Third Sunday after Trinity

Jesus loves sinners. This is one part of the gospel message that the Church seems to have effectively communicated to the outside world. Most unbelievers who have just the vaguest notions about Christianity seem to have heard that Jesus, whoever He may be, was welcoming and loving towards sinners. It’s true. Jesus does love sinners. We can agree on this. But what does Jesus’ love for sinners look like? How exactly does He love sinners? On this point there is great division, even within the church.

Look at the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin, and you will see how Jesus loves sinners: three times we find the word “repentance.” Yes, Jesus loves sinners. He loves them so much, He calls them to repent, that is, to turn away from their sin and be saved. This is what true love looks like. The opposite of love, which many so-called Christians are preaching today, is to tell sinners to continue in their sin. The world is racing madly to hell, and much of the church is cheering in support and handing out water bottles as people near the finish line. This is not love at all.

We find three lost things in Luke, chapter 15: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and if you continue reading, a lost, or prodigal, son. When the word “lost” is used in the Scriptures, it means much more than simply “whereabouts unknown.” It means “to cause or experience destruction, to be ruined or destroyed, to perish.” Jesus is not telling us about a sheep that made a wrong turn and is a little confused. He is speaking of a sheep that is perishing, a sheep that is being destroyed. This is the Biblical meaning of being lost: to be experiencing destruction, to be perishing in sin.

Practically speaking, what hope is there for a lone sheep that is separated from the flock? What future does it have? Death by falling from a cliff, death by wild animal, death by the elements, death by starvation, etc. Is there any scenario in which a lost sheep lives and prospers on its own? None at all. The Pharisees, who were supposed to be the spiritual shepherds of God’s people, looked around at all the lost and perishing sheep and said to them, “Serves you right for wandering off. You should have known better. But now it’s too late. At this point you might as well keep doing what you’re doing, because there’s no hope of redemption.

This is why the sinners flocked to Jesus. Whereas the Pharisees and scribes had only scorned and damned them, Jesus opened for them a way of salvation. Certainly, He condemned their sin in no uncertain terms. Let’s not forget that after Jesus rescued the woman caught in the act of adultery, He said to her, “Go and sin no more.” To the thief He says, “Steal no more.” To the gossiper He says, “Curb your tongue.” But to all lost and condemned sinners Jesus also says, “Though your sin will lead you to ruin, I will lead you to perfect pasture, forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, peace of conscience, freedom from death, judgment, and hell, and into eternal life. Repent and trust in Me!”

Any claim to love lost sheep that does not also include Jesus’ call to repentance is not love at all. Any gospel that does not exhort sinners to turn away from their wickedness is a false gospel that leads to destruction. Many Christians are peddling such a false message today, fancying themselves more loving than God, more “gospely” than Jesus himself. But Jesus, being God, is the very definition of love. And it is the goodness and love of God that leads us sinners to repentance (Rom 2:4).

So what does repentance look like? The Scriptures command us to repent and be saved. Does this mean that repentance is a work we do for salvation? Not at all. Repentance is a gift from God. What would a lost sheep do if the Shepherd did not come find it? It would stay lost. So, what is repentance? According to Jesus’ parable, repentance is being found. What did the sheep do to get found? Did it call home? Did it activate a tracking beacon to help the Shepherd in his search? No. It probably munched on a few thistles while wandering further into the wilderness of sin. The Shepherd goes out. He seeks and finds the lost sheep. He picks it up and puts it on his shoulders. He carries it back to the safety of the flock, that is, the Christian church on earth. What did the sheep do? It got found. And Jesus calls that repentance!

You who are members of Jesus’ flock, look back on your life and count the ways that your Shepherd has sought you. He sought you in the darkness of your sin when you were baptized. He sought you when his Gospel was preached to you. He sought you in your childhood, at your confirmation, whenever you came to His Table. He sought you in all the events of your life. And He has sought you again today, leading you into church to hear of His grace by which He calls the lost and perishing to eternal life.

Does Christ make absolutely no distinction between sinners? Yes, there is one difference, but not at all what the world thinks. The world distinguishes between great and small sinners. Murderers, adulterers, and child molesters are considered great sinners. The Pharisees also included tax collectors in that category. And then there’s another category of small sinners: those who tell white lies, indulge in petty gossip, or let the occasional curse word pass their lips. These are what we might consider to be venial sins, trifling matters of little consequence.

But Jesus does not judge sinners according to the greatness of the sin. He judges us according to the heart. To take pity on sinners is Christ’s joy and pleasure, even when we have fallen into the greatest and most outrageous sins. Where there is godly sorrow over sin, and a desire to turn away from it, our Lord delights to forgive full and free. But He resists the proud heart that thinks it needs no repentance and sees no need for the Shepherd. Jesus does not distinguish between big and little sinners, as we might think, but between repentant and unrepentant hearts.

Once again, is repentance something you must muster up in order to be saved? No. Repentance is the gift of God. It is His work within you. Just as you once were lost in the darkness of sin, you also once had a stubborn and wicked heart. But the Good Shepherd, in his mercy, came and sought you. He found you through the waters of Holy Baptism, by which He washed away your sins and gave you a new heart. He found you perishing in the wilderness and carried you back to the safety of the Holy Christian Church. He found you hungry and thirsty and gave you a place at his Table, placing his own Body and Blood into your mouth for the forgiveness of all sin.

This is what love looks like. In this way God the Father loved the world, in that he sent his only Son to suffer and die for lost sinners, such as you and I. And having been found, having been called to repentance and faith, you do not remain comfortably in old sins. No, according to the new heart that the Holy Spirit has created within you, you fight daily against those sinful desires, walking in your baptism, living constantly in repentance. Luther was right when he said in the first of his ninety-five theses that the entire life of a Christian is one of continuous repentance. This is the state in which those who have been found by Christ live. To be a Christian is nothing other than to be found again and again by your Good Shepherd, to return day after day to the waters of your baptism, to turn once again from sin and cast all your trust upon the One who carries you through the wilderness of this broken world. The Lord Jesus says to you today, “Be comforted, you straying lamb, you are not lost. I am your Shepherd. Follow me, and I will carry you to the safety of My flock. I will protect you from all danger and lead you at last through the gate of death into the greener pastures of heaven.” Amen.