In the opening verses to the familiar parables of the lost sheep, lost coin,
and lost son, two contrasting groups in Jesus' audience establish a profound
dilemma: For what reason does Jesus' ministry occur? Emerging from that question
comes another: For what reason does the ministry of the Church exist? One
of the two groups introduced in the opening verse is comprised of "tax
collectors and sinners." This group denotes those persons whose lifestyle
brings them consistently into direct contact with those outside of the religious
community, particularly with Roman officials. It would include persons such
as prostitutes, pig herders, and persons who gather tariffs and taxes on behalf
of the Romans. The other group is comprised of "Pharisees and scribes"
(KJV). This group denotes those persons whose life has been devoted to the
preservation of the religious community. This group has committed its life
to protecting the religious community from the spoiling influences that stand
outside.
The irony of the setting is found in the group that comes to hear Jesus--those
persons outside of the religious community. Rather than turning this group
away, Jesus welcomes (prosdechomai--accepts, holds, or receives) them to himself.
As a result of Jesus' response, those whose lives have been committed to preserving
the separateness of the religious community become furious and begin to complain.
In response to the complaint Jesus responds with three parables.
The parable of the lost sheep appears to make absolute sense on the surface.
One out of a hundred sheep leaves the fold; the shepherd seeks the lost sheep
until he finds it; with great care and joy, he brings it back to his home;
and a celebration with friends and neighbors follows. However, while the parable
appears to make sense on its first hearing, true to the nature of parables
it ultimately makes no sense whatsoever. With the phrase "leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness" (NRSV), Jesus presents an economy that makes absolutely
no sense in the dominant culture that values "bigger as better"
and that promotes "save as much as you can." Leaving 99 sheep (that
require constant care and oversight) in the wide-open, dangerous wilderness
makes no economic sense. One should simply count the loss of the 1 and be
thankful that 99 are still in the fold.
The only way for such a story to make sense is to hear it from a perspective
other than "Bigger is better." What is provided by Jesus in this
parable is not merely a rearrangement of values but an entirely new set of
lenses from which to view His mission. Value is no longer seen in the simple
preservation of the 99 but in the restoration of the 1. From this perspective,
cause for celebration is grounded not in an overcrowded field of safe sheep
but in the discovery, healing, and homecoming of the 1 lost sheep. In such
an economy, the economy of the Kingdom, priorities are turned upside down,
and values are rearranged. In this Kingdom's economy, meals are eaten with
sinners, and tax collectors are welcomed!
Perhaps no more crucial question can be asked of any institution than "Why
do we exist?" Behind this question lies mission statements, objectives,
and goals. In front of this question lies the assessment of just how a mission,
an objective, or a set of goals is being accomplished. The people of God likewise
face this crucial question. Particularly in relationship to the world and
its dominant cultures, why has God created a community? As a people "set
apart" for God's use, how is the Church to relate to the world in which
it lives? Are we to build defensive walls to protect ourselves from the outside?
Are we to blend in with the very world in which we live so as not to stand
out?
God's answer to this dilemma rests not in a list of "How-tos" or
a pamphlet of "What to dos." God's answer is found in a person--Jesus
Christ. In Jesus we see an alternative perspective that utterly rearranges
what is of value and significance. In Jesus Christ we discover that life is
found not by preserving it but by giving it away!
Like Jesus, we are called to view life from a completely different perspective.
Looking from the perspective of Jesus, our focus moves from crowding a church
building with saints to entering the wide-open country where lost sheep are
roaming. Participating in the passion of Jesus, we will not stop short when
our search has been unsuccessful or has encountered obstacles; we will search
until the sheep are found. Sharing the priorities of Jesus, the cause for
celebration will rest not in maintaining and preserving, but finding and bringing
home!
(For a full manuscript of this sermon, go to www.preachersmagazine.org.)
This sermon might begin with the dilemma facing many local churches today:
Why do we exist? What is our purpose? Several possible suggestions may be
given. In this dilemma, we are encountered by the text.
The sermon could proceed to describe the two groups that have gathered around
Jesus--ultimately insiders and outsiders. Description of their contrasting
natures could be given. Ultimately, the dilemma that we face today as the
Body of Christ is found in the grumbling of the religious crowd. At the heart
of their grumbling is the question: "Why is Jesus here? What is His purpose?"
To that question, the parable of the lost sheep is told. The sermon might
continue by retelling the parable as it is recounted on face value. Once the
parable is told, the preacher might then make the observation: "On face
value, this parable seems to make so much sense. But it doesn't. In fact,
it makes no economic sense at all." A contemporary illustration might
even be given of a car salesman who has one car stolen leaving the other cars
on the lot (with doors unlocked and keys in the ignition) to find the stolen
car.
The final movement of the sermon would describe the manner in which this parable
turns priorities and values upside down. It only makes sense if the great
purpose of the shepherd is not simply in preserving the sheep in the sheepfold
(although the parable is certainly not talking about their neglect) but in
finding the one sheep that was lost. At the heart of Jesus, and at the heart
of His people, is a passion for lost sheep and the desire to see lost sheep
restored.
