Scripture Text (NRSV)
Luke 15:1-10
15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to
listen to him.
15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying,
"This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
15:3 So he told them this parable:
15:4 "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of
them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after
the one that is lost until he finds it?
15:5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and
rejoices.
15:6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and
neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
that was lost.'
15:7 Just so, 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.
15:8 "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of
them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully
until she finds it?
15:9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and
neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I
had lost.'
15:10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Comments:
Had Jesus lived in Texas, his parable of the restless God who will not
abide the loss of anyone, whether a murmuring multitude or a lone
sheep, might have gone somewhat differently. Out on vast rangelands,
where individual cattle and horses inevitably stray from their herds,
ranchers have always had ways to retrieve lost animals. Today they use
aircraft and trucks. Not long ago they employed donkeys for such work.
A healthy, well-fed donkey is smart, stubborn, and strong, and it
loves nothing more than being at home. If left some distance away, a
donkey will return home no matter the obstacles it faces. To get a
wandering critter back, ranchers simply tied one end of a rope to a
stray and the other to one of their donkeys, then left the pair to
work things out. Sooner or later both animals would show up at the
ranch. Upon arrival, they might both look worse for wear, but they'd
be home. If retraced, their tracks would likely appear as a sequence
of donkey hoofprints and a whole lot of skid marks.
So it is that God gets us back from our meandering, strays that we so
often make of ourselves. God's Son takes the pounding, for we never
make his journey easy or simple. Indeed, it costs him his life, for
the rangeland he must traverse includes the Abyss. But he will not be
stopped until each of us rests at home.
God puts the same, persistent Spirit in each of us and into our
communities of baptized, gathered ones, and ties around our necks the
same sort of harness--the yoke of discipleship that draws us along,
always in the footsteps of the eternally restless searcher.
And what a joyous celebration breaks out as we come over the horizon
and find ourselves here, and home at last.
Frederick Niedner
What a contrast between the Old Testament texts and the New Testament
texts at first glance. Judgment vs. grace. But you can't really have
grace without judgment. God never gives up on us even though we
deserve to be forgotten when we live for self and not others. Thank
God for grace and acceptance and forgiveness and unconditional love.
Awesome! Thank God that I can change, right now, right here.
love-john
fredrick, I love the stray story! How many time do events in our lives
bring us to screeching halts and whining turns. Nancy-Wi
How does one lose oneself- by mere ignorance as in the sheep or by the
carelessness of others as to the coin.
Solomon
We can lose ourselves in many ways. Sometimes by our own
sinfulness...other times by the sinfulness of others. However, is it
ALWAYS sinfulness? jlbn-WI
Imagine taking a hundred students on a field trip to Rome, and losing
one of them. Would you leave ninety-nine students in a city square to
go and find the lost one?
This parable also reminds me of business tolerance of loss, shrinkage.
For God, ten percent is unacceptable. Even one percent is
unacceptable!
LF
WHen I hear this text I always seem to focus on the joy of the
shepherd when he returns. That makes the lost sheep the star of the
party. I think many of us picture ourselves slung across the
shepherd's shoulders.
But, (considering my own walk), this time I'm wondering how the
shepherd feels about going out for the ten thousandth time after the
same stray. Anxious, yes, but maybe a little irritated too?
I know that even when I am trying hard to go the right way, I will
make mistakes and turn the wrong direction. I'll always need the
sheherd. But in truth, I probably make him work harder than he ought
to. I am too easily distracted from the path. It's only when I learn
to love the shepherd in a more mature way that I appreciate the cost
of my negligence, and seek to spare the shepherd unnecessary pain.
When I was a teen, I didn't see why it was such a big deal if I was a
little late getting home. When I learned how deep love can be, as a
parent, I was half out of my skin with worry when my children didn't
call. I was more than a little annoyed, even as I was rejoicing at
finding them living and breathing instead of being dead in a
ditch,(which, by the way, was one of the few acceptable excuses for
not being home on time without calling!)
I'm going to be careful this year not to let the searching "Good
Shepherd" appear only as a warm fuzzy source of good feeling. The
Jeremiah lesson makes clear that our continual wandering pisses God
off ...just not enough to forget about us and let us fall prey to the
wolves.
I'm glad to find lost money in a dusty corner, but I'm even happier to
find it in my pocket where I expected it to be.
On the otherhand, on this "Rally Day" when so many who have been away
are back in church, maybe I ought to focus on the attitude of the
ninety-nine toward the one who strays. We spare the shepherd, not only
when we mind our own path, but when we welcome and encourage others to
follow the shepherd faithfully as well.
Early, early thoughts.
ss in PA
I love this story - reminds me of something when I lived in the
picturesque northern German countryside: woke up one morning to the
sound of loudly baaing sheep; it sounded awfully close. I knew there
were sheep around, on the other side of the fence to our backyard. But
during the night, the whole big flock of sheep had managed tp break
free - and had invaded several beautifully kept backyards, one of them
being ours. I could talk a lot about how stubborn those sheep were (a
great parallel to our human behavior). Anyway, the shepherd of that
particular flock had a great interest in finding even the last of the
stray sheep-because of the great damage they were doing to many a
manicured lawn or gorgeous flower bed.
Anyhow, the behavior of the sheep owner in the parable is rather
un-typical (well, maybe not in Texas?). Who would leave the majority
of the flock unprotected and abandon them in order to find the one
lost one? What an awesome God who does that for us! Germanpastor in CA
Concentrating on the lost coin, What other story about coins, and
money does Jesus tell? Has the woman been looking for the coin long?
If Jesus parables were told from incidents from his life, when did he
see a woman looking for a coin?
Realizing this is about repenting sinners, could we also use this to
suggest a could look for the lost money in our lives?
shalom bammamma
I love the feeling of being that lamb around the neck of Jesus which
was in the painting my grandparents hung in my room. However, I have
also had to realize that I am a mature lamb that has to go out and be
a shepherd as well. part of the spiritual maturing process whichi s
what I believe all these Lukan texts of the last few weeks have been
about Pastor Keg
Actually there are three stories, the lost sheep, the lost coin and
the prodigal son. PH in OH
This story happened when I was in the sixth grade. One evening about
supper time I was bored. My dad was starting the grill to cook our
supper. I asked if I could go for a bike ride. Dad said yes, but to
not be too long. I rode onto the next street where there was a ball
field, also a dead end, but looking through a line of trees I could
see that the street continued on the other side. I rode my bike
through an opening in the trees and found myself in a whole new
neighborhood. There I saw a friend from school. I got off my bike and
we horsed around for what probably ended up being an hour. As a sixth
grader I had lost track of time. I headed for home. Back on my own
street I saw my parents at another one of my friend's homes. They saw
me and yelled at me to get home. Once home I got the lecture. We were
worried. We called the hospital, the police... I told them what
happened. Dad took me in the bedroom, gave me another lecture, made me
take my pants down and spanked me. One of the few times he ever did
and said, "This is going to hurt me more than you." The shepherd may
go in search of the lost sheep, but he also says we are guided by his
rod and staff. PH in OH
Rods were for moving the sheep in the direction the shepherd wanted
them to go. The shepherd used them like traffic arms, not to hit the
sheep. They could hurl them at wolves or other attackers, but they
were not for the purpose of hitting the sheep. Likewise, staffs were
for guidance, also for leaning on, also for pulling sheep out of
ravines, not for whacking wayward sheep, lost or otherwise. No
thoughtful shepherd would ever hit his sheep to get them to learn to
be good followers or to stay close to home.
It is mainly because my mother's version of *teaching right behavior*
was to break a yard stick across my butt that I have chosen to remain
childless. That is not parenting, that is venting against the most
vulnerable among us. Shepherds do not hit their sheep. My mother did a
mostly good job of raising us, but she went to her grave knowing I
resented the hell out of her for hitting me and it was the one thing
she did that I would never, ever forgive. She should never have done
that. There were other options for *teaching*. She just didn't want to
look into them. She did what had been done to her. I stopped the
cycle.
Jesus the Shepherd does not raise his hand against his sheep. As
wayward and stubborn as we are, he never once takes a swing at us. He
prays for us, he weeps over us, he gathers us safely under his wings,
he vaults us upon his shoulders and he joyously brings us home even
when we deserve to be put in detention or left out there in the
wilderness. His rod and his staff, they comfort us. They do not come
down across our knuckles or our rear ends in frustration.
Anon.
What might have happened if Ph had introduced one neighborhood to
another? I'm not sure if the father had instructed what time Ph had to
be home. The father in this case could have done right or done wrong.
To go without children for me because my mother was too harsh would
have been impossible for me. My mother only hit me once, but she would
just look at me and that was punishment enough.
