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INJ
'Finding or Being Found?'
St Luke 15:1-10
Divine Service
Third Sunday after Trinity | 2 July 2006
Dear Saints,
Jesus receives sinners and eats with them. This is what gets the Pharisees and the scribes all worked up. And their indignation is why, in Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about losing and finding: the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. The first two of these parables are our Gospel text appointed from ancient time for today, the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday.
We call them the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, but it that what they are really about? Take the lost sheep, for example. What does it do? Nothing but get lost in the wilderness. But compare that to what the shepherd is doing... he is leaving, chasing after, finding, lifting onto his shoulders, rejoicing, and calling his friends, and again rejoicing. It's the shepherd who is doing the work; the sheep doesn't even walk home but is carried along on the shepherd's shoulders.
Or consider the lost coin, what does it do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It just sits among the rags and collects dust. But compare that with the woman who lost the coin is doing... she is lighting a lamp, sweeping, seeking diligently, finding, calling her friends and rejoicing. It's the woman who is doing the doing; the coin is nothing more than object of the woman's seeking and the finding.
Much more than they are about lost sheep and the lost coin, these are really the parables about the seeking finding rejoicing shepherd and the seeking finding rejoicing woman, about Jesus. For Jesus speaks these parables to the tax collectors and sinners who had drawn near to her Him. And Jesus preaches these parables of pure Gospel to comfort them lest they, because of their sin, fall into despair. He wants them to hear that theirs, by faith in Him, is the kingdom of heaven.
This is not what they were used to hearing from the pulpit; this is not what the tax collector and sinner had been told and preached before. The false teachers of the day, the scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees had cast them far from the kingdom of heaven. If the sheep wandered or the coin was lost, they were lost; “God's just judgment on their sin.” Thus the Pharisees were shocked at Jesus' actions, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” [15:2] They had developed their own holiness and they remained pure and worthy by staying away from sinners.
This is the way of the Pharisee, the way of the sinful flesh. “Sinners get what they had coming. And we? We get what we've earned. We done well, we've sought after and found God, we've decided to follow Him.” And this is what so much preaching in the church sounds like. In fact, many churches use this language of 'Seeker.' A 'seeker' is someone who is interested in spiritual things, but isn't quite sure; their visitors who are on the edge but haven't come in yet. These churches have 'seeker-services' with 'seeker-sensitive worship.' The unbeliever is the seeker and Jesus is the object which is sought. In this scheme it is put on us to find God, to pursue Him and chase after Him. We want to be the doers of the doing, that way we can take the credit, boast and be proud.
But Jesus turns all of this on its head. He'll do the doing, the seeking, the finding. And we sinners, we are the ones which are sought, the ones that He seeks, that He chases after, that He goes through the shame of the cross all the way to death in order to rescue and deliver and save and find. For us, for you. You are the object of Christ Jesus' attention and affection and love. All of His work was for you and for your benefit, that He might receive you, be with you, eat with you.
This is, after all, what Jesus came to do: seek and save the lost. “He receives sinners and eats with them.” That which is the Pharisees shame is the Lord's boast and is our hope. He loves sinners. He receives them; eats with them He. His lavish grace and mercy and love compels Him even to come and seek the lost, those wandering sheep stuck in the brambles and on the brink of being devoured by ravenous wolves. The coin sunk in the corner or slipped through the crack and lost darkness of sin and death and the grave. The sheep. The coin. The tax collector. The sinner. You. Me.
We are not finding; praise God, we are being found.
And all this is what Jesus calls repentance. For the found sheep and coin are Jesus' examples of a sinner's repentance. Repentance is not something that we are doing. Jesus is doing it, showing us our lost condition and then rescuing and delivering us from being lost to be found.
This is wonderful news, cause for rejoicing, much rejoicing, heavenly rejoicing. For the shepherd and the woman and the angels in heaven. “I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” [15:10]
For never could a lost sheep find his way home; never could a coin work its way back into the purse; and never, never ever could a sinner find their way to heaven. But heaven has come down, and He receives sinners and eats with them.
Today He eats with you. Today you are found. Today the angels are rejoicing. Amen.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller