Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Friends in Christ,
If you will, please tell me how you identify a … dog, a horse, a house, a car, a church, a baseball player, a circus clown, a judge, a ballerina, … a sinner?
While identifying a sinner may seem silly to you, it was very much something some were actively doing the day Jesus told the story about the loving father and his two sons. Listen again, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
The challenge the fourth Sunday of Lent is costly, clear, personal. While the engaging story of the loving father and his two prodigal sons is well known and heart-warming, especially when the younger son returns home and receives a warm welcome – a yellow ribbon around the ‘old oak tree’, if you will - the context is a two sided coin. Both have implications and applications for us. Please look at both sides with me today.
1. Some who gathered around Jesus that day were well educated, faithful religious leaders.
They, more than most, knew the Ten Commandments, the ceremonial laws, the accepted norms of society. For the most part, they were well respected in church and community. Education and income moved them toward the top of list of respected people.
They are people we would like, people we would like to like us. Yet, in spite of spiritual enlightenment, education, income, and social standing, they were less than the best. As you heard in St. Luke’s account, “The Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” They could see sin in others, but they did not see it within in themselves. May I illustrate with a smile?
A police officer was testing three 3 trainees who wanted to become detectives. To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he showed them a picture for 5 seconds, covered it, and asked, "How would you recognize the suspect? Write down your answer." The first trainee raised his hand and answered, "That's easy, he has only one eye.” The trainer responded, “He only has one eye because I showed you his profile from the right side.” The second trainee raised her hand and offered, “I think he would be easy to identify because he only has one ear!" The trainer was not happy. “Of course he has only one eye and one ear; it is a picture of his profile!” The trainer tried one last time with the final trainee who seemed to be much better. He offered, “Sir, I can identify the suspect because he is wearing contact lenses.” The trainer was surprised. He answered, “I will have to look into the file because I don’t know if he wears contact lenses or not.” He looked into the profile and beamed. “Good work! I don’t know how you knew that he wore contact lenses, but you are correct. How did you know?” "It was easy," the third trainee replied. "He can't wear regular glasses because he only has one eye and one ear."
For the Pharisees and scribes – for you and for me – St. John wrote in his first letter to the young Christians, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Yes, we want to see ourselves for who we are. What we have done, what we have failed to do. What we have thought, said, and done. We want to see, name and confess our sins, as well as our need for forgiveness. And, as we review the catalogue of sins in the Commandments, we are reminded about adultery, lying, stealing, cheating, gossiping, coveting and more. And, most spiritually deadly: idolatry. No, not having a stone figurine in your home that you worship, but believing that you – through the way you live – perhaps like a dedicated but misguided Pharisee - merit the fullness of God’s goodness because you try to do the works that please God and are not as bad as others who do not. It is a steep, deep, slippery slope away from God and His grace!
2. The others who gathered around Jesus that day, had no illusions about their place in church or society. They saw themselves for who they were. They knew that they bore the label of low-life, less-than-desirable people. But, they saw in Jesus someone who offered forgiveness, grace, and acceptance. Perhaps they had heard Him share the sweet words of Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
What does God’s grace mean for you and me and all who see, name, and confess their sin? Try this. There is a very old story that was told for those returning from the Civil War, then updated for those returning from Viet Nam, changed for those returning after time in prison, then changed again for those held captive for 444 days in Iran. The story is this: the old man stood still and looked pensive as he gazed out the upstairs window. The creases in his tightly drawn face gave away his worry and strain. His older son entered the room and said with resentment, ‘Come on, Dad, give it up. Thaddeaus isn’t coming home. He’s wasting your money in riotous living. Let him go!’ The old man’s lips moved to speak but his eyes never broke their intense gaze. He started to object and to explain his hope once again when something in the distance caught his eye. He strained forward as far as he could … then shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Look! He’s coming up the road! It’s Thaddeaus. He’s coming home! He is alive! Hurry, run to the big tree at the end of the property and tie a yellow ribbon around the oak tree! Show him we care.”
For us, for all, there is no yellow ribbon tied to an oak tree, but there is a blood-stained cross that shows the cost of sin, yet it is an empty cross because the Son – the only Son of God – rose from the grave, defeated sin, death and the devil so that we can always come home! It is the gift of God for us all! If you are away, come home! If you are at home, stay here. See yourself as you are, but also, always see the grace and love of God for you. The Father’s immense love is for us all – His dear, beloved children. Come home! Amen.
