Often as we hear the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and what some might also call the parable of the lost son (better known as the Prodigal Son), they might often be broken up and addressed as individual teaching stories. Yet the Narrative Lectionary (our assigned readings) that we are using right now intentionally challenges us to look at them differently. How might we see something new or hear something different if these parables are lumped together?
The lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son…just naming the parables in that way starts us to see a sacred thread of meaning woven within them. The lead up to this “unit” of scripture is Jesus with his face set toward Jerusalem. He is going there to suffer and die for all people…all people…to draw them to himself. As he goes, he heals people, dines with others, and this all becomes a time for teaching. He speaks to crowds again and again as they follow him as well as smaller groups around tables, banquets of sorts in his honor. Most often, he does so in parables or teaching stories.
Often these three stories are interpreted in a very personal, grace-filled way. We see ourselves as sinners struggling, and our Savior, the Light of the world, comes to us as the lost sheep, lost coin, or lost son in our darkness. And that’s a true and worthy interpretation. We are all sinners, some historically on a grander scale than others, but all of us are addicted to sin. We cannot help ourselves, and all sin separates us from the love of God, one another, and even the “true self” (the person) that God hopes for us to become. We need salvation! We need a savior to find us and bring us home.
I know this is a very common interpretation from the many commentaries that I have read, but also the personal stories that I have heard shared at Bible studies over the years. And even as a young person, someone who felt like an outsider, I often related well to this understanding of the stories. For it remains true, that God loves us and was willing to do anything for us, even die on a cross, so that we might come to understand and live in that love that’s being offered us. God’s greatest treasure is you, and you have been sought out, and waited for patiently, and run too to be embraced, so that you and all who believe might come to understand this great, sacred, life-giving love is for us.
Still, these are parables, right? These are a teaching method of Christ’s time meant to challenge the student, inviting us to wrestle. There’s no one meaning to a parable…not necessarily one best meaning. It can speak to us over and over again as we move forward in life and learning. So this morning, I want to suggest that we might like to look at the placement of this story more closely as a start.
Before today’s scene, Jesus has just spoken about humility and hospitality. These are meant to be great Christian virtues and an ongoing, embodied attitude in our daily lives. He then shares a parable of a great banquet. The invited guests made excuses – concerns about wealth, property, and family – and they refused to come. So, more are invited that do come, but there is still room. So, the master says to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:15-24).
Then, Jesus speaks once again about the cost of discipleship. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” He has mentioned such things before in Luke, but here it is a bit different. Taking up the cross requires all kinds of sacrifices and costs, not just literal death. He’s asking the crowds if they are ready to give up all they possess – family, friends, wealth, reputation – to do what is right and follow him. Yes, we might even have to give up our long-held expectations and assumptions about others who Jesus is calling…even those who might be our traditional enemies. That’s a kind of surrender too, a cross bearing of sorts.
And then we come to yet another dinner, today’s passage. Who gathers near to him? It is the tax collectors and sinners. They gather near while the Pharisees and scribes are stand offish. “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them,” that’s what the proud grumble. There’s that theme again – invitation, hospitality, giving up predispositions and long held expectation in order to welcome others. Ahh, now that gives us something to think about. What if we are not just the lost, but also like the Pharisees and scribes in these stories?
In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd abandons everything to seek out the lost one. In the parable of the lost coin, the woman does everything to seek for her treasure – little though it might seem. In the parable of the lost son, it is true the father waits for his son’s return, loving him from afar as the son wonders aimlessly. Yet, the father sees him approaching home because he never stopped looking for him to come home. With every glimpse at the horizon, the father would wonder where his son was and actively, hopefully scanned for his return. And what about the faithful son – the son who served seemingly without much thanks (at least in his own mind)? He has no room for welcome in his heart. He cannot even call the other man his brother. He says, “That’s your son…that son of yours…nothing to do with me.” He is too concerned about himself and his own status when he should see that his brother’s needs just might be greater than his own.
