The Third Sunday after Trinity

 Trinity 3 – July 6, 2025

Psalm 25; Micah 7:18-20; 1 Peter 5:6-11

St. Luke 15:1-32

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The parables of lost things are explicitly told to certain Pharisees who were offended that Christ would receive sinners and tax collectors and eat with them. The tax collectors were especially offensive to the Jews because they were men of Jewish descent who now made their living exacting taxes from the Jews on behalf of the foreign government of the Romans. On top of that, they would collect more than required by the Romans as a wage for themselves.

The sinners and tax collectors were hated by the Pharisees because the Pharisees knew these people. They were once their students. These sinners and tax collectors were raised in the teachings of the Pharisees. Then, at some point, they had turned their backs on their people, on the teachings of the Pharisees, and turned toward a life of sin: usury, harlotry, and prodigal living. It was insult to injury when the Pharisees saw those who had turned their backs on the faith now being received by the Man who called Himself the Christ.

This is the setup for especially the parable of the prodigal son. Christ has created a parable concerning the very tax collectors and sinners that He is dining with. A rich landowner has two sons. They are true sons, entitled to an inheritance from their father. Yet the younger despises his father and insists on receiving his inheritance early. The father obliges and the young man immediately departs from the house of his father to live among foreign nations. He promptly wastes his inheritance on prodigal living – extravagant feasts, fine clothing, and harlots.

Once the inheritance is gone, he finds himself destitute, feeding and sleeping with pigs. Having reached rock bottom, the son finds himself. He is reminded of the father of his youth and determines to return to his father to humbly beg to be received as a servant, a slave. He has no presumption that he will be received as a son. He expects to be treated as a slave since he is the one who abandoned his father.

What a great surprise it is when before he can reach the house, his father comes running to greet him. The father throws his arms around the man and showers him with gifts. He calls for a feast of the finest foods the rich father has to offer. The son is received back into the household with joy and gladness.

Many of us gathered here today have spent time outside of the church. We were born to Christian parents, baptized, catechized, and probably even confirmed. Then, when given an ounce of freedom, we walked away from our inheritance. For some length of time, we departed from the faith and sought fulfillment in the things of this world. We wasted the inheritance of our fathers on prodigal living.

There are also many present today who stand not in the place of the prodigal son, but of the father. Your children have walked away from the house of our Heavenly Father, wasting the inheritance of faith on worldly ideas of autonomy, liberality, and moral relativism.

There is a lot of guilt associated with both of these realities. We feel guilty for our own misspent years outside the church or we feel guilty that we somehow failed as parents to keep our children in the faith. The parable is silent about the relationship between the father and his sons prior to the younger son demanding the inheritance. Maybe the father wasn’t a great father. Maybe he didn’t teach his sons about the 4^th commandment or maybe he wasn’t diligent about praying with his sons that the faith born in them by God would grow as they aged. But we don’t know and the fact that the parable is silent about this is instructive.

Very little is to be gained from trying to figure out why someone has abandoned the faith. Whether it was you or your children, certainly repentance is in order, but no amount of guilt will change the past. The prodigal son abandoned the house of his fathers and this is a fact of history. What really matters is what happens next.

All too often, someone who has abandoned the church will return on a whim and expect to be received as though no time has passed. It is assumed that baptism, or even more commonly a church rite such as confirmation, guarantees an absolute, lifelong right to membership in the church, no matter what happens in between. Such an attitude must be recognized for what it is – sinful pride. It is taking the precious gifts of God and treating them as cheap toys to be used or discarded according to our whims.

Consider, instead, the prodigal son. When he reaches the lowest point in his life, he finally finds himself. He takes an honest assessment of his position and realizes what he has wasted. This realization is an activity of the Holy Spirit. The Law of God has acted on his heart to convict him of his sins – sins against God concerning morality, duty, and faith. He becomes acutely aware of his need for salvation and it is the Holy Spirit who directs him to the one place where he will find salvation – the household of faith, the household of his fathers.

But even then, he does not approach his father to demand his inclusion in the household as a son. He does not assert his rights as a son born of the father. He determines within himself to return home as a beggar, desiring to be treated as a servant. We aren’t even given an indication that he thinks he can work his way back into his position as a son. He sees the gravity of what he has done to his father and wants only the least of things his father has to offer. He is willing to spend the rest of his life as a slave for the sake of his salvation.

This is the humility all Christians must possess concerning our salvation. Truly, we are all beggars. We deserve nothing of what Christ has won for us. We have no “rights” to be asserted when it comes to God. The very fact we draw breath is an undeserved gift of God, for which it is our duty to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. It is His work alone that brings us together today and we should never forget this fact. We are poor, miserable sinners, who have been called into the glorious light of Christ by His grace and mercy alone.

This is also the humility in which the errant children of the church are to return to the house of faith. Sometimes, this humility must be taught. Sometimes, the child returns in pride and must be made to serve as a slave before he can be received as a son. We shouldn’t see this as mean or cruel, nor should such a child be treated poorly. But it is a fact because the prideful child has not realized the danger in which he has put himself. He does not see the depth of his sin nor his need for a Savior. The Law must first do its work to crush the sinful heart before Christ enters in to heal the wounded heart.

Speaking of receiving a child back into the faith, we must now turn our attention to the father. He has clearly been anxiously awaiting the return of his son. He sees him from far away and runs to greet him. That means that the father has been diligently praying for his son, hoping for the day when the Lord would accomplish his work of returning the lost sheep to the fold.

What does that mean for parents of errant children? First it means that prayer is your mightiest weapon in the battle for the souls of your children. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the hearts of man and the Lord has promised to hear your prayers.

Second, it means to never stop talking to your children about Christ – not just the good stuff, not just that Jesus loves them, but also warning them about the dangers of such worldly, prodigal living. When they come to visit, insist on doing devotions. Keep your routine regular when they are in your household. It is up to them to sit in another room while you read the scriptures and pray. Insist on going to church. Even when you go to visit them, find the local LCMS church and insist on going. Don’t just passively tell them you are going to church on Sunday. Make them actively refuse your offer.

Finally, remember that it is the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the hearts of men. Apostacy is a truth in the church and you cannot be responsible for the soul of another. As I said, there are often feelings of guilt associated with errant children, but you must remember that this is something out of your hands. If you did err in the raising of your children, there is forgiveness. When I said that repentance is in order for both those of us who have spent time outside of the church and those with prodigal children, I meant the word “repentance” in its proper sense – sorrow over sin and faith that Christ has died and risen to forgive that sin.

Take heart, you who have remained in the household of your Father. All that the Father has is yours and has been given to you to be used. The gifts of Christ – His Word, Sacraments, prayer, repentance, forgiveness – these are your inheritance to be used according to His Word and command. So long as you are in the household of faith, make use of the treasures you’ve been given. And encourage others to return to the fold, for there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Third Sunday after Trinity

The Third Sunday after Trinity – July 3, 2022

Psalm 25; Micah 7:18-20; 1 Peter 5:6-11

St. Luke 15:1-32

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 8^th 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 8^th 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 8^th 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 8^th 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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[1] St. Luke 15:2.

[2] Martin Luther, Small Catechism.

[3] 1 Peter 5:8; Genesis 4:7.

[4] 1 Peter 5:8-9.

[5] 1 John 2:9-11.

[6] Micah 7:18.

[7] Micah 7:18.