Scripture: Luke 15:1-10
Proper 19 (24)
Title: Pull Up A Chair!
In this passage Jesus is telling us to
1. Reach out and accept everyone
2. Reach out and rescue the lost
3. Reach out and build relationships
Proposition:
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus Christ who came to take away the sins of the world!
Did you know that church meals can be quite educational and informative.? In fact, you can learn more at a church meal than you can in a church parking lot, around the entrances of a church or on the inside of a church. Churches that want to be good practice the art of hospitality. It starts in the parking lot. They understand that the first five minutes are crucial so, they have parking lot greeters, door greeters and inside greeters. Everything is designed to greet you in the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Truly great churches do one more thing. They practice the art of table fellowship. More than once I have heard people say that the church does a great job in welcoming people but not such a good a job of including people when it comes to table fellowship and small group activities. It's one thing to be greeted warmly but it is another thing to be greeted and have someone tell you - "Pull up a chair and sit with us".
Being included at the meal table is a big deal. It's been a big deal ever since we all went to elementary school and began eating in the school cafeteria. The cafeteria is where separation and division are experienced at its very best and very worst. You might be included as a team player in the class room or on the gym floor but you know you truly belong if you are invited to come and eat with the group.
Most of us this morning know both the joy and the sorrow that can come with group meals. You get your food and then you begin to scan the room looking for someone to welcome you to their table. You want to hear the words - "Pull up a chair and join us." It can be a time of rejoicing or rejection. No one wants to watch people divert their attention or say that all the seats are taken. And no one wants to find themselves having to eating alone.
One of the best and/or worst things that can happen in any church setting is to have a fellowship meal. It can be a make it or break it time. The same people who go out of their way to practice the art of hospitality can sometimes make the fatal mistake of snubbing people when it comes to meal time. Suddenly, all the good they have done is quickly wiped away.
I remember one time overhearing a group of people wondering if they should allow someone to join their group. The people were new to the church and were trying to find their place. After a few moments of discussion the group decided against it and closed off the circle. They wanted to talk among themselves and after all they had greeted them during the "passing of the peace" time in church. They didn't think that they had to sit with them too.
In our passage the same thing was happening with the Pharisees and scribes. They wanted to limit who they would share fellowship. They didn't want to have just anyone "Pull up a chair". They didn't want to eat with "sinners and tax collectors" nor did they want to talk to them. They believed that God wanted them to stay as far away from such people as possible. They believed that if God Himself was on the earth He would act the same way.
It's one of the reasons the Pharisees and the scribes didn't like Jesus. They thought he spent way too much time eating and drinking with "sinners and tax collectors". They believed that he should emulate them in living a life of purity through separation. They knew better than to hang around such spiritual riff raff. Tax collectors were greedy, boorish and deceptive. No one who wanted to be pure and holy would ever think of hanging out with the "sinner" crowd.
It's right here that we have to be careful. It's tempting to get all high and mighty and think that these Pharisees and scribes behavior was detestable. It's easy to read this and say that we would not be the same way. It's easy to think that if we had been there we would have made a place for those tax collectors and sinners. We would have been the first ones to say - "Pull up a chair and sit down with us."
We think that way until we reflect about the advice we usually give our young people when it comes to the company they should keep. We adamantly warn them to stay away from people who are doing wrong because we know the dangers of such relationships. We don't want them mixing with the wrong crowd. We are afraid that the wrong crowd will lead into a life of rebellion, heartache and ruin.
So, what exactly what was Jesus trying to tell his audience (and us) in this passage? How does he want us to handle people outside the faith? How does he want us to act around people who live differently than we do and who believe differently than us? How passionate should we be to include them in our fellowship?
I believe that Jesus is telling us to:
1. Reach out and accept everyone
2. Reach out and do our best to rescue those who are lost
3. Reach out and build relationships
I. REACH OUT AND ACCEPT EVERYONE
I believe that the first thing Jesus wanted was for his listeners to see everyone through eyes of love, mercy and grace.
