Leap Of Faith

LEAP OF FAITH

LUKE 15:1-7

#FATHERSDAY2022

INTRODUCTION

https://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/despicable-me/leap-of-faith (1:51)

This scene is from Despicable Me (2010, Universal Pictures). The animated movie is about Felonious Gru, a super-villain who adopts three girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, from an orphanage to try and steal a shrink ray from his rival villain Vector, in order to shrink and steal the Moon. He ends up bonding with the three girls and they soften his heart. His rival villain, Vector, eventually kidnaps the three girls and tries to foil all of Gru’s plans. He must save them.

In the scene, Gru is chasing down Vector in an attempt to get his girls back. He says very clearly, “I will catch you, and I will never let you go again.” Little Margo takes a leap of faith and of course there are complications. He catches her, aided by his ever-present minions, and saves the girls and eventually the moon.

Despicable Me (2010) is not the only adventure of Gru and the girls. There are several sequels and spinoffs and even new movies coming out in the near future. Gru becomes the adoptive father to these three girls and through the movies you see a change in him as be embraces fatherhood.

Fatherhood is our topic today because it is the third Sunday in June, and since the 1960s and 1970s, it is a national holiday and a chance for us to focus on fatherhood in the Church. Like motherhood, this is a worthy topic to focus on and encourage and talk about. I always try not only to highlight Mother’s Day, but Father’s Day as well.

The clip that we watched from ‘Despicable Me’ immediately brought a specific passage of Scripture to mind. I will say that the Holy Spirit was prompting me because I’m not sure I would have thought of this passage otherwise. Let’s read the passage that popped into my head as Gru was standing there with his arms outstretched to Margo promising her that he would catch her. He kept his promise. He catch-ted her.

READ LUKE 15:1-7 (ESV)

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

THE SETTING OF THE PARABLE (VERSES 1-2)

The first truth we notice in this passage is that Jesus Christ was rarely simple or basic in His explanations of spiritual matters. Jesus often answered questions with questions. Jesus at times used exaggeration to shock listeners and make a point. Jesus taught in parables where you have to think and dig for the answers. Jesus was a fan of ‘not giving straight answers.’

In this passage, a situation was brewing around Jesus which required a parable. Jesus was travelling and teaching and doing miracles and tons of people were noticing. Lots of people from all different walks of life were noticing. Jesus would have meals with folks and talk and share and teach. In Jesus’ day, and I think most of the time in our day, to sit down and have a meal with someone means fellowship and mutual acceptance. The situation was that Jesus was associating with people that other people thought He should not.

Verse 1 points out to us that specifically ‘tax collectors’ and ‘sinners’ were gathering around Jesus. Tax collectors were seen as traitors to the Jewish people because they worked for the Roman government that oppressed the Jews and cheated with those taxes in order to make money for themselves. They were the lowest of the low in most people’s minds. The term ‘sinners,’ used by the Pharisees meant anyone who did not perfectly follow the Jewish laws and traditions or someone whose occupation routinely made them ceremonially unclean or morally impure. An example might be someone who digs graves or a prostitute or a Denver Broncos fan. Jesus gathered around Himself those who were least desirable. I hope you know that Jesus hung out with people that you and I do not. Please prayerfully let that sink in: Jesus. Hung out. With people. You and I. Do not.