The Third Sunday after Trinity
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Gospel text for today is only two parts of a series of three parables which our Lord tells in Luke chapter 15. In this important chapter, our Lord tells the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost (or Prodigal) Sons. These three parables are intimately tied together. For these parables work together to show us: The joy of Christian repentance. This joy at the repentance of sinners is grounded in Christ’s view of lost humanity. The Parable of the Lost Sheep grounds us in the reality that, as the prophet Isaiah says: All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way (Isaiah 53:6a). And a sheep who wanders away from his shepherd is in grave danger. For a sheep cannot survive without a protector and guardian. And the fact that we are lost sheep is further explained in the Parable of the Lost Coin, which demonstrates the great value of the lost sheep. Money is inherently valuable to the one who possesses it. Therefore, if that money becomes lost, the owner will turn the house upside down, searching every nook and cranny until he finds it. In the same way, Christ has paid the ultimate price by laying down His own life so that you may be found. He has given everything so that you might be redeemed and restored to Him. And why would He go to such lengths for you? A man does not lay down His life for an animal, nor does he do so for money, no matter the amount. The final parable in this chapter, the Parable of the Lost Sons which follows our text for today, gives us the answer. Christ has come to seek and save the lost, laying down His life and going to hell and back for the lost sinner because you are His child. Christ has laid down His life because every one of the lost sheep, every one of the lost coins is a son of God, made in His own image. Therefore, the Lord has no greater joy than when a sinner repents.
This is the foundation of our Lord’s earthly ministry. The Lord said to the tax collector Zacchaeus: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). This truth is the heart of the complaint brought against our Lord at the start of today’s Gospel text. The fact that our Lord associated with and even cared for tax collectors and sinners was repulsive to the Pharisees and scribes. And so, the religious leaders leveled this complaint against our Lord: “This Man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). The Pharisees are disgusted by this truth. How can one who claims to be a pious and enlightened follower of the God of Abraham associate with the chief of sinners? Conventional wisdom compels any self-respecting, honest person to avoid such people. And yet, our Lord does not avoid them. To be sure, it is telling that Christ does not befriend such people in the sense that He brings them into His inner circle. For the warning of the first psalm against the influence of sinners is a real danger and consideration for Christians. However, Christ does receive sinner and eat with them for one primary purpose: that they might “hear Him” (Luke 15:1).
Consider the difference between the two groups introduced at the beginning of today’s Gospel: Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:1-2). On the one hand you have the tax collectors and sinners. On the other hand, you have the Pharisees and scribes. At minimum, the Pharisees and scribes are here setting themselves up as our Lord’s equals—maybe even as His judges—as they condemn His choices and associations. On the flip side, you have the tax collectors and sinners who set themselves up in humility. They are eager to “hear Him” and to become His disciples. The one group is prideful. The other group is humble. The one group is lost and does not recognize it. The other group is lost and does recognize it. The one group thinks they have all the answers. The other group is eager to receive the words of the author of life. This interaction with our Lord, and the illustrative parables which follow, pit these two groups against each other. Which group will you associate with?
Now, I suspect that many Christians don’t like this interpretation of the parables. The polarizing choice between association with the Pharisees and scribes on the one hand or with the tax collectors and sinners on the other hand is uncomfortable. We would rather associate with the disciples who are “flies on the wall” in this interaction. This is because it is much easier to point the finger to others than to accept the reality of our own sinfulness. We would rather point out which church member is pharisaical and which politician is a sinner than acknowledging our own wretched tendencies. And yet, our Lord says elsewhere: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). Our Lord is clear—He has not come for those who have a righteousness of their own. He has come as the Great Physician of sinners. And it’s not as if mankind’s need for a physician of the soul goes away after conversion. Belief in Jesus does not grant one an immunity to sin. Ongoing repentance must characterize every aspect of the Christian life.
Our Lord’s “Lost” parables illustrate the joy of Christian repentance: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). So it is that the father of the Prodigal Son invites his whole household to rejoice at the return of his lost son: “Bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:23-24). This is why there is such joy in heaven over one sinner who repents—namely because apart from repentance one is dead. In other words, if you do not repent of your sins, you will die in them (cf. John 8:24).
Dear friends in Christ, we live in a society which despises humility and repentance. Pride and arrogance is a hallmark of our world. Look no further than our politicians for proof of this. Christians often pick on our country’s politicians not because we hate them more than any other profession but because they are simply a public representation and playing out of the American attitude. Politicians often tell other what they want to hear without the integrity to follow through. But the chief sin of politicians is pride. They refuse to repent. Does anyone remember the immigrants in Springfield, Ohio supposedly eating cats and dogs? How hard would it have been to say, “I was misinformed and I spoke wrongly. I apologize”? But our politicians’ pharisaical attitudes prevent them from doing this. And they are far from the only perpetrators in this way. Even in the Lutheran Church in America, we have a lack of humility. When a disagreement arises between churches, both sides immediately mount their defense, as if they were in a court of law, rather than being eager to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness like Christians. Our own Synod’s materials for this month’s convention illustrate this very problem, with overtures submitted to address real problems. Yet, far too many of these requests are met by ignoring the request and affirming what we are already doing. What about our own congregation? When there are opportunities to course correct or adjust a practice which is not as faithful as it could be, are we eager to repent of our sins? Or do we hide behind “this is how we’ve always done it”? What about in your own life? Are you eager and willing to confess your sins against your spouse, family members, or friends? Or do you always insist on being right? Pride leads to a pharisaical rejection of Christ’s grace. Humility leads to joy in heaven.
As Christians, we don’t want to be Pharisees. And as Lutherans, we have practice confessing our sins, which makes us feel safe. After all, we do so every week in the Divine Service. The beauty of our Lutheran theology is that confession and forgiveness are so accessible. But this access can be despised unknowingly. If you have come to believe that confession of your sins consists of reciting words in the Divine Service and nothing more, then you are sorely mistaken. I see far too many Lutheran Christians who are willing to be sinners in theory but not in reality. What I mean by this is that they will confess their sin on Sunday in the general confession. They will speak to others about how they are sinners. After all, we know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But such people will never repent of actual sins. They don’t take ownership when they have hurt others. They may say things like, “If I have hurt you, I’m sorry.” But, the very fact that they have qualified their confession with the word “if” indicates that they are not really sorry, and it negates and invalidates the confession entirely.
True repentance over sin means feeling sorry for what you have done and then turning to Christ in faith. And such repentance brings a true joy that cannot be found apart from Christ. The prideful arrogance which denies wrongdoing at all costs is a cultural pressure which we all feel. But the love of Christ should compel us to confess our sins, no matter how difficult it may be, and to turn to Him in faith, knowing that confession of sins is always the right thing to do. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). For Christ has given His own life so that you, the lost sheep of great worth, might be restored to Him. There is no greater joy in all the earth than having the assurance that the God of heaven loves you so much that He sought you out like a lost sheep, becoming a man, taking your sins upon Himself, and suffering and dying so that you might be granted the hope of eternal life. And this joy is yours through the gift of repentance. Repentance itself is not easy and comfortable, but it is the gateway to joy and life in Christ.
This week, I challenge you to read all of Luke chapter 15 (more than once if you can) and to reflect further on the themes of true repentance and the love of Christ toward sinners. In so doing, I pray that the Holy Spirit grants each one of us humility, repentance, and an ever-growing faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
God grant it.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