The Pharisees and the scribes had a tendency to view people as "us versus them". They saw people in categories and in sub categories. They saw people as being either insiders or outsiders. Insiders were those who they thought were living righteous lives and outsiders were those who they thought were idolaters and sinners. It was easy for them to believe that they could accept some while rejecting others. Those who passed the test as being righteous were accepted while those who they labeled "sinners" were strenuously avoided.
In verse 3 Jesus begins to confront that way of thinking. He shares these two parables to help stretch their hearts and minds. In the first parable he uses the metaphor of a shepherd and in the second one he uses the metaphor of a working woman. Both images were to teach them about God and the way God works and loves others.
Now, using the image of a shepherd or a woman may not be earth shaking for us but it was for them. More than likely as soon as Jesus shared these parables their feathers got all in a ruffle. You see, they would have been offended in seeing either God or themselves as a shepherd or a working woman.
Long gone were the days when people looked up to the image of a shepherd tending their flocks on a open hill side. In Jesus' time the job of a shepherd was seen as monotonous, dirty and suited only for those who could not do better for themselves. No one with any education or a desire to make it in this world would pick the menial job of a shepherd.
In the Mishnah, Judaism written record of the oral law, shepherds were described as "incompetent". One passage goes even further and states that if a person sees a shepherd who has fallen into a pit they are not obligated by the law to assist them. Jeremias tells us that by Jesus' time most shepherds had lost their civil rights and could no longer be called as witnesses in a court of law. They were cast as "sinners" alongside tax collectors and thieves. When it came to their integrity, Jeremias shares this piece of advice - “To buy wool, milk or a kid from a shepherd was forbidden on the assumption that it would be stolen property.”
Can you imagine what these Pharisees and scribes thought when Jesus used the metaphor of a shepherd in a positive light? Can you imagine what they thought when Jesus told them to imagine themselves as shepherds - "What man of you, having a hundred sheep ..."?
In the second parable Jesus used the metaphor of God as a woman. That was even more shocking to the ears of his audience. A few years ago, William P. Young wrote a novel called THE SHACK (2007). At the time it caused quite a fire storm. The story is about a man who is led to a shack where he encounters God. What caused the firestorm was the way Young portrayed God. God the Father was portrayed as an African American woman who called herself Elousia and Papa; Jesus was portrayed as a Middle Eastern carpenter and the Holy Spirit was an Asian woman named Sarayu. I remember talking to people who refused to read the book because they believed portraying God and the Holy Spirit as a woman was sacrilegious. The Pharisees and the scribes would have agreed.
So, why did Jesus use these two metaphors? After all they both would have been offensive to his audience. I believe that Jesus was doing his best to get them to open up their eyes and their hearts. He wanted to shift the way they saw other people. If they could see God and/or themselves as a shepherd or as a woman then just may be their hearts would be more open. They would begin to see that God loves all people - Pharisees, scribes, disciples along with shepherds, women, tax collectors and sinners. They would begin to understand that all humans have worth and dignity in God's eyes. And they would begin to understand that at God's table all people are welcomed.
Jesus' words necessitates that we pause here and consider how we see people. Do we see insiders and outsiders? Do we tend to put people in little boxes? It's easy to do that isn't it? It's easy to have a us and them mentality. It's easy to see some people as belonging and others as not belonging. However, Jesus wants us to see people as just people - no labels. Jesus doesn't want us to see Pharisees, scribes, tax collectors, sinners, disciples, shepherds or women. Jesus wants us to just see people - people He created, people He loves and people He wants to redeem, renew and restore.
II. Secondly, Jesus wanted them to reach out and do their best to rescue those who are lost
There is a certain foolishness spoken in these parables, especially in the first one. Jesus wants us to imagine ourselves as a shepherd who is taking care of 100 sheep. One of those sheep strays away and gets lost. Perhaps it intentionally strayed away or it simply nibbled itself away from the flock. Anyway, when the sheep were being counted that evening as they went into the sheep fold the shepherd noticed that one of them was missing. There was a sheep out there somewhere lost and in danger.
