Luke 15:1-10

Pentecost 14C | September  11, 2022 | A Sermon on Luke 15:1-10 | by Judson F. Merrell |

¹ Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, „This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.“ ³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ „Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‚Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.‘ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. ⁸ „Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‚Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.‘

 ¹⁰ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.“

 (Luke 15:1-10 NRSV)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

¹⁰ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.“ Luke 15:10

What is repentance?  A quick glance into the Oxford dictionary defines it as “sincere regret or remorse”.  The word used in the New Testament is the Greek word “Metanoia” and its derivatives, which means “to change the mind.”  In other words, think in the opposite way in which you currently are.  Add in the faith aspect and you are think differently in a sincere way and not do it again.  But this little thing called sin gets in the way.  Therefore on a weekly basis we begin our liturgy with the Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness, a time for us to repent of our sins and to receive God’s forgiveness for the wrongs that we have done.  It would be great if that was enough, but as sinners we know that while God freely gives, we have to work at changing our minds constantly.  Sin is a part of our lives.  Overcoming sin is hard, and we need help because we simply fail at it.  We fail at it because we know we are sinners, and we know that we cannot overcome our sin by ourselves.  Our repentance then is reliant upon our faith in God above, and that is what enables us to come before Him time and time again to receive his forgiveness.  This, according to Luke’s account of Jesus’ parable, brings great joy in heaven.

As we look at our Gospel lesson for today, we find Jesus surrounded by two different groups of people.  The first is the tax collectors and the sinners who have come near to hear Jesus.  They are treated as outsiders in their community.  Tax Collectors work for Rome, and are seen as cheats and thieves who collect more than they should so they can enrich themselves.  Sinners are those who society has labeled as outcasts.  They may have a physical or mental ailment, been labeled as unclean, they may be uneducated, or simply just not liked.  Often they are presented in the Bible as looking for something such as hope or help regarding an illness.  It is no wonder they have gathered to hear Jesus.  The second group gathered is the religious leaders.  The Pharisees and the Scribes are the educated ones.  They are a political and social class who see themselves above others.  They have a self-perceived power and they like to make others aware of it.  They are above the sinners and the tax collectors, and they make no bones about letting folks know it.  They also are against Jesus, and look for every opportunity they can to do harm to this man who regularly puts them in their place.

As the Pharisees and the Scribes grumble about Jesus’ audience, Jesus tells them the first two of three parables on the “lost”.  We don’t get a chance to hear the third parable today, but it is a familiar one that it is called the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.”  Often with these parables it can be said that the focus of repentance is on what is “lost”, whether that is the sheep, the coin, or even the prodigal son.  But as we look at this text, are the sheep and the lost the only ones that need to repent?  We could easily say these parables are directed at the religious elite.  We could also say they are directed at the sinners and tax collectors.   Perhaps we should say all of the above…the things that are lost, the sinners, the tax collectors, and the religious elite?  As Christians, we identify with all of them.  Not a single one of us here has had a life where at some point we haven’t been lost.  Not a single one of us here has had a time in our life where we have not needed the love and grace of God.  Not a single one of us here is better, above, or any different than our neighbors.  We are all the same in the eyes of God, and therefore we are all in need of God’s forgiveness.

This text talks of the joy in heaven when a sinner repents.  But the unspoken part is the joy that a sinner receives knowing that our Lord welcomes them and eats with them.  Forget those that think they are better than everyone.  That thought is only temporary because this life is only temporary.  But an intimate, personal relationship with our Lord is forever.  It transcends beyond this world into the Kingdom of God, and that is forever.  Today, we gather as the sinners, the tax collectors, and the lost.  And we give thanks that God continues to offer his forgiveness to those who repent.  Let us add our joy with the joy of the angels in heaven, knowing that God welcomes us into his presence, rejoicing that what was lost has been found. In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Judson F. Merrell, STS

judsonmerrell@bellsouth.net