Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, September 12th, 2010click here for past entriesLoving God, it is hard for us to imagine the joy that you experience when you get to forgive even one person. Help us to know not only our own value in your sight, but the value of every other person as well; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“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” (Lk. 15:7).
So tell me: Do such people exist? Are there righteous people who don’t need to repent? This means that they haven’t sinned, and they’re in a right relationship with God. Personally, I don’t think they exist. However, I do know that others wouldn’t agree with me. I know this, because I’ve heard them say, either of themselves or of somebody else: “I’m a good person,” or “He or she is a good person.”
Usually when I’ve heard these comments, the person is implying that God owes them one. They’ve been good and therefore God should bless them and reward them and protect them from all harm. If only it were that easy! Then Jesus wouldn’t have needed to bother living on this earth, suffering and dying, or being raised from the dead. We could just all be good and then everything would be alright.
However, part of the whole gospel story is that there was a need for Jesus to come. People had been separated from God and from one another by the power of sin, which keeps us turned in on ourselves. Relationships with God and with other people and even with creation had been broken, and only Jesus’ coming could put those relationships back together again. This is the human condition. This is the world into which we are born.
And so, how do we see ourselves? Do we see ourselves as righteous people who need no repentance? Or, to put another spin on this one, do we see ourselves as “respectable” people who haven’t committed any “big” sins? Do we see ourselves as lost sinners waiting for Jesus to find us? Do we see ourselves like Paul did? – in other words, we used to be terrible sinners but now we live by God’s grace and mercy (1 Tim. 1:12-17)? Or, do we see ourselves like in today’s Psalm: wicked through and through and in need of God’s forgiveness?
No matter how you might answer these questions, there is something in today’s gospel for you. The situation was this: Jesus was spending an awful lot of his time with those who were considered to be sinners. These were people who were known to have broken God’s commandments, or who were employed in dishonourable professions. According to Jewish teaching at that time, tax collectors, or shepherds, or tanners, or donkey-drivers, or prostitutes (of course) were all engaged in professions that were viewed as sinful (Jeremias, Rediscovering the Parables, p. 105). Also at that time, anybody who wanted to be a pious or faithful Jew was taught to keep away from sinners. They were to keep themselves separate so that they would not be contaminated by associating with unrespectable people.
Because of these teachings, the religious leaders were shocked when Jesus regularly associated with these people and even shared meals with them. To their way of thinking, the only reason that Jesus would do such a thing would be if he were a sinner as well. And so Jesus tells them a couple of parables – stories taken from everyday life in order to teach about God.
In this case, the parables are the same, but different. In each story, there is something that has been lost – in one case, a sheep, and in the other case, a coin. However, the level of risk involved in finding the lost one is quite different. The woman in the house is really at no risk at all. She can take as long as she needs to look for the coin. It’s not going to go anywhere.
However, a sheep is a different story. A sheep on its own could easily be killed by a predator or get caught in the underbrush. A sheep on its own could end up dead if it’s not found in time. And so, the shepherd takes a calculated risk. He leaves the 99 sheep – probably in the care of some other shepherd – and goes and searches until he finds the lost one.
Then, in both cases, there is a lot of rejoicing. The lost has been found, and it is time to celebrate! This is how God responds when just one sinner turns to God and lives. There are billions of people in the world, and one person who is found by God is cause for heavenly rejoicing! If ever you have thought that you do not matter, this revelation is for you. To God, every person matters, and every person who turns around and seeks forgiveness is a cause for great rejoicing.
And so, for those who are aware of their own sinfulness and who totally regret the things they have done, God’s message is this: “Turn to me, and live! It would give me such joy to be able to forgive you. Turn to Jesus, for he has broken the power of your sin, and has died in order to give you life.”
For those, like Paul, who used to be sinners and now live by God’s grace and mercy, the message is slightly different: “Remember whose you are! Remember that you belong to Christ, and that you are forgiven through him. Remember God’s grace and mercy, and join in the celebration when others who have been lost are found. Rejoice in God’s Spirit, and share in God’s joy at being able to forgive.”
And for those who see themselves as basically good – those who have never seen much need for repentance and who believe that God should be focussed on punishing the “big” sinners – the message is different, once again: First of all, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3). When you point one finger to judge, there are three pointing back at yourself. God is waiting to forgive you, too, and to give you life in all its fulness.
At the same time, how will those who have committed “bigger” sins (or really, any sin at all) -- how will they ever turn to God if those who worship God avoid them? If they are not welcome in God’s house, and if believers refuse to associate with them, how will the Spirit of God ever reach them?
I remember talking to a teenager a few years back who was upset because her parents didn’t want her to associate with her best friend any more. They felt that this girl would be a bad influence on her, and that her life was headed in the wrong direction. This made me wonder why things couldn’t work in the opposite direction. This particular teenage was very strong in her faith. Why couldn’t she be a good influence on her friend?
In Jesus’ case, he associated with the ones who needed him the most. He associated with the outcasts – especially with those who were eager to hear God’s Word and to receive God’s healing touch. He associated with those who knew their need for God and knew their need to be forgiven and healed. In Jesus’ case, he was not contaminated by associating with outcasts. Instead, the power of God’s Spirit emanated from Jesus and changed the lives of those who came in contact with him.
My prayer today is that our lives would be changed in a similar way. May we encounter Jesus, ask and receive God’s forgiveness, and be filled with God’s light and life. Then, may we serve as beacons of hope in our world, filled with God’s Spirit and sharing God’s love with those around us – ready to join in the rejoicing each time one lost person is found. May it be so. Amen.
Lectionary 24(C) Luke 15:1-10
September 12, 2010 1 Timothy 1:12-17
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church Psalm 51:1-10
Pastor Lynne Hutchison
© 2010 Lynne Hutchison All Rights Reserved
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