Luke 15:1–10

16th Sunday after Pentecost

¹Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." ³So 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? ⁵And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶And 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.' ⁷Just 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. ⁸"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? ⁹And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' ¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Two kinds of people were with Jesus that day. On the one hand there were the tax collectors and sinners who were coming near to listen to what he had to say. These were people who were considered to be impure, unclean, and sinful. These were the outcasts of society, usually of the lower social classes. They were often poorer and their poverty was considered to be a sign that they did not enjoy God’s favor or receive his blessings.

Then there were the Pharisees and scribes. These were fine, outstanding citizens. They were righteous and obeyed all the laws and customs of the church. They were active in their involvement in church and many were leaders in their local synagogue. They were considered to be more worthy of God’s blessing and favor and as they were highly respected in society, they enjoyed many economic and social advantages. Their wealth was considered to be a sign of God’s favor and indicated that they were good people.

As they usually did, the people in the latter group, the “good” people, were criticizing Jesus because he associated with people of the former group. He not only received the “sinners” into his company, taught them, healed their diseases, but he even went into their homes and ate with them. He had table fellowship with sinners. This not only offended them, but was also a sign that he was a false teacher. He could not have been a prophet sent from God, they thought, or he would have not associated with such people. They could use this fact to try to discredit Jesus, something they wanted to do desperately because they were jealous of his following and popularity.

On account of their criticism and complaining, Jesus told there parables, two of which are in our text today. They are both similar and have the same meaning, which Jesus himself tells us, so we will look in detail at the first parable.

In this parable, Jesus brings the Pharisees in immediately. He asks them a question: which one of you having a hundred sheep. He was calling them shepherds. This would at once infuriate them, for the shepherds in that day were considered low class and were despised. They didn’t want to be associated with shepherds. They would also be immediately reminded of the prophet Jeremiah who called the Jewish leaders “wicked shepherds.” So they knew from the very start that Jesus was telling this parable against them. Then when he said that the shepherd lost one of his sheep, this would be taken as a stinging criticism.

Then the parable gets interesting. The shepherd had a hundred sheep and one of them became lost. So the shepherd left the 99 to go look for the 1 lost sheep. When he finds the lost one he rejoices. Jesus says that he rejoices more over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent. That is usually where we leave the story. We know it all now. Heaven rejoices over each and every sinner who repents and comes to faith in Jesus Christ.

But what worries me still are those other 99 sheep. Whatever became of them? Notice that our text says that the shepherd left them in the open country. The Greek word translated in our version as “open country” is the word for “desert,” “wilderness,” “uninhabited place.” In fact, it is the same Greek word used for when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the “wilderness” or “desert place.”

This is the wilderness that appears throughout scripture. It is the same as the wilderness that the Hebrews wandered in for 40 years. It is the wilderness that represents this life and living in the lostness of sin. It is a dry and parched place where there is no water of food. Where the sun burns hot and the ground is scorched and dry. Where the lost crawl along on the sand and rocks, panting in thirst and stretched out on the ground to die.

It is the wilderness of our very own human heart, sinful, corrupt, full of sin and death.

And in that wilderness the lost sheep is wandering, weak, unable to find food or water, unable to defend itself from wild animals.

But while we might worry about the one lost sheep alone in that wilderness of sin and death, we often forget that the 99 are also alone out in that wilderness of sin and death. They were not home in a comfortable pasture with green grass and cool, sweet water. They were in the wilderness, helpless, defenseless, lost, and at the mercy of wild animals and scorching sun.

So the result is that all the sheep are lost in the wilderness. And since all the sheep represent all mankind, both those who repent and have faith in Jesus Christ and the rest who do not repent, all mankind is represented by the 100 sheep. And the wilderness represents living in sin and corruption and death.

We are all sinners. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have all turned to our own way. All the sheep are lost in the wilderness. All are living in a world of sin and death. All have their sinful flesh clinging to us. We are all, like sheep, helpless, weak, defenseless, and incapable of finding food or drink or shelter on our own.

