September 16, 2007 - "Rejoice!"

Title: “Rejoice!”
Text: Luke 15:1-10
Day: Proper 19C
Date: September 16, 2007

“A Jewish story tells of the good fortune of a hardworking farmer. The Lord appeared to this farmer and granted him three wishes, but with the condition that whatever the Lord did for the farmer would be given double to his neighbor. The farmer, scarcely believing his good fortune, wished for a hundred cattle. Immediately he received a hundred cattle, and he was overjoyed until he saw that his neighbor had two hundred. So he wished for a hundred acres of land, and again he was filled with joy until he saw that his neighbor had two hundred acres of land. Rather than celebrating God’s goodness, the farmer could not escape feeling jealous and slighted because his neighbor had received more than he. Finally, he stated his third wish: that God would strike him blind in one eye. And God wept.” (Culpepper, R. Allen. The Gospel of Luke. The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary of Twelve Volumes. Vol. IX. p. 298.)

This story helps me to get a better understanding of what was going on in the minds of the Pharisees and Scribes in our Gospel reading this morning. As religious leaders, they understood themselves to be in good standing with God. As religious leaders, they were among the elite of society. As religious leaders, they maybe took their righteousness for granted. As religious leaders, perhaps they assumed that they were to be the recipients of God’s greatest gifts. Yet in this story they are not the ones receiving God’s gifts; they are watching other, less-worthy candidates receive all of the attention.

Jesus had been doing things a little out of the ordinary for quite some time now. He was known throughout the region as a healer. He was invited to teach in the synagogues all over Galilee. News of his ministry had reached far and wide. Soon, throngs of people were crowding to his side, hoping to see him, to hear him, to touch him. But the people composing this crowd were not the wealthy, the elite, or the powerful; instead, they were tax collectors and sinners. They were the unclean. The dregs of society.

The Pharisees and Scribes could not understand why Jesus would accept these people. But that’s exactly what was happening. Crowds of sinners were gathering to his side and Jesus – for his part – did not turn them away. Instead, he welcomed them. He associated with them. He talked with them. He accepted them.

At this outrageous action, I can only imagine that the Pharisees and Scribes and other religious and political leaders felt slighted. They were not the focus of attention, even though their credentials and status made them worthy of such attention. They were not being welcomed, even though that certainly was customary for them. They, instead, had to watch as this unruly rabbi paid more attention to the rabble of society than the ones who deserved Jesus’ attention.

If we’re honest, we do the same thing, though. We, too, can struggle with the wideness of God’s mercy. We have a hard time dealing with the fact that sometimes it seems like others are receiving more of God’s grace and favor than we are. What this Gospel story does is strike to the heart of a matter deeply entrenched within all of us: we are selfish, jealous creatures.

This ugly characteristic manifests itself in many various ways. Sometimes, it really is a personal characteristic, and it is expressed by a disorder called narcissism – after the Greek character Narcissus, a man who fell in love with his own reflection. People suffering from narcissistic disorders, accordingly, are consumed with themselves, thinking they alone are worthy of everyone’s attention. Groups of people can also take on this ugly character trait. Think of the many organizations and governments that have possessed this attitude that they alone are the true and worthy recipients of power: the Nazi party of WWII infamy and religious extremist groups come quickly to mind. This attitude even exists within our church. Denominations that are slowly declining in number are begrudging the growth of denominations that are on the rise.

This latter case happened at a church I am familiar with. While the neighborhood around the congregation was growing at an enormously fast pace, the congregation noticed that their numbers were slowly but steadily declining. This triggered a surge of anxiety throughout the congregation. Soon, they were sending people out to other local congregations to see if they were experiencing the same phenomenon. But it was with terror that they found out that some of the other congregations in town were growing by leaps and bounds. People were flocking to their doors, filling the seats, standing room only. This should normally give us Christians reason to celebrate with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ: God was somehow at work in the hearts and minds of those people. Instead, the congregation wallowed in self-pity and became envious of the apparent success of the other congregations. A question at the front of everyone’s mind was why God would stop blessing them.

Unfortunately, this happens more than we would like to think. We just have a hard time accepting the wideness of God’s mercy and grace. When God is too good to others, we wonder why God isn’t that good to us. We are simply selfish, jealous creatures.

And that was exactly the problem that the Pharisees and Scribes were facing that day as they watched those poor, miserable, despicable sinners gathering around Jesus. As a result, they began to decry Jesus’ actions in public, maybe hoping to gain a following themselves. “This man welcomes sinners,” they cried. “And he eats with them!”

But Jesus does not rebuke them for their selfish attitude. He does not retaliate and lash out against their inaction. Instead, he does what he always does best in times of high anxiety: he teaches. Stepping through the crowd of people gathered before him, he approaches the indignant Pharisees and Scribes and calmly begins to teach them, saying: “Let me tell you a story...

“Let’s suppose one of you owned a hundred sheep, and you noticed that one of them was lost. What one of you would not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go looking for the lost sheep. And upon finding it, would you not throw it over your shoulders and rejoice? And once you returned to your home, would you not call all of your friends and neighbors to your side and invite them to celebrate with you? Because the sheep that was lost has been found!

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins and losing one of them, would not scour the entire house looking for the coin that was lost. And once she finds it, wouldn’t she, too, call her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her for finding the lost coin?”

Now, maybe the Pharisees and Scribes didn’t quite understand these parables, so just to make it clear Jesus adds: “Just so, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Jesus, in short, compels them to rejoice that these sinners were coming to him in throngs. Jesus invites them to celebrate God’s goodness. Jesus teaches them that these are the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and there ought to be great joy that they have returned to the fold!

It is a lesson that we can still learn today. Through these parables, Jesus teaches us to celebrate the wideness of God’s mercy and grace. Jesus invites us to let go of our selfish pride. And Jesus compels us to rejoice at every sign of God’s grace and mercy, even when it is shown to our neighbors – maybe especially when it is shown to our neighbors.

So, today as we come up to this altar to receive Communion, I invite you to look at those who are gathered here with you. Really look at them. Pay attention to those who are gathered around you, and let others do the work of paying attention to you. Look at their faces. Recall their stories of faith and doubt, if you can. Celebrate the fact that God has blessed them. Rejoice at the good news that they have been received as Children of God, just as you have. Then, come, gather around the table in thanksgiving for the wideness of God’s mercy. And I hope that by doing this, we may come to realize how much reason we have to celebrate.
Amen.