I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. 

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

- Luke 15:1-10

Yesterday we read that at this point in His ministry, great multitudes went with Jesus.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.  Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  My study bible notes that fellowship with sinners defiled pious Jews.    That this event comes so closely to Jesus' dinner at the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees gives us an illustration of the parable He told there:  of the man who gave a great supper and invited many, but then began to hear excuses (see Monday's reading).  Finally, Jesus taught, he gave orders to his servants:  "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind."  These possibly repentant sinners are likened spiritually to the poor, maimed, lame, and blind who truly desire the supper -- and spiritual healing -- Christ offers.

So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  In response to the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus tells three parables -- two of which are given in today's reading.   In the three parables are a man (in this one), a woman (the next verses), and the father (in tomorrow's lectionary reading).  My study bible cites Ambrose of Milan, who sees the three as representing Christ, the Church, and God the Father:  "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."  In the spiritual interpretation traditional among Church Fathers, the hundred sheep are representative of all rational creation.  The one who goes astray symbolizes humankind, while the ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.  The image, however, is clear:  if those who are "perfect" feel they have no need of repentance or Christ's ministry, He will go to those who were lost, the repentant sinners who flock to Him.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  My study bible explains here that ten silver coins comprise a single necklace worn by a married woman, a bride, which is an image of the Church (Ephesians 5:32).  The lost coin (Greek drachma) had an image of the king upon it.  It symbolizes human beings, who, although bearing the image of God, fell from grace.  Through the Church, my study bible says, Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation.  Once again, we notice the emphasis by Jesus on even "one sinner who repents," giving the scribes and Pharisees their answer. 

What a fascinating ministry.  Christ has taught throughout the cities and towns of Galilee, and is so well-known by now that great multitudes follow Him.  In fact, His ministry is drawing to a close, as He has already set His face for Jerusalem.  He has also told His apostles that He will be rejected, and suffer, be killed, and on the third day rise again.  The plan for His "exodus" has already been set.  In the past several readings, Jesus has let it be known in the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees that He understands He will be rejected, but that Judgment belongs to the One whom they do not recognize.  He has warned them of the importance of humility, which they lack.  Jesus' words in the parable of the Great Supper regarding the seeking out of the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind come to fruition in His ministry, as now "all the tax collectors and the sinners" draw near to Him to hear Him.  What kind of ministry is this, that it is the imperfect and the "less than" who draw near to hear Him?  That such notorious sinners as tax collectors, seen as betraying their own people and using unjust methods of extortion and violence in their ways of making money, should follow Him would seem a kind of embarrassment, a scandal.  But embarrassment and scandal are strangely an intrinsic part of Christ's mission and ministry.  The greatest scandal, of course, will be the Cross itself, and Jesus rejected and given up to the Romans by the religious establishment, the leaders of the people.  But there are other ways to think of scandal and shame, and Jesus names something very particular when He speaks of discipleship.  Strange to contrast Jesus' strict words about discipleship in yesterday's reading (above), and the drawing to Him of sinners and tax collectors.  But discipleship is the spiritual cure for spiritual ailments.  In chapter 9, after speaking about taking up one's own cross, Jesus teaches, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels."  The emphasis on humility is clear, and the shame that may be assigned to Him and His ministry named openly.  Those who would seek to gain the whole world are not those whom He expects to remain with Him.  Rather He calls us to the Cross, to our own crosses, to a different life in which humility is key, as there will always be some "shame" to be borne of those who find they must turn away from the worldly things one could sacrifice one's life for in order to find that life He offers.  These sinners and tax collectors who draw near to hear Jesus perhaps understand better than those who've never stumbled what it is to lose something precious, while Jesus offers them His sense that they themselves are precious to Him, to God.  It is a strange paradox indeed, that in losing our lives we save them, and in taking up our own crosses, we imitate Him in His hour of glory (see John 12:23-26).  It is in this place of "shame" that God's love is expressed through Christ, in that salvation is held out to those who were lost, those who may recognize their need for repentance and change, and the supreme gift in the offer of Christ for redemption and above all, God's love and value.  Jesus wisely teaches, "To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (see 7:36-50).  But then, if we are already perfect and have no shame, we have so little to forgive.   Let us understand that we are all little children before an exceedingly loving Creator who bears our shame for us -- regardless of what form that may take in human society -- so that we may be always with Him.