Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
If you have raised children/are raising children, are or have been an educator, or have had the opportunity to influence young minds, one of the pieces of advice you probably give them is to make ‘good’ friends. As the saying goes, “One rotten apple ruins the whole basket.” We discourage young people from hanging out with bad people because they can ruin good people. It’s sane advice. It is good advice. We teach our young people to take care of themselves. Even as adults, we try to stay away from those who can damage our souls, is it not? We must save ourselves before we can save others.
Along came a man, who decided to save others than rather than save himself. His name was Jesus. He was God. He hung out with bad people; some very bad people. He became a national disgrace. The religious leaders of his time complained and said, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Realistically, we cannot blame the Pharisees. Pharisees and scribes took salvation very seriously. In fact, they were very intentional about it. As intentional, religious, and righteous people, they were simply confused by Jesus’ behavior. You see, good people do not hang out with bad people. It defies logic. It contradicts wisdom. It is irrational. Sin and salvation are opposites. God welcoming sinners is a contradiction in terms.
Let us try and reflect on the God who “welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Here are my three practical implications.
1. Those who are bad for us are good for God. There are three parables in today’s gospel reading – the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Since none of us are shepherds and we may not necessarily throw a feast because we found a lost coin, let me begin with the parable of the lost son. You understand parenthood. The key to understanding Jesus welcoming sinners and eating with them versus the Pharisees who complained about it, has to do with parenthood. Those of you who are parents tell me if this is true. No matter how bad your child gets, your heart aches for that child, does it not? What would you not do to save this child? I know a few parents whose children are addicts, or in jail, or homeless. They hurt out of love for their children. They never give up on their children no matter how bad it gets. Jesus saw the sinners as his Father’s children whereas the Pharisees saw them as a burden. God hurts for God’s children no matter how bad they get. For God, they are still God’s children. Those who are bad for us are still good for God. We must watch out before we write people off.
2. Jesus defies logic. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”. If I had a hundred sheep and one of them went astray, my concern would be for the ninety-nine. Our natural instinct is to save the majority; to sacrifice the one for the sake of the many. Especially, if the sheep went astray because of its own fault, we would lack in sympathy for the lost sheep. Perhaps, we would say, “That one deserved it!” That surely was the attitude of the elder son in the parable of the lost son. He said, “‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns, who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.” But the parable ends with these words, “But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because Your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” Scripture gives us reasons to believe that when it comes to salvation, God defies our expectation. When it comes to salvation, God defies logic. The crucifix defies logic. God’s mercy defies logic. For that matter, Christianity defies logic.
3. Avoiding Pharisaism. Today, while we appreciate the intentionality, the focus, and righteousness of the Pharisees we must avoid Pharisaism. There is a tendency in the church today to be a very judgmental church. We have the tendency to minimize our sins and exaggerate other people’s sins. We have the tendency to exclude those who do not fit pass ours moral compass. Other people’s sins always look bigger to us than ours. We can even justify our sins. Paul, in today’s second reading, is more realistic. Paul never forgot that his own salvation was the result of God’s mercy. He says, “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated…. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost.” If we can learn one thing from Paul it is this – no matter how fervent we are, in the final analysis we all stand in need of God’s mercy. No human person is more worthy of salvation than the other. This was the problem with Pharisaism – they considered themselves saved and played God. The most important realization is this – the only reason you and I are present in this church is because we have been saved by a God whose love defies logic. The stray sheep is not the person sitting next to you. That stray sheep is YOU! That stray sheep is ME!
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,” the pharisees complained. It is true, Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. That is why we here at this Eucharist. Because, Jesus welcomes sinners like us and becomes food and drink for us.
- Fr. Satish Joseph