"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
Lk 15:1-10; 1Tim 1:12-17
Proper 19C, September 16, 2007
A Sermon by Fr. James Haney V
At home, I’m always misplacing my glasses. I’m very nearsighted, so I don’t need them to read. Thus I take them off and lay them down all over the place. And if you’re nearsighted, it’s hard to find something as small as a pair of glasses unless you’re wearing your glasses. So in the Haney house you might often hear, “Nee, have you seen my glasses?” And, usually Renee is very helpful in finding them. Actually, she’s very good at finding lots of things I’ve misplaced. And she always laughs when she hears comedian Roseanne Barr’s question, “What does he think, that a uterus is some sort of tracking device?”
Finding things that are lost. It’s always a nice feeling to find something that you’ve lost. There’s always that wonderful sense of joy and relief. And the longer you’ve been looking for it, the happier you are when you’ve found it.
In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus speaks of losing and finding and rejoicing. In ch15, Jesus tells three parables. The third one is the famous parable of the Prodigal Son. But we read that separately back in March. Today, our Gospel lesson is the first two parables, the parable of the Lost Sheep, and the parable of the Lost Coin.
The background is this. The pharisees have been grumbling because Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners. So Jesus responds, Parable 1:
“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?” Uh-huh. Sounds good.
“When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.” Yeah.
“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.’” Sure. That’s what would happen.
“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.” Okay. God must love those sinners.
Parable 2: “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?” Sounds logical.
“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.’ “ Um-hum. That’s what she’d do.
Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Yeah, Jesus, that’s pretty much what you said back in at the end of the first parable.
Jesus asks all of these rhetorical questions. And we answer, “Yes, sure, that’s right, that’s what I’d do.” And do you know what? Jesus has pulled a fast one on us. We fell for it. He slipped it right by, and we didn’t even see it.
Who among you having 100 sheep and losing 1 will not leave the 99 behind and go off searching for the 1? Don’t answer too quickly. Who wouldn’t leave 99 behind to search for 1. More specifically, who wouldn’t leave 99 sheep behind IN THE WILDERNESS to search for 1 lost sheep?
I sure wouldn’t. The wilderness is a dangerous place. The 99 could be eaten by wolves while I’m off looking for 1 sheep that may already be dead. Or I might never find it. I’m not going to risk the 99.
Who among you, having $100 and losing $1 would leave the $99 in the middle of the sidewalk and start looking for the $1 bill you may have dropped a few blocks back? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Who among you would risk losing 99% of your portfolio in order to make a 1% profit. Not a good move. You’d be better writing off the 1% as a minor loss.
Plus the rejoicing bit. Who would call all of their friends and say, “I found my lost dollar bill, let’s have a party?” “Hey y’all, I found my glasses, let’s celebrate.” Seems way out of proportion.
Or the woman with the coin. She loses it. But Jesus says she’ll keep looking until she finds it. Oh, really? Sure, the coin was worth about $50 in our economy. If I lost a $50 bill in the house, I’d look for it. Yes, I’d ask Renee to help. But I wouldn’t look for it until I found it. I might spend half an hour or an hour. But I’m not going to spend 3 days looking for it. “Sorry y’all, I can’t come preach today, I’m looking for my $50 bill.” Eventually, I’ll give up, and hope it turns up later. But Jesus says, v8, that the woman will keep looking “until she finds it.”
It turns out, this is not the way that we’d behave. But what Jesus is telling us, is that this IS the way God behaves. He’s telling us that God has an enormous desire to find the lost. God will take great risks to find and save sinners. God will risk 99 for the sake of the 1.
“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” What’s more than that, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Not the way we would do things. But Jesus is telling us, it is the way God does things.
And when you think about it, that’s Good News. Because truly, there’s no such thing as 99 righteous people. The 99% may think they’re righteous. But that’s not possible. We are all sinners. We all stand in need of forgiveness. There can be 99% who are self-righteous, who think they don’t need to repent. But that doesn’t change the reality. All of us need a savior, from the pharisee to the prostitute to the publican to the parishioner to the priest.
And our Good Shepherd has a passion for finding us. Total passion. He is willing to give his own life on our behalf. He is willing to shed his blood so that we might be saved.
As Paul said in our Epistle lesson, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
But Paul adds, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the foremost.”
Paul would be the first to admit that he needed a good shepherd. He had originally thought he was part of the righteous 99%. It turned out he was lost. But Jesus came after him, even though he was public enemy #1, sinner #1. Why? Paul says, as an example. The foremost sinner receives mercy, becoming the ultimate example of God’s love and patience.
We’re not part of the 99. We’re part of the 1. Yet God seeks us out. Jesus came into the world to save us. There is rejoicing in heaven when we turn and return to him. From a human standpoint it may not make sense. God should just write off the 1% as a loss. But he doesn’t. He risks everything for us. What wonderful, overflowing love.
As the Easter prayer goes, “How wonderful and beyond our knowing, O God, is your mercy and lovingkindness to us, that to redeem a slave, you gave a Son (BCP p. 287).”
To our loving God be honor and glory forever and ever.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Rev. James P. Haney V
St Andrews, Derby
September 16, 2007