I don't think their is a parent alive (or dead) who has not made a
mistake in their "raising" technique.
This passage is saying something more to me about God's action. God
goes after everyone, all "sheep" are loved and needed. I know I never
can be a perfect follower, even with Jesus' salvation, but I respond
to this Shepherd who is always there to lead me. I think sometimes it
is easy to think Christian salvation means, when Jesus is accepted,
tthe convert become a perfect person. Rather I've experienced it as a
close journey with a wonderful Savior.
Shalom bammamma
can't believe the number of posts already!!!
i'm on vacation this week, gonna clean out my basement. wonder if i'll
find any sheep?
God's peace, christine at the shore
I love that coin's "lost in the house" story. Reminds me of so many
sitting in the pews or in our membership records that are "lost".
Nothing more difficult than stuff that is lost "right under my nose"
like misplaced keys and the like. Could be time to sweep the house!
Storyteller (I'm back! did you miss me? did you notice i was gone? : )
)
I love that coin's "lost in the house" story. Reminds me of so many
sitting in the pews or in our membership records that are "lost".
Nothing more difficult than stuff that is lost "right under my nose"
like misplaced keys and the like. Could be time to sweep the house!
Storyteller (I'm back! did you miss me? did you notice i was gone? : )
)
ss in PA,
I heard once that in the Middle East, when a sheep develops the habit
of going astray, the shepherd would actually break its leg, making it
dependent on himself. And while the sheep is on the mend, depending on
the shepherd, a bond between them develops, and the sheep nurtured
back to health would never leave the side of the shepherd again...
This story was told to me by a pastor, as it was my own story, where
the Lord brought me back to Himself through adversity, and nutured me
back to "spiritual health".
Sheep #100 in Canada
Also ... reminds me of while in doing a bible study on that lost sheep
and one of the aborigine christians commented that the sheep was lost
because it was not "doing what it was supposed to be doing" which, he
went on to explain, was to be the sheshkebab!
fun huh? sometimes a sheep is just a sheep and not a pretend-sheep.
Storyteller
I've heard that breaking sheep story once before and I was so upset i
threw up. I guess I could hardly stomach the idea that God would
intentionally send adversity upon us so we could bond while on the
mend. I dont know that abusive God who says "I am breaking your leg
because I love you." Storyteller
Here is a different kind of sheep story. I understand sheep have very
poor eyesight and are therefore dependent on the baaing (sp?) of other
sheep to actually know where they are. If there is one sheep the
others do not like, they simply go silent and let that one sheep
wander off. Perhaps we sometimes do the same thing in the church.
Instead of going in search of that one sheep we simply keep silent and
let them wander off. We don't seem to always do a lot of thinking
about them until a church gets in financial difficulty and then we
want the inactives to come back and bail out the church. Not a good
reason to go visit them! We should visit because we care! PH in OH
In Kalas' "Parables From the Back Side," I seem to recall his telling
of the significance of the woman's coin: it was a coin, he said, that
women saved to put on some sort of headband during their marriage
ceremony. Once they collected 10, they could be married "properly,"
and they saved and collected these coins because their very identity
in ancient-time society (being married) was involved in having them.
I'm working form home and the copy of the book is in the church, but I
wondered ... does anyone else have any commentary that says something
like this? It's the one and only time I've ever heard it about this
parable - and I even took a class in parables!
Sally in GA
I've also appreciated the comments on shepherding and parenting. I
sometimes think my mom is still trying to "break my leg" to make me
depend on her so she can bond with someone who'll take care of her.
OK - Too Much Information from me ...
And, yes, SToryteller, we DID notice!!! I'm so glad you're back.
Sally in GA
This is one of the my all time favorite illustrations : a group of
tourist from America were in the HOly Land. They were constantly
commentig on everytihng and how it related to thier understanding of
the gospels. At one point a group of sheep was crossing the road. A
woman screamed for the bus driver to stop so they could take a picture
of the real middle east shepherds at work. The man at the rear of the
sheep was beating and screaming at the sheep to move: really being
violent. A woman was so upset: "how can a shepherd do that....Jesus
was gentle..etc." The bus driver looked at her and said; Lady, that
isn't the shepherd thats the butcher !! who are you following or being
led by? Pastor Keg
have any of you ever searched frantically for a coin? last night i had
images of digging through pockets and couch cushions for loose change
and it got me thinking. what brings us to the point of searching for
money? contrast that to what makes God search for the lost.
and how many of us accidentily drop some change and leave it behind?
just stirring up some thoughts. wish i had this text last week.
peace, christine at the shore
Bamamama, hitting a child is not a mistake, it is the intentional
infliction of misery. That is not a Christian model of teaching. I hit
my dog once when he ran out into the street because I was frightened
and angry. I didn't know what else to do to let him know that was bad.
What I taught him was that his owner who loved him was the source of
great pain and sadness. That event broke the trust. It took a long
time of treating him extremely gently to get him to look at me the
same way he had before I hit him. He remained afraid of me. That is
not what I had intended, but it is what happened. If I could do that
to a dog I adored because I was afraid and angry, I could certainly do
that to a child under the same circumstances. It would not be a
mistake, it would be an abomination. Hitting is not acceptable no
matter what the reason for it.
A general comment---
When search teams are going out to find a lost child, they cheer with
delight when that child is found. They leave their own children at
home to go search for the lost Jones kid. They don't lecture the
child, spank the child for causing all this trouble they've caused,
they plop a fireman's hat on the kid's head, and return the child to a
loving and responsible party.
I chose to be a Christian because while my wanderings scare and anger
Jesus, he comes to find me, picks me up and brings me to safety. He
hugs me close and tells me how happy he is that I'm now in his care,
out of harm's way. It's not cheap grace. It comes with a price tag of
knowing that I have hurt Jesus to the core and that he gave up a lot
to be able to come find me to restore me to my heavenly Father.
Anon.
christine, I have been cleaning house today, and so far have unseated
3 spiders, which I promptly took outside to live in peace. No money
yet, but there is a favorite diamond earring my cat decided to take
for a spin across the dresser and then around the floor that I'm
keeping my eyes peeled for. I will rejoice greatly when that is found.
Anon.
True stories: The love of my heart (now my hubby) and I were in
seminary together, & his mom came down to celebrate his birthday,
taking us both out to eat. He was soon to write a sermon in his first
homiletics class on this very passage from Luke. As we got in the
GRAVEL parking lot of the BBQ place, he and mom were horsing around
and he accidentally snapped her neck necklace--the one holding a tiny
diamond in lieu of the engagement ring his dad couldn't afford her. We
were devastated! Mom & I stayed by 'the spot', and Mic pulled around
his mom's van to shine the headlamps on the parking lot, and I swear
to God, we searched and found that precious diamond pendant.
And yes, I will use this as a sermon illustration!
Sadly, tho, my beloved seminary Bible--the beaten up Harper-Collins
NRSV with duct-tape on the binding, the rip at Isaiah 43 from one of
my youth group kids (accidental), Mic's first valentine card to me,
and all the notes in second Isaiah and the Gospels from beloved profs,
is SOMEWHERE in Missouri. I misplaced it as I began my ministry,
retraced all logical and illogical steps, and have never found it. I
even prayed to St. Joseph--isn't he the saint of lost things?
A hole in my heart.
Blessings on your sermon writing! Pastor K
True stories: The love of my heart (now my hubby) and I were in
seminary together, & his mom came down to celebrate his birthday,
taking us both out to eat. He was soon to write a sermon in his first
homiletics class on this very passage from Luke. As we got in the
GRAVEL parking lot of the BBQ place, he and mom were horsing around
and he accidentally snapped her necklace--the one holding a tiny
diamond in lieu of the engagement ring his dad couldn't afford her. We
were devastated! Mom & I stayed by 'the spot', and Mic pulled around
his mom's van to shine the headlamps on the parking lot, and I swear
to God, we searched and found that precious diamond pendant.
And yes, I will use this as a sermon illustration!
Sadly, tho, my beloved seminary Bible--the beaten up Harper-Collins
NRSV with duct-tape on the binding, the rip at Isaiah 43 from one of
my youth group kids (accidental), Mic's first valentine card to me,
and all the notes in second Isaiah and the Gospels from beloved profs,
is SOMEWHERE in Missouri. I misplaced it as I began my ministry,
retraced all logical and illogical steps, and have never found it. I
even prayed to St. Joseph--isn't he the saint of lost things?
A hole in my heart.
