Road to nowhere [Trinity 7; St. Mark 8:1-9]

Jesus speaks to you all today, saying,

“And there were about four thousand men. And he sent them away.”

“Following Jesus” and “Walking with Jesus” are a couple of ways that are popular to speak of what a believer’s life is like. This is probably because Christianity was first called “The Way”. This of course, not being named after an actual path or journey one followed, but after Jesus calling Himself, The Way (Jn. 14:6).

However, our sinful selves quickly forget that it is all about Jesus and instead focus on the self. How do I walk with Jesus? What can I do for Jesus? What will keep me on the way?

You focus so much on the flesh that you create your own roads. One of these is called the Romans’ Road, named after St. Paul’s letter in the Bible. Since we have been hearing from this letter the last few weeks, it is worth it to discover what the Gospel reveals about it.

This Roman’s Road is presented by so-called evangelicals as the way of salvation, for it begins at chapter 3 where no one is righteous and ends with you opening the door of your heart to Jesus, because apparently He is knocking on it.

The first and second stops on the “road” are to prove that you are a sinner and that you deserve death for this, for the wages of sin is death. The third stop is at Romans 6:23 where Jesus tells us that eternal life is a gift from God in Jesus.

The “road” then tells you that this gift must be asked for and accepted, but doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a gift? The Bible never says anything about “accepting a gift”, but your sinful self would never think of asking for a good gift from God, anyway.

A child will want any and everything, with no discretion for what is good or bad. Maybe, by coincidence, they will ask for something good and we praise them for making a correct choice. However, usually it is something not right. Sugar, expensive toys, all toys within reach, or even bleach.

In this, there must be some discretion made. The giver of a gift must be careful and purposeful. He must be thoughtful and wise if he wants this gift to be for the child’s good, instead of for the bad. We may be able to give good gifts to our children, of bread, clothing, and security, (instead of stones and snakes) but we can not give eternal gifts.

Jesus says, who of you would give their child a stone, if he asked for bread? We know right from wrong, you see. The Law of God has revealed this to us. It has shown us that there are responsibilities to take on, neighbors needing caring for, and a God to be worshipped. What it doesn’t show is an end to any of this. The Law says do this and it is never done.

Thus, when a sinner is presented with a gift and is told to accept it, he doesn’t do so without sin. In fact, his judgment of the gift itself is sinful. He doesn’t know whether he is accepting a good gift or a demonic gift. For it is in sin that he asks and in sin that he accepts.

Repent. There is no “Romans road” to salvation nor is there comfort to be found in a gift of one’s own choosing. Left to yourself, you will not pick the right one and you will accept the devil’s reward. Even trusting the power of God to enable you, will lead only to more death in sin.

The Law’s only job is to reveal the depths of your sin. Yes, God is giving gifts, but how many times must you accept it, before this time it sinks in for good? The Law shows that no matter how sincere you are, the true gift is out of reach.

A true gift already has your name on it. A true gift is already perfectly thought of, just for you. A true gift is given without any requirements, prerequisites, or assembly required. There is no accepting a gift that is already for you, there is only rejecting and scoffing it.

Notice the crowd of 4000. They did nothing to earn this heavenly meal. They did not ask Jesus to feed them nor did they earn it. The only thing they did was to wear themselves out and be hungry. In other words, they simply sat and received the gift of God.

Christ already knows your hunger. Christ already knows that you are dead in your sin. He does not only give you bread on your table or your reasoning capacities. Jesus gives you Himself.

You do not place yourself on the Way, you are placed on the Way. Jesus baptizes you into the Way. Jesus speaks to you His Gospel and you believe the Way. Jesus offers His true Body and true Blood and you ingest the Way.

Christ has walked the only road to heaven and He is the only one who has made it there. Did Jesus wait for you to open the door, to die on the cross for you? Did Jesus wait for you to ask Him to suffer for your sins? Did Jesus hold off Easter morning until you could find it in your sinful life to accept His gift and start doing good?

Not only did the crowd of 4000+ receive a gift, but they were then, promptly, turned away. They wanted to keep eating and if all they had to do was follow this guy around to do so, so be it. This is because the sinful flesh wants to dwell on the flesh. We want something to accept, to ask for, and to follow. What we don’t want is something we don’t work or pay for, ourselves.

Dear Christians, Jesus has bought and paid for you. Baptized into the Faith, there is nothing that you can ask for or follow that you don’t already have in Jesus. All the good things given to you are spoken in the Gospel, where forgiveness and salvation is accomplished. The Way is not so uncertain as to be littered with the things you do from day to day, but is instead made of the rock-solid promises of God in Jesus.

The letter to the Romans also says that the Gospel is the salvation of God (1:16). It says that the FREE gift of God is eternal life (6:23). It says that you have shared in Christ’s death, in Baptism, and have been set free from sin because of Jesus. “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (3:28)

The true Way is Jesus Himself. It is the promise to be there for you, forgiving your sin. Where He promises to be, for you, is where righteousness is to be found. Jesus may promise to live in your heart, but if He is not there by Word and Sacrament, then it is a devil. The Word of God proclaims that you are justified by grace, through faith, only because of and in Jesus.

That is a gift that is already open and functioning, before you get here. It is a door that is ajar, waiting for Jesus to bring in the last lost sheep. The Church has already paved the road for you. Flooded by the true Blood of Christ, this center aisle of the Church draws you towards the promise of full forgiveness and full salvation at this Altar.