Introduction
For weeks now, we have been making our way through Luke 15 and 16, and today we reach chapter 17. Although we are well past chapter 15, the context remains the same. Chapter 15 starts like this:
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:1–2).
The problem is the Pharisees’ self-righteousness stops them from recognizing what God was doing right in front of them. Sinners were coming back to God, and instead of celebrating, as was happening in heaven, the Pharisees stayed outside the celebration, like the prodigal son’s older brother, grumbling and complaining about God’s mercy.
The interesting thing about the idea of Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, and welcoming them into his new community, is how different it is from how much of the church today treats these same kinds of people.
The Hermeneutical Trick of the Self-Righteous
The reason the church can do this—why so many in the church today still scoff at sinners, judge them, and look down on them—is because of a small hermeneutical trick that self-righteous people use, which influences how they understand this idea of Jesus welcoming sinners.
You see, it’s sometimes assumed by modern self-righteousness that, yes, Jesus ate and drank with sinners, but once he did, they were no longer sinners. They were converted. They were changed. It’s believed they immediately turned their lives around, stopped fighting their sins, and whatever made them social outcasts suddenly disappeared forever in Jesus’ presence. They were now good, upright members of society. So, sure, Jesus ate with sinners, but once he did, they stopped being who they were before and became more like us, more like the kind of people we approve of.
It’s this assumption that enables people who understand Jesus as a friend of sinners to remain judgmental and self-righteous toward those who haven’t yet turned their lives around, those who still struggle with sin. This perspective, to be blunt, is essentially an ongoing exercise in deliberately missing the point.
No One Is Righteous
Let me remind you what Jesus said.
“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
If you read that and say, “Yes, as one of the ninety-nine righteous persons, I should be glad more glad when sinners repent,” you are missing the point. There are no ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. To quote Paul, who is quoting the Psalms:
As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10).
We need to make this part of our mindset. Jesus didn’t create a community made up of both sinners and righteous people because there are no truly righteous individuals. I don’t care how good you think you are. I don’t care how well you think you have things together. I don’t care how appropriately you dress. I don’t care if you only watch Christian television and listen to Christian music. I don’t care if your favorite show is The Chosen. You are not righteous. You are a sinner, just like everyone else.
Jesus did not create a community of sinners and righteous people because there are no truly righteous individuals. Instead, Jesus formed a community of repentant sinners who strive to follow Christ as best they can.
Life in a Community of Sinners
So, if we are part of a community of sinners, what are we called to do when someone sins?
“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3).
I mean, sure, I can forgive someone once, maybe even twice. But when they keep falling into the same sins—especially those that we don’t find socially acceptable (because you all know there are socially acceptable sins in Christian circles and others that aren’t)—then the best thing to do is just be done with that person, right?
“and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:4).
Imagine having to forgive someone seven times in the same day. Imagine your Lord commanding you to do that. Do you know what I would do if Jesus commanded me to do that? I’d cry out for more faith.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5).
Grace, Not Strength
If the idea of lacking the strength within ourselves to do what Jesus commands sounds familiar, you may recall that the Anglican catechism expresses a similar thought. After teaching the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s summary of the Law, the Catechist says:
My young friend, please understand this: that you are not able to do these things with your own strength, or to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve him, without his special grace. So you must learn at all times to call for that grace through prayer.
Let me summarize that:
You are not able to do these things with your own strength, so you must learn at all times to call for God’s special grace through prayer.
But what about all the Bible study I do? What about all the good works I perform? What about all the time I spend praying? Sure, okay, Jesus formed a community of sinners, but I’ve got to be among the most righteous of all the sinners, right? Look at everything I do!
“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:7–10).
Let me read that last verse again.
“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10).
Our Liturgy Confirms It
Again, this idea of unworthiness should sound familiar. We gather for church. We confess our sins. We speak or sing the Gloria. We pray. We hear Scripture read. We recite the Creed. We pray some more. We give our assent to the Eucharistic liturgy with the Great Amen. We pray the Lord’s Prayer. And then, just before we are about to receive the body and blood of Christ, we say:
We do not presume to come to this your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy.
