Logos: Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10: Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."So he told them this parable:

And Jesus then tells the parables of the shepherd who leaves 99 sheep to find the one who is lost, and rejoices when he finds the one lost sheep. And he tells the parable of the woman who has lost one coin out of 10, and searches her home until she finds it. She wasn't content with the 9 she still had, but rejoices in finding the tenth.

Is this good news for us? Are we the Pharisees and scribes, grumbling about God eating with sinners? Or are we the tax collector who comes close to Jesus to listen?

It's a rhetorical question, because I think we are both.

Are we the prodigal son, who has left home in sin, and come back, humble enough to be prepared to be a servant in his father's household? Or are we the other son, who stands outside and won't join the party because he resents the love the father has for the sinful son?

The good news is that God comes to us, whether we act like the one sheep who is lost, or the 99 who were not lost. God comes to us, and forgives us, whether we act like the sinful tax collector or the arrogant Pharisee. God grants us mercy.

The problem is that we do not always act like God. We do not always show mercy. We do not always love, as God loves.