Forgetting No One

Luke 15:1-10; I Timothy 1:12-17

“Forgetting No One”

        Any of you remember the original Star Trek with Captain Kirk and Spock? It was on TV for three seasons before being cancelled. Star Trek was then sent to syndication where it found a whole new audience. Unfortunately it almost died a second death with its first attempt at the big screen. The original Star Trek movie was just awful. But then came Star Trek II and the rest is history. Perhaps you “remember” the critical scene where Spock rescues Bones, places a single message in the good doctor’s brain, then enters the core of the engine to prevent a melt down.  The ship is saved but Spock is overcome by radiation poisoning. As he dies, Spock’s last words to his grieving friend Jim are, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.”  

        There are so many ways that I could place that message on top of any scripture and it would preach. The very heart of our faith is based on the grace of God being clearly understood through the death and the resurrection of Christ. One died for the needs of the many. That said, Jesus tells a parable that seem to dismantle the logic in Spock’s words. 

        A shepherd has 100 sheep. Nightfall is approaching and it is time to return the sheep to the safety of their corral. As they approach the stable, a count is taken. The shepherd can only account for 99 sheep. A second count is taken and the results remain the same. So the shepherd heads back into the hills. To return to the hills at night is dangerous. Chances of finding the sheep are slim to none. Truth is, the animal wandered off and it is its own fault that is now in a world of trouble. Logic would say go back and take care of the ninety-nine. But the shepherd persists until the animal is located and brought safely home.

        Here is the strange part. Once the animal is found, all the neighbors are invited over for a big party. Food is cooked, wine shared and the party cost a lot more than the sheep was worth.  Perhaps they even roasted one of the other ninety-nine. But that is hardly the point.  The sheep was found and joy abounded.

        What happened to, “The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one?” It seems almost immoral to suggest the needs of one person should always be considered over the safety of the many. If we read the parable in this manner, I think we are missing the point. Jesus is not ignoring the needs of the many. The other sheep were safe, at least until the party started. Searching for the one did not jeopardize the ninety-nine.

        But the bigger question is, “Who is the one?” The text begins with these words. “Tax collectors and sinners were coming to listen to Jesus. The Pharisees began to grumble, “This fellow will eat with anyone.” If we are not careful, we could logically decide the sheep were the tax collectors. Certainly over and over again the text reminds us of God’s love for the displaced and the marginalized. As God’s chosen, we should venture out to find the lost and bring them home. I have no problem with this. But before you go running off into the countryside, let’s look at this story one more time and ask, “Who are the sheep?”

        The story begins, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Chances are pretty good Jesus is sitting with the Pharisees, having a good meal, when this comment is made. And there in lies the irony. The Pharisees looked at the tax collectors and calls them sinners but are unable to identify themselves in need of God’s mercy. Isn’t that the wonderful thing about sin? Sin is always what someone else is doing.  

        Need I remind you of the story of the Pharisee who looked at a fellow worshiper and prayed, “Thank-you God that I am not like him?” It is sort of like seeing someone begging for food and thinking, “Except by the grace of God that could be me.” What an incredible misunderstanding of grace.

        When Jesus was eating with the Pharisees and the tax collectors headed their way, Jesus was already sitting with sinners.  Proof of this comes from our second text in I Timothy. Paul writes, “I am grateful to Christ Jesus who offered mercy even though I was a blasphemer, persecutor and a man of violence.” Why would Paul use such words about himself?

        Before Paul was Paul, that is back when all his friends called him Saul, he was a man of position and power. Saul was well respected in his community. He was a man of learning. Saul was an expert the Torah and had probably been called on many times to interpret the text. We first encounter Saul not long after the day of Pentecost. The writer of the book of Acts tells us Saul held the cloaks of those that stoned Stephen. His rise to prominence was quick. People trusted Saul. They saw he had leadership qualities. He had the credentials. He was a Pharisee. There is no record of Saul having encountered Jesus but Saul knew and was trusted by the very men who had arranged the crucifixion of our Lord. Saul had gained so much respect among his peers he was selected to lead the persecution against the new church.  Sinners come in all shapes and sizes. Some are easy to identify. Others like the scribes and Pharisees are able to hide under the robes of good intentions and proper etiquette. The story of Saul only serves to remind us we are all lost sheep in need of God’s grace.

        The good news of this story is not that Paul wants to give us a biographical sketch of who he was as a lost sheep but rather who Paul became once he was found. The amazing part of the story is that Paul takes no credit for his transformation.  In other words, the grace of God is not a standard set aside for the privileged few but a gift from God by which we are all made righteous in the light of God. 

        I have often wondered, when did the lost sheep realize he was lost?  Perhaps the sheep was surprised when the shepherd showed up. It is amazing how much we enjoy sin and never think about its consequences.

        Perhaps the sheep knew it was in trouble but had no idea what to do next. I suspect we have all found ourselves in that sort of a pinch. Our declaration of self affirmation is, “God I don’t need you, God I don’t need you, God I don’t need you”, and then suddenly we cry out, “God where are you?”

        Perhaps the sheep wandered off because she never felt part of the flock.  Remember the story of Elphaba, the green Witch of the West in the musical Wicked.  She sings “Heads touch, eyes meet; sudden silence, sudden heat; hearts leap in a giddy whirl. She stops, looks at her green skin and continues, “He could be that boy, but I am not that girl.”  

        Amazingly, the good shepherd does not see as who we are but who we can become. The good shepherd sees beyond our past and into God’s present. Paul reflects this when he affirms, “Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am foremost.” And then what does the Good Shepherd do? The good shepherd celebrates and invites us to join in the celebration.

        This is the lesson that Paul learned. All have  sinned, yet all are embraced by God’s grace. This is lesson the Pharisees of all ages struggle to understand.  Luke 15 records a third parable by Jesus which moves from sheep to sinner. We learned it as children. In the story of the Prodigal Son the youngest is clearly operating outside the parameters of righteousness. He partied till the sun came up and then slept with pigs. Then he decides to go home. Prepared to be rejected, he writes a speech to plead his case. Before he can speak a word he is embraced by his father.  Of course you might also remember the older brother, the Pharisee, is outraged. He turned to the father and cried, “I have done everything perfect. I am without sin yet you have never thrown a party for me.”

        The father embraced the older son and said, “Your brother was dead and now he is alive.” What the father could have said was no one is without sin. But by celebrating the rebirth of your brother, perhaps we can also celebrate your rebirth.

Hear the Good News of this text!

God searches us out…. all of us…. and no one is excluded.

Then God invites us…... all of us……. to celebrate.

AND NO ONE IS EXCLUDED.

That is the mystery and the wonder of God’s grace.

Thanks be to God!