What happens next is amazing. This shepherd immediately goes out to rescue this sheep even though it is getting dark. Now to us today darkness wouldn't be a problem. We would get on our four wheeler, turn on some bright lights and begin our search. In that day, however, night time was extremely dangerous. Torches didn't provide much light, the terrain was full of holes and there were lions, bears and other dangerous prey lurking around.
Going out there at night meant that this shepherd was going to risk his life for this one sheep. He was not tempted to think - "Well, it deserves to be left out there. That's what it gets for straying away. I am not risking my life. Lambing season is just a few weeks away and I am sure I have more than enough to replace it. Good riddance. I'm going to bed."
That's not what we read. Instead, we read about a shepherd who so loved he sheep so much that he risked life and limb to find this lost sheep. He was willing to do anything to rescue it. That's the heart of God this morning!
It's the same story with the woman and her coins. She had 10 coins - 10 coins that Bible scholars tells us were worth about 10 days pay. Somehow she lost one of them. Perhaps as she was cleaning she accidently dropped it or knock it onto the floor. Later that night when she noticed it was gone she didn't go to bed. She didn't dismiss it. Instead, she lit a lamp and began house cleaning. We get the picture that she turned the house upside down to find that coin. She looked in every crook and cranny.
Again, she could have just decided to look for it the next day or just decided to forget it. After all, it's just one day's pay. It has to be around the house somewhere. It will show up sometime. She still had nine other coins and in time she will be able to save enough to get another one. This would just teach her to be more careful.
In both parables both the shepherd and the woman are representations of God. Our God who risks his life and limb for a lost sheep. Our Good who upsets the whole house to find the lost coin. In other words - Our God is a God who will go beyond all measures in order to find that which was lost. Our God is a God who will put everything on the line to rescue the lost. Our God is a God who will upset everything to find that one which was lost.
The Pharisees and scribes were to see God's priority in looking at lost people - "sinners". They were to understand that they were to see them as God sees them and then adjust their own priorities in such a way that they too are looking to rescue the lost. Jesus wanted them to begin doing everything they could to reach out to the very people they were snubbing. He wanted them to receive all those that they thought were "sinners".
Again, this passage necessitates that we pause and reflect. We have to examine our own priorities. How much time, energy and resources do we dedicate to reaching out to the lost and broken hearted? When it comes to the lost do we act like this shepherd or this woman? Do we go out of our way or do we upset the whole house just to find the lost?
In this age of trying our best to stream line and to be all things to all people it is easy for us to forget how the importance of every single person. It is easy for us to think like a business and like a CEO who knows that if you lose this one there is always another one to gain.
We have to be careful to see like God sees - like a Shepherd, like this working woman. We have to be careful and posses God's priorities - where we do all we can to rescue a wandering sheep and find a lost coin. Where we do everything we can to rescue the lost. Where we do everything we can to bring them to the table to share the Lord's meal.
I believe Jesus wants us to stop and think. To examine our lives and how we view people and how much worth we give to each person. He wants us to slow down and notice people and realize that the most important thing in our lives is not things, it's not obtaining goals or accomplishing certain dreams - its people. It's people who are made in His image. It is people that He died for so that they could be restored into the image of Jesus. One of our most important tasks is to do all we can to locate, to find and to rescue the lost.
III. Finally, I believe Jesus wanted them to reach out and build relationships
Perhaps this point can be best seen in the following parable of the Lost Son but as you see these two parables in their proper light you can see that here, too, Jesus focuses on love, relationship and rejoicing. Jesus never wants us to look at each other as numbers or product. He doesn't want us to have a consumer mentality.
The Shepherd had an intimate relationship with that sheep. The woman cared deeply about that coin. When they found each one they reached out even more and included everyone in their rejoicing. Jesus cares about everyone and wants these Pharisees and scribes to do the same.