Blessings on your sermon writing! Pastor K
I was a Girl Scout who took lots of hikes for merit badges. I had
clear hard contact lenses and stupidly decided to wear them on a hike
in the rain. I lost one in the tall wet grass. It took about 2 hours
checking every rain drop on every blade of grass, but we found the
lens in perfect shape. Nobody could believe it. Getting it back was
worth the effort of all that looking, because I could see to finish
the hike and get home.
KHC
pastor k
st anthony is the saint of lost things. sometimes i even pray to him.
i lost a painting of the madonna and child during one of our many
moves. it hung on the wall of every childhood bedroom i ever slept in
and it was a "treasure" that i wanted to pass onto my daughter.
i mourn it's loss all the time because i remember waking up afraid and
seeing her looking at me with such tenderness in her eyes. it was what
some might call a tacky late-60's painting; but it was dear to me and
irreplacable, just like your bible and its contents.
painting the kitchen bathroom to get ready for the new kitchen floor
tomorrow. then... the basement. pray for me. that basement is a MESS.
God's peace, christine at the shore
I am wondering, I was thinking about 9-11-2001 Three years ago, and
here we are at the three year cycle in the lectionary...I feel like I
am supposed to use some 9-11 things in this sermon this week...
9-11-2001: We remember where we were and what we were doing?
I was in the lobby of the Hospital awaiting with a family a mother's
heart surgery...not paying attention to TV...saw a crowd come to watch
the Today Show...A Tower on fire? What was going on? Katie Curic had
no clue? Then in SLOW MOTION the other plane it the other tower.
SHOCK! A nation in Shock. Your eyes glued to the TV set.Watching the
towers fall. Lots of LOST SHEEP that day...Families frantically
searching for husbands, wives, daughters,sons....
My Sermon scripture that sunday was Habakkuk 3. Prayer of Habbakuk is
that chapter.
This can tie in with news Florida, lost people and Russian Children
killed too...Lost Sheep...precious ones...Are they Lost...to us,
maybe, but with the GOOD SHEPHERD.
Just some early wonderings
Clerically Blonde in West Ohio
As we honor our hero's from 9/11 Firefighters going up the stairs in
search of people our Savior not only runs a search and rescue mission
but also runs a lost and found department our churches were full of
"found" people I wonder where they are now? John Rodriguez
I am using 9/19 lections this week as they seem so much related to
9/11. These I will use next week but I just wanted to agree with
Storyteller and Anon. that the shepherd is not violent. Anon., I hope
your decisison to remain childless is not out of fear that you will
carry down the violence another generation. There are other ways to
break the cycle, and one of the best is to raise up loved and loving
children. None of my business, sorry. Also, I loved the story of the
donkey dragging the lost cow home. Possible sermon title, "Make an Ass
of Yourself", or, "Send More Donkeys" might be less offensive. tom in
TN(USA)
Nancy -
I didn't get it! Hmmmm.... Try this one:
sally_oakes@hotmail.com
I didn't want to broadcast my last name in cyberspace, but ...
Sally
I really don't have any sermon shape in my head yet on this. I'm
having trouble finding how it relates to my congregation.
The setting of the story is complaint about with whom Jesus is
choosing to socialize. My congregation is in an urban, multicultural
setting. It would be hard to shock them with any "THEM" - they work
with and are neighbours beside every conceivable "THEM".
The stories about the lost sheep and the lost coin are beautiful
illustrations of grace. Don't get me wrong, I'm always ready, willing
and called to preach grace! But these parables can make it seem like a
cheap grace without response. The coin has no control over where it
rolls. The sheep will wander away to play with the wolves again,
because that seems exciting, and then long for the Shepherd to bind
their wounds.
Maybe I should go over to the Jeremiah page!
LF
One thing I don't see us noticing is Jesus' audience given in verses 1
and 2.
The tax collectors and sinners were "coming near to listen." The
Pharisees and scribes were "grumbling." Someone's listening -
someone's grumbling.
The people of Jesus' day did not believe at all in retrieving the
lost. If you are born bad, you die bad. If you are born good, you have
to stay good or you become bad and cannot be reclaimed. The place of
grace and repentance was almost unknonwn to these people. This is why
there is the grumbling - Jesus receives bad people.
Some listened - some grumbled. Whom do we really want to attract to
our churches? People who will listen to Jesus (sinners), or people who
will grumble (righteous). Sometimes, for us as pastors, it can be a
difficult call. For Jesus, it seems to be no problem at all.
JG in WI
Sally in GA. William Barclay speaks to the 10 coin headband in his
commentary on Luke. While speculative, I like the romanticism of it.
Sitting through the soggy end of hurricane Frances. Pastor Rick in FL
Firemen wear a monitor on their person that starts to wail out a loud
noise if the motion of the firemen ceases for too long (it signifies
that the person is down and it trouble). The monitor will sound for
hours so that the crew can find the person or body.
It’s my understanding that a multitude of those alarms added to the
tragic sights and sounds of 9-11.
What kind of noises do the lost of society make?
Pr.del in Ia
I've had little experience of sheep, but I ran a search and rescue
outfit many years ago. Peole always get lost in lousy weather and
others don't report the loss until it is just about nightfall. the
lost endanger the searchers because the terrain is usually awful and
the weather terrible. People make the same stupid mistakes over and
over again. What kind of patience does God have?
I wonder about the lost coin in terms of lost or broken relationships
or the parts of oneself that become lost in the fractures of life.
John in IL
I used to run a serach and rescue outfit many years ago. People get
lost in the worst terrain and the worst weather. Their friends and
relatives don't report the loss untilit is almost nightfall so putting
at risk those who search over bad ground in poor conditions. Peole
repeat the same mistakes time and time again. I wonder how much
patience God has to put up with our repetitions.
the lost coin story reminds me of the fragments of ourselves that get
lost in fractured relationships as well as those relationships
themselves. Perhaps we are pushed back to what we have lost time after
time to reclaim what we are missing.
Pr Del-- How did you find out about the alarms? is there a news story
I could reference? just want to make sure it is true, no offense to
you. Our pastors' group was discussing things we said while preaching
which were factually inaccurate and I don't want to be another one of
them. :) Peace, Beth in Ga
Beth in Ga I'm the chaplain for the Davenport Fire department and
early last summer I went through a "Citizen's Fire Academy”.
The instructor related the story of the sounding alarms at ground zero
as he was showing us the monitor they all wear going into a fire or
disaster scene.
Pr.del in Ia
Fred Craddock writes:
Before moving to the parables themselves, the reader will want to take
a moment to consider where he or she is sitting while receiving the
stories. Is it beside Jesus, as though joining Jesus in addressing
these parables to critics, or is it among those being addressed by
Jesus? In texts in which Jesus is facing opponents, we who deal with
these texts can so easily, but certainly not intentionally, preach and
teach them as the voice of Jesus rather than those who need to hear
the voice of Jesus. This does not mean we must label ourselves
Pharisees and scribes, but it does not mean we realize that these
texts were written not simply out of historical interest in the
religious community surrounding Jesus but primarily because these
texts addressed a church with the problems herein associated with
Pharisees and scribes. There is no room to say, "Lord, I thank thee I
am not as they were." In addition, locating ourselves in the stories
will tend to make us more understanding of those who disagreed with
Jesus. Their position reflects a warning firmly stated in the Old
Testament (Prov 1.15; Ps 1; Isa 52.11) about associating with evil
persons, a warning Paul found useful in dealing with moral issues in
the Corinthian church (2 Cor 6.14-18). And what parent has not said to
a teenaged son or daughter, "Birds of a feather flock together"? The
Pharisees are not alone in believing that the separation of good and
bad people preserves a community's sense of righteousness and is
essential for the moral instruction of the young. Jesus' failure to
observe such distinctions seemed to some dangerous to the moral and
religious fiber of the community and disturbingly radical. It still is
so regarded by some, even within the church. Perhaps the most fitting
location for us, then, is not with Jesus or with the Pharisees but
among tax collectors and sinners, who find ourselves welcomed and
forgiven in his presence.
By the use of the conjunction "or" at verse 8 Luke joins these two
parables which are obviously twins: "What man," "What woman." Matthew
sets the story of the sheep that was found in the context of
instructions to church leaders to restore the erring (18.1-14).
Matthew's sheep "goes astray," is sought, and IF IT IS FOUND (18.13),
there is rejoicing. In Luke the sheep is lost, as are the sinners who
come to hear Jesus, and it is sought UNTIL IT IS FOUND (v. 4). Back of
Luke's image of the tender shepherd lie Ezek 34.12; Isa 40.11; and
49.22, passages in which God is portrayed as the shepherd who seeks
and gently restores the lost sheep. So strong is the love for the lost
sheep that the ninety-nine are left in the wilderness (desert) while
the search goes on. It is in an old gospel song, not in Luke, that the
ninety-nine safely lay sheltered in the fold. If the ninety-nine are
safe in a fold, then the search for one lost sheep is but an act of
frugality, and exercise in common sense. It is foolish not to act when
there is a possibile gain with no possibility of loss. But how is one
to assess the search by a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine in the
wilderness? Either the shepherd is foolish or the shepherd loves the
lost sheep and will risk everything, including his own life, until he
finds it.
