Bible Text: Luke 15:1-10 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
I recently came across this brief article on line. When Dawn’s dog Thor went missing she and her daughter were heartbroken. The 12-year old had put up posters and looked everywhere. For months they had hope but heard nothing. When Dawn got a job across the country the family moved from BC to Windsor, Nova Scotia. Any thoughts of seeing their dog again were gone. The family had been in Nova Scotia for a year, when they got a call from an animal rescue centre in southern Alberta. Thor had been found in a work camp. The centre managed to track down the family through the tattooed number on the dog’s ear to a vet in BC. The dog was flown to Nova Scotia and immediately recognized the 12-year old, now 13 and half, when she arrived to pick him up at the airport. No one knows what the dog had been through, but he was no worse for wear. Sometimes we need to hear those good news stories. It warms the heart and I think a story like that appeals to us because we all desire to find something that was once lost and it is good when what has been lost is found.
Today it is all about the lost being found. An interesting point is that these stories, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the following story of the prodigal or lost son are unique to Luke. Matthew refers to the parable of the lost sheep very briefly, but it appears more like an afterthought than a teaching lesson. This is an important distinction because Luke’s audience, more than any of the other Gospels, were predominantly gentiles. So, their understanding of redemption would be rather different. Whereas the Jews would have looked at Jesus’ teachings through the lens of the covenant and law, the Gentiles would have really questioned what’s so important about salvation- they didn’t have the same struggle or guilt or concern about God’s laws. Therefore, for them Jesus’ teachings struck, not at practices of the Judeo traditions, but rather at the cultural behaviours of the Roman empire.
It also says at the very beginning of the chapter that the scribes and Pharisees expressed their disdain for the company that Jesus was keeping. In the original Greek it uses the term houtos which is an expression of contempt. These religious authorities had contempt for the kind of people who Jesus was attracting, meaning that these are the lowest of the low, they do not belong. It might strike us as odd that they would point out that Jesus was spending time with sinners and tax collectors. Why pick on this one career choice? Well, tax collectors were essentially traitors- in that they were collaborators with the colonizing power. They made sure that the oppressive Roman Empire was funded, and often they not only took the law into their own hands but took a little off the top for themselves. How could Jesus, this up and coming rabbi, fraternize with such people? People who worked along side their oppressor. People who didn’t deserve hearing about God’s salvation.
These gentiles, sinners and tax collectors would have understood what it means to be lost, or not be where they are wanted and yet, Jesus makes them feel welcome. Note the two parables we hear this morning demonstrate that redemption isn’t just something we should be concerned about but it is also something God is concerned about- even when it appears to be something insignificant or unworthy.
The images of both the shepherd and the woman are also important. The grumbling by the religious elite is important when understanding the conflict which Jesus was facing and the very reason for the parable. But then, he not only spends time with these “lesser” people, but uses parables about “lesser” people to make a point. Jesus would have actually aggravated the scribes and Pharisees a little more by telling parables using a shepherd and a woman. Both shepherds and women were held in low esteem in Jesus’ day. While the scribes and Pharisees may have disapproved of Jesus’ companions they most definitely would have been offended by the image of shepherds and women to describe God’s love for the lost.
Both the lost sheep and the lost coin also make a very strong theological claim. David Jacobsen points out, “The parables start with life as lived: a shepherd loses one of a flock of sheep; a woman loses one of her ten drachmas. What is described is not their “repentance” at all, but the absolute commitment of the person to finding them again. Action verbs predominate with the shepherd and the woman, not the sheep and the coin.” Think about it for a moment, these are not parables about what we should do but rather what God does for us. The shepherd leaves, goes, finds, is glad and carries the sheep home. In the same way the woman lights a lamp, sweeps, looks, and celebrates. In this way Jesus was telling the Gentiles, the sinners, and the tax collectors that they do not need to be ashamed of who they are. They are simply sheep or coins. Rather, God celebrates that Jesus has found them in their need. The good news of the Gospel is that the Divine is relentlessly seeking and finding.
Jesus’ response to these critics is that we do not get to assess who God redeems. It should be noted that it is also implied that the scribes and Pharisees, the ones with knowledge of Scriptures, are the neighbours and friends in these parables. Instead of critiquing these sinners they should be celebrating and rejoicing. The proper response to Jesus’ work with sinners is to join in and have a party!
Our world is full of people who are anxious and afraid, and even more than that, we constantly create gods for ourselves, like the Israelites in the wilderness. And yet, we have a God who is active- who goes, finds, is glad, carries, who lights, sweeps, looks and celebrates. These parables reveal that God does not leave us to our own devices but like an old woman who keeps track of her treasure and notices when a single coin is missing, God wants to reclaim what is lost and there is great joy when what has been lost is found and restored.
I would argue that the parables about the lost as found in Luke are so well known because we can identify with each character in the text. We have been the Pharisees- concerned about what kind of people are hanging around. We have been the old woman trying to find something that may seem insignificant but is of great worth. We have been the sheep- caught in the brambles and totally relieved when we are saved. Now, we need to be the friends and neighbours who celebrate! Amen