Sermon: April 20, 2008
"Finding the Lost"
(scripture references are clickable)
We have before us today probably one of the best known and most beloved chapters in all of Scripture. These three stories of the lost being found are ones that we hold on to, that we cherish. And I’m sure that in some way, most of us recognize that like the sheep, like the coin, like the son, we all were once lost but now have been found. But it may surprise you to know that when Jesus first told these stories, they weren’t necessarily received as good news, that there was actually some bite to them. And I’m sure that we’ll all see that when we really take a look at these stories, there is a lot more meaning to them than appears at first glance.
The first story that Jesus tells is the Parable of the Lost Sheep. This is a familiar image to us, even for those of us that have never seen a shepherd. But it was even more familiar in Jesus’ day; His listeners knew exactly what He was talking about. Most every village grazed their sheep together in a common flock, tended by several shepherds. And these shepherds knew every sheep by sight and by name. But they also knew that sheep are incredibly stupid animals, animals that have no natural defenses and very little sense. Sheep easily get lost, nibbling their way away from the flock. And every shepherd was personally responsible for his sheep. If one was lost, the shepherd had to at least find the fleece to show how it died. And so, it was perfectly natural for the shepherd in the story to leave the other ninety-nine sheep, probably in the care of another shepherd, while he searched out the one who was lost, carrying it home on his shoulders to rejoicing in the village. This was a common occurrence in Judea. But what amazed Jesus’ listeners was when He said: God is like that. “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7, NIV).
He then goes on to tell the Parable of the Lost Coin. Now, houses in Jesus’ time were generally quite dark, with only one small window. They generally had dirt floors, perhaps covered with some rushes. So it’s easy to imagine, with those conditions, how hard it would be to find one small coin in all that. Nevertheless, when a coin was lost, it had to be found! For that coin represented a whole day’s wages, when most people lived right on the edge of poverty. Without that coin, the family did not eat that day. Or even worse, that could be a coin from a bride’s wedding. Brides often wore ten coins in their headdresses; it was a sign of their marriage. They scrimped and saved to save up their coins, and should anything happen to them, that was their security. Losing one of those coins would be like losing a wedding ring today. When it’s lost, you search and search until you find it – and oh, how you rejoice when you do! And Jesus told those listening: God is like that. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10, NIV).
Lastly, Jesus tells the best known of these parables, which we call the Parable of the Prodigal Son. But that’s actually a misnomer; there are two lost sons in this story. And the real hero is the father – this should be called the Parable of the Loving Father. Still, most of us focus on the younger son. He goes to his father, demanding his share of the inheritance. Essentially, he tells his father “I wish you were dead”. But the father gives his wayward son the money, allowing the young man to go off to live a wild life. But soon enough, the money is gone and the economy turns south. And before he knows what hit him, the young man finds himself in a bad way. “So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:15-16, NIV). This was the lowest degradation possible. Not only did the young man end up feeding pigs, which were offensive to Jews, but he even considered eating the pig slop, he was so hungry. Friends, when you find yourself eyeing pig slop, it’s time for a change!
And so, the young man decides that it’s time to go home. But he doesn’t presume that everything will go back to the status quo. He figures that the best he can do is to be hired on as a day laborer – not even as one of the permanent servants, who were at least in some way considered part of the family, but as a hired hand, who could be dismissed at a moment’s notice. But a strange thing happened as he is going home: before the young man even gets there, “while he was still a long way off”, his father saw him (Luke 15:20, NIV). Now, the only way that could happen is if the father was looking for him. And when he does, he ran down – and even to this day, Middle Eastern men do not run; it’s undignified to do so – and he threw his arms around his son and kissed him. And before the son could even get his rehearsed speech out, the father said “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of min was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:22-24, NIV). The best robe was a symbol of honor; the ring was a symbol of authority and was used to mark official documents. And only free men wore shoes. So the younger son was accepted back fully, joyfully. And we can see that this has been the desire and the hope of his father’s heart for some time.
But there’s another lost son, the older brother. And he doesn’t like this turn of events one bit. He hears all the revelry from his brother’s coming home party, and it makes him angry. He stays out in the fields, pouting, refusing to go in. So the father goes out to speak to his other wayward son. But his son rebukes him, saying “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” (Luke 15:29-30, NIV). Now, no one’s said a thing about prostitutes – that all came from the older brother’s mind. And notice that he won’t even claim his brother, instead calling him “this son of yours”. He’s remained at least outwardly faithful all this time, but there is no joy in him. In his mind, he’s worked like a slave; it was a grudging duty he gave to his father, not loving service. But even in spite of all this, the father answers: “My son . . . you are always with me and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:31-32, NIV).
These are great stories, and great story-telling. They’re comforting, encouraging and spiritually nourishing. But if we’re not careful, we can miss one huge, important point. For in each story, the things and people who are lost are sought out. Probably, in most of our minds, when we think of these stories, we think that those that are lost eventually “find their way home”. But that’s not true. The sheep, the coin and the two sons do not find their way home on their own. For one thing, the sheep doesn’t have enough sense to find its way home. And the coin wasn’t over in a dark corner shouting “Here I am!”. And as for the brothers, in each case the father has to go out and gather them up, especially the older brother. And even the younger brother, who seems to come part way – he wasn’t going home to be a son, but a servant, a day-laborer. It’s the father who runs, embraces, accepts and restores his son.
And that’s a new thing that Jesus teaches – that God is like this, that God seeks out lost sinners, and that heaven rejoices when they are found. Up to this point, the Jews told a proverb that there was joy in heaven over one sinner who was obliterated before God.[1] But Jesus teaches that it is God’s desire that these sinners be found – and indeed, that He actively seeks out such sinners. And that doesn’t make the Pharisees happy at all. Remember why Jesus tells these stories: “Now, the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear Him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:1-2, NIV). And there’s the bite to Jesus’ stories, for they are essentially a slap in the face from Him. To the Pharisees, sinners were unclean. They wanted nothing to do with them. And they were appalled when Jesus sought them out, when He stayed with them, ate with them. It was unheard of!
And sadly, many churches today don’t follow Jesus’ example. Like the Pharisees of old, many Christians today don’t really want the “sinners” to join them. And so they don’t seek them out. They even get disgusted when such people happen to stumble even partway home. Like the Pharisees, such people live only – perhaps – by example. The Pharisees strove to keep every single law in the Old Testament, to show everyone just how it’s done. Many Christians today are the same way. They let others see how we do it, and they figure that our doors are open each Sunday morning. But to actually speak with someone? To actually invite them to worship? To actually tell the sinners about Jesus? No way! Those people are dirty! They’re sinful! And if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t really want anything to do with them.
But Jesus came to seek out the lost. He came to heal the broken. He came to restore and to bring back those who have wandered away. And friends – He calls us to do the same. He calls us to seek and find the lost. He calls us to welcome them back, to forgive them, to bring healing. For the Lord sought each one of us out when we were lost, usually through the work of another believer, whether we nibbled ourselves away from the flock, or were lost through carelessness, or if we actually spat in God’s face and ran – He sought us out and brought us back through the power of His Holy Spirit. And He wants us to do the same for others. The question is: are we willing? Will we listen? Will we rejoice with the angels in heaven when a lost soul comes home? Or, like the Pharisees, will we pout because someone is dirtying up our churches? For friends, it’s God’s business to seek and have the lost – so let’s get on board! Let’s go out in His Name and seek out those who need the Good News. And as always, to God alone be the glory!
