Readings: Micah 7:18-20 | 1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Luke 15:1-10
Text: Luke 15:1-10
Sometimes, Jesus is offensive. Not offensive in the click-bait type of “even bad press is good.” Jesus is offensive because He sheds His holy light on what is ungodly in us. When Jesus brings that light to men, one of two things happens:
- We cover up our evil with pride and make excuses for it (and usually rise up against the one who points it out). God says you should speak the truth in love, love covers a multitude of sins, and (as the Catechism says) put the best construction on everything. But we just had to get it off our chest, and we just had to share those extra details which put the other guy in a bad light, making us look either like a hero or a noble victim.
- Or, we acknowledge our sins and do not cover our iniquities, as the Psalmist says [Psalm 32]. When God calls us out on our sins of thought, word, and deed, we are ashamed of them and we own it. None of the good things we’ve done can be used as justification. We grieve the ways our actions have offended God and hurt other people. And as Psalm 32 continues, “I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Ps. 32:5)
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
The Pharisees and scribes, and the tax collectors and sinners represent these two different reactions to the Word of God. Understand, however, that it’s not hard and fast who’s in one camp or the other. This is the trouble with most labels, because they inaccurately oversimplify very complex people, and we know how powerfully these labels can be used to paint with a broad brush. Instead of sussing out what label we fall into, the two parables Jesus tells explain how God deals with sinners when they lose sight of their sin.
The parable of the lost sheep begins with a member of the fold, and through whatever circumstances—whether they were drawn away or thought they were strong enough to strike out on their own—gets in danger. And God knows best of all that when someone gets in that place, they need to be sought out. They’ve separated themselves from the oversight and safety which the Shepherd provides. The goal is on them being “found,” which means they’re restored to the company of the flock, of fellow sinners.
The next parable, of the lost coin, again shows the earnestness of God in searching for the lost with the picture of a woman who has lost 10% of her drachmas. The focus isn’t so much on how the coin became lost, but on the thorough search because of the imputed value of what was lost. This is how the Lord feels about every human soul, as Ezekiel and St. Paul teach: “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live” and “God desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (Ezek. 18:32, 1 Tim. 2:4). He seeks their life because they are precious to Him—as precious as the holy blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
So it’s actually the fitting response for sinners gather around the preaching of God’s gracious Kingdom. The reaction of those who “grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’”
In our Epistle lesson, Paul writes, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Paul is a prime example of both of these groups in the Gospel—the offended Pharisee and the humbled sinner. He details His former life, and how God’s good purpose was fulfilled in it. This saying is trustworthy, and should be received by all: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Yes, the proud who say they have not sinned, so that He might humble them and show His grace. Yes, those bowed down and already crushed, that He might raise them up and bid their broken bones to rejoice [Ps. 51:8].
This is a trustworthy saying not only because it’s true about everyone in the world whom God loves, but it also tells us what to expect in Jesus’ church. I wish we would remember this more often, and not just give it lip service. The Church of Jesus is comprised of broken people who are longing for God’s grace.
This is what separates the Church from every other club or association someone might belong to. In those, you choose to be a member. And yes, humanly speaking (for better or worse), people choose to belong to this congregation or that, or whether or not to attend the Divine Service. Explaining the word “church” is helpful. In Greek it is ekklesia, from the words ek (out of) and kaleo (call). The Church is those who are called out of the world by the Lord to belong to Him. The Church has this one thing in common: we believe that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners including me! That’s why we are all here. Well, for the most part.
The Church on earth, like those gathered around Jesus that day, is comprised of both humble sinners and hypocrites. These sinners are less of sinners than others (so they think). But remember the parables Jesus tells: He will seek out those who are lost that they might not perish eternally, and He highly values each person’s soul. So if you are a hypocrite today, may God break your hard heart and give your faith, so that you would be ready to be sinners with the rest of us.
The experiences we have sometimes make us wonder if we’re on the right path as humble sinners, or if we’re hypocrites. One part of life in particular is the pain and griefs we have. How could a good and loving God let these things happen to those who are supposed to be His children? We wonder if there is something we did to deserve a worse or harder life than people whom we’re pretty sure don’t know the Lord. This is God’s answer to us is in Hebrews 12:
3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the
Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
First consider the One, Jesus Christ, whom we know for certain was God’s Son, because it was declared loud and clear at His Baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son.” How did it go for Jesus? Worst of all, in fact, because His life’s work was that of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He knew no sin, He was like an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, and yet He was a man of sorrows, well-acquainted with grief. But obviously, it’s not our course to bear the sins of the world. Besides that, I hope by now any chance of thinking of ourselves as being free of sin has been driven away.
Yet learn from this what God is doing for His beloved children of faith:
7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
His love isn’t to be sought in the discipline itself; it’s to be sought in His clear declaration that He has called you out of the world, placed His holy Name upon you in the waters of Baptism, and assures you that He will never leave you nor forsake you [Hebrews 13:5]. Only then, through faith, will you recognize His eternal purpose for His children: to put our sins to death on Jesus’ cross, to train us in righteousness, and galvanize our faith through the discipline we endure for a time.
This is how God seeks and saves the lost, gathers and guides those who our found, and brings eternal life to all who believe these words and promises of God. Glory be to the God who saves sinners such as us!
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
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