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.
Verse 2 points out to us that the religious leaders who were also there found Jesus eating with these folks distasteful and offensive. In Jesus’ day, there was a standard of behavior that is expected of one who teaches about God. In Jesus’ day, that standard kept being violated. First, John the Baptist arrived on the scene as a legitimate prophet of God and lived in the desert and wore camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6). He did not fit with their standards. Secondly, Jesus arrives on the scene and also did not fit the preconceived mold of what a Godly teacher would do. Jesus comments on this in Matthew 11:18-19.
READ MATTHEW 11:18-19 (ESV)
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
TRANSITION
So, we have this situation around Jesus where the religious leaders of His day are objecting to His actions. Jesus knows this is their attitude and He chooses to address it. Jesus chooses to address this attitude and this sinfulness in their lives by sharing a parable. I want to readeth the passage again, but this timeth frometh the KJV.
READ LUKE 15:1-7 (KJV)
Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And He spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
THE PARABLE (VERSES 3-7)
This parable is not a complicated story. Some of Jesus’ parables, like those recorded for us in Matthew 13, sometimes need some explanations. Some parables are harder than others. Some seem simple, but require much prayer and thought and discussion. This is a simple story about a shepherd who has a lost sheep and goes and finds it. He leaves 99 other sheep to go and find the lost one and then celebrates abundantly when he brings the lost sheep home. That’s it. Again, not a complicated story.
I find it interesting that we title this parable: ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep.’ This parable has approximately 103 words (depending on the English translation). It is small. It is short. Here is what I find interesting:
34% of the parable is about the lost sheep
66% of the parable is about the shepherd who finds the lost sheep
Yes, this parable told by Jesus is about lostness. In fact, this parable is one of three in Luke 15 all of which have the theme of being lost. Verses 8-10 contain what we title ‘the Parable of the Lost Coin’ and verses 11-32 contain what we title ‘the Parable of the Prodigal Son.’ Again, all three of these parables focus our mind and heart on lostness to a degree. Yes, this parable told by Jesus is about being lost, but that is not the point of the parable.
Remember, Jesus is looking at religious leaders who are berating Him for eating with people they would never associate with. Jesus is ministering to the least in His society and the religious leaders do not understand why. Jesus tells this parable. Jesus affirms the lostness of the tax collectors and the so-called ‘sinners,’ but He does so much more than that.
We need not forget that 66% of the parable is about the shepherd who finds the lost sheep:
* The shepherd takes risks to find the lost one.
* The shepherd searches and does not give up until the lost one is found.
* The shepherd carries the lost one to safety using his own strength.
* The shepherd calls together neighbors to celebrate the one that was lost.
Jesus even doubles down on the celebration of the shepherd by adding commentary to the parable that Heaven rejoices when people repent and come to God. Lostness is definitely the topic of the parable, but it is not the point.
The point is the shepherd. The point is the shepherd who risks and seeks and perseveres and celebrates. The parable could be titled: ‘the Parable of the Seeking Shepherd’ or ‘the Parable of the Shepherd Who Finds.’
Jesus is answering the objections of the Pharisees and the scribes as to why He is eating and drinking with these folks. He is describing to them, not that they are lost, but that He is the One out and about finding them! He is the Seeking Shepherd. He is the Shepherd Who Finds. The lostness of the people He is eating with is never in dispute, but Jesus’ identity sure is for those people to whom He is talking! Jesus explains that He is seeking to save the lost. Jesus Himself says these exact words later in Luke 19.
READ LUKE 19:10 (ESV)
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
In a passage that is similar in Mark 2, Jesus says:
READ MARK 2:17 (ESV)
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
In the midst of lostness, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, describes Himself as a shepherd that seeks those sheep who are lost. He finds them and celebrates in Heaven when one is found. Let’s read this parable one more time this morning and then apply it. We will read it this time from the Message Version.
READ LUKE 15:1-7 (MSG)
1-3 By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. 4-7 “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
APPLICATION FOR FATHER’S DAY
At this point, you might be wondering what this parable in Luke 15 has to do with Father’s Day or fatherhood. This passage of Scripture, has two applications for us when it comes to Father’s Day and also I have Felonious Gru, a super-villain who adopts three girls, standing on a wing of a plane promising to catch his daughters in my mind.
One application is about our Heavenly Father.
One application is about us as fathers.
First, and most important, is the truth that we see about our Father in Heaven. I understand that not everyone has a good relationship with their father or perhaps your father has passed away. Father’s Day might be a bittersweet holiday for you. I do empathize with those feelings, but those feelings do not take away from God as our Heavenly Father.
Our God is our Heavenly Father Who stands with arms outstretched and promises, “I will catch you, and I will never let you go.” Our God is our Heavenly Father Who is the Seeking Shepherd and the Shepherd Who Finds.
* God the Father takes on all risk to find us.
* God the Father searches and does not give up until we are found.
* God the Father carries us to safety using His own strength and sacrifice.
* God the Father celebrates us when we are found.
We find this truth in many passages of Scripture:
READ Psalm 68:5 (ESV)
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation.
READ Psalm 103:13 (ESV)
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him.
READ Ephesians 4:6 (ESV)
One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
READ James 1:17 (ESV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
May you be encouraged today in the truth that God, our Heavenly Father is our protector, is holy beyond compare, shows compassion boundlessly, and blesses us continually. That is His identity. He is worthy of all our faith and trust and has proved Himself over and over as good and merciful and just and holy. God is worthy of our trust. God is worthy of our faith. He is worthy of the position and title of our Heavenly Father.
ILLUSTRATION… https://www.garbc.org/commentary/god-is-worthy-of-our-trust/ [adapted]
We often confine the concept of trust to the doctrine of salvation. It is true that we must place our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ to save us, but that is not the only time when we need to trust Christ. The very fact that Christ suffered, died, and rose again for you and for me should give us reason to trust Him in every area of our lives.
Any alternative to trusting in the Lord will eventually lead us to worry and strife and to strive on our own strength. Be encouraged that our Heavenly Father knows our needs better than we do. We cannot be guaranteed that anything in this world will do what it promises, but God never fails those who trust in Him.
READ JEREMIAH 17:7 (ESV)
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.
Second, we have a truth I think, for those of us who are fathers. I am not going to tell us to be like Gru from the movie. He adopted three girls so he could use them to steal a shrink ray so he could steal the moon. Let’s not be that kind of father.
May we be fathers who look to our Heavenly Father for direction. I want to encourage all you fathers and grandfathers here today to copy the fatherhood of God and even the nature of the seeking Shepherd we find in Luke 15.
* May we as a father take risks especially when it means our children and grandchildren find God.
* May we never ever give up, especially in seasons when being a parent is difficult.
* May we rely on God’s strength as we sacrifice for our families.
* May we celebrate well with our children and grandchildren and be gift givers.
I think find these truths in many passages of Scripture:
READ Proverbs 20:7 (ESV)
The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!
READ Matthew 7:9-11 (ESV)
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
READ Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
READ 3 John 1:4 (ESV)
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
May you fathers and grandfathers we encouraged today to engage and re-engage and to pursue good Godly relationships with your children and grandchildren. Happy Father’s Day!
PRAYER
INVITATION
