In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God never acts without reason. There is a reason Jesus tells
the Pharisees three parables concerning lost things. Each parable follows a
similar pattern: something is lost, that thing is found, and there is great
rejoicing. The significance of the repetition comes in the differences. The
numbers are likely significant, but I confess that I do not have a thorough
understanding of this mystery. First, one sheep in a hundred is lost. Then, one
coin in ten. Finally, one of two sons—one percent, ten percent, fifty percent.
A more revealing difference is the person who lost the
objects. In the first parable, a shepherd has lost one of his sheep. This is a
reference to the Office of the Holy Ministry and specifically to the Pharisees.
It is also a reference to anyone who has authority over the spiritual welfare
of another, such as fathers who are the head of their household and responsible
for handing down the faith.
Through negligence or poor instruction, one of those given
into his care has gone astray. The phrasing of this parable assumes that every
man would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness to seek out the lost one.
This is to the shame of the Pharisees. They stand mocking Jesus for associating
with tax collectors and sinners. They don’t even mock Jesus to His face, they
prefer to scorn Him behind His back.
The parable is unclear if, having found the lost sheep, the
shepherd returns to gather the ninety-nine. I’m inclined to say that he
doesn’t. He left them in the wilderness, the place of beasts and demons. It is
quite possible that the sheep who was lost recognized that the entire flock was
in danger. Fleeing from the danger, the sheep found himself lost and in need of
a Savior.
Somehow, the sheep became aware that he was dwelling in the
house of Satan. He realized his inability to rescue himself, but he didn’t know
where to flee. The Shepherd came to this lost sheep and bore him on His
shoulders to the safety of the village. The Shepherd returns with the sheep who
fled the beasts and demons, calling his friends and neighbors together for a
feast. He rejoices that he has found what was once lost.
The Law always reveals your sin. Even as it instructs the
Christian, it also reveals the ways in which you fail to meet God’s standards. The
promise of salvation connected to the Law is conditional. You must always keep
it perfectly to receive salvation from the Law. Since man is sinful from birth,
there is no chance for you to receive salvation from the Law. This also means
the Law cannot convert, that is, turn the heart of man toward God.
Just as the sheep realized the danger of dwelling in the
wilderness but did not know where to flee to safety, when man sees his sin, he
does not naturally know where to turn. At the depth of his sin, he knows he
needs a savior but does not know where to find him. Thanks be to God the
Shepherd descends from Mount Zion into your flesh that He might find you hiding
beneath the bushes and carry you to the safe quarters of the Church.
The woman who loses a coin is a representation of this safe
dwelling, the Church. She loses one coin, lights a lamp, and sweeps vigorously.
The light is the true light of the Gospel, and the sweeping is the harsh
condemnation of the Law. The Church must use both edges of the Sword of the
Word of God. Sinners must be called to repentance. The Light of Christ must
illumine their hearts. Like the lost sheep, if the Church only sweeps the floor
but does not light the lamp, the coin can never be found. The sinner would be
lost.
Rejoice that the mercy of God is for sinners only. You who
have no sin, have no need for forgiveness. You who will not confess your sins,
have no need to hear the Word of God. You who would remain proudly in your
sins, have only the fires of hell to light your way.
In the third parable, the younger son represents everything
the Pharisees hate. He is impudent, disrespectful, associates with harlots, and
lives flamboyantly. When he runs out of money, he sleeps and eats with pigs. There
is nothing to like about this man. Yet when he returns to his father, the
father is overjoyed to see his son. He calls for a feast, new clothes, a costly
ring, and new sandals.
This third parable includes a coda, or epilogue, the other
two parable lack. Once the younger son is found, everyone rejoices except the
older son. He stands outside the feast, indignant that his father would
celebrate the son who wished his father was dead. Like the Shepherd seeking the
lost sheep, the father comes seeking his older son. The father reveals that the
older son already has everything he could ever want but it is the rebirth of the
younger son which is the cause for joy.
