ABOUT THIS EPISODE
September 27, 2026
Daily Lectionary: Malachi 3:6-4:6; Matthew 4:12-25
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Notice the certainty of Jesus, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus wants you to have humility. One way or another, it’s going to happen. You can either have humility or be humbled. For the Pharisees, it was important to make sure everyone saw them as someone worthy of praise and honor, even if they had to fight to shuffle around for the best seats. In the end, their own pride makes them enemies of Christ. We can be tempted to do the same in our own pride. Many have pride overtake them as they place the praise of men above the Word of God. Adjusting the Scriptures to fit modern ideas, such people place themselves above the authority of God to keep their seat of honor in the world. They enjoy their time of public approval from a world that does not want the truth. Jesus promises that such exaltation will end with humbling.
The antidote to pride is humility given by the Holy Spirit through faith. Baptized into the Triune Name of God, you have been bound up in Christ. You have died to the desires of the devil, the world, and your sinful nature. Pride is always seeking a way in, but it has been drowned. Humbling yourself comes by remembering how much of your life is a gift. God is the one who fashioned us (Psalm 139:13-14). God provides for our daily bread, even the daily needs of the wicked, as explained by the Fourth Petition to the Lord’s Prayer. Most importantly, God provides you with faith to cling to the promises of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and life everlasting. Christ rescued you from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Did you earn this? Do you deserve it? Not a bit. What we deserve is death, Hell, and damnation. Instead, Christ cleanses us, and when God sees you, He doesn’t see your imperfect sins; He sees Jesus. Therefore, one day you will be in Paradise in the house of the King.
This week, God’s Word will cause us to think about humility. As you read His Word, pray for this virtue to be cultivated in you through the Holy Spirit, which has already been poured out on you. You aren’t playing some “game” where you pretend to be humble in order to get the better seat; instead, you can recognize that God has already given it to you by grace through faith.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, we implore You, grant Your people grace to withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure hearts and minds to follow You, the only God; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Rev. Miguel Gonzalez-Feliciano, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Klinger and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Readlyn, IA.
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