That Luke parallels the parable of a man with one about a woman is not
surprising; we have met his inclusiveness many times before. The
woman's ten silver coins (drachmas) represented about ten days' wages
and many months of saving. Like the shepherd, she seeks "until she
finds it" (v. 8); there is no giving up in either story. The joy of
finding is so abundant that it cannot be contained; one person alone
cannot adequately celebrate it; there must be a party to which others
are invited. Jesus invites even his critics to join him and all of
heaven in celebration of finding the lost. This joy, elaborated more
fully in the party for the returned son in the next parable, is the
heart of the gospel. Finding and restoring the lost gives pleasure to
God as well as to all who are about God's business. But this joy is
also the offense of the gospel. Celebrating the recovery of a lost
sheep? Yes. Celebrating the recovery of a lost coin? Yes. But throwing
a party for a prodigal? Would it not be better for him, a better
witness to the neighbors, and a better demonstration of the
righteousness of God if her were taught a lesson he would never
forget?
The Pharisees and scribes grumble at the mere sight of Jesus being at
table with "tax collectors and sinners." Jesus should know better than
to associate with this band of the legally unrighteous (cf. Psalm 1).
"Grumbling" is an expression (and here, it is audible sarcasm) of
dissatisfaction and disapproval. But that kind of expression is not
simply limited to the religious elite. Even the most adamant sinner
among us grumbles.
(Self-righteous/Arrogant) The internal presupposition for such
grumbling is coined in Jesus' own words as those who "need no
repentance." The question is not whether that is true (it is). But
self- righteousness is certainly in the hearts of the scribes and
Pharisees—and in the hearts of all who grumble disapproval or
dissatisfaction with an air of superiority. For all we know, that
sense that one "needs no repentance" may have also rubbed off on the
"tax collectors and sinners," tempting them to think that maybe the
"self-righteous" really are superior. That would be their—the known
sinners'—unfaith to go along with the unfaith of the scribes and
Pharisees.
The ultimate matter that must be considered—maybe the only thing that
really matters—is what ruling God makes about all this class conflict.
That ruling is not favorable for the "sinners and tax collectors," for
they are already characterized in the parables of Jesus in the role of
the "lost." But the scribes and Pharisees do not fare any better.
They, too, are lost. They can, of course, continue to take their
chances with the Law. That alternate soteriology (reason for
salvation) is an option; but if Jesus is correct in describing God,
that option looks quite bleak.
The ultimately promising truth that cancels out the problem of
lostness is that "finding the lost" is precisely why Jesus came.
Though he must lose in the process of finding us, that is the supreme
victory. Jesus says that God and the angels of heaven rejoice over the
finding of such lost ones. God is tickled pink in noticing the lost in
every corner, whenever they may be found, whoever they might
be—whether tax collector, sinner, scribe or Pharisee. God, in fact,
does rejoice in the finding, in the uplifting upon his shoulders, in
the scouring every nook and cranny of every dark corner of humanity
(searching the house).
That kind of "good news" might cause even the most sinful to perk up
his or her ears to tune in to the saving Word. Such "tuning in" is
termed by Jesus as "repentance," which means literally "turning
around," turning away from any claims to fame or pride and turning
toward the only claim we can make—we are unworthy sinners; but with
Jesus as our Found-er, we are so much more. We are God's precious
find.
That can lead to a whole new outlook on life, leading to a whole new
expression. There is more to life than grumbling about what we don't
have, especially when we have so much Life to celebrate. God seems
interested in partying—and who are we to argue? The world is the
showcase for that celebration—and the celebration has an open-ended
invitation.
Mike Hoy
To JG in WI: thanks for your post! I'm definitely more of a grumbler
than a listener right now. Thanks for unclogging my ears.
LF
Who puts 99 sheep in jeopardy in order to take the risk that one might
be found? No one who is trying to run a livestock business! Who turns
their whole house upside down, and lights a lamp, using up precious
oil, in order to search for a small amount of money and then, when it
is found, throws a party? No one! It makes no sense to spend so much
for such a small return. But this, Jesus tells his hearers, is how God
acts. The focus is not the sheep and the coin but on the "foolish"
shepherd and the "ridiculous" woman.
The economy of God is clearly different from that of the Pharisees and
the scribes. They are shocked that Jesus would give his time and
attention to those they considered worthless. In the economy of God,
however, these who are "worth-less" are the very ones who will inherit
the kingdom Jesus came to preach (Lk 6.20). This kingdom of God will
be an upside-down world where one sheep is worth spending the energy
normally reserved for 100, where one coin is worth total domestic
disruption and expenditure, and where one sinner receives a royal
party normally reserved for VIPs.
The Pharisees and the scribes perhaps understood, in keeping with many
in first-century Middle Eastern cultures, that wealth and good fortune
were a sign of God's blessing and that poverty was a sign of a
person's sin. Not only does Jesus upset this understanding, he tells a
story that puts God in the role first of a shepherd, a particularly
despised class of labourers within first-century Jewish culture and
then, even more shockingly, in the role of one from the least powerful
and most inferior class in the contemporary culture, a woman! No
wonder the gospel that Jesus proclaimed was seen as good news to the
poor (Lk 4.18). It would hardly have been seen as good news for those
in power!
"This fellow welcome sinners and eats with them."
Our mission is to reach the lost, but in order to do so we must have
people who are ministering like Jesus here so that we can minister to
them effectively. We need to focus on having the capability to
nurture, to celebrate when the lost returned.
How are we doing at assimilating the lost into our existing community?
How many people in the church could welcome sinners and eat with them,
while NOT conforming/becoming like sinners?
Right now, the church is polarized on two extremes. On the one hand,
some feel like, "we welcoming sinners and eat with them, because WE
ARE LIVING JUST LIKE THEM".
On the other hand, some feel like, "we are NO LONGER LIVE LIKE THEM,
so it's hard to welcome sinners and eat with them."
Both extremes are wrong. The key of connection between these extremes
and balance this creative tensions can be found in one word: Grace.
Once we fully grasp the grace of God in our lives, we will be
compelled to move forward and not behave like the world, but we will
also be filled with compassion to move backward and reach the lost
world too.
Coho, Midway City.
A guy in town used to be a regular church goer until his wife died. He
turned to drink and forgot about God. He was invited into an
evangelical church in town and he recommitted his life to Christ all
over again, and he meant it. He is a beacon of Christ for the entire
community now. But nobody will forget his past life as a drunk. It
follows him like a tattoo on his back. When do you get to be received
back into the community as you are now, not as you once were? God
receives, but do others ever really let you back in without prejudice?
KHC
I was surprised at the strong emotional level of this week's
discussion. Who is God to us? Loving and caring, or chastizing us? I
guess it's a very personal question...
Let me tell you, that one time I saw a shepherd retrieve his stray
flock, he was using his staff to whack the most stubborn sheep and get
them on the right track (and he made good use of the nipping sheep dog
as well). it's the old theological controversy: does "God use the law
to drive us to Christ" and the gospel (translates: does God break our
leg and then makes us dependent on God's love), which is Martin
Luther's understanding? Or does the message of love and grace and
forgiveness come first and prepare us to face God's law (Karl Barth)?
Though I am a Lutheran, I like Barth's theology more. However, God's
law is still a reality (and the law can be summarized in: love God and
your neighbor...)
Germanpastor in CA
KHC - your comment echoes the great scandal that grace is. By grace,
this man's past does not exist and his new life is all that matters.
Too often, we focus on the past.
There was a man who was a hated miser who despised all charity and
Christmas especially.
There was a man who knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive
possessed the knowledge.
They are both called Ebenezer Scrooge.
When we speak of Scrooge, what image first comes to mind? The hateful
miser, or the man whose charity saved the life of Tiny Tim?
Does it help us to remember that "Ebenezer" means "stone of help"? (1
Samuel 7:12)
Yeah, I know it's September - the illustration fits anyway.
JG in WI
Germanpastor, that person was no shepherd, but a businessman getting
his inventory in place.
For KHC. when a young kitten had to be removed from his mother to
spend a week at the vet's, the mother was very upset at his return. He
smelled funny and didn't seem right to her. She wouldn't nurse him
until he started to lose his medicine smell. We want to check people
out too to ensure they belong where they are and that they pass all
our criteria for acceptance. Until then they can hang around but not
get too close. They can watch from afar, but we won't feed them what
they are hungry for.
