Have you ever been accused of being closed minded? You are sitting around with a group of your friends. You start talking about dating. You talk about holding hands and awkward kisses. But then someone starts talking about taking things further, further than it seems unmarried people should take a relationship. You share your concerns and advise modesty, and that’s when you hear it, “You sound like my grandmother. You are so closed minded.” Or you are in a meeting with management. You are discussing how to make the company more profitable. There are things the company can do things that are not necessarily illegal but are ethically questionable. You voice your discomfort and suggest profits are not worth risking the reputation of the company, and that’s when you hear it, “this is how business is done these days. Don’t be so closed minded.” Or you are out for drinks with some neighbors. The conversation somehow turns woke. It is suggested that gender is a construct of the mind and people should be able to identify and act according to desire not design. You mistakenly think they are joking and make a crude comment about the absurdity of that statement, and that’s when you hear it, “how can you be so offensive. You are so closed minded.”
Sometimes I think living your faith is harder for you than it is for me. You are real people living in the real world having really tough conversations about right and wrong. That is not to say I don’t also get accused of being closed minded. When I talk about the inerrancy of scripture, the doctrine of fellowship, or the roles of men and women sometimes people in our own church think I am being closed minded.
Nobody likes being accused of having a closed mind. A closed-minded person is set in their preconceived opinion even when confronted with irrefutable proof. Which is why a closed-minded person is considered ignorant. And when the closed-minded person projects their ignorance onto others, they are considered hostile. In other words when you are accused of being closed-minded you are accused of being a dumb jerk. Well, I don’t want to be called a dumb jerk, do you? Of course you don’t. Which is why you have learned, likely the hard way, when people start talking about premarital sex, business ethics, or gender dysphoria, you have learned to keep your mouth shut. Better to let them prattle on with their perversions of the truth than to confront them and be accused of being closed-minded.
The irony of course is when you speak of modesty, ethics, or perversion, you aren’t the ones being closed minded. You aren’t the ones set in preconceived opinions ignoring irrefutable proof. God’s Word is incredibly clear when it comes to boy girl relationships, it’s just some boys and girls don’t want to hear what God has to say. God’s Word is incredibly clear when it comes to truth and honesty, it’s just some businesspeople don’t want to hear what God’s Word has to say. God’s Word is incredibly clear about what makes a he a he and a she a she, it’s just some zi/zers don’t want to hear what God’s Word has to say. Well, if they don’t want to hear it and you get accused of being closed-minded for saying it, why open your mouth? … I suppose it depends on whether you would rather be accused of being closed minded or if you would rather be closed-minded.
After He rose from the dead and before He ascended into heaven, Jesus spent 40 days appearing to hundreds of people giving many convincing proofs that He had risen from the dead just as He said He would; and the prophets declared He would. Jesus also spent that time teaching His disciples what His resurrection from the dead meant for them and for all people. In our gospel lesson for this morning saint Luke tells us, before Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus “45 … opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.” Jesus opened the disciples’ minds.
First, Jesus opened their minds to the seriousness of sin. Jesus spoke to His disciples about suffering and death. Any preconceived notion that sin is simply a flaw or defect that hinders, or hampers humanity is quickly discarded at the foot of a bloody cross where the lifeless body of the dearly loved, one and only Son of God was crucified. We like to think of sins as mistakes, accidents, or blunders but the suffering and death of Jesus makes it clear that sin is so much worse than that. Sex outside of marriage is not just unwise, it is a damnable sin. Deceptive business practices are not simply unethical, they are damnable sins, Gender dysphoria isn’t just a preference it is a damnable sin. Your sin, my sin, their sin, all sin, every sin is a damnable sin. Jesus was not put in timeout for those sins. Jesus didn’t get His phone taken away for those sins. Jesus didn’t have to sleep on the couch for those sins. Jesus suffered and died for those sins. Jesus spoke to His disciples about suffering and death so that their minds would be opened to the seriousness of sin.
Then, Jesus opened their minds to the assurance of salvation. Jesus spoke to His disciples about repentance and forgiveness. Repentance begins with a mind that has been opened to the seriousness of sin. A repentant person knows that they deserve to suffer and die for their sins. A repentant person brings those sins to that bloody cross where the lifeless body of the dearly loved one and only Son was crucified. And there the repentant person sees how Jesus loves them. They see their Savior Jesus suffering in their place; they see Him sacrificed as payment for their sins. This leads the repentant person to pray, “Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to suffer and die in my place. Please, keep me from doing any sin that would do this to Him.” And God answers that prayer, on behalf of the dearly loved one and only Son God says to the penitent, “You are forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your transgressions from you. You are forgiven for I have chosen to remember your sins no more. You are forgiven. With the blood of my dearly loved one and only Son I write your name in the book of life.” Jesus spoke to His disciples about repentance and forgiveness so that their minds could be opened to the assurance of salvation.
Finally, Jesus opened their minds to the necessity of sharing. Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. This was perhaps the hardest part of their minds to open. It is worth noting that this entire conversation between Jesus and His disciples occurred behind locked doors. You see, the last thing any of these disciples wanted to do was talk to the citizens of Jerusalem. The disciples were disgusted by the behavior of their fellow Jews. The way they treated Jesus… after all that He had done for them; He spoke to them about life and salvation and in response they cried out for His death and condemnation. The only group of people the disciples were less willing to talk to, were the nations, specifically the Romans. Those detestable pagans didn’t just execute Jesus they tortured and humiliated Him. But here’s the thing. Jesus loved those people. He longed to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, He prayed “Father forgive them, they know not what they are doing”. Jesus loved the people of Jerusalem, Jesus loved the nations and Jesus knew what would happen to them if their minds were not opened to the seriousness of their sin and the assurance of salvation. Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem so that their minds would be opened to the necessity of sharing.
By the grace of God your minds have been opened to the seriousness of sin and the assurance of salvation. But I can’t help but wonder if our minds are equally as open to the necessity of sharing. I know you are intimidated. I know you have been burned before. I know it’s not popular. I know it might interfere with a promotion. I know it’s not politically correct. But you know that Jesus loves your friends, Jesus loves coworkers, Jesus loves your neighbors. You know that Jesus has commissioned you to preach in His name to them. You know what will happen to them if their minds are not opened to the seriousness of sin and the assurance of salvation. If you know all that but still choose to remain silent because you are afraid someone is going to accuse you of being closed-minded, are you not being a dumb jerk?
God forgive us for our closed minds. God forgive us for being more concerned about being accused of being closed minded than we are of being closed-minded. God forgive this damnable sin we have lovelessly committed against our friends, and coworkers, and neighbors. Let us place this sin at the foot of a bloody cross where the lifeless body of the dearly loved, one and only Son of God was crucified. Let us pray, “Dear God, thank you for sending your son to suffer in die in our place. Please keep us from this sin in the future.” And that’s when you hear it, from the mouth of a preacher, yes, but by the command of and in the name of the dearly loved one and only Son of God, “You are forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, so far has your God removed your transgressions from you. You are forgiven for He has chosen to remember your sins no more. You are forgiven. With the blood of His dearly loved one and only Son your name has been written in the book of life.”
By the grace of God your minds have been opened to the seriousness of your sin and your minds have been opened to the assurance of your salvation. God has opened your mind. Now it’s time to open your mouth. Amen.