"The Critical Spirit of Self-righteousness"
Sermon Presented September 12, 2004
Luke 15:1-10
It seems like I misplace things more frequently these days. I hesitate to admit it because I don't want people to think I'm getting senile! A couple of months after moving to Milwaukee, my son D. A. asked a theological question and I started looking for the bulky file I had on that topic. I searched my file cabinets at home and at church. I looked in all the boxes in my storage unit at the apartment. I looked on the stage here at church. I checked my apartment closets and the closet at the office. I even sent e-mail to someone in Marysville to see if a box of files had been left at the parsonage. I didn't just check these areas once, I checked them many times and I never did find the material I was seeking. (I do hope some of you can relate!)
I can't tell you how many times I've wanted information from that file, all to no avail. The material is gone! I understand those representing God in the parables of our text. I know what it's like to look for that which is lost. I only wish I could always find what I lose!
The 15th chapter of Luke's Gospel contains three of Jesus' parables about lost items: a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. Our text contains the first two stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin. Jesus overhears the Pharisees and the scribes criticize him for his association with sinners - the unpopular, unclean and undesirable, and he tells these stories in response to their self-righteousness - and let me add - to our self-righteousness.
Luke 15:1-10 (read text)
Jesus is a master storyteller who leaves the details to our imaginations. We picture in our minds those who won't give up until the lost is found - the shepherd with his staff and the woman with her broom. His listeners are accustomed to thinking of a shepherd's staff as a symbol of divine protection. They know the 23rd Psalm. We can easily understand this image because we've seen artists' drawings of Jesus as the shepherd.
However, the picture of a woman with a broom is a very different image of God - both for Jesus' audience and for us. I would venture to say you've never seen an artist's drawing of Jesus with a broom sweeping the parlor. But in these two stories Jesus gives the staff and broom equal weight as tools to find the lost. Both men and women can relate because both are pictured as images of God. The only ones who don't understand are those for whom the stories were told - the religious leaders who set themselves above the crowd.
Let's consider the lost objects. A single sheep and a single coin have little intrinsic value and yet the one representing God seeks persistently until they are found. They have value to the one who lost them. The shepherd and the woman exert energy to find the lost - even though the lost aren't looking to be found. Those who are lost don't always realize they are lost. The self-righteous religious leaders with their critical spirits are a prime example.
The complaint of the religious leaders is that Jesus welcomes sinners and even eats with them. He speaks to the marginalized and gives them status. The ultimate sign of acceptance and inclusion in that culture is to eat with someone.
Unlike my embarrassment over losing something, the shepherd and the woman experience no such embarrassment. When the lost is found they want to celebrate with their friends and family. The joy of retrieving the lost overpowers the embarrassment of losing them in the first place. It's an occasion to celebrate!
Jesus doesn't just affirm the value of each person; he addresses the critical spirit of self-righteousness. He doesn't call the religious leaders "self-righteous" he tells stories and hopes they get the message. He doesn't pound the pulpit and proclaim their misplaced values, he eats with sinners and demonstrates God's way of inclusion. His message is good news to those who are lost.
What is of value to one of us may be of no value to another. A letter written by my son when he was in high school is valuable to me but not to you. The "sinners" were important to Jesus but not to the religious leaders. An important message of these parables is that all people are valuable to God. All are worth seeking!
Why do you suppose the ordinary people listened to Jesus? Could it be that they were hungry for fellowship, love and acceptance and were drawn magnetically to the one who lived this message? People want acceptance - whether it is in a family, a church, a club, a neighborhood, or a workplace.
I got rid of my Chicken Soup for the Soul books before I moved. (I had to get rid of some books!) However, I copied a story from one about a little boy who was drawn into a pet store by a "Puppies for Sale" sign. He asked the cost and when the owner said anywhere from $30 to $50, the child asked to see them.
The man smiled and whistled and out of the kennel ran Lady, followed by five tiny balls of fur. One puppy lagged behind. Immediately the boy spotted the limping puppy and asked what was wrong with it. The owner explained that it was born without a hip socket and would always be lame. The boy beamed and said he wanted to buy it. The owner replied that if he really wanted him, he could have him for nothing.
The child became visibly upset and said: "I don't want you to give him to me. That puppy is worth as much as the other dogs and I'll pay full price. I'll give you $2.37 now and 50 cents a week until I've paid for him."
The owner explained: "He will never be able to run and play like the other puppies," to which the boy reached down and pulled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted leg supported by a metal brace. The child said: "I don't run so well myself, and the puppy will need someone who understands."
When Jesus says that God searches until the lost are found, he says that the search gives value to those being sought. All people are valuable. The lame puppy received value when the child bought him.
A couple of weeks ago I told you about a man in my apartment complex who adopted a special needs teenager 23 years ago and continues to support him financially. I saw him again last week and told him that I used him as an illustration in a sermon because I was impressed with his act of caring. He explained that he did it in response to an article in a faith magazine about the need to care for those who can't care for themselves. This retired law professor cares for an adult with special needs and advocates for the marginalized of our society. He gives value to ones who are lost.
The lost sheep and coin weren't just separated from their owners (representing God); they were separated from the rest of the flock or the purse. They were like lost sinners who are out of touch with God and out of fellowship with God's children. When God reclaims the lost, they are joined to God's people as well as to God. That's a good reason to celebrate!
Some people can't celebrate because roots of bitterness dig deep within. The Pharisee in all of us pops up whenever we feel that God is too good to others and not good enough to us. Typically we want justice for everyone else and mercy for ourselves. But these parables call for us to celebrate with God over the return of the lost because God has been merciful not only to us but to others as well. To celebrate with God, we must also share in God's mercy.
A haunting Hebrew story goes like this: God appeared to a hardworking farmer and granted him three wishes, but with the condition that whatever God did for the farmer would be given doubly to his neighbor. The farmer first wished for a hundred head of cattle. Immediately he received a hundred cattle, and he was overjoyed until he saw that his neighbor now had two hundred. Next he wished for a hundred acres of land, and again he was filled with joy until he saw that his neighbor had 200 acres. Instead of celebrating God's goodness, the farmer was jealous because his neighbor had twice as much as he. Finally, he spoke his third wish: that God would strike him blind in one eye. And God wept!
The Pharisees exhibited a grudging spirit and didn't believe those outside their group warranted God's mercy. Only those who can celebrate God's grace to others can experience God's mercy themselves.
We think of the tax collectors and sinners as being the lost, but the Pharisees were just as lost and didn't know it. God calls us to celebrate the return of those separated from God and the Church - and this includes those who believe they are superior to others. God cares for all - all 100 sheep - all 10 coins - all people. This is the heart of the Gospel.
Who do you marginalize? Who do you exclude? What about those with pierced body parts or those wearing leather and chains? What about those of a different color, ethnicity, language, faith, societal group or political persuasion? What about those who exhibit a Pharisaic spirit? These stories are aimed at us - those who consider themselves religious - and those who have little familiarity with God. They are for those of us who grumble - those who seldom have a good word - those who resist change. We are the ones for whom the stories are told. For those with ears to hear, let us hear.
Source: Christian Century, September 7, 2004, p. 20
