14th Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Luke 15:1-10
Pastor Jean M. Hansen
I wonder how Jesus expected his listeners to answer when he asked this question: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”
Or, did he expect them to answer?It’s one of those statements that is intended to raise more questions. Episcopal priest Rick Morley responds in this way, “Nobody. No one does this. No one would ever do that. It’s insanity. If you lose 1% of your holdings, you do not risk losing the 99% to get it back. By leaving the 99, you risk them roaming off, being stolen, or being killed and eaten by a wolf. No one leaves the 99.” (1)
And what about the second question that Jesus raises about the woman who had 10 silver coins and lost one. “What woman,” Jesus said, “does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” And then she has a party with all her friends and neighbors to celebrate. Father Morley gives a similar response as to the first query, “Nobody. No one does this. You don’t call friends and neighbors together for a celebration only to spend more money feeding and entertaining them than what you found was worth. I mean, why bother to look for the coin at all, if you’re just going to blow more money anyway? It’s insanity. Nobody does this. EXCEPT JESUS.” (2)
And that, my friends, is the point. But before we give that further consideration, let’s back up for some context. As chapter 15 of Luke begins we read that the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. Remember, the tax collectors were despised members of the Jewish community who gathered unfair taxes on behalf of the Roman Empire; they are considered morally compromised and aligned with the oppressor. Sinner is a general term for people not considered upright followers of God’s law. They all were welcomed by Jesus, and he actually ate with them, which indicated how complete his acceptance of them was.
This radical hospitality was scandalous to the Pharisees and the scribes, the disciplined law-keepers who considered such people to be outcasts and outsiders. Their grumbling leads to Jesus telling them a parable with three parts – the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (which was not included in today’s reading.) Each story is intended to convey a message about God, made known through Jesus.
While most shepherds would not risk the 99 for the lost one, Jesus is a different kind of shepherd; that single sheep matters. As for the coin, which was not worth much, but was valuable to the woman (who represented God), a persistent search was warranted. And, in both cases, finding the less-than-impressive lost item was celebrated without restraint.
Think about it, as commentator Chelsey Harmon notes, “In the case of the woman, she very likely spent more than the coin was worth as she burns lamp oil in order to aid her search. The shepherd risks the safety of literally the whole flock by leaving the 99 in the wilderness to go after the one.” (3) These are examples of extreme, inclusive love.
Remember, both the religious leaders and the tax collectors/sinners were listening to Jesus. The former considered the latter to be lost to God; they were lost causes. And, the tax collectors/sinners perhaps thought of themselves in that way as well, which is why they were drawn to the “Champion of Lost Causes”, Jesus.
It’s interesting that the Greek word for “welcome” that is used in verse 2, “(he) welcomes sinners and eats with them,” literally means to bring into one’s arms. The image here is of an embrace. This isn’t just the polite word, “Welcome”, spoken when guests arrive, but more a drawing in of this person. If you’ve ever experienced this, especially if you felt hesitant about your status with the host, then you know what a relief it is to be and feel included, wanted, appreciated.
Another way to look at this text is to note that God does not reject those who might be considered losers, nor does God distain lostness, but makes welcoming and celebrating a priority. And, by the way, a sheep or a coin cannot become unlost on its own, that only happens in the stories because the shepherd and the woman search for them. The message: God values those who are viewed as, or consider themselves to be, lost causes. God initiates the search, is determined to find them and celebrates when that occurs.
We live in a culture that places high value on being a winner, which is determined according to the values and measurements of whomever is deciding who wins and who loses. The term “loser” gets thrown around in derogatory ways, often by people who see themselves as winners and are threatened by others whose way of living in the world is different from their own.
Yet, we see in scripture that God’s view of who “wins” flips the cultural understanding upside down. Just last Sunday, on the ELCA day of service, we read Jesus’ words when his disciples were seeking greatness, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” And, the Apostle Paul reminded us that the characteristics we need to develop to be like Jesus, making his love known in the world, are compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, which some might label as behavior for losers, but Jesus indicates is the way to win. Then, in today’s text, Jesus associates with those who are considered losers; he not only interacts with them, he welcomes them.
As one commentator noted, “Jesus was attracted to the so-called outsiders, the losers, the sinners. Furthermore, he seemed to be enjoying the company of the tax collectors, the camel and donkey drivers, the tanners, the prostitutes and all those that elite society labeled as losers. What’s more, he not only welcomed them, but he also valued them.” (4)
God has a heart for losers, which, in reality, is everyone, since we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and have received God’s grace as a gift. The question is, do we recognize that and follow Jesus’ example as we traverse a world where “loser” is an insult and “winning” implies domination over others. Imitating Jesus is not easy, but not at least striving to do so is the real way to lose.
Remember, who would leave the 99 to seek for the one, and who would expend energy to seek for a lost coin of little value? No one? Nobody does this! Except … Jesus … and hopefully those who follow him. AMEN
(1) “Nobody Does This – a Reflection on Luke 5:1-10” by the Rev. Rick Morley, September 6, 2013, www.rickmorley.com
(2) Same as #1
(3) “Luke 15:1-10 Commentary” by Chelsey Harmon, September 14, 2025, www.cepreaching.org
(4) “Sermon on Luke 15:1-10”, September 15, 2019, www.faithlutheran.libsyn.com