Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!

 

 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 there 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 stage in Christ's ministry, great multitudes went with Him.  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."   Our reading begins with the criticism (or complaint) of the Pharisees and the scribes against Jesus, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."   My study Bible comments that fellowship with sinners defiled pious Jews.  Jesus responds with three parables in this chapter as His answer to this complaint.  The parables that follow (two in today's reading; and another in tomorrow's, which is the parable of the Prodigal or Lost Son) are seen by St. Ambrose of Milan as representing Christ, the Church, and God the Father.  He comments, "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."

 

 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 there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  In the spiritual interpretation in patristic commentary, these hundred sheep represent all rational creation, says my study Bible.  In this perspective, the one sheep who goes astray is symbolic of human beings, and the ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.   In this understanding, Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth. 

"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 comments 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 (in Greek δραχμή, a drachma) carried an image of the king.  Symbolizing humankind, who, although we bear 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.  

The images Jesus gives in the parables we find in today's reading all speak to us of completion.  The necklace of the ten coins is simply not complete without the missing tenth coin.  Without that coin, it's not just a diminished necklace or even a broken one.  The implication is that it is no longer the bridal necklace for a married woman, it's not the necklace proper to who she is.  The same is true of the missing sheep.  Christ's implication is that without that missing sheep, and even having the ninety-nine, the flock is not full, it's not complete -- and God asks always for fullness, completeness, the fullness of God's creation and plan.  It's tells us that fullness is part of God's reality, God's identity.  If something is not full in the sense of completeness, it is not of the nature of God, our Creator.  The fullness of time, in this sense, is something else implied in these parables.  If Christ has come into the world to search for the lost sheep, to reclaim that which has been lost, He has come even as Physician, to heal those who are sick and in need, to create the fullness of the healing of humanity by calling sinners to repentance (see Luke 5:30-32).   All of this implies that the fullness of time is part of the necessary understanding of Christ's mission and what He is doing as the incarnate Jesus in the world.  This is a mission in which the central point is the culmination of the worldly ministry in the Cross and Resurrection, but the fullness of that mission is only seen through the fullness of creation.  What we might understand from this is that we need to understand our Lord as the One who seeks us with a need that is beyond what we can even understand, because if indeed we are so ultimately necessary that He would seek out the one stray and leave the ninety-nine, that the necklace is simply not complete without that missing coin, then each of us has a kind of belonging in God's love that is impossible for us to calculate.  This is because only God really knows what the fullness of God's creation is, and is supposed to be.  Only the Lord knows our purpose and calling in that ultimate fullness of what hope lies in creation, and particularly in the creation of human beings.  What these parables illustrate also is the heart of God, because it is God who seeks us, and who suggests to us that without every one of us, God feels this deep need to call us back, to come and seek and find us, to call us to repentance, to return God's love (for this is really the meaning of repentance).  In fact, perhaps the deepest form of unrequited love, beyond anything that you or I could understand through our own painful experiences, might be the love that God has for us -- so often have prophets been sent, and Christ Himself was sent, to call us back to God.  Here is a parallel mystery, that God loves us so much that God will not be content without our love which must be given freely, not coerced or compelled, for without freedom there is no love.  We have that freedom to stray because of God's love for us, for God wants us from our whole hearts, a returned love freely given.  If we want to understand Christ's suffering to come, let us understand the Cross in this light, "for God so loved the world" that the Son will suffer and die and undergo human death to call us back with His whole heart -- with a love so great it's beyond our knowing.  Jesus tells us that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  The joy of this completeness is rooted in God's love for each one of us.

 

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance

 

 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 there 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 Christ's ministry, great multitudes went with Him.  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 -- least, 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 comments here that fellowship with sinners was considered defiling to pious Jews.  Jesus answers the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes with three parables in this chapter. Two are found in today's reading:  that of the man with the lost sheep, and the woman with the silver coins.  The third will be found in tomorrow's reading, the father of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32).  Taken together, these three parables are seen as representing Christ, the Church, and God the Father.  St. Ambrose of Milan writes, "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."

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 there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  According to my study Bible, in the patristic spiritual interpretation of this parable, the hundred sheep represent all rational creation.  The one sheep who goes astray is a symbol of humankind.  The ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.  Moreover, my study Bible also comments on the same parable found in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 18:12-14), noting that unlike earthly shepherds, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it.  In this interpretation, the ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God.

"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 comments that ten silver coins comprise a single necklace worn by a married woman.  This is a bride, an image of the Church (Ephesians 5:32).  The lost coin (in the Greek of the text, this is a drachma/δραχμή).  It carried the image of the king, symbolizing human beings, who, through bearing the image of God, fell from grace.  Through the Church, Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation.  

If we look at today's two parables, they might not make perfect sense in purely material terms.  Would a shepherd leave ninety-nine sheep behind in the wilderness?  Would a woman call her friends and neighbors and have a party because she found a lost silver piece from her necklace?  We could ask ourselves those questions, but the parables are meant to illustrate God's action with regard to "lost" human beings.  In some sense, we are reminded of the story of the Gadarene demoniac, which we read in chapter 8 of Luke's Gospel.  If we look at the context and the full passage (Luke 8:22-39), we'll recall that Jesus sailed with the disciples across a very stormy and windy Sea of Galilee to come to the forsaken place where the demoniac (called "Legion") lived among the tombs.  This, too, is an illustration of the type of actions Jesus reveals in the two parables of today's reading.  These are meant to illustrate God's actions seeking out those who are lost, that they may return to God.  To put it in the context of characteristics of God, we might look at these stories and say that what they illustrate is the power and effect of love.  The rejoicing of the housewife, the willingness to leave at risk the other sheep, the sheer effort and risk taken by Christ and the disciples to effectively create a healing and salvation for the man occupied by a Legion of demons -- all of these things are illustrations of what love does and can do in our lives and in our world.  They illustrate the risks we're willing to take for those whom we love, for what is precious to you beyond material measure.  This is not a question of counting membership numbers in the Church, but of the love of God for those straying from communion with God, and the deep desire of love to return to the union of relationship, and participation in the Kingdom.  If we think about it, God's desire to "save" isn't just about wanting the return of those whom God loves, but also about restoring their place in creation, preserving their souls.   The gift of the Kingdom is far more than simply God desiring something for us; God is perfect within God's own Being.  But the love for us becomes a love that desires what is best for us, what is good for us, preserving and life-giving, and the fullness of life possible for human beings of an eternal nature.  This is the gift of salvation, for which Christ was Incarnate in the world, which His life offered for us.  But these parables illustrate for us the overwhelming love of God, which overshadows all other characteristics and considerations, for God is love.   This is our hope, and it is in this love that we put our faith and trust.  The joy in heaven is an expression of this all-surpassing love.

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

 

Christ the Shepherd with the lost sheep.  Roman Catacombs, 3rd century

 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 there 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, swept 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 time in Christ's ministry, great multitudes went with Him.  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 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."   Regarding today's entire passage, my study bible explains that for pious Jews, fellowship with sinners was defiling.  What follows in Christ's response to the Pharisees and scribes are three parables giving the image of a man, a woman and the father (this third parable is recorded in the verses in tomorrow's lectionary reading).  These are seen as representing Christ, the Church, and God the Father.  My study bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ carries the sinners, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."

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 there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."   There is a spiritual interpretation of this parable in patristic commentary:  the hundred sheep represent all rational creation.  The one sheep who goes astray symbolizes humankind.  The ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.  

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, swept 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 comments that ten silver coins comprise a single necklace worn by a married woman -- a bride, which is an image of the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).  The lost coin (in Greek, a drachma) carried the image of the king.  My study bible says this image symbolizes human beings, who, although bearing the image of God, fell from grace.  Through the Church, Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation.