Life in the early 1800's was quite different than our lives today. Most Americans at that time owned a few chickens, perhaps some pigs and a cow. The majority of meals were grain and vegetable based. Being able to share a meal that in included meat was a specialty. Meat was reserved for special occasions. Salt was scarce and refrigeration was practically non-existent so it was not easy to store or cure meat.
Cows were not owned for their meat but for their by products. They provided a measure of milk, cream and butter. You could even ride a cow or use it to plow your garden. They were an excellent source of organic fertilizer.
However, by the 1860's everything was changing. The Industrial Age was transforming the landscape of America. Family farms were being replaced by commercial farms and farm animals were being replaced by machines. The everyday family cow was no longer needed in many places.
Beef became a staple of the American diet. Cows were being breed to be eaten. The noble cow who use to have a name and was a part of the family was going extinct. It wasn't long before cows were seen as they are today from the side of the road eating grass and waiting to be processed into steaks, roasts and hamburgers.
Very few people today see cows as individual animals. They are a part of a herd. They are an investment. They are a product. They are a means to make money.
Sheep however are different. Sheep are still being raised today mainly for their byproducts. They are an excellent source of milk, cheese and wool. They are an excellent way to keep down unruly grass and they provide premiere organic fertilizer.
Most shepherds keep their sheep from cradle to grave. The average sheep lives between 10 to 20 years so it is normal for a shepherd to name his sheep and develop a relationship with them. There is a love relationship that forges between a shepherd and their sheep.
Modern day beef cows on the other hand have a very short life expectancy. The average beef cow is only 18 months old by the time it is processed for steaks, roasts and hamburgers. Left alone a cow can live longer than a sheep - 18 - 25 years. But when you are designed to be gone in 18 months it makes little sense to give you a name and start a relationship with you. On top of that the average beef cow changes hands two or three times in that 18 month period. There is little incentive to have any kind of relationship.
Now, why are we talking about cows and sheep? Because if we are not careful we will look at ministry and discipleship as cattle herders instead of as shepherds. We will see people as product and numbers instead of as God's gift to our world. We will see families as units of children, teens and adults instead of simply as God's gifts to our local communities.
We must treat everyone as if they are going to be with us for a lifetime. We must reach out to everyone as if they are a vital part of our communities. And we must rejoice like heaven does when people are included in our fellowship.
This morning, we are to follow Jesus' example. Even though Jesus' ministry was less than 3 1/2 years he never acted like it was that short. He poured his life into his disciples. He gave himself away to all those he meet. He welcomed everyone. He sat with people. He talked to people. He gave them space, He gave them time and He gave them Himself. He always had a chair for someone to pull up and sit with him. He always took time to rejoice and celebrate with everyone.
We are to do to the same. There is nothing better than a life well spent. A life that is poured out for others. That is the life the Lord wants us to experience for it is the best life possible.
This morning, Jesus calls us to hear His words in these parables. Words that tell us how to see people, what priorities we are to have so that we can reach out in love. He tells us that we are rejoice with one another as Heaven rejoices.
We will know we are doing well when we welcome everyone in the parking lot, at the doors and inside the sanctuary. Both visitors and faithful attendees. We will know we are doing well when we reach out to all age groups, genders and cultures. We will know we are doing well when we always have room for one more at our tables ready to break bread with them. We will know we are doing well when we are passionate about evangelism. We will know we are doing well when we bring the Good News of Jesus into every human situation seeking to save individuals and society by the diving power of the Holy Spirit.
As we close this morning we do so by sharing the Lord's Supper. It is a fitting way to end our time together. For we are all unworthy to come forward to receive the grace of the LORD but we are all welcomed. We come as disciples, Pharisees, scribes, shepherds, women, tax collectors and sinners. We come as God's people. We come everyone of us to share space - to share a meal - to share the oneness of Christ. We come to experience oneness, unity and peace. We come to rejoice in salvation. And may we go out today to share and rejoice in that oneness, unity and peace today!
This is the message of God for the People of God - AMEN!
