The Lutheran Hour
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"There’s No Other Friend Like Jesus"
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Text: Luke 15:1-10
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Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and he eats with them.”
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia.
It was an unlikely friendship. A young woman, who worked in the city and was making her way up the ladder in the professional world, met a homeless veteran on the streets. He had a long, scruffy beard, deep lines in his face, and a past that made life very difficult. His name was Tony. There is one thing I learned in New York City. There are two kinds of people on the street. There are those who are there to scam you; there are those who kind of run the street; and then there are those who are making their way, finding a way to get life done. Tony was that second kind of guy. So, these two unlikely people, they began to talk. They even occasionally would have lunch together in the park when she would bring her bag lunch down and they would sit and just get to know one another. Their unlikely friendship continued to grow. In fact, when a difficult time came in her life and hope seemed to disappear, this young woman said, “Tony was there for me, he listened each day as things got worse and he surely pushed me to move forward and continue working towards my ambitions and dreams.”
In the middle of all that, Tony even gave this young woman a gift. After he heard about her struggles he caught her on the way to work one day. He tapped her on the shoulder and took an antique watch face from his army jacket pocket. He pressed the treasure into her hand and said, “I don’t have much but I wanted you to know that you have done what many others would not, simply by being my friend.” By being my friend.
Now as unlikely as that story sounds, I can relate to Tony and to his friend. When we lived in New York, there were all kinds of people that we met and there was this wonderful lady on Riverside Drive and 120th Street, who seemed intent on bringing blessing to people each day. She looked homeless but she always had flowers in her hand to give away and she never seemed to want anything in return. She brought so much joy to others but she especially brought joy to my wife and daughter as they met her coming off the subway on the way to school each day. Now those of you who know my wife, Yvette, know that such good deeds don’t go to waste. So, every Thanksgiving while we were in New York, Yvette would bring her Thanksgiving dinner sometime during the week. Let me just say this. I know that things on the street sometimes can be very dangerous and not everybody you meet is going to be the kind of friend I’m talking about. But let me just say this; use your sanctified common sense and realize that simple things, just being a friend, can make all the difference.
So the challenge is laid. How are we at befriending people these days? People can easily become tasks, obligations, or background noise in our busy and preoccupied lives. Even the people close to us can become afterthoughts as we focus on our own agendas and get drawn away from personal interaction because of smart phones, television screens, and our list of things to do. We hurry, hurry, and hurry some more.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful, then, in the midst of all of this, to find a better way?
I think that’s what the Apostle Paul was getting at when he said some very well-known words. You may recognize this quote from 1 Corinthians. He says, “And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all that I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3 NIV).
Paul was saying that all the knowledge, skills, and insight ultimately add up to nothing on our own terms. We are sinful human beings; and having a lock on the issues, being able to out-debate others, and being right about all kinds of things can actually be worthless in the end. Without love, without caring for people, the issues don’t mean a thing. The most excellent way is caring about people in the midst of issues, turmoil, and challenging conversations. Befriending people as people of God’s grace while navigating this life, that’s the best course for us all.
But even knowing that, there are still times when it’s not easy to figure out.
The Gospel of Luke shows us that this was an ancient conundrum. Chapter fifteen begins by saying, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them'” (Luke 15:1-2).
The Pharisees and Scribes, they didn’t look at the sinners as people. They were issues. They were problems. They were rebellious outsiders at worst and weak-spirited disobeyers at best. But Jesus saw them as people. Jesus received them and ate with them.
This was a shocking development in the first century; to receive and eat with undesirables? You weren’t supposed to do that. And, in the first century, who you ate with was very important. If you ate together, if you broke bread with someone, you expressed fellowship, a relationship. You were friends. By eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus broke the categories, labels, and judgments. He befriended the people behind the labels. The Pharisees didn’t like it. Jesus was breaking the rules, rules they made up to keep people in their place. He seemed to be permissive and careless. He was upsetting the social order. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was criticized as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (11:19).
But instead of making enemies, Jesus brought God’s repentance and God’s grace to people, all people, so that new life could grow in them. Jesus was good at befriending people. It’s counterintuitive, but that’s the way God’s love works.
