Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Sermonette: Sept. 16, 2019

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” — Luke 15:1-2

It seems to me that in our rush to get into the stories that attract our interest in Luke 15:1-10, the Gospel reading for Sunday, Sept. 15, we often skip past these introductory statements that set the scene and miss at least two interesting questions.

First, why were the tax collectors and sinners attracted to Jesus? Second, why did their attraction to Jesus seem so offensive to the Pharisees and scribes? And we could phrase these two questions in contemporary terms, what would the congregation have to do to be attractive to the sinners of our day and would such behavior seem offensive to the leaders of our congregations? In the typical fashion of this evangelist we call Luke, the parables that Jesus told alternate between featuring a man and a woman.

The first parable, which features a shepherd, raises a question of its own. It begins with a question: “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?” I’m convinced that many people in Jesus’ audience might want to respond, “Who would be so foolish as to risk leaving the ninety-nine vulnerable in the wilderness to go after the lost one? Better to cut your losses and protect the majority.”

I have seen this normal, human understanding contribute to the grumbling among the leaders of a number of congregations if too much time is spent associating with outsiders and not tending to the members of the congregation. I’m quick to add that this is not the case in the congregation I now serve. Yet, in this parable, Jesus suggests that from a heavenly perspective it is the lost one that merits our attention and effort.

The second parable featured a woman who lost a coin in her house. While the coin was of similar value to the other nine, she was willing to set aside her other duties and focus her attention on recovering that coin. A major part of Jesus’ ministry was reaching out to those who were excluded and restoring them to the community of faith. This may answer the question of what made Jesus attractive to sinners. He treated them as valued children of God who were worthy of attention. He also expended his energy addressing their most immediate needs.

The answer to why the Pharisees and scribes grumbled may be similar to why church members grumble when they feel others are getting more attention than they are. It is hard for us to accept Jesus’ conclusion: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Hmm…

I pray that as we sense our resistance to Jesus’ message it would cause us to recognize our own need for repentance. And yes, all heaven would be cheering. Glory be to God!