St. John Lutheran Church
Chester, Illinois
September 14/15, 2013
Pentecost 17 (Proper 19C)
Luke 15:1-10
Reason to Rejoice
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives
sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1-2 ESV)
In the Name of Jesus, the only Savior of the world,
We have many reasons to rejoice. The marriage of a man and a woman. The
birth of a child. Birthdays. Anniversaries of various kinds. Getting a job or
retiring after many years of labor. We rejoice at achieving a goal. And we will
most certainly rejoice when God sends us a senior pastor to serve alongside
Pastor Ill. Yes, we have many reasons to rejoice.
Yet, there is nothing quite like the joy over finding something that you
lost. You know the relief of finding – a toy, your homework, your keys, a
contact lens, or even a pet. And you know, the more valuable the thing that is
lost, the greater the joy over finding it. You’ve seen that when a lost child
is found. Or when a soldier returns safely home. Or even when a loved one comes
safely through surgery or recovers from an illness or injury. These are all
reasons to rejoice.
As wonderful as these are, though, something even greater causes rejoicing
in heaven. And we do well to celebrate the same thing because it is the story
of our lives.
The scribes and Pharisees grumbled, "This Man receives sinners and eats
with them.” This is a great reason to rejoice! No, not that they grumbled, but
what they grumbled about. "This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” They
spoke the truth, but they didn’t like it one bit. They didn’t like that Jesus
welcomed sinners. They didn’t like that He ate with them. That’s just not the
way a man of God ought to act. Those are not the kind of people a prophet
should associate with.
And while they complained, those tax collectors and sinners drew near to
Jesus to hear Him. And why do you suppose that is? Why would these whom the
Pharisees considered outside the law want to listen to Jesus? Because Jesus
welcomes them and eats with them. He doesn’t condemn them, as did the
Pharisees. But He also doesn’t condone or approve their sin, He forgives it. He
comes among them as one of them. Not that He was a sinner as they were, but He
became a sinner in that He took their sins upon Himself and made them His own.
He had come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), even as God had said
through Ezekiel, “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek
them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that
have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from
all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick
darkness.” (Ezek. 34:11-12). Likewise, Jesus had come to call sinners to
repentance (Luke 5:32). And here they were, the least and the lost, now
repentant, drawing near to Jesus to hear Him. This is cause for great
rejoicing in heaven, and should be on earth.
You see, they drew near to Jesus because He had first drawn near to them.
They were like the lost sheep of which Jesus speaks. They were lost in their
sin and in danger of being killed and destroyed. They couldn’t save themselves.
On their own they couldn’t draw near to the Shepherd because they don’t know
where He is or how to find Him. So the Shepherd draws near to them. The Creator
searches for the creature. God becomes man so that man may draw near to God.
That’s why these sinners were coming to Jesus. They wanted to listen to the
voice of their Shepherd, for this Shepherd has the words of eternal life. He
had left the 99 to seek the one who was lost, and they were *each* that one. He
risks life and limb to seek the lost as He single-mindedly goes about His
rescue mission, and He lets nothing distract Him. He found them and rescued
them from sin and death. For Jesus is the good Shepherd who lays down His life
for the sheep (John 10:11).
“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own
way” (Is. 53:6). Thus, we too were lost in our sins. We too were unable to draw
near to Jesus. We too were doomed to destruction. So our Good Shepherd draws
near to us. He sacrificed Himself that we might be saved. And He gives us the
benefits of that sacrifice in Baptism, as we are buried with Him and raised
with Him (Rom. 6:3-5). In those waters, we are found and placed on Jesus’
shoulders, the same shoulders which carried the cross. He bears us safely home
and there is much rejoicing. That’s why many families throw a party to
celebrate a baptism. They rejoice that a lost sinner is found by being brought
to repentant faith.
Likewise, Jesus persistently searches for the lost as does the woman who
sweeps the house in search of the lost coin. Since there were only ten coins,
the lost one becomes more significant. So, with great diligence, Jesus removes
every speck of dust and dirt until the lost is found. He leaves no stone
unturned. He leaves no sin unforgiven. No soul forsaken. And this is
accomplished because He is the Light of the world (John 8:12). He sheds His
light on us so that we see our sins and our utter helplessness and lostness. He
sheds His light of forgiveness on us so that we are found.
And what happens when the Shepherd finds the sheep and the woman finds the
coin? There’s rejoicing, a celebration, a party. Now if this seems a little
excessive for finding a sheep or a coin, remember that Jesus is really talking
about you. You’re the one who was lost and is found. You’re the one He
diligently sought until you were restored to Him. You’re the reason for
rejoicing in heaven because you’re the sinner who repents.
And what’s a party without food? And where there is food, there is also
fellowship. All who eat together have something in common. In the case of the
parable, the community is invited to rejoice over the lost being found. They
rejoiced in hearing their Savior as He feeds them with the forgiveness of sins.
In our case, we also have the great joy of being the found and being invited to
eat with Jesus, for Jesus truly does “receive sinners and eats with them.” In
fact, He receives them in such a way that He feeds them with Himself for He is
the Bread of life “which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not
die. . . . If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread
that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
(John 6:50-51). He is the living water. He is the food and drink as He gives
His very Body and Blood to eat and drink. For the Seeker of the lost gives
Himself as the meal which nourishes the soul with the forgiveness of sins.
So, if this causes joy in heaven, why didn’t the scribes and Pharisees
rejoice and join in the meal? They didn’t realize their true condition. They
didn’t realize that they were also lost and in need of being found. In fact,
they didn’t want to be found. Though they were lost in their sins, they were
thoroughly self-righteous as they thought more highly of themselves than they
ought. They thought they were well pleasing to God because of their lineage and
their own works. They studied the Law and sought their life in the Law. They
wanted to merit God's favor by keeping the rules, but that is impossible. They
didn’t realize their sin and need for repentance. They didn’t want, or think
they needed, what Jesus had come to give. So they saw no reason to rejoice.
But we do! Jesus “receives sinners and eats with them.” This is the Gospel
in which Jesus gives life. He who was born under the Law, fulfilled the Law for
you. He kept the Law perfectly as God demands. Yet, He took yur sins upon
Himself and suffered the penalty which you deserve, which is death, eternal
seperation from God. Then He overcame death by rising to life, so that you
would live with Him forever. And so you shall. And that’s cause for rejoicing –
in heaven and on earth! For the Gospel works repentance in those who hear our
Savior’s voice. The Gospel assures you that God loves you and forgives you all
your sins, even if no one else will. Yes, my friends, repentance, in ourselves
and in others, is cause for rejoicing because it is equated here with being
found. Having been found by Christ, you turn from yourself and your works to
Jesus and His works. Thus, repentance is God’s work in you. And as you draw
near to hear Jesus, you have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And
that’s one party that will never end. God grant each of you such repentance
unto life that you would know the cause for rejoicing, now and forever. For
Jesus’ sake. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
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