The only difference between the 1 lost sheep and the other 99 is that the 1 lost sheep knew he was lost. He felt the guilt and shame of his sin and he repented of it and received gratefully the rescue of the shepherd. The other 99 didn’t think they needed to repent. They are those many “good” people who don’t recognize their sin and don’t repent. They are, unfortunately, many of us who sit in church week after week, who are active in church activities, who are even leaders in the congregation. These are the good people, who do good works, who try to please God with their deeds and words, and try to obey him and follow his example of righteousness.

But so often we are so good and so committed to the church and so obedient to God that we forget that we are sinners. We don’t feel our guilt or shame. We sometimes find it hard to even think of anything we have done wrong. We forget we need forgiveness We think, like the 99 sheep and the Pharisees, that we don’t need to repent. And so we come to church only because it is a habit, or because our friends are there, or because it is a good thing to do, or in order to praise God, or to please God and make him happy with us, but we don’t come like a lost traveler in the desert, weak from hunger and panting from thirst for the forgiveness of our sins. We don’t come to church frightened of the holiness of a righteous God who sets his face against the sinner and punishes sin. We come to church like the 99 sheep, who thought they were “righteous persons who needed no repentance.”

But the other sheep whom the shepherd found in the wilderness is the sinner who knows his sin. He is the sinner who recognizes his need for forgiveness. He is the sinner who comes to church like a man lost in the desert, panting for the waters of life, desiring the refreshment of forgiveness. That is the sheep that the shepherd grabs a hold of and places on his shoulders.

For the Shepherd didn’t just sit at home hoping the sheep would find its way. He went into the wilderness himself. He suffered the same hostile sun and parched land. He fought off the wild animals and even allowed the wolves to devour him in order to save the sheep. He is our Good Shepherd who comes looking for us. The one who came to seek and save the lost. Who ate with sinners and dined with tax collectors because, as Luther says: “there is no need of a physician except for those who are sick. No sheep is sought except the one who is lost (Luke 15:4); no one is freed except the captive; no one is enriched except the pauper; no one is made strong except the weak; no one is exalted except the man who has been humbled, nothing is filled except that which is empty, nothing is built except that which has been torn down.”

Jesus poured out his blood for the sheep that was lost. Jesus took hold of him. He did not look for the shepherd. He did not run and jump onto the shepherd. He did not cling to the shepherd. The shepherd found him; grabbed him; picked him up and bore his burden. The Shepherd is our Savior. We do nothing to be found or to save ourselves. Our Shepherd has done all for our salvation. He bore the load of the sheep. Our Shepherd bore the burden of our sins on the cross. He took that burden on himself and carried it to the cross. It is our Shepherd who died for us and in our baptism he grabs hold of us to carry us to be with him where he is.

He carries us. He bears our burdens. He suffers our suffering. He dies our death. And he raises us on the last day and seats us with him at his banquet table. The shepherd rejoiced when he laid the sheep on his shoulders. So Jesus rejoiced to bear the load of our sin on the cross.

And when he had carried to the sheep to his house, he invited all his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him. He gave a great banquet and prepared a great feast. That same feast to which he invites us to partake in the Lord’s Supper. There is rejoicing in the kingdom of heaven over one sinner who repents. There is rejoicing in the church over one sinner who repents.

What ever happened to the 99? In reality, by this parable Jesus was calling the Pharisees and scribes to repentance. He was talking about them; they were the 99. But the purpose of it was to open their eyes to their sin so that they too would repent. Therefore, as we see our sin and recognize that we too are like the Pharisees who didn’t feel the need to repent, let us heed the call to repentance because the Shepherd is a good shepherd who seeks the sinner in order to save him. And he does it joyfully for he loves the sinner and rejoices when the sinner is saved.

So too we, as sheep of the Shepherd, in order that our joy may be full, seek the lost sheep. We do not sit here in the church waiting for a lost sinner to find the Shepherd, but we too go into the wilderness to look for the lost sheep. We go armed with the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of reconciliation and it is our joy when a sinner repents and turns to Jesus in faith to receive the forgiveness of sins. It is our joy to bring that sinner into the church to receive forgiveness through word and sacrament.

Like the woman who lost a coin and lit a lamp to look for it in her house, we take the light of the Gospel to look for the lost sinner living in the darkness of the wilderness. And when we find that sinner who repents, we rejoice and make a great celebration. For the sheep that we lost is found; the treasure that was lost is discovered.

Amen.