That’s what Jesus did for you and me but not through forced tragedy or struggle. First, He made this befriending love possible by coming all the way for us, living our life, dying our death, and giving us His love and life, one that we can share! And even though our sinful inclinations and desires run counter to His holiness and goodness, He doesn’t write us off as hopeless projects and insurmountable issues. God sent His Son Jesus to walk with us, to dwell with us, to save us, and to befriend us. That is why Jesus gave His life for you. He paid the price for all of our sins and blunders and guilt and shame when He was put to death on the cross. He rose from the grave to embrace you as family and to call you friends. In Christ you are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.
That’s what the Pharisees and Scribes couldn’t see. Religious works, secular works, any of our works, they don’t work when it matters most. We don’t get our acts together in order to be loved by God. For God’s love to reach us He seeks us, He finds us, and He lets His transforming grace and love make us new creations from the inside out as a gift.
In order to make that clear, Jesus responded to the grumbling of the church officials with two stories. First He told the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus said, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home……. I tell you 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 15:4-7 NIV).
God has a heart for and a focus on people who get lost. Like a sheep we may wander away without thinking much about it. Or we may be enticed by something that looks like it’s worth pursuing. Sometimes we fall down or stumble into trouble. At other times enemies may hurt us and drag us into a dark and difficult pit of despair and lostness. Whatever may happen to us as God’s precious sheep, Jesus is a Shepherd Who is not about majorities, numbers, or impersonal efficiency. He seeks the lost. He looks for us. He pursues you and me even at this very moment. He looks and searches until He finds you. He turns you around and carries you home. Do you need someone to carry you home today? Do you need Jesus to put you on His shoulders and bring you through the treacherous territory you are traveling? Through His Word of life today, your Savior is picking you up. He gives you help in time of need. And all of heaven rejoices over you. That’s what kind of Friend you have in Jesus!
To drive the point home to the doubters and scoffers, Jesus sat with that group of tax collectors and sinners and He told another story. It was the Parable of the Lost Coin. As Jesus broke bread with sinners, He said, “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I lost” (Luke 15:8-10).
So know this; you are worth searching for. God will turn the world upside down to find you. He will peer into every corner and venture into each dark and dusty place to bring you back. He wants to celebrate your restoration, your new life, your forgiveness, your new outlook, your restored soul. You may not realize it. You may not even feel it at the moment. You may be unaware of it, but God is looking for you right now. Turn to Him in repentance and watch for Him in your need. This is God’s joyful pursuit through His Son. That’s what kind of Friend you have in Jesus.
I know you need that kind of friend. I need that kind of friend. I sure want to reflect that kind of friendship to others, how about you? There’s a shortage of befriending these days, isn’t there? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if followers of Christ, Christians, the church, could become the best befrienders for our time in the midst of all of the things we see going on in our world? With the friendship we’ve been given by the grace of God, wouldn’t it be fantastic if we who were lost but now are found could be people who come alongside the lost and who seek those who have stumbled or who have been tossed aside?
Without fear and filled with great joy, we would put grumbling aside and emulate the Friend of sinners, Jesus Christ. We would venture in, get into conversations, listen carefully and see how the Holy Spirit is preparing the hearts of many who may want to listen to Jesus. What a grand and noble ambition it would be for you who have been saved by grace to give the Good Shepherd a chance to carry another precious lost soul safely home.
A grandmother, by the name of Ann Rodgers, understands the blessing of being found because of care and persistence. You see, Ann was on her way to visit her grandchildren when her car ran out of fuel on a remote stretch of road in Arizona. She was 72 years old and she did her best to get help. She stayed with her car for as long as possible, but no help came. She decided to try to get cell phone service, so, with her loyal dog; she climbed up several ridge lines in the area. No service was to be found anywhere, and then, Ann got lost.
It started to get very scary in the wilderness where wild animals like bear and bobcat roamed. Ann and her dog drank water out of ponds and ate plants to survive. Ann found a clearing and formed a sign out of rocks that said, “Help!” She also left a note under one of the rocks indicating that she was heading downstream to find a ranch.
It was three days before anyone found her abandoned car. A search began, but after six days, no one found anything. Many were losing hope that they would find Rodgers and her dog alive. Three more days passed. Ann had been in the wilderness day and night for nine days.
Searchers were discouraged; except for some hikers who were determined to look for traces of evidence that Ann had been close by. These searchers weren’t angry with Ann because she drove down a remote area of highway all by herself. They didn’t hold a grudge or stand in judgment because Ann left her car and wandered into the hills. They didn’t shun her because she showed a lack of wisdom in the wilderness. No, the hikers searching for her valued her life, cared about her family, and wanted to celebrate finding her. They just wanted her back.
