Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Every
once in a while I see an Amber Alert go out on the news or make its way through
the social media. A lost child is one of
the scariest things a parent can go through.
The child is no longer in the safe confines of their home, no longer
under the watchful eye of his mom and dad but has wandered off, or worse, been
abducted. When a child is “lost” it
doesn’t just mean that the child simply can’t be found, like a set of keys, but
that the child is in imminent danger. An
Amber Alert means that this lost child, who’s in danger, is number one
priority. All other things are dropped
and the lost child is searched for until he’s found.
Such
is it for us lost sinners. Jesus seeks
us, chases after us, lights a lamp and searches diligently for us, whose
eternal lives are in imminent danger. He
finds us in His Word, picks us up and desperately wills to bring us home. He lavishes upon wayward sinners exorbitant
grace and bubbles over with joy over one sinner who was lost but is found -
over the sinner who repents and believes.
In
our text there are two groups of people. One repentant, the other unrepentant. Both are sinners. Both have need
to repent. In accordance with the Law,
they both fall short; but one group knows this of themselves, the other
doesn’t. One group is comprised of the
hearers of the Word. The other is
comprised of the grumblers. One group
consists of the outcasts of society, the “untouchables” the ones you can’t be
seen with, let alone be caught breaking bread with. The other has a high standing in society the
nobles, the patriarchs, the honored. One
group seeks salvation from that which is outside of themselves, realizing that
nothing good lies within them. The other
seeks salvation within themselves, believing they’re good enough for God to
accept on their own merits. One group is
humble but is exalted by Jesus. The
other exalts themselves but are cast down by Jesus. One group is repentant of their sins. The other is believes they have no need to
repent. One group returns to their homes
justified. The other returns to their
homes condemned. One group is comprised
of the sheep that have been found and are laid on the Shepherd’s shoulders and
are brought home. The other are the
sheep that bite and kick and wiggle out of the shepherd’s loving embrace to go
their own way.
Our
text tells us, “Tax collectors and sinners
were all drawing near to hear Jesus.”
The sinners, the text says, but not just sinners, the really bad
sinners. The traitor tax collectors, the
slanders, the prostitutes, the adulterers, the thieves, the cheaters, the lazy,
the scum of the earth all gathered around Jesus for one reason. Not to revel in their sin, not to waste any
time denying their sins, not to make all sorts of excuses, but to hear His
Word; to place themselves under the Word of Jesus, repent and hold fast to the
forgiveness the our Lord gives… And the angels in heaven sing for joy over
their repentance and forgiveness.
They’re
the lost sheep who are helpless in finding their way back home. Lost sheep
whose lives are in peril, who are unable to save themselves. Lost sheep who have gone their own way. So
Jesus takes the initiative, leaves the 99 and searches diligently for the
sheep, the one who’s in danger of losing its life. He goes over hill and dale, valley and plain,
risking His own life to save His lost sheep.
Jesus didn’t come for the righteous but for sinners.
And
when the lost sheep is found and taken out in the dangerous place that he
thought to be fun and exciting, Jesus picks him up, places him on His shoulders
and carries him home. And upon finding
the lost sheep, He rejoices. He rejoices
greatly over the sheep that was lost and in peril but submits to the shepherd’s
Word and is carried home.
That’s
you! That’s what Jesus has done for us,
lost and condemned sinners. We take our
place with the scummy tax collectors and sinners. We take our place at the below the
nail-pierced feet of Jesus, not wasting time denying our sins, not making
excuses for them. Jesus has no interest
in excusing your sin, but He rejoices greatly in forgiving them.
We’ve
all been the sheep who have gone astray, who wanders off to taste the fruit
that looks good to the eye but is poison to the body and soul. With the tax collectors and sinners in the
text, we flock to Jesus, who receives sinners like you and me and dares to even
eat with us.
That’s
why we’re here, not because we’re good and holy, not because we’re the 99 who
never wander away. If you want to find
sick people you go to a hospital. If you
want to find a sinner go to a church – the hospital where the disease of sin is
diagnosed and the medicine of immortality is dispensed. We’re here, not because we’re good and
righteous but because we know our sinfulness, we see it every day in our
lives. We’re here, gathered with the
group of sinners who confess their sins, sending the angels into a joyful
hymn. We’re here to receive just what
those tax collectors and sinners were seeking – forgiveness from our Lord. To hear a Word of absolution from Him who
delights in hearing our confession and forgiving.
With
the sinners in the text, we gather at the feet of Jesus to hear His Word of
forgiveness; to hear, again, the dark and dangerous place that He went for us
wandering, sinful sheep. Jesus, seeking
to save the lost, laid down His life for you.
Took your grimy sinfulness upon Himself and claimed it as His own. He journeyed to the cross where He paid for
them with His blood; and in return for your sinfulness, He gives you His
righteousness. Oh, what a blessed
exchange it is!
The
Pharisees grumbled that Jesus would be associated with sinners. What foolishness Jesus is to the wise and
noble, to those who sit in the seat of scoffers, as the Psalmist puts it. But to us: the lame, the blind, the
adulterers, the cheats, the thieves, the gossips, Jesus is our salvation, our
Shepherd who brings us to the green pastures of Paradise. Repent and believe – this is for you.
So,
in case you missed it the first time, perk up your ears, these words are for those
who have come to Jesus burdened with a mound of sin, whose consciences are burdened
with guilt. Here are gold coins of
forgiveness coming your way. Grab hold
and receive it as your own; these words are for you and me, sinners that we
are. Hear, now, the voice of your
Shepherd: In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive
you all of your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.
Do
you hear that? Angels are singing. Jesus is laughing with delight. We’re a band of sinful misfits, but we’re a repentant,
forgiven and redeemed band of misfits.
Thanks be to Jesus, who gathers us repentant sinners unto Himself to
forgive and forgive completely by His blood shed on the cross for you. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life
everlasting. Amen.
