Luke 15:1,2 - Welcoming tax collectors and sinners

15:1,2

We now get a series of three parables on the theme of lostness, and these three parables reveal something of the heart of God.

This is another case where the chapter divisions hide some of the significance of the gospel. The last verse of chapter 14 said “whoever has ears to hear, let them hear”. Then in 15:1 we read that tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round “to hear Jesus”. It was the outcasts and the despised who had ears to hear, not the supposedly religious people. Oh we need to be so careful here. We need to make sure that we go to those who really do have ears to hear, and they may often not be people who we think are seeking God. Moreover, our social conditioning may make us despise people who are genuinely seeking God, and whom God is seeking. At the same time we need to recognise that Jesus came to save the lost, to save sinners (a category into which all of us fall), and that coming to Jesus involves repentance. Jesus will welcome anyone who comes to Him with a repentant heart, but He does not welcome anyone who has no wish to see their life changed. In our aim to reach out to everyone all too often the church does away with any notion of sin. Such an approach is completely unChristian and unloving.

The tax collectors were a despised group, for they operated on behalf of the Roman authorities, and threw in some personal gain into their tax collecting as well. Sinners were either immoral people or those involved in jobs that were against the Law. Eating with sinners implied a willingness to engage with them.

On the previous chapter we have seen Jesus give very harsh words, stressing the cost. Here we will see Jesus give much more gentle words. Why the difference? One set of words were aimed primarily at those who thought they were religious, who had some self-righteousness. These parables are aimed at those who know their need of forgiveness. If we come to God with an attitude of “you ought to accept me” then we haven’t a clue, if we come with an attitude of “I need forgiveness and mercy” then we will find a rich welcome.