Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 (Matt 21:23-32)

My Pleasure!

            You don’t have to be rich to experience a taste of luxury. For our associations with such a word often make us think “expensive”, “high-end”, “fancy”. There’s no doubt that we see many expensive things as luxurious because they are expensive. However, a certain businessman found the secret code to building such a reputation. And it wasn’t just the cost or expense that did it. It was two simple words. Many of us know of the hotel company, Ritz-Carlton. They’ve established themselves as synonymous with luxury hotels. One of the original founders, Horst Schulze established their operating and service standards based around these two words that built this very reputation. My pleasure! He knew that what people wanted most out of a “luxury” experience is to feel taken care of without being a burden. But he wasn’t the only one to catch on. After staying at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-a, noticed this common refrain from all the hotel employees and was so impressed by it that he brought it to his own business. So, if you ever go to a Chick-fil-a, employees are trained to meet your every need and respond with only two words, “My pleasure”. Regardless of whether they’re picking up your trash, cleaning up a spilled drink, or bringing your food out to you, they want you to know that you’re welcome and aren’t a burden on them. Rather, that’s the entire point of their service, is to take care of you!

            In our Old Testament lesson today, the people of Israel charge that they are being treated unfairly by God. However, God responds with a lengthy discourse about this charge and the actions of his people. But at the end of it all, we find out what is most important to our Lord, as we learn:

YOUR SOUL IS THE LORDS, AND IT IS HIS PLEASURE TO SERVE AND SAVE YOU!

I.

            Ezekiel was the first prophet to serve Israel during their exile in Babylon. Before him, every prophet God sent to Israel gave them warnings about turning from their evil ways lest God punish them for their faithlessness. Yet, the people never listened. Instead of following God, they made shrines to other gods. They engaged in prostitution, child sacrifices, and many others of the most detestable sins to God. The result was the exile. They earned it. They deserved it. There was no question about it. However, the generation of Israelites that Ezekiel now serves wasn’t those who were hauled away, it’s those children who were born in exile. Hence, they make this charge against God, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” Ezekiel 18:2. God is punishing the children for the bad decisions and sins of their parents. The children have become responsible for the mess that their parents made… and they don’t want to clean it up.

            After all, what child would ever want to clean up after their parents? Even more, who would ever want to clean up a mess left by someone else? We’re taught from a very young age that if you make a mess, you’re supposed to clean it up. For the sad reality is that sin is messy. Many people can be impacted by the effects of one person’s sin. Be it addiction, egotistical pride, poor anger management, or any number of other sin and vices. However, a righteous and holy Judge would never place the guilty party’s punishment on another. As God retorts, “When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice he has done he shall die,” Ezekiel 18:26. This is why we don’t call baptism a “get-out-of-jail-free card”. Even if you’re baptized, even if you’ve come to church for your entire life, you can still reject everything God gave you in your baptism and face God’s wrath. Thus, we must take responsibility for our actions. For God shall hold us to account for all our works on the last day and whether we have done good or evil. As God said, “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin,” Ezekiel 18:30.

II.

            But I also ask you, what parents have ever enjoyed sending their child to time out? What teacher wants their student to face detention? What mentor wants to see their pupil fail and give up? God is no different. He doesn’t enjoy condemning us. For we call God’s condemnation of sin his “alien” work. That is, it’s not God’s first preference; it’s not his primary or main work. This is what Ezekiel teaches us too, “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live,” Ezekiel 18:32. God desires that EVERY sinner repent, that is, turn back towards him and find eternal life. God desires to give you every good thing. He desires to forgive your sins, to lavish his grace upon you, to pour out his blessings on you. Just like Jesus teaches us in the Gospel. It would be better to have a son who refuses his Father’s direction, but later turns and obeys, than one who agrees right away and refuses to follow.

            For God delights in one thing above all others, in pairing his perfect judgment with perfect mercy! In answer to the messiness of sin in our lives, God calls his own Son to go make restitution for our sins. And not only does the Son agree, but he goes! Jesus gave up his heavenly throne to become man, to take on our flesh and our sin, and to die on the cross. Jesus is the reason why God can forgive us, cleanse us from all sin, and grant us the riches and beauty of eternal life! God takes pleasure in serving you with his mercy and saving you by his grace! For when we see God coming to clean up our mess, when God takes out our trash, when he washes away the dirt in our lives, we thank and praise him. And we hear two simple words back… “My pleasure!” As Paul writes in Philippians, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure,” Philippians 2:13. Yes, God takes pleasure in working in you his love, his grace, his mercy, his faith which shall lead to eternal life. God takes pleasure in making a home for you with him in paradise so that you may spend eternity with him!

            Indeed, it’s God’s good pleasure to give you his kingdom, to lead you to repentance and faith in Christ, his Son, who humbled himself to death on the cross, so that you may be with him for all eternity. For all this, let us thank and praise God, even as He looks at us and says, “My pleasure!” In Jesus’ name! Amen!