“Sinners” (Luke 15:1-10)

Luke 15:1-10
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Psalm 51

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“Sinners,” Luke 15:1-10
Pastor Tom Johnson, September 15, 2019

Tax collectors and sinners were drawn to Jesus and his teaching. When they came to meet him and listen to him, Jesus welcomed them. He invited them to his table. He ate and drank with them. But the Pharisees and scribes are not amused. What is meant as a criticism—“This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them”—is also an insult. But Jesus wears it like a badge of honor. His message draws in sinners. And that brings Jesus joy.

Jesus tells three parables of lost things. The first two are in our reading: the lost sheep and lost coin. The third is the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells these stories so that the Pharisees and scribes will understand their sin of judging others. He wants them to celebrate when people find forgiveness and the fresh start God brings. That is why each parable invites us to celebrate what was lost—the sheep, the coin, and the son. “Rejoice with me!” Jesus calls us to join the angels of heaven, himself, and God the Father to celebrate lost souls being found.

Jesus wants us to stop judging others—pointing the finger at someone else and calling them a sinner. When we do that, we are telling them and the world that they do not deserve God’s attention. They are not worthy of God’s love. It is a sad irony that so much harm has been done in the name of Jesus and in the name of Christianity—when we stand in judgment of another human being and label them a sinner—or call our world or our culture the enemies of God. We have forgotten—or not yet realized—that we are all sinners. King David in our Psalm today says, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only [O Lord] have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”

The Apostle Paul says that “Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.” How can Paul call himself the chief of sinners? Because Paul knows just how extensive the poison was which lurked in his own heart. Other people cannot see our hidden sin, shame, and guilt. But Paul is also able to empathize with himself. He says that he lived a destructive life because of his ignorance. He did not realize the full extent of his own broken spirit and the damage he was doing to others and to himself.

Jesus himself said on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” They did not realize they were crucifying the Lord of glory. They did not know they were executing the true Messiah and hope of the nations. There is great freedom in coming to terms with our sinful condition. There is hope when we discover just how shattered our lives can be. There is joy in knowing how profound wickedness has poisoned our lives and our hearts.

One pastor said, “Cheer up! You’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you’re more loved than you ever dared hope” (Jack Miller). Corrie Ten Boom who hid Jewish families from Nazis in the Netherlands said, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” King David, the Apostle Paul, and the tax collectors and sinners all had the same condition and the same confession. They said, “I am a sinner.” St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland said in his confession—his first two words—“Patrick, sinner.” As the prophet Isaiah said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  It is why we confess our sins together at the beginning of the service. We are all sinners. God loves sinners. He empathizes with our ignorance. He extends mercy, not judgment. He offers forgiveness, not condemnation.

There is a dark relief in finding out what the disease that has been plaguing you all these years is. Finally, we know what is making us feel sick, tired, and hopeless. With a good physician, we will now have hope of getting better. In Christ, we do not just have the hope of getting better. We have the promise. Our sins are washed away by the water, the Word of God, and Holy Spirit. We come to the Font lost in our sins, we leave drenched with forgiveness. We come as sinners, we leave named royal daughters and sons of the God most high.

We stop calling others sinners, wicked, or enemies of God. Because that is who we all are. God pursues sinners. He welcomes and befriends sinners. He loves sinners. Sinners are his speciality! It is his joy. Christ died for sinners. And he rose again from the dead to give us victory over sin and death. We start believing that God can redeem the messiest of lives—including our own. We empathize with the ignorant because we too were once ignorant of the power of God. We are now ready to join the angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven to celebrate this Jesus who welcomes sinners and eats with them. The table is spread before you. The bread and wine have been prepared. Jesus welcomes us. He invites us to eat and drink with him. He gives us his own Body and Blood for spiritual food. He welcomes the lost to find ourselves safe and secure in the love of God.

Oh how blessed it is to know:
Were as scarlet my transgression,
It shall be as white as snow
By thy blood and bitter passion;
For these words I now believe:
Jesus sinners doth receive.                            (“Jesus Sinners Doth Receive,” LSB 609 v. 5)