Luke 15:1-10
Do you remember the crowds that were following Jesus last week? Well, I was in that crowd. That’s right, me and Nicodemus, and a few more of our Pharisee friends were there keeping an eye on that Judean rabbi, Jesus. I got to tell you, when he told the crowd that in order to follow him all you have to do is hate your mother and father, and give away all your stuff, we looked at one another and said who would ever do such a thing to follow Jesus.
Well, you know who followed Jesus? You know who this “holy man” is hanging with? Deplorables, fornicators, known sinners, even tax collectors working for Rome. And he’s not just teaching them in the streets. He’s welcomed in their homes. He even sits at their table and eats with them. Can you imagine? Does he not know? Does he not care?
Well, as we were grumbling about this amongst ourselves, this Jesus has the audacity to come up to us, his brothers in righteousness for Israel’s sake, we Pharisees. He comes up to us and tells these stories. This is how the Gospel of Luke recounts Jesus’ words. The Greek is translated into English this way. Listen for God’s word for you.
15 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 And 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 lost sheep.’ 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 And 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.”
This is the word of our Lord. Thanks be to God.
Grumbling has become a national pastime. We grumble about our work. We grumble about our boss. We grumble about school. Sometimes we even grumble about church, especially other people’s church. Older folks grumble about the younger generation. Kids grumble about the older generation. We grumble about political leadership. Conservatives grumble about woke liberals. Liberals grumble about conservatives. Moderates complain about both.
This week, the grumbling bubbled over into horrific violence with the political assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Last month, two children were killed, and 17 people were wounded by a gunman during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two weeks ago, two students were shot by a classmate at Evergreen High School just outside of Denver. And last week, here in Wichita there were multiple shootings resulting in at least three deaths. So much of this violence grows out of those who are lost to anger and hopelessness and a willingness to see the world in terms of us and them.
Jesus tells the grumbling Pharisees three parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. This morning the lectionary lifts up the first two of the stories.
One of my favorite theologians, Frederick Buechner explained, “like poetry, parables are not so much meant to be understood as they are meant to be experienced. They are truth given in story form that slip past our defenses and lodge deep into our hearts.” So, let’s take a moment to experience the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin.
In the first parable a shepherd notices that one of his flock is missing. So, he leaves the rest of the flock to find the one who is lost. Now, you might be thinking, what kind of shepherd would do such a thing, leaving the flock that he is supposed to be protecting in order to find a lost lamb. This fellow does not seem to be a prudent manager. How would you feel if you were left in the wilderness by your shepherd? Well, we know from the beginning of Luke’s gospel that shepherds helped each other to watch their flocks. So, one might assume that the flock was not left entirely unattended. Certainly, Jesus does not seem to think that this is an unusual action for a shepherd to take. What is notable is the celebration upon the return of the lost lamb into the fold. The shepherd gathers his own friends together to celebrate.
Likewise with the parable of the lost coin. It seems reasonable that one would look for a lost coin, after all this was not like losing a few dimes in the couch. The coin here is thought to be a drachma, worth a day’s wage, well worth lighting a lamp and sweeping the house. What is surprising, perhaps even absurd, is that upon finding the coin, the woman gathers her friends to celebrate. And I can’t help but wonder what that celebration might cost.
Both parables turn opportunities for grumbling into opportunities for rejoicing. There is no fault assigned to either the wandering sheep or the wayward coin. The sheep and the coin do nothing to be found. They do not repent. Yet, their return is an occasion to gather the community to celebrate. The shepherd that comes back with the lamb on his shoulders gathers his friends and co-workers to come and celebrate that the lost has been found. Upon finding her lost coin the woman calls to her neighbors to come and rejoice. So it is, says Jesus, with the angels in heaven when those that are lost are found by God.
Sometimes being lost isn’t about a set of keys or a wandering sheep. Sometimes being lost is about losing our way in life or in faith. Many of us know what it feels like to drift, maybe slowly, without realizing it, away from God, away from hope, away from who we were created to be.
The story of our final hymn, Amazing Grace, provides a powerful example. Its author, John Newton, was once deeply lost, not just spiritually, but morally. He was a sailor, “rough in speech and behavior,” and for years he participated in the transatlantic slave trade. By his own admission, his life was headed in a destructive direction. But somewhere in the midst of a storm at sea, Newton cried out to God for mercy. That cry began a turning point. He didn’t change overnight, but over time he was transformed. He eventually became a pastor and an advocate for the abolition of slavery. Looking back, he described his story in the words that have become so familiar to us: “I once was lost but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”
Newton’s story is dramatic for sure, and I’m guessing that not many here have had such a conversion on the stormy seas, but the truth of it is the same for each of us. God searches for us with the persistence of the shepherd looking for a lost sheep, with the determination of the woman sweeping the house for a lost coin. And when we are found, whether after wandering far or just feeling a little lost in the moment, there is joy in heaven, and amazing grace poured out on us.
Now, remember who Jesus is talking to in these parables. He’s not addressing the sinners and tax collectors. They have already been found. He is speaking to his brothers, the Pharisees. Luke’s gospel turns things inside out: the so-called “outsiders” are already dining with Jesus, while the “insiders,” good church folks, are left on the margins, grumbling.
And that’s where the question comes home to us. Are we willing to join the celebration, or do we stay outside, muttering about who deserves to be in and who should be left out? Because the truth is, every one of us has been carried home on the shepherd’s shoulders. Every one of us has been lifted up like the coin found and treasured. Every one of us has been sung over by angels.
So, the invitation is clear: quit the grumbling. Step into the party. Celebrate God’s wide welcome, not just for others but for you. Let us be the community that throws open the doors and joins heaven’s song: “Rejoice with me, for what was lost has been found.” May it be so in your life, in your family, in this congregation, and in Christ’s church.
Rev. Kevin Ireland