Jesus does not give an ending to this parable so that the
Pharisees, and those who read or hear this Gospel, would see themselves in the
place of the older brother. Will you likewise repent and enter the feast? Or
will you stubbornly remain outside, where there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth? One must wonder if the older brother is the one who is lost throughout
the third parable, rather than the younger.
Remember, the Pharisees complained among themselves about
the actions of Jesus. “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”[1]
These Pharisees are clearly speaking behind the back of Jesus. Yet of course, He
hears them. This is the occasion of the parables.
The 8th commandment requires that Christians do
not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his
reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the
kindest way.[2]
It is very easy to break the 8th commandment because we are all
afraid of what others think about us. It is difficult to confront someone but
much easier to tell your friend about what he’s done to you.
It is also easy to abuse the 8th Commandment, as
though there was never a place to criticize the actions of another without
months of personal conversation. This is a lesson for another day but remember
that the abuse of something never negates its use.
At the heart of the 8th Commandment is the idea of explaining everything in the kindest way. In the account before us this day, this would look like the Pharisees approaching Jesus and saying, “Why is it that you associate with these sinners?” They might even ask this question with a hint of anger, feeling betrayed that this man who just shared a meal with them the chapter before, is now associating with tax collectors. To the Pharisees, it might seem like Jesus is equating them to the tax collectors and harlots.
The Pharisees might also have asked if Jesus knew who these
people were and if he understood that His actions could make Him unclean, unfit
to gather in the Temple. While such a statement would reveal the ignorance of
the Pharisees, if asked in honesty, it would be an attempt to show a brother
His sin, that He might repent.
This is the problem with gossip and hearsay. If you are too
afraid to speak to someone who has sinned against you, or whose actions have
bothered you in some way, and you choose to tell someone else instead, you have
deprived him of the opportunity to repent. You have also deprived him of the
opportunity to answer your questions. The blindness of sin affects all men, and
we are barely aware of the multitude of sins we commit each day. When one of
these sins cuts to the heart of another, who wouldn’t want to become aware of
it, that he might repent and be reconciled to his brother or sister in Christ?
If, on the other hand, no sin has been committed, but you
are displeased with something and choose not to speak to the one who has
displeased you, beware. Satan stalks about like a roaring lion and sin lies at
the door, both seeking an opportunity to devour you.[3]
If allowed to fester, an unaddressed displeasure often becomes resentment. This
resentment will provide the cover necessary for Satan to approach your camp. Should
the resentment become hatred, the devil will pounce.[4]
No one can hate his brother and dwell in the love Christ.[5]
Such failure to love one’s neighbors is what leads Christ to
teach on the parables of the lost. In each case, when that which was lost is
found, it is the occasion for rejoicing. Jesus is first calling the Pharisees
to repent, then to rejoice over the repentance of any sinner whom the Savior
has found. He is calling us this day to repent and rejoice as well. All sin
darkens our eyes to the light of Christ.
Only sinners who see their sin and are abhorred by it have
need of a Savior. Only the God of our fathers pardons iniquity and passes over
the transgression of the remnant of His heritage.[6]
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, knowing that the Father loves
you. He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in mercy.[7]
You can know the Father loves you because He has slaughtered
the fatted Calf in your place. The fatted calf is His own Son, Jesus Christ. He
is fatted by taking into Himself the sins of the world. Just as His sides were
about to burst from the great girth of your sin, He was slaughtered upon the
cross.
This is an occasion for rejoicing. Rejoice because in the
slaughter of the calf, all sinners have been given a great feast. You have been
given a great feast. The royal robe, once belonging to the Son of God has been
placed on your shoulders. The Father falls upon your neck in love and showers
you with kisses. The ring is the wedding ring, given to the Bride of Christ.
The Word of God works through the Church, first to
vigorously sweep you, scratching deep into your skin to reveal the blemishes of
your sin. These sinful blemishes are then exposed to the light of Christ, disappearing
in His blood. Only those who have sin need forgiveness. Only those who repent
and abhor the sins of their flesh have need to feast on the fatted calf. God
has called for His servants to set the table. He has invited His friends and
neighbors, the angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, to rejoice
over you and all sinners who repent, those who were lost and now are found.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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