The Pharisees and their companions often gave Jesus good reasons to launch into a teaching or a parable of some kind. In Luke 15 their complaints about his close association with “sinners” led to three parables in a row about being lost and being found.

Let’s just take the first of the three, “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” (Luke 15:1-7). When one sheep goes astray, the shepherd is not content to let it happen. Even though there are ninety-nine others, the one that is lost is not disposable. There’s no thought of just going out and replacing it with another, more “obedient” sheep.

The appeal of keeping our churches “neat” and “tidy” is strong. It makes things easier for us. A self-righteous church is also overly . . . . concerned about protecting its image and feels some pride in whispering judgment on others. That in no way reflects the church Jesus set up, though. Are we a welcoming church ready to throw a party of grace for wanderers who are brought home by the Holy Spirit?

There’s also an implication there in the Pharisees’ complaints that the people they looked down on were in the category of “sinners,” while the Pharisees and others were not. This attitude made these self-righteous religious leaders more lost than anyone, because they did not even recognize their own “lostness” or look to the Messiah for salvation.

We have been welcomed in God’s grace. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Despite our own sins, Jesus has sought us out and has given us the blessings of forgiveness and the resurrection through faith in him.

The Pharisees meant their words to be a criticism: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Without knowing it they were proclaiming God’s love and the heart of the gospel for us and for all.

Jesus welcomed sinners. We are a church that does too!
 

2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” … 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:2,7)

Philemon is a very short book and seems to be mostly an everyday letter about an everyday topic. Some might question its usefulness or even its right to be in the Bible at all. But then God inspired it to be there so he must have a purpose in mind.

A close read of the letter to Philemon shows it to be a very gospel-oriented correspondence. Paul’s words in verse 18, “charge it to me,” are an echo of the heart of the gospel. Paul is willing to bear the debt of Onesimus because Christ bore our debt before God.

The whole letter is a living illustration of . . . . Christian sacrifice for the sake of reconciliation. Each of the three men involved are called on to willingly “take on someone else’s debt” for the good of the others.

The Apostle Paul writes from prison, already suffering for the gospel. Yet even there, he sacrifices further by sending away Onesimus, who had become like a “son” to him in faith (v. 10).

Onesimus was a runaway slave. For him it was no small step to follow the apostle’s advice and return to the house of his master Philemon where he could potentially face anger or worse. He trusted in God’s grace and the appeal Paul makes on his behalf.

Then Philemon is asked to receive Onesimus not as a slave but a brother in Christ. This does not seem to us to be such a difficult request, but at the time it would upend social norms and possibly cause financial loss. His response in Christian love would be one of mercy, not justice.

Faith in Christ changes all our relationships. We continually go back to his willingness to charge our offenses to him. As Isaiah, the prophet, reminds us: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). At the cross, he absorbed the full cost of our rebellion so that we might be reconciled to the Father and to one another.

We can forgive others’ wrongs to us. We can humbly give up our own comfort for the sake of reconciliation. Paul’s “charge it to me” ultimately points us back to Christ.

17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. … 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
(Philemon 1:17-18,25)

You want to sell a kitchen table on Facebook Marketplace because you just bought a new one. You publish the pictures and the price. A buyer comes over, takes a look, and decides to go for it. He or she walks away with the table. You receive some cash. This feels completely normal. It’s called a transaction.

We know all about business. Everything has a dollar cost. We’ve noticed for a while now, though, that the “transaction” mindset can too easily bleed over into many people relationships where it doesn’t belong. Our world often runs on “what’s in it for me?” Transactional relationships dominate—from business networking to social media “likes,” to even friendships built on convenience. That shouldn’t feel normal, because it’s not.

If you invite someone to a meal who cannot pay you back, you’re acting beyond a transaction. It takes God-given humility. Jesus calls his disciples to give in a way that does nothing to advance their own status. In his day, banquets were often about reputation—whom you invited, whom you sat with, how it would reflect on you. Inviting the poor or crippled would not raise your standing. In fact, it might lower it.

Jesus does promise repayment “at the resurrection of the righteous.” But we have to be clear: this is not a transaction with God. We don’t earn eternal life by our generosity. Otherwise, it would fall back into the very mindset Jesus warns against. The resurrection is pure gift, given for the sake of Christ’s death and resurrection. Our acts of humble generosity flow from that grace. And that frees us to give without calculating, trusting God’s overflowing generosity toward us. Who could use a gift without cost from you?

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:13–14)

Have you ever walked up to a door and wondered if you should even knock? It’s the house of a neighbor couple. One you’ve never talked to before. One who seems grumpy most of the time, and probably doesn’t want to talk to you. But you feel obligated to invite them to the cookout you’re hosting. They can’t be the only ones on the block that doesn’t get an invitation, can they? You approach slowly, heart pounding, hand raised timidly – half hoping no one will answer. What if they don’t want you there?