Anon.
Are these texts really about being lost and found? This is of course
the traditional way of reading them and I am sure many a fine sermon
has been preached about God’s desire to reach out to those who have
yet to be found by God. Yet I wonder. Could not this parable be more
Jesus trying to open the eyes of the Pharisees to the inclusiveness of
God’s Kingdom? He wants them to see a radical inclusiveness that
seeks to bring in those who they have deemed unredeemable (sinners and
tax collectors) They would never seek the one sheep hopelessly lost in
the wilderness or the one small coin hopelessly lost in the cracks and
dirt of the floor, but God and Jesus do We give up on people. God
doesn’t. God wants everyone in. In addition, we have a connection
between the shepherd and the sheep and the woman and the coin. The
sheep is his sheep and the coin is her coin. Jesus is trying to create
community and the interconnectedness of all. When we invite others
into the community we are not inviting a stranger or an outsider, we
are inviting someone who belongs to us. We are the ones who become
richer and stronger. It is not maybe what we offer visitors, but what
they offer to us that matters the most. Think what would happen if
every visitor was seen as your lost sheep that has finally been found
or your lost coin that has finally turned up? Would there not be great
rejoicing? Just something to think about. revdrdave
As the man was baptized in the river this fall, many of the people on
the bank clapped and cheered. Who was the baptized man? He was one
whose cigarette started one of the terrible fires in British Columbia
that destroyed so many homes and businesses. Who were the people who
clapped and cheered? Some of those who had lost everything in that
fire? Not to label this man as a sinner but to show that there can be
rejoicing and forgiveness. LGB
Luther said somewhere, "Gold is gold, even if worn on the neck of a
harlot." A gold coin that rolls away and gets stuck in dirt is
helpless to free itself, and looks like just one more dust bunny. It
takes the Searcher to truly see the value in it, tenderly pick it up
and clean it off so that it can shine.
The Searcher - both the risk-taking shepherd and the ridiculous woman
- make us think, "Nobody would really do that. Nobody would leave 99
sheep for the sake of one. Nobody would have a party just for having
found a coin." That is absolutely right: nobody but God would do these
things.
I think there's a Lyle Lovett song on this theme. It's hilarious. It
starts out sounding like one of those sanctimonious
"I'm-faithful-even-though-you're-a-cheater" country songs, then takes
a twist:
"Who keeps on trusting you, when you've been cheating, spending your
nights on the town? "Who keeps on saying that he still wants you, when
you're through running around? "Who keeps on loving you, when you've
been lying, saying 'things aren't as they seem'? "Well God does, but I
don't! And God will, but I won't! That's the difference between God
and me!"
Only God could be so faithful.
LF
Lf wondered what could be the message for a multi-cultural inclusive
church here. Mine is also a multi-cultural, and relatively inclusive
church. We can always learn to be more inclusive, of different ages,
theologies, as well as ethnic backgrounds. But for the truly inclusive
church, maybe the message is about how we can help others to feel
found, to be welcomed.
DGin NYC
Anon,
God does whip us from time to time as a measure of discipline. History
of Israelites in the OT underscored that tenet. Don't let the hard
time with your earthly mother effect your understanding of the perfect
Eternal Father's image.
Respectably disagree with your view, Coho.
Coho.
I must disrespectfully disagree with your comment to anon. You used
the word whip in conjuction with God. Perhaps, you meant God
disciplines, God chastized, God instructs, God corrects, even God
punishes, all of which can be done without the physical violence that
the word 'whip' conjures up.
If anon had a yardstick broken across her butt (if that wasn't an
exaggeration) then, her mother was out of control. God is never out of
control in God's relationship with us. I had a father like that and
I'm sure he thought he was doing me good with the "whuppings" I got.
Unlike anon, my spouse and I had children and I never whipped them. I
punished them and corrected them, but I never beat them.
But was really amazes me is that some would think the shepherd could
whip the sheep in this parable. Think about what connects these so
that Christ told them and Luke wrote them down. Something lost was
found and not given up for lost--joy over someone lost who is
recovered, joy over one sinner who changes.
Contrast that with the attitude of the Pharisees who consider some
lost and worthless and didn't lose any sleep over it.
That's what this is about--not whether a shepherd beats the sheep.
Anon, we may be soulmates
Auggie in TN
I wonder how many stay lost because they fear the broken leg or
whatever punishment God will impose. These parables are not about our
past, but God's future for us-- hence the rejoicing, the glorious
reunion and recovery.
Before we can follow biblical precepts and be righteous and all that
other good stuff, it seems to me we must be found, we must experience
God's saving, finding, recovering, grace-filled love.
Hook
Hook and others,
I like that, God's future for us (and others). With all the cynicism
and pessimism in the world today that penetrates many of our churches
I would rather find hope in any of these texts.
This coming Sunday is the proverbial "Rally Sunday." The (re)beginning
of the program year. Many years ago I lead the congregations I serve(d)
into "dumping" rally day and focusing on rather "Renewal." "Renewal
Sunday" is so much better, spiritual/theological than "Rally" (sounds
like the pre-game warm up, where are the pomp pomp girls?) Plus the
dictionary definition fits so well. Also it will not be lost on me
that this weekend is the 9/11 anniversary (?). Some time ago, looking
at the text I decided along these lines then to use the
theme:"Sweeping Joy" I like the image of cleaning out some of the
dirt, to find the precious and valuable. Isn't that what we all need
to do? We have dirt clinging to us or on the floor and it needs to be
swept away but in the process we look for and find that which is worth
recovering and saving and CELEBRATING. It can take off from there.
I did an opening "imaging" prayer last week which was on a whim and it
surprized me as to how many people said they liked it. I asked
everyone to close their eyes and imagine Jesus standing in front of
them. I told them to imagine him reaching out to you and touching you,
and as he did this you could feel the tension, your burdens, your
troubles, worries, fears leaving your body. Then I said as you feel
the weight of the world flowing from you to him now you feel in
replace of that his strength, love, peace, hope, joy flowing back into
you." I forget actually where i went from there but boy did it set the
mood for worship! This week with the sweeping joy idea I am thinking
of doing something similar but this time I will ask everyone to image
being in a house, walking through its rooms. It can be your current
house or the house of your youth. Imagine it empty. You are going from
room to room but then in one of those rooms you find something that
was left behind, something you have forgotten about but is of great
worth to you, a memory, a symbol, etc.
Just a few thoughts to see if any of you have similar ones or if it
brings other ideas.
OMG
JG in WI - I just had to chuckle on this one: "Someone's Listening,
someone's grumbling." It reminded me of "Kum Bah Yah." Someone's
grumbling, Lord, Kum Bah Yah ...
We're still getting the Frances drizzles here in South Atlanta. And my
home phone is still out.
Sally
True Story (although I am telling it second hand) We have a church
camp in the mountains of central Montana. Along this long gravel road
are many cabins and a few ranches and in the high country are some
wonderful grazing areas for sheep. The ranchers often drive the sheep
up into the grazing areas a couple of times a year. A couple of years
ago we were at camp and noticed a lone sheep wandering up and down the
road. Knowing where the sheep graze and guessing correctly that the
herd had recently been moved up there we decided to do the ranchers a
favor and drive up there and let them know where their lost sheep was.
The surprising part of the story was the reaction of the
ranchers/shepherds. Instead of being grateful for the information and
going back for the lost sheep they informed us that the sheep was
already dead. It may be physically alive right now, but to them it was
dead and within a day or two the coyotes would kill it. They explained
that any sheep that falls behind is obviously a weak sheep and would
mostly likely continue to get separated in the high country and so it
was not worth their effort to go after it. It was already dead.
I’m glad God is different!
Steve in Wyoming
hmmmm.... I think what we need to decide is whether these parables are
about #1) self-righteousness, #2) the lost, or #3) a little of both.
I'm inclined towards "the lost ..." as the primary theme. Jesus is
indicating (and thanks for the Craddock commentary that got me
thinking in this direction) that "the lost" are the most important.
While it's true that "those who need no repentance," are those who
likely need it the most, I believe Jesus is focusing here on the
strays. The lost coin, the stray sheep, and ultimately the persistence
of the one who finds the coin or sheep of priceless value.
If we don't view ourselves as "the lost," then where ARE we sitting?
Are we the ones who dont' need saving grumbling because Jesus isn't
paying enough attention to us? It reminds me of something a church
member once told my mom about her preacher (in a grumbling way): "He
spends too much time on people in the neighborhood and ignores those
of us in the church!"
