly, the Church may have to resort to discipline and excommunication. On the other hand, our attempts to settle differences often are beautifully liberating. How is that possible? The restored relationship can actually become richer and stronger than the original. Restoration is liberating, for it frees us from the prison of the past and lets us begin afresh, wiser than we were before. Patience has an absolutely fundamental role in all of this, for without its endurance and forbearance, nothing could be attained.

The root meaning of patience is "suffering." It is bound up in Christ's words, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it (Luke 9:23-24). Patience includes the daily deaths we die for the cause of Christ. A patient in the hospital is one who suffers pain. Compassion means sympathy with one who experiences pain. Penance is a painful awareness of sin. Christ's passion signifies His last week of redemptive suffering.

[I am indebted to David Baily Harned's Patience: How We Wait Upon the World for many of these insights.]

Thomas à Kempis makes a good point. For him, the whole ministry of Jesus Christ can be summarized by two words, "He suffered." Jesus' passion was not simply the last week of his life but his entire thirty-three years. The redemptive secret of such innocent suffering was His patient obedience to the will of the Father. Thomas à Kempis wrote that "the imitation of Christ means, first and last and always, to take up one's own cross without complaint and to follow Him upon the royal highway of the holy Cross."

Calvin taught something similar but builds his case for patience on the doctrine of providence. For Calvin, since this universe is created, sustained, and ruled by the providence of God, there is no room whatsoever for the intervention of luck or chance. Almighty God is actively at work in the world, patiently judging and transforming it to achieve His own design. That means that the elect can be sure they are where God has sovereignly placed them, and because God is in control, "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are 'the called' according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28)

The doctrine of providence means that patience will always be the sum and substance of the Christian life. God finally brings good from evil. Christians are called to pause and search out more deeply this truth in history and in the events swirling around them. God's providence bestows a freedom from anxiety and fear. Faith in God's providence is the Christian's greatest solace and comfort. It is our source of strength and the only certain remedy for despair. Patience is thus extraordinarily prominent in Calvin's writing on the Christian life.

A couple qualifications are called for. Patience is not mere quiescence; that nothing troubles us. We are not satisfied with the status quo; we are not content with a culture of sin and death. Christ was not a paragon of patience when He twice cleansed the temple of irreverence. Tables flew, coins clanged, the whip cracked. There is nothing wrong with the impatience of a prisoner of war eager to escape his confinement. In the face of cruelty or brutality, men fight for the right and defend the innocent. But even here patience is critical to discern the circumstances in which impatience is appropriate.

Given those qualifiers, let us now lay out a few more ways to practice patience. How do you manifest patience with your neighbor? When the Bible tells you to love your neighbor as yourself, it refers to the person closest to you, wherever you may be. Patience with neighbor means common courtesy and civility. We are courteous and patient drivers on the highways. We are attentive when listening to others. We pay attention to them. Don't think that listening is easy. Almost every time we have to listen to someone, we suffer. Suffering is involved in every prayer, every wait in a line, every traffic jam, every conversation. These are all little deaths. Yet in the midst of them we are called to learn patience, and suffer with contentment. Why? Because we are companions in Christ's suffering, and our Sovereign Father is working for us in these things a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

What about patience in the family? Without it the home can turn into a place of destruction, rather than a place of nurture. Children become impatient with one another. Why? They assume they are the center of the universe. Thus, they need to learn that others are not mere satellites meant to orbit around their greater planet. Self-centeredness takes years to overcome. Some never overcome it. Moreover, kids tend to trigger spasms of impatience from their parents -- up to seven times seventy. For those of you with children, possibly your greatest daily challenge is to put up patiently with their behavior. It can be relentless. Yet, if we are constantly impatient with them, something is wrong. We should seek God's grace to be more patient with their questions, mistakes, ignorance, fun, and fantasy. There is a legitimate time for a parent to be impatient with his children, but knowing when to use impatience also requires patience.

As for the Body of Christ, without patience, there is little possibility for the church to survive. How can we work together as the body of Christ if we will not bear up with one another's idiosyncrasies and foibles? How can we show forth the love of Christ, and make progress in our corporate holiness? How can we grow to Christian maturity if we are not forgiving, kind, and patient? Clearly the Church would crumble without patience.

What about society? An impatient society is childish. Unless we are willing to wait our turn, display a modicum of courtesy toward those with whom we must cooperate, accept delays and disappointments and still persevere in our daily duties, the fabric of our common life unravels to the point that it is impossible to plan for tomorrow or even sustain an extended conversation. Impatience is not a superficial problem, but an admission that the very foundations of society are eroding.

The stoics prized patience, but their brand was prideful, ungrateful, and man-centered. Christian patience is different. Christ is our model, and His patience was marked by gratitude and humility. Patience does not save us -- God's grace in Christ does. Yet true faith will bear the Fruit of the Spirit that comprises patience. If you have been saved by the Blood of Christ, your Heavenly Father requires your sanctification. A life of holiness means progress in patience. For that, He gives you His Spirit to cause that fruit to ripen in your life. He provides you the means of grace ­ the Word and Sacraments, prayer and fellowship, suffering. Received in faith, the means of grace can cultivate in you a bounteous supply of patience. O Lord God, grant us this grace.

Return to Sermons