That is what it feels like to come before a holy God on our own. His law exposes every sin. His holiness is too bright for us to stand in. Left to ourselves, we approach His door timidly, uncertain whether he will welcome us or turn us away. Abel’s blood, spilled by his brother, still cried out to God for justice. And our sins, too, cry out against us that justice must be done.
Hebrews 12 points us to a different voice: You have come … to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (12:23-24) Jesus’ blood does not cry out for justice. It proclaims mercy. It forgives and opens wide the door to God’s grace.

So now, when we come to God, we need not creep forward timidly. The next time guilt makes you hesitant, remember that the blood of Jesus speaks a better word. Approach boldly, not because you are worthy, but because he is. Worthy to save. Worthy to welcome us to his home.

You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:23-24)

Not all wounds are bad. A skilled surgeon takes a deadly sharp scalpel and cuts through flesh and muscle. The result of that wound: not harm, but healing. In the same way, we often say that words cut us to the heart. Words can wound. Sometimes, however, those painful words provide the very healing we need.

“Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem” (Luke 13:22). Jesus knows that when he gets to Jerusalem, he is going to die. So, with a sense of extreme urgency, Jesus shares truths we need to hear, even though it hurts to hear them. In this series, we might not like everything that Jesus says. Yet, to ignore what Jesus teaches is to court eternal death. Hard as it may be, let us listen and take all that Jesus says to heart. For while Jesus speaks words that wound us, his intent is to heal our very soul.

We’re always in a tension between faith and sight. We trust our God to guide us and give us wisdom and ultimately take us to his side in glory through Jesus. But we want to see! We’d like to know where our path will go, how things will turn out, whether or not we made the right decision, before we get there. We probably would enjoy a peek into heaven ahead of time, too.

Just this year news came out of evidence of the battle between King Josiah of Judah and Pharoah Neco (see 2 Chronicles 35:20-25 for the story). Egyptian pottery from right around the time of Josiah’s death was found in the Israelite town of Megiddo where the confrontation took place.

That’s exciting! It’s something we can see. We’re happy when anything backs up the Bible’s accounts because it reinforces our faith in God’s revelation to us. It might also lead to some taking the Bible . . . . seriously if they haven’t before. At the same time, it’s not a huge surprise to us that the Scriptures are a true account of what happened. God inspired them for us.

Do we need evidence from scientists and archaeologists to believe? Not at all. All we need is the faith of Sarah, Abraham’s wife: … she considered him faithful who had made the promise (Hebrews 11:11). If God promised it, that was enough for her. And it’s enough for us.

The ancients were commended for their faith (Hebrews 11:2). Imagine how it was for them. They had the promises of the Messiah. The Lord gave them plenty of details through prophecy. But they didn’t have nearly as much to go on as we do. They didn’t have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They didn’t have the over 500 witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). They passed away before – in many cases long before – Christ’s birth in the world, death and glorious rising again to life. And yet they believed.

Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). As with all gifts from God we give him all the glory. However, we do know that we will be commended for continuing in faith until the end. Walk by faith as the ancient believers did.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

We in modern America have taken financial planning to a whole different level! Just take the idea of retirement. I have some retirement funds with Schwab and enjoy some of the blogs they send out on financial tips from time to time. A recent one outlined the retirement savings you should have in different “decades” of your life. By age 30 you want to consider setting aside about the same as your current annual income. By 50 it would be good to have 5 times your income or more. That means an annual earner of $200k might well be aiming for $1 million by the mid-century mark.

Christians don’t argue against financial planning as a general idea. Planning for the future is often good stewardship of the Lord’s material blessings. It’s really become a necessity now with the cost of health care, housing, food, and most other life needs. If we reach retirement by God’s grace, those needs will continue even after the regular paycheck stops.

But is it possible that we get caught up in “tearing downs barns and building bigger ones,” “laying up plenty of grain for many years,” and “taking life easy” as the man did in the Parable of the Rich Fool (see Luke 12:13-21)?

The plan in itself is fine. If we have the means to do it, we tear up a bathroom and remodel it. We lay aside funds for our children’s future education. We take it easy in our favorite vacation spot to rest and recoup.

Doing all that without being rich toward God? That’s where the foolishness comes in. It’s much more . . . . of a mindset and a dedication first to the riches of God’s kingdom that Jesus desires.

The context of the parable is interesting. Jesus tells it right after a person in the crowd looks to him to settle an inheritance dispute with his brother. Our Lord refuses to engage on people’s money problems. He goes straight to the wrong motives and overemphasis on building up wealth. That’s a mindset problem.

We have been made rich by Christ’s sacrifice of grace for our salvation. Our future is assured through faith in him. We have nothing to worry about no matter how much or how little we have stored up in our bank accounts. We are ready in our Savior for what life and eternity will bring.

20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21)