In other words, "I've been good all along, and you're killing the
fatted calf for my errant brother?" or "There are 6 days to heal the
six. This one is not one of them!" or "Look at this weirdo; he eats
with sinners and tax collectors!" or, to quote a fellow who was in the
ministerial association with me, "You're known by the company you
keep" (as he took hostile measures to oust the Mormon from our group).
Sally in GA
The sheep got lost because nobody noticed or nobody cared. The coin
was dropped by the woman and not searched for until it was well
covered by the dirt and straw on the floor. If she had bent over to
find it immediately, her chances of finding it easily were vastly
improved.
It's important to notice when people begin to leave the fold. Did they
wander off without anybody caring, or were they dropped and nobody
stopped to pick them up?
We tend to let the bleaters go without much sorrow. And the people who
don't seem so significant to us at the moment are free to be dropped
and sit unnoticed. But suddenly, when we need board members or
teachers or volunteers in the kitchen, we call them up and tell them
how very missed they have been, please come and let us celebrate your
importance to what we're doing here. How much better it would be if we
kept good contact with our own, watched to see if they are rolling off
the edge before they drop out of sight. When we seek them out and
bring them back in, they must know it is a sincere welcome, and we
must do it immediately upon their disappearance.
This is a job for the congregation as a whole, not just the pastor. We
are our brother's and sister's keepers.
KHC:
Your 9/7 post really hit me and a situation in my own congregation
right now. We have a man who joined our congregation who was in prison
for 20 years for various bank robberies. While in prison he murdered a
man with a knife who tried to have sex with him and make him his
woman. While in prison he met Jesus Christ and his life was changed.
He came to our church wanting to share Christ and trying to get our
frozen chosen off their butts and out sharing Jesus with others. Many
could not accept this "sinner" and the result is that they would not
accept/participate in many efforts he put forward trying to get our
church to evangelize. They could not past his past to see the good he
was doing. The result is that he is leaving our church a very
discouraged man. Please pray for our frozen chosen. PH in OH
When Jesus goes looking for the lost sheep, he leaves the 99 TOGETHER
while he goes. I like to think about that. Especially when put
together with the idea that sheep stay together by listening to each
other's bleats. Basically, the only reason we are not ALL lost, is
because we have stuck together and stayed close to Jesus. The one who
is "lost" might not be bad -- just wandering off somewhere, not paying
any attention to what is important. I like to think of Jesus saying
"Okay, you 99 stay here together now. I have to go get our friend who
has wandered off." Just musing... Pastor Janel in ND
Do sheep only have one shepherd, or are there several people in charge
on a watch? It's just a question, not a comparison to Jesus having any
co-Saviors. With whom would Jesus leave us in order to go seek the
lost? With the Church, no doubt. That makes us responsible for each
other.
PH in OH, regarding the ex-con. Sometimes the goodness of the people
in this community is overwhelming. A man was convicted of child
molestation, served his time. Now he's out of prison, is following all
the rules of his release and is trying to rebuild his life. The town
is letting him do that. He is building a new reputation because the
folks around here think he deserves that new chance. Wow. And they say
this isn't a community where people are Christians, because so many
don't belong to a church. I'll take these unchurched over the
hypocritical pew warmers any hour of the day.
Anon.
Sally in GA
I think the parable is about the seeker.
Pr.del in Ia
I think this passage is about "finding" and about "joy." Look how many
references there are to joy or "rejoice" - at least 5. Everybody's
"lost" at some point - and God takes joy in restoration,
reconciliation, new beginnings. In God's eyes, we are all priceless
treasure - so that God even does foolish, wasteful things to bring us
back.
We in the church refuse to sink to God's level of foolishness to help
retrieve the lost. That says something about our view of those
"outside" the fold. It also says something about our churches
attitudes. What is mainly missing in my church? - JOY, JOY, JOY. If
finding and reconciling can do that, maybe we should try it. Not only
will heaven rejoice - maybe we will too.
Off subject, I am a little amused (and somewhat troubled) by the
parental discipline discussion. There is a great difference between
discipline and abuse or violence. Not that all OT standards are
appropriate or even theologically sound, but God does discipline those
"he" loves (sorry, just quoting the gender biased text). Abuse and
violence should not be tolerated and I hurt for those who put up with
it (or did in the past). But please don't act self-righteous toward
legitimate parental discipline. I am thankful my parents loved me
enough to discipline me; and pain, though not necessarily physical, is
always involved. The pain and wreckage I witness (and try to deal with
in ministry)from homes and families with no loving discipline is
astounding. Let us pray for the abused and the undisciplined, both of
whom are missing love.
Sorry for the tangent.
Blessings,
RevKinOK
Oh - and grace is one thing, but brutal violations of the most
vulnerable (e.g., adults molesting children) requires precautions. The
pedophile can be made right with God, and we can forgive as well; but
I'll let you leave YOUR children in his unsupervised care. Or, I'll
let you hire him for your church nursery. Don't forget mercy for the
vulnerable.
Sorry, another tangent.
RevKinOK
do you find any significance in the sequence of numbers in the 3
parables? 1 of 100, 1 of 10, 1 of 2....1 %, 10%, and 50% recovered?
Kai-ross
Anon. and AuggieinTN,
In 2 Samuel 12, we read that the child conceived by David and
Bathsheba dies because of David's sin. Not violent? In Acts 5,
Annanias and his wife, who try to cheat the community, fall down and
die when confronted by their acts. In John 2, Jesus makes a whip of
cords and drives the animals out of the temple. God also rained fire
down upon a wicked city or two.
Yes, God can be angry and God can punish with violence. Usually, God
chooses not to do so. Certainly in the end, we are invited into God's
presence, rather than told to "go to hell," where we all deserve to
be.
God needs to be gentle with those who know they are sinners, like the
tax collectors. Maybe God needs to be violent with those who don't
know that they have been wrong, like the money-changers and Pharisees.
Don't say God cannot be violent and still love. After all, isn't the
cross upon which even the innocent one hung the most violent of all?
Michelle
Regarding the ten coin headdress referenced earlier, here is what this
week's Homiletics offers in its commentary:
"In many villages, even today, in the Middle-East ... we still find
the ceremony of binding the head performed on the first day of the
young bride’s womanhood in the presence of invited female guests. In
some regions the bridegroom’s family presents the bride with a
headdress decorated with gold coins.
This becomes the bride’s personal property and forms a financial
support for the new family, as it can be changed into money in time of
need. It also serves as an indication of the woman’s financial status.
The silver ornaments on the headdress are in the nature of a talisman
against evil and misfortune, and serve to preserve the wearer’s health
and strength ...."
JT in PA
A few years back at the Festival of Homiletics, Jeremiah Wright
preached on this text. I remember him saying that sheep can only see
about six feet in front of them. So how did the sheep get so lost? Six
feet at a time. The sheep did not mean to wander that far off, but a
little here, a little there, and when you can only see six feet, you
look back and suddenly its not all the clear anymore. Don't know how
that all relates except that I know what it feels like to get lost six
feet at a time.
Jed in CO
Auggie in TN,
To some, the cruelty of breaking a sheep’s leg in order to train it is
just too to awful bear. To others, words of disciplines, chastising,
instructing, correcting, and even punishing would be more preferable
than whipping; especially if the word brought back painful and
outraged memories of violence and injustice. If that was the case
here, then I am sorry. It was not my intention to compare our Perfect
Father to the Flawed Parents we might have experienced. I was using
the word, because Jesus “made a whip out of cords”, and he used it too
(Jn.2:15). Michelle also noted other instances of God’s disciplinary
actions.
It may be unpopular to point out these manifestations of God, the
famous Marcion of the 2nd century found the idea so convulsive, that
he edited out any references to an angry God so that only the loving
God remained in his New Testament canon. And the people of God had
been wrestling with reconciling these two facets for centuries. And we
will personally continue to wrestle with it for years, until we
realized that both sides of wrath and love are expressions of the same
Pathos of God.
The same Pathos of the Father to accept the prodigal son was also the
same Pathos to allow him to leave the house in the first place
(risking not ever seeing him again). And yes, the same Pathos kept the
Father looking for the son “from afar” was also the same Pathos kept
the Father at home, not trying to look for his prodigal son (I was
annoying about the Father’s passiveness for years).
If God ever discipline, whip, or break someone, it’s because of His
love, and not because of He was losing His mind in anger. Back to
Jn.2:15 again, it takes times for Jesus to “made a whip out of cords”.
It’s intentional judgment and calculated punishment. His whip for us
is only made of cords, hurt a little, but designed for healing. But
the whip He endured for us, made of leather, attached with cattails,
designed to rip off the flesh on his back and torn of his bones. By
His whip we are heal; by His own destruction, we are restored.
