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March 14^th, 4^th Sunday in Lent C. MLC Ocean View, NJ, H. Fege D.Min. Pastor

Joshua 5.9-12, Ps. 32. , IICor. 5. 16-21, Lk. 15.1-3, 11b.-32. “Family Matters”

 

Why do parents and grandchildren get along so well together I once asked a psychiatrist friend of mine? Here is what he said, “Because they have a common enemy – the parents.”

Today’s Gospel is about families. It begins with “Now tax collectors and scribes were grumbling and saying ‘this fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them…’

As an answer to their grumbling, Jesus tells three parables in which there is a progression from many to one.

The first two parables are not a part of the lesson – but they are a part of the story.

The parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd has 99 and one is missing–

The parable of the 10 silver coins, the woman sweeps the house until she finds the one that is lost, and the parable of the two sons that is our lesson today.  

Jesus tells this parable to answer those who were on a journey with him as he walks toward Jerusalem. They are sympathetic toward Jesus and their criticism needs to be understood within the context of that time.

Pharisees and Scribes are the pillars of society. Luke tells us that they grumbled.

Luke is the only gospel writer who uses this word.

He also uses it in the story of Zacchaeus who climbed a sycamore tree and then invited Jesus to have dinner at his house.

It is a word that has a parallel in the OT. In Exodus we are told that the Israelites grumbled when Moses took 40 years to find his way to the Promised Land. “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt when we had all the food we could eat.”

 Both the Israelites in the Exodus story grumble or murmur, and the Pharisees in this story… because their picture of God does not conform to that reality in which they find themselves.

The Israelites murmur because Moses apparently was not taking the highlighted route home. The Pharisees grumbled because their Rabbi was eating with sinners and tax collectors – not exactly what a holy man in their community did in public.

The Bible thumpers are murmuring, the Israelites on in their wilderness pilgrimage are murmuring. Amidst all this murmuring Jesus tells some stories…

Actually 4 of them.

1^st. 100 sheep – one is lost

2^nd. 10 coins one out of 10

3^rd. 2 sons one out of two is lost…or are both lost? This last parable is the longest of the three and Jesus goes into much detail telling us the circumstances.

There is also another difference in this last parable. In the other two the one who was lost goes out and looks for the lost… in the last story the father doesn’t go try to find the son … something that parents of adult children who go astray might want to take note of.

There are situations in which passivity takes precedence over activity.

Waiting is not such a bad thing especially for those of us who have a difficult time letting go.

The restraint of passivity allows for the quiet, mostly invisible complexities that are characteristic of God as he does his work in us …

One out of 100, one out of 10, one out of 2. We should be able to relate to all of these.

A lost pet – a lost wallet – a runaway child… shepherds, housewives, parents…

Those who heard this parable also had lost stuff.  They could relate to what he was saying.

Like all Bible thumpers of all ages and times, they can quote scripture to prove their point that God loves those who do good –

God loves those who maintain order, who obey the speed limit, who work hard and take care of their civic duties.

Who protest against those who would disrupt the civil order of things.

And at this point they applaud Jesus… But not for long… at the end of this story Jesus slips in a 4th and final parable.

It is the story of another lost son.  Only he is the elder son, the one who is the most lost of all, or as Eugene Peterson the preacher/professor from north of the border puts it; this son is triply lost. Lost to the father, lost to his brother and lost to the family.

Being the elder is not easy… I am the oldest of my three siblings. I know a little about the burden of the first-born.

My brother is 2 years younger and now almost a foot taller.

As a matter of fact I am the runt of the family – my two sisters are taller and more beautiful. 

Being the oldest and having learned English before my parents, I was the translator of the family…

That was the easy part. The hard part was being the family baby-sitter. I recall being put in charge when my parents went shopping, and after they got back my dad calling me to my sister’s bedroom which she had decided to re-do with a new box of Crayolas.

Being the older is a thankless job. We are the ones who are called achievers. We become doctors, lawyers and presidents. And of course preachers.

In vs. 24 “for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to celebrate!” With that we come to the end of the third parable.

The third lost and found parable:

Vs. 25. Now the elder son enters the story. He was only mentioned once when we are told at the beginning that the man had two sons.

Unlike the other 3 parables this last one is different in one aspect.

Lost sheep 100

Lost coin 10

Lost son 1 or is it 2?  All eyes are on the lost last son. Vss. Lk. 15.

 25-31 READ!

Now remember where this story was first told.

Jesus is traveling with not only his disciples in tow but we are told Pharisees and Scribes were drawing near to him.

To translate Pharisees and Scribes into the current cultural context of our day,

they are the congregations who are withdrawing from the ELCA and the Episcopal churches because their understanding of God and the God of Scripture does not allow people with a different sexual orientation in their midst.

They are the ones who murmur at the company that Jesus keeps.  They would be the ones who would be upset that Jesus practiced medicine on the Sabbath and that the Democrats want to give affordable health care to all.

By the time Jesus finishes, all eyes are on the last son, the remaining brother.

When Jesus stops talking there is silence.

A deafening silence; a silence that is louder than a hurricane.

They wait for him to finish and – there is only silence.

Then one by one they get it… They are shocked…

The Bible thumpers suddenly realize that Jesus was talking about them…

They are the older brother who pointed the finger at the younger “this son of yours... who came back, who had devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the 4H calf for him...”

As long as we avoid recognition of our lostness we are prevented from knowing the joy of foundness and the company of those making merry …

Based in part on “The Lost Brothers” Lk.15, Tell It Slant. Eugene Peterson, 2008.