Preaching this text is to call for joy, joy for the fellowship that has been found, the fellowship that gathers together this very day.
Your hearers are introduced at the outset to two distinct responses to our Lord’s ministry, the tax collectors/sinners and the Pharisees/scribes. We are told the tax collectors and sinners are drawing near to Jesus in order to hear Him. This seems to flow from a faithful response to His admonition, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (14:35). On the other hand, the Pharisees and scribes are grumbling, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” The two reactions could not be more distinct, and perhaps a sermon on this text ought to dive into the DNA of your congregation. When do they draw near to listen? When do they rejoice in the presence of the Lord? When do they grumble? When do they take offence at His grace?
The parables that are told in this context guide us all to the proper response. In fact, it is the very response of the angels in Heaven to the compassion of Christ for the sinners of the world. I would suggest allowing the parables to take on a little life of their own. Describe the details of the events that unfold in ways your hearers can grasp. Picture the shepherd who comes back to the fold to discover that out of the hundred sheep, there are only ninety-nine. Ninety-nine is not bad, but what about the one that was lost? Where is it? Where could it have gone? Will it ever make it back on its own?
This shepherd does not let the one wander and die in the wilderness abandoned by its shepherd. No, he does what must be done. Without hesitation, he heads off in search of that one. Think here of the wayward member who has slowly pulled away from your fellowship. Imagine the sorts of distractions which could have caused them to get lost in the first place. Perhaps they got lured by the promises of riches in this world, the hope of finding identity, security, and meaning in the temporal promises of our age. It happens far more often than we would like to admit. Call the false hopes out, name them in your context. Who will go after those people? Who will seek to find them and bring them home? And more to the point, when one goes out to bring the lost home, who will rejoice and who will grumble?
This shepherd does not let the one wander and die in the wilderness abandoned by its shepherd.
So, our Shepherd goes forth to present a beautiful image of restoration. Kenneth Bailey gives this detail its proper weight:
“In this parable, Jesus is defending His welcome of sinners. This welcome involves restoration to a community. The wandering sheep must be brought back to the fold now gathered in the village. This, for any shepherd, has a price. The search has its price, but so does the act of restoration. In this theme of the burden of restoration, there are clear Christological implications which point in the direction of the passion. The shepherd must carry on his shoulders the burden of the lost sheep, a detail that is specifically mentioned. Without the shouldering of this burden, there is no restoration. This task the shepherd accepts with joy” (Kenneth Bailey, Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke, 153-54).
What our Lord is calling for is a community that rejoices over the sinner who repents. The parable of the lost coin hits this more directly. When the coin is found, there is a community celebration as she calls together her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her.
Preaching this text is to call for joy, joy for the fellowship that has been found, the fellowship that gathers together this very day. And the task for you is to inspire your hearers so their joy for their own salvation might move to rejoicing for the inclusion of other sinners who are lost and find themselves carried up on the shoulders of our Shepherd.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Luke 15:1–10.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Luke 15:1–10.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
