Sermon on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 | March 27, 2022 | by Judson F Merrell |

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: „There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‚Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.‘ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he quandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‚How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!

18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, „Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.“‚

20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‚Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.‘ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‚Quickly, bring out a robe– the best one– and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!‘ And they began to celebrate. 25 „Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‚Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.‘ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.

29 But he answered his father, ‚Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!‘ 31 Then the father said to him, ‚Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'“ (Luk 15:1-3, 11-32 NRSV)

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

Today we have as our Gospel lesson one of the more famous parables…the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is a lesson that is a favorite among Sunday School curriculum and Vacation Bible School material. It is easy to remember and easy to understand. Because of its familiarity there is a variety of ways we could go when we contemplate on this text. We could focus on why the father decided to give away half his possessions rather than waiting to give them at death or leaving them for after his death. We could focus on the squandering of the property by the son and how he was reduced to shame by feeding pigs and eating with them. We could focus on the forgiveness shown by the Father upon the return of his son. We could focus on the necessary mercy the father showed to the eldest son in protecting the rest of the property. Focusing on one of these aspects would be more than appropriate. But if we look at this parable within the context of Luke 15, we see Jesus focusing on things that are lost, and then found.

The beginning of Chapter 15 has the Parable of the Lost Sheep, followed by the Parable of the Lost Coin, followed by our text today. With these three parables, there is an underlying theme: when the lost is found, there is much rejoicing. So let’s take that theme, and apply it to our everyday life. What are the things we lose that make us happy when they are found? I’m not talking about keys, or glasses, or a lost piece of clothing. The reality is, if we don’t lose something, then there is nothing to find. But when we search out our soul, we know what we lose. Who here has never lost their patience? Who here has never lost their temper? Who here has caused brokenness because of the loss of control? When we lose ourselves, we sin. When we can’t control our feelings, we sin. When we demand that our way is the only way, we sin. When we put ourselves ahead of the bigger picture of life, we sin. Look at those Pharisees and Scribes. They don’t even realize how lost they are. Actually, they NEVER realize how lost they are, even up to the point of yelling “crucify him!” What a blessing it is that we have the Spirit inspired scripture to remind us that we are lost, that we are broken, and that we are in need of forgiveness and mercy. And we know how to do that. When we find ourselves, we repent. When we realize we are broken, we repent. When we are in need of mercy and forgiveness, we repent. With repentance comes rejoicing. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Parable of the Lost coin Jesus says that rejoicing reaches heaven itself.

Looking at all three of these parables, it is clear that the message of Jesus is that celebration comes from repentance, or the admission that we have lost ourselves to sin. If sin is the rock bottom of our lives, there is only one way to go, and that is up. But there is something else here also. Looking at the introduction to this whole chapter, we see that the “Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, „This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.“ (15:2) Yes, Christ welcomes the sinner. As a matter of fact, Christ went and found them! Even today, Christ finds the sinners. Every time a person is baptized in the waters of the font a new sinner is “found.” Each time we come to the Eucharistic table, Christ meets us and eats with us. He finds us, in our sin, and rejoices in our repentance. Repenting of our sins is our own admission that Christ has found us. It is an admission that we were lost. It is an admission that we have been like the younger brother, living in shame. But repenting also means celebrating. When we repent, we get to experience what that younger son experienced….we get to see necessary mercy. God, like the father in this parable, welcomes us with open arms. Like the sinners and tax collectors we get welcomed by Christ, who we know loves us so much he has been searching us out. Rejoice today that Christ has found us, even at our worst, and welcomed us with mercy and grace. For those that are lost will be found, and when they are, heaven rejoices. Thanks be to God we can join in that celebration, now and forever. In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.