Of course, none of this could be used to preach this week since it was
not the point of the text.
Coho.
"Slow Down. Angels Partying!"
Storyteller
ooops ... sorry for the double post. Perhaps one of the things
churches truly need to do is join the angels and celebrate ONE
lost-and-found. Be it lost-and-found "in the house" or lost and found
"out there". Had a party lately? Storyteller
Example of not searching for sheep:
"[Spurgeon before his conversion] decided that he would attend every
church in town to see if he could find the answers to how he might be
freed from his burden. At church after church he found sermons that
were aimed at Christians while ignoring those who so badly needed to
*become* Christians."
Coho.
Strange, but true. God seems to be noticeably concerned about lost
things, however small. I discovered that if I pray to find a lost
thing, I usually find it. The praying seems to set my brain, or
something; then, I retrace my steps to the lost object. A kind of
clarification of thought happens. Sometimes, I go to the store to buy
a replacement, and within minutes of returning home, I find the object
I just replaced. Something actually happens to me, to locate things.
GEC in Mich
Hesitate to say this, but many pastors and preachers are lost in the
house with all its business and clutter of administrative tasks,
negotiating council and staff-parish power relationships and keeping
our own private lives out of the ministrial arena. Could be we need to
begin to ask "how is this parable medicine for me in a place I am lost
way?" Just thinking. Storyteller
have any of you ever been lost and had someone come to your aide?
twice in the last 2-3 weeks i have been at a wawa (like a 7-11 open
all night) and at a gas station where people are trying to find their
way to one of the 2 main highways that take people out of the shore
area. it's been obvious both times that that the people are very
confused and have been trying to get home for awhile.
even though each occurance meant taking 1 or 2 turns to get them going
in the right direction i have offered to let them follow me to the
road they are looking for. (my act of kindness for the day).
i know what it means to be lost, emotionally, spiritually, and
physically. sometimes i have been able to see it as an opportunity to
find something new, to make a new discovery about myself or my
surroundings. but on those occassions when that is not the case all i
want is to be home, to be set right, to be found.
these parables are about us, not just the ones who seem obviously lost
to us. in each case the lost is unable to find their way back to where
they are supposed to be. someone needs to look for them, intervene in
their situation. even in the parable of the prodigal son it is the
father who ultimately acts and shows (both?) son(s) the way home. the
prodigal might know the physical way home, but it is the father's
forgiveness that ultimaely finds him.
so, these are texts that speak about our inabilities and God's ability
AND willingness to find us. (how often do we struggle to forgive
ourselves and fall down? how often have we heard the question "have
you found Jesus?" as though he was the one who was lost? there are
some things only God can accomplish and he takes great pleasure in his
accomplishments).
(now i wish i was preaching this sunday, but at least i have painted
one bathroom, the kitchen, and gotten 1/2 way through cleaning out the
basement)
God's peace, christine at the shore
Michelle and others,
I understand the theology of the Cross. I also understand it was Jesus
who suffered that day, not his sinful sheep, because of sinfulness.
Please do not compare Jesus' death to my mother's anger-induced
brutality with the stick, or in my brother's case, the switch from the
tree. She opted to use instruments instead of her hand because, in her
words, why should she suffer pain because I was bad? That's a polar
opposite to God's thinking when Jesus was nailed to the Cross.
The making of a cord and flailing it around does not necessarily mean
Jesus hit the sheep, oxen or people with it. My bet is he didn't touch
them bodily. I'd run before it got within 10 feet of me, wouldn't you?
And the noise and confusion would scare the animals out the door,
unless they were trapped. I can't picture Jesus beating a trapped
animal or a trapped person, for that matter, to make a point. I can
picture him snapping the cord over his head to move them out the door
and in the right direction, however.
In the very, very early Church, they still carried the idea of the
onus of sin being upon the sinner. You sin, you pay, and God exacts
his price. If you strayed, you were not a person of The Way and the
blood of Christ didn't cover you. God would strike you dead for your
sin. Thank goodness later Christians began to understand that the
blood of Christ is still valid even when we sin, and we can be
restored. Without getting our legs broken. We are humbled, not beaten.
We are brought to our knees, and not because our kneecaps got whacked.
We now know our children don't get born blind because we sinned
against God. Jesus made that pretty clear. They don't die for the sins
of their parents, either, a la David's son.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he leads by example, puts himself
in the abyss to block our fall into it, finds us when we are lost,
celebrates our return, washes us clean and presents us to God as
acceptable.
Jesus underwent violence to spare us God-produced violence. He
underwent pain so God could put his big stick away and deal with us in
a whole new way. With high expecations and many responsibilities, but
without fear that we will be dubbed wicked, stupid or just plain
unteachable, therefore requiring having the stuffing knocked out of us
in order to *get it*.
All this monologue because somebody said earlier that he got spanked
by his father for going astray one night. It struck such a negative
chord with me that it practically wrote my sermon for me.
Anon.
Hi all.
A little different slant on these stories came from a study group last
week.
I've never understood the closing sentences in these stories (on
repentance), because the lost sheep and lost coin do not repent, they
are found.
Then one member of the group suggested that maybe Jesus is aiming the
call to repentance at the Pharisees, not because they were "the lost"
(through ignorance (the sheep) or carelessness (the coin)), but
because they (the Phaisees) had intentionally cut themselves off from
the lost ones who Jesus had recently found.
The lost sheep and coins of our world don't need to repent, they need
to be found. But those who do the searching better be ready for the
reaction of those who "don't need to be found," for THEY are the ones
who need the call to repent.
This was an "a-HA!" for me. Hope this is helpful.
Rick in Canada, eh?
Anon,
Please don't get me wrong. I do not condone brutality among people,
Christian or otherwise. I am sad that your mother was so abusive, and
that is does color your reaction to the earlier reference to the rod.
That said, I do not believe Jesus just waved the cord around in the
air to drive the sheep and the cattle from the temple. If the eyesight
of sheep is so bad (as mentioned in another post), they wouldn't even
see the whip. Plus, the text tells us that David's son died because of
his sin. Do we disbelieve the text? How many children die today
because of the sin of the parent's abuse?
God is not a downy pillow! God can discipline with any method God
chooses. Usually that method is not violent. Sometimes the violence
seems misplaced, as another suffers for my sin.
This text, however, is not the one to use for God's wrath. If your
sermon is written on your reaction to the spanking, look closer at
this text, and don't go hogwild with your reaction. Not all spanking
is abuse akin to what you received from your mother.
This text is about compassion for the lost and rejoicing for the
found. Discipline does not enter into this text, whether gentle or
violent.
Michelle
William Willimon has an illustration in Pulpit Resource. A farmer
explains how a cow ends up on the wrong side of the fence. The cow
starts off nibbling on a green tuft of grass in the middle of a field
and moves from one tuft to the next, eventually ending up beside the
fence. On the other side of the fence is a nice green tuft of grass.
If there is also a weak spot in the fence at this point the cow just
pushes on through and ends up on the wrong side of the fence. He says
the cow does not intend to get lost, it just nibbles its way to
lostness. I think that is like many of us (me anyway!) We start out
with small acts or omissions and nibbble our way to lostness or away
from God. Great posts here and in the Previous Discussion for 1998.
Blessings, LGB
Surely the coin does not know it's lost. It just lays on the corner in
the same way it lies in the purse or in the safe. And the sheep most
likely does not say "dang! I am lost!" it probably thinks "where the
heck is that shepherd and the other 99 sheep???!!!" It's the shepherd
who knows the sheep is lost. It's the woman who knows her coin is
lost. To expect lost people to know they are lost and to wander into
church or other shepherd-zones waving their arms and saying "we're
lost!" is to expect too much. Churches are too full of shepherds who
will not risk going out looking and sweeping ... perhaps too terrified
of the wolves and the like that can and do kill shephereds. Now... of
course the lost son did "come to his senses". Very much like the
person driving around in some city, realizing they are lost and stop
at the wawa store to ask for directions (could be me!). on second
thoughts, ignore all that. its too... topofmyheadthinking.
I posted this opening story for a sermon starter, to describe the
reality that "the lost sheep" are the people who are truly lost
because they are dead in the eyes of the world....much like Saul the
persecutor in the eyes of the early Christian Church. After you read
the story, who are the Steve's in our lives today, and what are we
going to do about it?
As I begin a new day of ministry, it has been my practice to sit down
at my desk in the parsonage with my morning cup of coffee and read the
bible, pray for this congregation and it’s people, and pray for my
family and loved ones. I would think that my morning ritual is not
very unusual, and believe that I am joined by many of you in this
daily time with God. Yet just recently, I have started doing something
additional. Several years ago while I was at a seminar on the topic of
prayer, the presenter told those of us at the seminar, that his
congregation just recently started a prayer group called “praying the
newspaper”. At first, I had no idea what he was talking about, but as
he explained it, I was amazed at its simplicity and its relevance.