Christ's parables are about longing, a depth of love, and especially a deep understanding of incompleteness without the missing sheep, or the missing coin.  These are images that give us a sense that it is the whole of humanity with which Jesus is concerned, the whole of His creation for which He fervently desires redemption, salvation, and union -- a return back to love and communion with Creator.  We're given pictures of what constitutes a whole set:  not just the ninety-nine sheep, but the complete one hundred are so fervently desired that Christ would leave behind all rest in the wilderness to seek out the one.  The woman with the necklace of ten coins will go to great lengths to seek out the one that is missing and complete the set, reunited altogether, for her understanding is one of great urgency that one is missing.  Altogether, Jesus is expressing His great love for each one of us, even the ones who are lost or straying.  We don't earn God's love in this sense that we are unworthy of that love when we stray or sin.   God's love is God's prerogative, not up to us, and God's very nature is love.  Therefore, even when we sin, we ought to be assured that a return in humility and honesty is always going to be conditioned in that love.  That is to say, God is a parent whose love is unconditional.  That doesn't mean always approving of everything we do!  It means real love, One who wants what is best for us, and what is best for us is to be in communion with the One who loves us best, better than what we can understand.  When we see God's love in this light, we understand discipleship to be healing (as Christ speaks of Himself as physician in another such encounter - see Luke 5:30-31).  In the Revelation, the Lord says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19).  From Jesus' parables in today's reading, we can understand the ground of all of our reality is really the love of God, sustaining all, and all of us.  When we wonder why there is such evil in the world, perhaps we'd best turn to these parables to understand God's deep love and the time we're given in hopes of repentance and return.  I find myself reminded also of the story of the man who identified himself as Legion, for whom Christ set sail with the disciples across a frighteningly stormy Sea of Galilee, to a very strange place to find that man, occupied by a legion of demons and living among tombs, in order to heal him (see this reading).  Christ's ministry opened up grace for all of us, the Lord coming into the world to reclaim those who were lost, and seeking after each one.  The Spirit has been poured out upon the world, and we simply have to say yes to this deep invitation of love to all of us.  

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.

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 there 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 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 -- less, 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 disciples.  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 explains that "fellowship with sinners defiled pious Jews.  The three parables in this chapter are Christ's answer to the Pharisees and scribes."  The parables found in today's reading of the man with the sheep and the woman with the lost coin, together with the father of the prodigal son in tomorrow's reading, are seen as representing Christ, the Church, and God the Father.  Ambrose of Milan has written:  "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."

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 there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  A note tells us:  "In the Fathers' spiritual interpretation, the hundred sheep represent all rational creation.  The one sheep who goes astray symbolizes mankind, while the ninety-nine represent the angelic realm."

"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 that ten silver coins comprise a single necklace that would be worn by a married woman, a bride -- which is an image of the Church (Ephesians 5:32).  The lost coin, which in Greek is a drachma, carried the image of the king but symbolizes mankind.  We bear the image of God but mankind has fallen from grace.  Through the Church, Christ seeks to bring enlightenment to the world and sweeps away sin, finding His lost creation.

Christ's parables give us such vivid pictures of the way God works, the way Christ thinks -- each one yet another facet of the persona of God and thus the mission of the Church, Christ's vision of the Church He is establishing.  And, it's got to be a vision not just of the Church as a kind of institution or physical presence, a set of buildings, or even denominations.  His Church overall is a mystical reality; it is something that binds us together and has each of working as its "agents" so to speak; we each carry cathedrals within us and are responsible for bringing His light into the world ourselves.  One such essential facet for us to understand about mission is this incredible power of the parables He tells today, in which redemption -- lost and found -- is so exceptionally important to God who loves us.   We note the ninety-nine loyal sheep, and the one straying for whom all effort is put to work to return.  And there's the one coin that will complete the necklace, worth all the effect of sweeping and cleaning to recover.  But above all, in the character of God illustrated here and the power of this mystical Church, the tremendous rejoicing that occurs over just one who is beloved and reclaimed.  This is such an important way to understand the nature of God's church, Christ's love, the rejoicing of the angels, that we've been given several memorable parables to make it vivid in our understanding.  It's not meant to diminish the flock, or the rest of the coins in the necklace, or (as we'll find in tomorrow's reading) the good son who stayed behind with the father as opposed to the prodigal.  No, the searching for the lost represents a completion, those who are brought back to the fold, the coin that completes the necklace, the family reunited.  It is an illustration of great and tremendous love.  And this love is, above all else, what we can count on.  If we ever feel that we've strayed, the rejoicing is waiting for us simply to return:  return in prayer, return in one's heart, return for forgiveness and guidance and true leadership.  But most of all return to love that awaits.  This is unshakeable as a part of our faith, and the fact of this level of God's love is so powerful that millions and millions of faithful, living and dead, could testify to the experience of it, and more millions every day.  It is the rejoicing of heaven that we feel when we know that we are loved.   Wherever we are, we can turn in prayer and sincerity, and we will experience this love.  It may not even be something we recognize or know at once because we may not have ever experienced anything like it; but sooner or later, we will come to know.   Even in the longing we feel for God, we are reciprocating what is already there for us.