The Rejoicing Christ
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-32
Meditation
The Pharisees and experts in the law are so close to the kingdom of God and yet they’re so far away.
They have the prophets. They have the Messianic promises. And now, in Jesus, they have the fulfillment of both, right in front of them. He is so near to them and yet they stand at a distance: isolated, insulated, out of reach, and away from his touch.
The Pharisees live and die by their name. They are the “set apart ones”. They believe that the “blessed man” stays away from “sinners”.
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” (Psalm 1:1)
In their eyes, Jesus isn’t “blessed”. Rather, he’s the man who “sits in the seat of mockers.” No wonder they mutter,
“Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ ”
Jesus doesn’t rebuke the Pharisees. He doesn’t debate them or raise his voice. Such reactions would only drive them away. Instead, he points to the sheep on the surrounding hills, he asks for a silver coin from the disciples’ treasury, and he invites a father and his two sons to come and sit next to him. When the crowd is hushed and settled, Jesus tells them three successive stories.
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”
“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”
In each story, something valuable is lost.
The value of each loss dictates a diligent, urgent, and persistent search. In the course of time, the lost things are found, returned, or restored. And in each case, an uproarious celebration ensues.
The greater the value of the item, the greater the loss; the greater the loss, the greater the urgency to search; and the greater the search, the greater the joy of recovery.
In three parables, Jesus illustrates his love for the “lost things”. He depicts his determination to search until they are found. And he paints a portrait of the joy he has when they return home. It’s cause for a celebration.
“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
To those who recognize themselves as the lost sheep, the coin that has fallen to the ground, or the son who has left his father’s house, these parables give new life. They resurrect the spiritually dead. They awaken deceased dreams. They rekindle numb and chilled relationships. And they revitalize and renew hope.
But even after the parables have been told, some in the crowd still want the Rejoicing Christ to stay away from the “sinners”. The Pharisees and the experts in the law don’t want anything to do with the celebration.
“The tax collector’s sins are too great. The ‘sinners’ are too impure. Their immorality might be contagious. Celebrate? Not me. I’m staying away.”
But Jesus doesn’t stay away from anyone.
He goes to the greedy, the guilty, and even, the so-called “godly”. He gathers. He calls. He searches for those who have strayed, those who have slipped through the cracks of society, and those who have left home and made a mess of their lives.
And when he finds them, the Rejoicing Christ throws a party.
Prayer
Father,
Wherever your Son went, he welcomed the social and sinful outcasts of his day. He didn’t distance himself. He didn’t push them away. He came near.
But the religious elite censured him for keeping good company with “bad company”. They criticized him for amassing a gathering of tax collectors. And they chastised him for seeking out, finding, and rejoicing over the return of “sinners”.
The Pharisees wanted to distance themselves from “sinners”. They wanted to be set apart. Undefiled.
Your Son wanted to draw “sinners” near. He valued them. He searched until he found them and then he threw a party. He, and the whole company of heaven, celebrated their return.
During this day, I want to know the lengths to which the Rejoicing Christ went to find me. As I meditate on these things, show me the longing that was in his heart.
What thoughts came to his mind when he first realized that I was gone? Where did he look? How long did he search? What words did he call out as he ran after me? And when he found me, what kind of party did this Rejoicing Christ throw for me in heaven?
Let me know these things this day. In the name of the Rejoicing Christ I pray. Amen
Reflection
Describe what it feels like to be spiritually lost. If you can, describe what it feels like to be found.
In what ways have you wandered off from the flock, slipped through a crack in the floor, or left home and made a mess of your life?
What comfort does it bring to know that the Rejoicing Christ went looking for you?
What kind of party did the Rejoicing Christ throw when he found you?
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day (Luke 15:1-32). Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted in parenthesis. All Scripture quoted on this site is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