Basically his prayer group would sit down with the daily newspaper,
read several articles, and as a group, would pray for a person, for a
community or even for a nation that suffered a tragedy. To show those
of us at the seminar the power of this ministry, the presenter passed
out a newspaper article taken from that day’s newspaper about a young
girl who was killed by a middle aged man, named Steve. The article
reported that Steve had lost control of his car while driving drunk as
he returned from a party, and hit the little girl’s car. The little
girl, named Emily, died just a few hours after the accident, yet her
mom survived. After the article described the very innocent life of
Emily, the article then went on to describe the “not so innocent life”
of Steve. Steve was a very troubled man who had a history of arrests,
fights, and bouts of excessive drinking. It was hard not to feel great
sorrow for Emily and her family, and feel anger towards Steve. After
we finished reading the article, I felt that the seminar group was
more than ready to begin praying for Emily and her family. But just as
we began praying the presenter stopped us. He told us that we would
indeed pray for Emily and her family, but suggested to us that we
should first begin praying for Steve. The request caught me completely
off guard, because all that I could think of was this little precious
child, and her grieving family. I wasn’t really thinking of Steve.
Michelle, this is an excruciatingly long post, and others may not want
to read it. Heck, you may not want to either, which I fully
understand. I can see we disagree on this subject of how God deals
with his anger toward our sinfulness, how he corrects us, and that's
OK. But I had to respond anyway.
What exactly did the sheep, oxen and people learn from being hit? Did
it change them one iota? Did the sheep know why they were being hit?
Did the moneychangers suddenly realize the folly of thievery in the
Temple and vow to never do it again? I bet it taught them nothing that
a big tweet on a whistle and a few well-chosen words wouldn't teach.
Was teaching a lesson Jesus' point, or was his point to be the baddest
guy in Jerusalem who carried the biggest stick? Is drawing blood or
leaving marks on the flesh of the people who make you mad the way to
teach, even if the Son of God is the teacher? People tend to listen
better when they're not assessing their wounds.
I don't have a clue how you would explain a dying child to a grieving
parent. This is the will of God? This is how God deals with
sinfulness? No, of course not, I don't believe you'd even think that!
God does not punish our bodies because we have sinned, or because we
have walked away from him and got lost because we liked our own path
better. He speaks to our souls and humbles us there when we have
sinned. Mother would have got a lot farther with me by talking to me
about my hurting her and offending God with my sinfulness than she did
with her yard stick. I was listening to the yard stick's whizzing
sound as it flew in the air toward my skin. I was not listening to
anything my mother had to say at that time, if indeed she was talking
at all.
My reaction does speak to the text. Jesus brings back the wayward one
without harshness or *teaching it a lesson*. He deals with our
sinfulness with love and compassion - because HE took the brunt of it
for us - with a heart full of peace, with understanding that we are
not perfect, but in need of guidance. You don't get guided very well
when you're bending over staring at the floor with your butt in the
air (or getting it snapped by a whip) then sent into isolation for
hours on top of that, with no chance to talk or make amends. Guidance
comes when you are free to look at the teacher in the eyes and know
that his heart truly loves you and he wants better for you, to talk it
through, to make amends, to be immediately restored to grace. Or is it
by grace? True learning comes from being led into what is right by a
trusted teacher who will correct rather than punish. My father went to
school in a place where an incorrect answer meant a slap on the palm
with a leather strap. That is the honest truth. He remembers that more
than anything else about his schooling. Being wrong hurt in a very
physical way. I thank God teaching has progressed to the point where a
teacher will say No, Johnny, that is not the correct answer, but you
will find the answer over here. Please study up! (By the way, because
of that school experience, my father never once laid a hand on me. He
learned as a young child it was not the way to teach a child what you
want them to know. I only learned this about him when I was an adult,
well beyond spanking age)
This text is about rejoicing at the great love of God for all his
children, even the wayward ones, the ones with the wrong answers. He
greets our carelessness, wanderings, stubborness, sinfulness with
anger and concern, yes, but does not beat us up about it. In his
anger, he looks to the Cross and remembers.... my Son died for that
sin, too. We are forgiven even before we recognize we have any need
for forgiveness. (my thanks to the United Methodists for that jewel of
theological wisdom.) That is the Good News of the Jesus I worship, the
Great Shepherd who searches for us in the deepest ravines and reels us
in and guides us back home and deals with us with patience and
forebearance and does a damn sight better job of it than anybody,
better even than God did with his sword of justice in the OT. Even God
can change to better methods of dealing with us, immutable as he is.
All those prophetic threats and punishments didn't seem to phase the
Israelites much, at least for long. They were contrite only as long as
the punishment lasted, then went their merry way again. They were not
learning by threats and punishments, and it could be said that they
often did right only to avoid further punishment, not because they
were any more committed to following God. That is not what God is
interested in. He wants commitment based on honoring him for who he is
and what he has done - honor and thanksgiving, not avoiding the rod.
So God turned to another way. Jesus Christ was his perfect and
ultimate answer. God wouldn't punish us for our sins, he would punish
himself, bear the pain himself. Jesus would bring a new message - God
does not blister us, even when we deserve it. God finds us in our
state of being lost and celebrates that we are safely brought home. We
are loved, gently and fully. And in response, I am more careful to be
committed to Jesus, and through him, God. I am more committed to
turning sticks into hugs, scoldings into discussions, anger into
forgiveness, all because God does the same with me. I am more willing
to celebrate when God gives a huge blessing to somebody I don't think
deserves it, because I don't deserve one single blessing I have
received from God's hand. (That said, I still didn't want to risk ever
hitting a person entrusted to my care. It could rear its ugly head
even when I tried to push it back down.)
By the way, Sheep may not have good eyesight, but they have great
hearing. God provided them with some defense mechanisms so they could
detect predators coming into the flock. The noise in that Temple alone
would have scared them into a panic mode, scattering them all over the
place. And, another thought. Those oxen and sheep were in the Temple
as their last stop before being sold and going to the altar as the
sacrifice. They were not under the care of any shepherd who cared
about them as a flock raised from lambdom. In his anger with the
moneychangers, Jesus turned the animals loose from the uncaring,
non-attention of the moneychangers. While that was not his main
concern, I know, it is probably what happened. Now the moneychangers
suddenly cared, and had to go out and corral up those loose sheep and
oxen, caring that they got every one of them back. The lost sheep and
oxen of the moneychangers, sought by them only to be back in line for
sale, were not headed for a restored and redeemed life. The
moneychangers cared when their livlihood was threatened. Jesus cares
and retrieves his beloved sheep not for his own sake, but for ours. He
takes their place on the altar, setting them free for good.
We all see God, the same God, through our own filters. Everyone sees
God based on what they know as well as what they need God to be. I see
God through the filter of somebody who needs to feel safe, even in my
worst moments of sin. And I feel called to help others feel safe in
Jesus because it is a brutal world out there. My ministy will focus
upon the knowledge that no matter what we have done, we can face God
without fear in our confessions, because he is too busy being joyful
to remember where he left the whip. Actually, he left it at Calvary,
and he's not going back to get it. He has promised us peace, peace
that surpasses all understanding, not as the world gives peace, but
God's perfect, forgiving, rejoicing at our return, celebrating us even
when we don't deserve it peace.
Anon.
Sally in GA
You asked if these parables are about "#1) self-righteousness, #2) the
lost, or #3) a little of both.
It dawned on me that this is a marvelous example of Jesus doing what
He calls us to do weekly. Jesus has an audience of "the righteous" and
"the sinners." The "tax collectors and sinners" were probably not well
versed in the things of God. The "Pharisees and scribes," on the other
hand, knew the Scriptures well. How does one message communicate to
both?
We often have audiences that are mixed. I have someone I just baptized
(as an adult) and someone who has an M.Div. How does one message
communicate to both?
It does so by communicating what God is like. God is like someone who
has lost something and who rejoices greatly in the finding of it. God
is like someone who does not give up the lost for lost, but seeks it
until He finds it. As Pr.del in Ia points out, the parables are about
the seeker.
To the lost, we communicate hope - you can still be reclaimed by God.
Return. God will receive you.
To the righteous, we communicate a calling - you can join God's great
work of reclaiming His family. God receives them. Will you?
God will stop at nothing to get His family back. That message
communicates hope and challenge.
JG in WI
Coho Thanks for your response to me. I didnt get it. What were you
trying to say? Storyteller
