“All in for Us!”

Scripture: Luke 15:1-10

Last week, we considered the question “What does Christian faith mean to me?”, and we discovered that it means we must give it our all, that a shallow faith, a hollow faith, an on again-off again kind of faith just won’t do. As a matter of fact, we read in Revelation (3:16) that a lukewarm faith is even worse that no faith at all! Jesus spent his entire ministry showing the people that faith must be a condition of “all in”, and that anything less is the same as “all out”.
Why would God expect so much from us? Could it be that unless we have given ourselves completely to him, our dedication is incomplete? Our focus on him is less than adequate? Remember that in Matthew 6:24, Jesus told the people that they can’t serve two masters – that they can only serve one, love only one.
We can love the world, or we can love the Lord – we can’t love both. And Jesus had to do this very thing, too – he couldn’t love glory and humanity at the same time, he couldn’t live in heaven and teach us at the same time, so he set it all aside for 33 years, and he came to teach us about relationships, to explain the path to glory for us, to redeem us from our sinfulness, to be the sacrifice that would free us from death, and to create a life in eternity for us.

The Church constantly reminds us that we must give our all to the Lord, because he gave us his all first!

Read Luke 15:1-2

That’s the difference between a life in the law and a life in faith – the law defines what condemns, while faith defines what redeems! That’s why the Pharisees, and other learned people throughout the ages, have always struggled with faith. Their vision was clouded with all that was wrong, and had no room for what was right.
You see, Jesus never let the law limit him or deter him or discourage him from reaching out to every person – the sick, the crippled, the rejected, the despised, the unworthy, the sinner. He sought the company of those who the world turned away, and he loved the very ones who others refused, and even feared, to love.

There is a story that one Easter morning, the local church was filled to the rafters with some of the best dressed people you will ever meet. Double breasted, 3 piece, and very expensive suits were worn by all of the men, the finest dresses and the most beautiful hats adorned all of the women, and every child in the church was decked out in their new clothes.
But just as worship was about to begin, a young man entered the sanctuary wearing the poorest and most tattered shirt and pants you had ever seen. He proceeded up the center aisle, looking first to one side, then the other, hoping to find a place to sit, but none were offered. He finally arrived at the front of the church, and with no seat in sight, he simply sat down on the floor.
A murmur began to run through the congregation, hoping that someone – ANYONE - would set this nere-do-well in his place. Just then, the elderly head usher began to hobble slowly down to the front of the church, and the people were all elated. “This man will let this upstart know just what is what!”
As the usher reached the front of the church, he bent down beside the young man, and the church became perfectly still, eager to hear the words of condemnation. Then this elderly man, dressed in his best suit, bent his knees and sat down next to the ragged visitor.
The pastor stood up to begin the service and said “Today’s text is from John 13: 34 - ‘I give you a new commandment, that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.’ And then he said ‘Our message for today is before you.’”

That is the extent that Jesus always went to in order to show love to those we refuse to love.

Read Luke 15:3-7

This is the first of three parables that Jesus told regarding the lost of earth, and you should know that being described as “sheep” should never be taken as a compliment! They are less than bright, they have a propensity to wander away from the flock, and when they eat, they put their heads down, and as long as there is something green in front of them, they keep eating, And to make matters worse, shepherds were, themselves, far from being a respectable segment of society. They were dirty, smelly, and because they almost always had blood on them, they were considered religiously “unclean”. And these are the images that he offers – that of shepherd which Jesus would take for himself, and that of “sheep” which he assigns to us.

And why not? Those are the very thoughts that many in the world have of the Lord and his followers. Jesus is hated, despised, rejected, and ridiculed by the world, when he could just as easily have retained glory and honor and praise in heaven, and those who follow him get the same. But his time here was not spent in vain – he came to save the lost of earth, and rejoices over every single one who allows him to carry them to safety.

But who are those ninety nine? Jesus is most likely making this connection to the Pharisees. He has turned the tables on those “holy and righteous men” of Israel, and is now telling them that God will leave those who think that they have gained God’s pleasure by being good, and is now going to help those who are willing to acknowledge that they are not who and what they should be.

And the Pharisees must have cringed! Not only has Jesus set God in the place of a despised shepherd, but he lets them know that God finds no joy in them! And notice that the Shepherd never returns to the flock – he goes to celebrate with the one that is found.
Outcasts 1, Righteous 0.

Read Luke 15:8-10

The woman discovers that one of her coins is missing. It may have been her only savings, and may even have been what was left of her dowry. It wasn’t worth a lot of money – perhaps a day’s wages, but it was worth a lot to her.
The houses in that day would be extremely simple – one door, generally one room, and it may have had a window. It was dark and barren, and a coin could have blended in very well with the dirt floor. So she does three things – first, she lights a lamp, then she sweeps the floor, and finally, she searches diligently.
Remember that Jesus’ parables, while they always had an earthly component, were also intended to have a spiritual context to them. In this case, consider that we are the coin, and the Lord is the woman.
- She lights a lamp – Luke 1:79 reads “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.” The Light of God comes into the world, but unless we allow him to shine on our lives, we can, by our own decision, choose to remain in the dark.
- she sweeps the house – the Light reveals a lot of clutter and useless objects, and Jesus comes to cleanse our lives of everything that is worthless.
- she searches carefully until she finds it – God never ceases to search for the lost of earth, and will continue to do so right up until the day of reckoning.

And just as in the previous parable, the woman calls out to those who will celebrate with her, and seems to completely forget the other 10 coins. The ninety nine sheep, and the nine coins bring no joy, but the one that was found in each story deserved the joy of all who would understand.

Interestingly, these stories make no followup mention of either the rest of the flock or the 9 remaining coins – they simply drop out of context. The parables are not only about the redemptive act that found the lost, but also is a subtle call - a reminder - to the rest, that rejoicing is only for the found, and not for the smug and self-secure.

Jesus gave up everything for the people of earth – the wealthy and the poor, the righteous and the sinful, the ninety nine as well as the one. He surrendered his Godliness in exchange for humanness; he set honor aside so that he might be hated and beaten; he traded glory for pain; and he gave his life so that others might live. There was no one that was hated by the Lord, no one who asked was shut out, no one was turned away from his grace, no one was deemed unworthy of his mercy, and no one had to prove themselves to him. He is the proof of salvation for the world.

Who are we? Are we the “Good Samaritan”, or the righteous ones who passed by on the other side of the road? (Luke 10:30-35) Are we the ninety nine who are content with who we are, or are we prepared to admit that we have wandered away and don’t know the way home? Are we the hundreds who sit smugly in the honors that we have gained, or the one who went to show love to the outcast?

What does Christian faith mean to you? Do you give your all for others in the example of Jesus Christ, or do you live self-assured and confident in the example of the Pharisees?
Remember Micah 6:8 – “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humble with your God.”
Are the angels rejoicing over you? If not, why not?