Value – Luke 15:1-10

Pastor Allen Snapp tells this true story:

John was a young pastor stepping into big shoes. The church that had called him as their new pastor had just lost their founding pastor, who had led the church for several decades before passing away.

With youthful zeal and enthusiasm, John began to preach the gospel and reach out to the community. And God blessed his efforts: people began to come to church and get saved and the little church began to grow again. John was excited about what God was doing in the church, and assumed everyone in the church would share his excitement, so he was completely blindsided when he learned that the church members had called a secret meeting and voted to remove him as their pastor. The reason? They didn’t like the type of people who were coming to the church. Many of these new people came out of backgrounds that included drug and alcohol abuse and were a little rough around the edges, even after coming to Christ.

To the old-time members it seemed like all they loved and held dear about their church was being threatened. Their church had always been a nice place where respectable church-goers could come to sing a couple hymns and hear a sermon. They were frightened to see their church being overrun by men and women coming out of sinful lifestyles. In order to preserve the kind of worship climate they held dear they voted the young pastor out.

I know John’s story because the church I had just started to pastor was right down the road from his church. He was a broken man who left the ministry, as far as I know never to return. And what happened to the people he had led to the Lord? Many of them started to attend our church. Almost 30 years later, I’m happy to say I’m still friends with several of them on Facebook. By God’s grace they’re doing well and still walking with Jesus!

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “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? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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.’ 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.

“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? And 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.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  (Luke 15:1-10 ESV)

Jesus has been dining with sinners, an evidence to the Pharisees and Scribes that he approves of them.  Jesus tells two parables to explain what he is doing.

In both parables something of great value is lost, a sheep and a coin, and great effort is expended to retrieve what was lost.  When what is lost is recovered there is great rejoicing with the one who retrieved it.  Jesus’ conclusion in both cases is that the people he is seeking to retrieve are indeed sinners, but he is looking for those who are repentant and their repentance brings God great joy.  They are valuable despite being sinners.

The implication is that the Pharisees and Scribes have lost God’s compassion for human beings and His desire to see them restored.  Have we?