As the hikers neared a creek bed, they spotted tracks. They sought her out, clue by clue, and yes, after 9 days lost, she was all the way found. Ann Rodgers was lost, but was found by people who cared enough to be her friends and to search for her to the end.
What tracks do you observe today? What clues can you see in people’s lives that will help you connect to and befriend ones who don’t know Jesus? We don’t need to be angry with people’s errant life-decisions; getting lost in sin and destructive behavior is a human condition we all share. It’s not necessary to hold a grudge because people have wandered away from a faithful walk with God, because the power of that walk is God’s gracious love, period. We befriend people, love people, and show care for all people because Jesus befriended us and He saved us. In Him, the lost become found, sinners become saved. We want to celebrate people being found. It’s as simple as that. It’s as simple as genuine friendship in Him for others.
If you believe in Jesus, you’ve got a heavenly Friend that really matters right here on earth right now. You have people in your life that matter to you and to Him. By faith in Jesus Christ, go and share what a Friend you have in Him! And, I can tell you this, when they receive His love and His friendship as a gift through you, life doesn’t get any better than that. Try it and see. Amen.
Action in Ministry for September 11, 2016
Guest: Dr. Bruce HartungANNOUNCER: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour. This is Action in Ministry and Pastor Seltz, today is a day of national remembrance for our listeners in the United States.
SELTZ: Mark, it’s been 15 years since the terror attacks of 9/11 and it reminds us how traumatic events and tragic losses they can shake us to our core.
ANNOUNCER: With loss comes grief and that’s going to be our topic today with Dr. Bruce Hartung who has written a booklet for us titled Grief: Where Sadness and Hope Meet.
SELTZ: Dr. Hartung, thanks for joining us today.
HARTUNG: Thanks very much.
SELTZ: Now listen, when we’re talking about grief, certain days or events can trigger memories of loss; why are some of those things just things that don’t seem to heal.
HARTUNG: Well, there’s often a saying that’s used: “Time heals all wounds.” This is a bad saying.
SELTZ: …a bad saying.
HARTUNG: Time itself doesn’t hardly do anything. First off, it’s what you do with the time and then the question is how important and significant are the things that were lost. So if there is a deep personal loss, that grief and pain likely will stay with you for the rest of your life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer talks about the pain that’s inside stands as a monument to the importance of the person and so when we tell people time will make it all go away or something, we’re really dishonoring the relationship and dishonoring the importance of the person who’s involved and who’s been lost, at least in this world; that’s why this is an important kind of thing to be talking about.
SELTZ: To work through that.
HARTUNG: Yes.
SELTZ: Wrapped up in that sullen word grief is a whole host of emotions that can be manifest in a variety of ways. How are some of those ways? How does it manifest itself in our lives?
HARTUNG: They can manifest themselves in anger, for instance, because anger can be a significant expression of the loss and the why did this happen. It can manifest itself in depression and sadness. It can manifest itself in anxiety, which is what do I do now, what’s happening next. It can manifest itself in lethargy, sort of a dulling of things.
SELTZ: But, how do we make sure that we don’t get stuck in those kinds of responses?
HARTUNG: One version of stuckness, at least it seems to me, is that we try to kind of handle everything internally and figure that maybe if we’re grown up and all that kind of business…
SELTZ: I can get over this.
HARTUNG: Absolutely. It’s up to me. I should be able to do this. Part of that stuckness then, I think, has to do with that. If it stays inside, one possibility is that it’s kind of…you see, grief is like a pinball machine, at least I put that in the book.
ANNOUNCER: Okay.
HARTUNG: You have to be old enough to know what a pinball machine is. The little ball gets bounced around in all kinds of different ways and sometimes just stuff comes and goes in our emotional lives. Remembrances come out of the blue sometimes and there are times we feel we are over it and times that we don’t. That’s an ongoing process.
ANNOUNCER: Then how do you move us from that closed system into something that’s more open, something that’s unstuck?
HARTUNG: When you or I were baptized, we were made into a new relationship with God but also a new relationship with each other. St. Paul talks about that as the body of Christ. Within that community are opportunities for people to share the hopes and fears that they have. So, part of getting unstuck has to do with our capacities to risk talking about the kinds of things that we’re experiencing and thinking and feeling with other people, who, in a safe way, can understand, embrace, and help us.
