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Let Us Rejoice And Celebrate
Scripture: : Exodus 32:7-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17;
Luke 15:1-10
In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus tells two parables about the lost and the found. In the rest of the chapter is
another similar story — the well known Parable of the Prodigal Son. In reflecting on all the lessons for today, the overall
picture cries out about God’s mercy. The first reading finds God very angry at the Hebrews. While Moses was up on the
mountain, the people, led by his brother Aaron, made a new god, a golden calf to worship. God is ready to destroy the
whole bunch. Moses was quickly brought down from his exaltation from speaking with God. He was probably embarrassed
and disappointed in his people. Rather than agreeing with God that they should be destroyed, he pleads with God,
reminding God that these were his chosen ones, the heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He asks for God to spare the
people, and was able to change God’s mind. Instead of the fiery wrath, God showed mercy to the Israelites. In our next
Scripture reading we hear Paul recalling to Bishop Timothy how God had shown Paul mercy. He points out that although he
was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence, he received mercy through the patience, love and forgiveness of
Jesus Christ.
Now let us focus on the Gospel and get a better understanding about why Jesus told these parables. The Pharisees
were grumbling about Jesus choice of companions. We’ve come across these Pharisees before. Most recently they were
upset with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were those men who believed their strict observance of the
Jewish Law separated them out from commoners. They were not clergy or hierarchy but a school of laity. I like John
Shea’s comments that Pharisee is “gospel code for a mindset stuck on externals: long robes with tassels, titles, places
of honor at the table”.* For the Pharisees, sinners were not only persons who broke the moral laws but also those who
did not maintain the ritual purity that they practiced.** What they were upset about this time was that Jesus welcomed
and even ate with tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors in those days were Jews hired by the Romans to collect
taxes from their fellow Jews at a commission. The more they collected the more money they made. They exploited their
people for this extra profit. Most likely in the group referred to as sinners were prostitutes and other outcasts,
possibly those who did not keep all the rules of the Pharisee’s religion. Many of these folks were leading
self-destructive lives, hurting themselves and others. So Jesus told these parables to try to educate the Pharisees
about what is really important. It wasn’t that the Pharisees were all wrong about these sinners; it was that they were
wrong about God.
Jesus first tells the parable of the Lost Sheep, very familiar to most of us. He talks about the shepherd that
left ninety-nine sheep and went searching for the one sheep that was lost. When he found the lost sheep he called his
friends together to celebrate. Addressing the Pharisees, Jesus says that “there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (v.7).
The next parable is about the lost coin. This is a poor woman. She only had 10 drachma, a silver coin that was
worth about a day’s pay. Even though the value of what was lost was small, the intensity of her search was extreme. She
does 3 things: lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it. She then calls in her friends
to rejoice with her. Jesus ends this parable with a similar point, saying that there will be joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one who repents.
Now we know that neither sheep nor coins can repent. This parable as explained by Culpepper in the New Interpreter’s
Bible is not for the purpose of “calling ‘sinners’ to repentance but at calling the ‘righteous’ to join the celebration.”
Jesus wants us all to know that God has never and will never turn her back on these sinners. And further more God will
never be satisfied until these people are found, brought into the kingdom. Jesus’ emphasis is on the joy that comes when
we see others doing well, finding what they have lost, receiving mercy from God or having good luck at accomplishing what
they desire.
The big question here is not about repentance but about joining the celebration. To borrow from the slogan, “No
justice, no peace”, for the Pharisees and for us: “No mercy, no celebration.” Those who are judgmental, who feel that
God is too good to others and not to us — especially when we try to keep all the rules and do everything required of us
as a responsible citizens and church members — will not be welcomed at the celebration. If we base our acceptance and
love of people on merit instead of mercy, we will not be part of the celebration.
There’s a story that Culpepper tells to show the begrudging spirit that prevents us from showing mercy to others.
This Jewish story tells of the good fortune of a hardworking farmer. The Lord appeared to this farmer and granted him
three wishes, but with the condition that whatever the Lord did for the farmer would be given double to his neighbor.
The farmer wished for a 100 cattle, which he got. He was overjoyed till he saw that his neighbor had 200. He wished for
a hundred acres of land. And the same thing happened — his neighbor got 200 acres. Rather than celebrating God’s goodness,
the farmer could not escape feeling jealous and slighted. Finally, he stated his third wish: that God would strike him
blind in one eye. And God wept.***
Those of you here today are worshipping God, attending Church. Most of you work hard to help this church run and
pay its bills. We gather here to follow Jesus and hopefully we will be renewed and strengthened so we will be able to
do what Jesus calls us to do when we go out the door: seek the lost, the lonely, the grieving, the sick, and the
hungry. There’s no doubt about it that Jesus cares tremendously about the ones who are not here today as well as we
who are here. Those we have given up on or forgotten are just the ones that Jesus is looking for and wants us to look
for.
In today’s parables Jesus has the shepherd and the woman as metaphors for God. It’s important to note that it is
God that takes the initiative. This is another example of how close the Spirit of God is to each of us and how strong
is God’s unrelenting love for all of us even when we have strayed away. This reminds me of a different kind of sheep
story I found on the Web. The writer said that sheep have very poor eyesight and are dependent on other sheep to
actually know where they are. If there is one sheep that the others don’t like, they just go silent and let that sheep
wander off. I wonder if we do that same thing in church. I wonder how many folks have wandered away from DCC, and the
church has remained silent. We have not gone to search for them. At the beginning of my pastorate here, I was given a
list of names that had wandered away. I reached out to most of them and some are here with us today. And that is
something for us to rejoice and celebrate. I wonder how many of you in the congregation make a point to search out
those whom you haven’t seen here lately. Why are they missing? Are they upset at the pastor? Did they feel that they
could not relate to the community here? Did they feel unworthy because of the kind of life they were leading? Maybe
they felt upset because the church was always asking for money and they did not feel they had money to give? Did they
feel lonely and uncared for? I know that this church does a good job of reaching out, but could we do better?
Remember what happens every time somebody who was lost gets found! Amazing grace! Rejoicing! Celebration! The joy
that happens when the lost is found is contagious; it’s a good reason to throw a party. I would like to think of every
Sunday being a celebration of those who have been lost and are now found. Remember that it may be you that God wants to
work through to find the lost ones. It is God’s purpose to save, to heal those that are wounded, to forgive the guilty,
to bring peace to those in conflict, to comfort the grieving, to give hope to those who are in despair. I pray that
each of us will be instruments of God’s mercy. Let’s rejoice and celebrate. Amen.
*John Shea. Gospel Light. 83.
**R. Alan Culpepper, New Interpreters Bible.
***Ibid. 298.
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