Now if we reflect, we’ve seen such stubbornness before in others in scriptural passages. We might sometimes see it in ourselves. You might know that on March 19th, it was St. Joseph’s Day, a traditional Italian celebration like St. Patrick’s Day, but a lot more pastry. I’m part Italian, so on that day, I saw an advertisement on social media targeting me. I saw a t-shirt for sale that had Jesus looking downward in sadness and beneath him were the words, “Stunads, all of you.” Stunads is an Italian American phrase (slang) that means “stupid.” “Stupid people, all of you!” Jesus on the t-shirt is perhaps with disbelief, saying, “Stupid, all of you.” Jesus in sadness, frustration, and dismay is confessing on that t-shirt that he is disappointed with us. We’ve let him down. It is an Italian American company that makes that shirt, but perhaps they are secretly Lutheran or Calvinist. For we, too, are supposed to recognize that we are stupid. We are selfish and we sin because we don’t see the big picture. We need help for that, forgiveness for that.
It might be shocking to some to see such an image and read those words, but this is not much different than John the Baptist. Remember what he called those who should know better but are resistant to his invitation and judgmental of others? He calls them a brood of vipers. It is reminiscent of Jesus own frequent words of grief, “you of little faith.” “You’ve disappointed me.” Humans have been stiff necked and tribal since before God said to Moses, “Go and tell the children of Israel that they are stiff necked people”…In Hebrew, that means they are haughty, stubborn, obstinate, churlish, severe, hard hearted, and harsh. We are stunads…stupid people bent inward upon ourselves as Luther says…lost in our depravity as Calvin says…always, always, we are bondage to sin…Sin impacts our decisions and the way we look at others in the world, and we need help. We are stupid and blind in our sin; thinking we are better and more self-sufficient than we are.
At about that same time, a friend of mine came across a quote from Penn Jillette, of the popular magicians, Penn and Teller. He is a well-known atheist who reflected upon someone’s attempt to share about Jesus with him. Penn insisted that he was not upset. He was touched. He said, “If you believe there is a heaven and hell, and you think it’s not worth telling someone about it because it would make it socially awkward, how much do you have to hate [that person] to not proselytize?” If this is true, than why are you hiding this truth from others. “To believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell people?” he asks, “This man cared enough about me to proselytize.” And that touched his heart.
My friend reading these words felt convicted, and although not a pastor or priest or church leader of any kind, he mustered these deep and meaningful words of faith, a confession and a hope: “This hits hard. I’m reminded of opportunities I’ve had to speak on this issue and passed. Because I’m all too aware of my own failures. But it’s not about me. It’s about Jesus. Who is the Son of God. Who died for our sins and rose again. There will one day be judgement for our choice of accepting Jesus or not.”
What if through such parables Jesus is speaking to both the believing sinner and the Pharisee that’s within each of us – the imperfect saint and overconfident, judgmental sinner? Within scripture, we see some Pharisees and other religious leaders rebuked because they judge. In their mind, the sinner is too far gone. They’ve lost any value. They aren’t worth seeking for, nor talking too. They are a little bit concerned about their reputation as well. In the light of Jesus’ teaching and actions what an immense failure. Stunads…stupid people.
My friend saw his failure…owned it…but he knew that grace meant it was not too late to give that sin to Jesus, receive forgiveness, and share the story of Jesus as best as he could…no theology degree…despite concerns for what others might say…but only shared because at some level he knew he was a sinner too. And, that grace helped him. Who better to speak of Christ’s love and salvation than one who knows his grace intimately…even when they might not understand it perfectly in its mechanics. (We will someday when we see Jesus face to face, but we don’t right now.)
God’s love, justice, and righteousness is so very different from the world’s. A small thing, a simple person can bring great joy to God. A child can speak with deep and divine wisdom. Meanwhile, the world looks for bells and whistles, and entertainment, huge miracles, and happy, shiny, seemingly perfect people to lead them. In arrogance, they can look at the small, simple, messy, and childlike as fools without worth. That aren’t worthy of going after…or looking for…or talking to. There’s a tension here. Something’s wrong, and it is called sin.
A favorite author of mine, Philip Yancey, once wrote, “Life is not fair, but God’s grace is not fair either.” We are asked by Jesus to not get in the way of those who wish to come near to him and listen. Better yet, we are to look for those outside the Church – those struggling, filled with doubt and questions, alone, forgotten, or perhaps strange to us in other ways…yet invite them to the banquet to experience Christ’s love and forgiveness without delay. After all, it is not really our love and forgiveness. It was gifted to us underserved and for free when Jesus died and rose again for our sake and the sake of all people. Amen.
If you would like to hear my sermon or watch our service, the video can be found below. The Gospel text and sermon begins at about the 17 minute mark. The preaching text is Luke 15:1-32.
© 2025 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.
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