SELTZ: Dr. Hartung, thank you so much for being here to talk about it, but thanks for writing it and sharing it with others.
HARTUNG: You’re quite welcome and I pray that the booklet may be used in constructive and useful and helpful ways to the glory of Christ and to the health and well-being of the people who serve Him.
SELTZ: Wonderful, wonderful. That’s our Action In Ministry segment today to bless, to empower, and to strengthen your life in Christ for others.
ANNOUNCER: To view or download this content for free, go to lutheranhour.org and click on Action In Ministry. That’s lutheranhour.org. Or call 1-855-john316. That’s 1-855-564-6316.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for September 11, 2016
Topic: How Are Christians to be In the World But Not Of the World?ANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, in John, chapter 17, Jesus prayed that His disciples wouldn’t be taken out of the world, but that they would remain in the world as His servants. The question for us then is how are Christians to be IN the world but not OF the world?
SELTZ: That’s a challenging balance, isn’t it?
ANNOUNCER: Let’s make sure we understand what we’re talking about here. To be IN the world means being present here as a person on earth-living our lives here and now because we’re not yet in heaven; but being OF the world is when you adopt the practices, the values, the outlook of a secular culture that does not follow or honor Christ. Is that accurate?
SELTZ: Mark, I don’t think I could have said it better myself. So, the question then becomes what is a Christian to do? If all that is true, how can we be present with people who do not follow Christ? How can we co-exist in a world that, in some cases, runs counter to the ways of God? And more than that, how can we be an influence on the world instead of coalescing to the world’s influence on us?
ANNOUNCER: It’s a tall order and we often don’t do the greatest job of following through.
SELTZ: That’s true. Statistics show that, in the United States, there is often no measurable difference between those who identify themselves as Christians and those who don’t and that’s in the areas of marriage integrity, personal purity, and other markers of what might make a person look like a Christian.
ANNOUNCER: Is there any hope?
SELTZ: There is always hope, Mark! Especially because of Jesus, the risen Savior, there is always hope. The one thing the statistics don’t reflect is a person’s seriousness about their faith. You see, when people really do read their Bibles and go to church regularly, not just say they are Christians, the statistics actually do change quite a bit. But it’s not the statistics at all anyway. It’s the power of knowing and trusting in God in Christ.
ANNOUNCER: What are some ways all of us, then, could live IN this world without being OF the world?
SELTZ: I think there are three key teachings of the Bible. First, Jesus identified us as salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We bring something unique, then, to the world. Instead of the same-old, same-old, and instead of darkness and bad news, followers of Jesus stand out as people who bring flavor to life-the good flavor of what is right and constructive and helpful.
ANNOUNCER: And followers of Jesus also bring His light into the darkness of the world.
SELTZ: They do indeed. They bring the hope, the encouragement, and the restoration of God’s grace and salvation for all. It’s ultimately what people need, what people even yearn for. We need to be bold, then, about living and sharing the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
ANNOUNCER: How can we be salt and light effectively when the world seems to ignore or even disrespect the church?
SELTZ: That leads me to the second Scriptural reading. Peter said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). We are salt and light with humility and kindness. We are IN the world as people who can give an answer about the hope we have. We keep from being OF the world when we follow the pathway of His love instead of the temptation to mere power and control.
ANNOUNCER: Certainly not an easy balance. You just wish the world would listen and shape up!
SELTZ: Peter understood what you meant, Mark. Remember, he was once a forceful disciple. But as he followed Jesus and was humbled, the Holy Spirit gave him wisdom and grace to influence in a gentle and caring way. We’re called to do the same.
ANNOUNCER: How, then, can followers of Jesus be prepared to be this kind of influence in the world?
SELTZ: That leads to my final portion of Scripture. In Philippians, chapter four, it says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer…with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV). A Christian is IN the world without being OF it only by God’s strength and grace. If we’re going to be prepared as salt and light and if we’re going to display a humble but clear influence, we need to be people of prayer in Christ, we need to be people who read and hear God’s Word, and people who are connected to the community of faith so we can practice the life that God calls us to.
ANNOUNCER: It’s essential that we have a solid and ongoing connection to Jesus, because He is the Source of our personal obedience and this life-changing message that we offer to the world.
SELTZ: Exactly!
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Jesus Sinners Doth Receive” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“O God of Light” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)