The liturgy itself emphasizes the truth: no one is truly righteous. No, not one.
A Community of Repentant Sinners
So, this is the point. Jesus isn’t forming a community of sinners and righteous people because there are no righteous people. You might even say that the key to joining this community is understanding that truth. There is no one righteous. No, not one. Not even you.
If you’re at a church that makes you feel self-righteous, thinking, “I deserve this, I’m entitled to this, I’m a good person,” you need to run as fast as you possibly can from that church because the church isn’t a community of self-righteous people defined by whatever societal issues that particular community emphasizes as what all good Christians should do and believe—like how you dress, how you vote, what music you listen to, or which theological system you follow.
The church is a community of repentant sinners striving to follow Jesus Christ together. When we sin, we rebuke each other; when we repent, we forgive each other, even if it means forgiving someone seven times in one day for the same offense. We do this because we are all in the same situation. We are all in the same camp. There aren’t sinners and the righteous—there are only sinners, and there will only ever be sinners because nothing we do earns us anything. You, me, and every person who has ever lived cannot earn right standing before God. At best, we have only done our duty. At worst, we have fallen short and must repent.
The Only Hope
We all, and when I say “we” I mean those inside and outside the church, those we consider righteous and unrighteous, and those we’d gladly share a meal with and those we’d rather judge and ignore, have only one hope. And it’s not how much you’ve prayed, and it’s not how much of the Bible you’ve read, and it’s not how much Christian music you listen to, and it’s not … You fill in the blank. The only hope of every sinner who has ever lived is that it is God’s nature always to have mercy.
This is why, when you look back to the beginning of the liturgy during our confession of sins, the theme of mercy appears repeatedly. We don’t say, “Okay, Lord, I’ve completed this act of confession, now forgive me.” Instead, we are repenting of our sins and turning to the One whose very nature is mercy.
If there is any self-righteousness in you, or any sense that you have earned this, that you deserve it, or that you have done enough good works to be part of the community and secure a place in heaven when you die, then write these words on your forehead if you have to. Bind them as a sign on your hand. Make them frontlets between your eyes. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates if you must, but never forget that at our very best:
We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty (Luke 17:10).
Amen.
Life Group Guide
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we come together to study your Word, we ask that you humble our hearts and open our minds to the truth that none of us is righteous apart from your grace. Help us see ourselves as you see us — as sinners in need of your mercy. Guide our conversation today and reveal to each of us what you want us to learn about true community, forgiveness, and the nature of your mercy. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Ice Breaker
What’s something small that someone did for you recently that made you feel appreciated or valued?
Key Verses
Luke 17:1–10
Romans 3:10
Questions
Fr. Michael states that Jesus formed ’a community of repentant sinners trying to follow Christ as best as they can.’ How does this differ from your previous understanding of the church community?
Jesus commands us to forgive someone who sins against us seven times in a day if they repent. What makes this kind of forgiveness so difficult in practice?
How do you respond to the statement that ‘there are socially acceptable Christian sins and there are other sins that aren’t socially acceptable by Christians’? Do you see this in your own life or church experience?
The sermon challenges the idea that we can earn right standing before God. Where in your life might you be trying to earn God’s favor rather than relying on His mercy?
Fr. Michael warns against churches that foster a sense of self-righteousness. What are some signs that a church might be fostering self-righteousness rather than humility?
How does the Prayer of Humble Access (’ We do not presume to come to this your table...’) reflect the message of Luke 17:10?
What does it mean practically to ‘rebuke’ someone who sins, as Jesus commands in Luke 17:3? How can we lovingly do this?
The sermon emphasizes that ‘the only hope every sinner has is that it is God’s nature always to have mercy.’ How might this truth change how you view others who struggle with sin?
Life Application
This week, practice identifying moments when you feel self-righteous or judgmental toward others. When those feelings arise, pause and remind yourself that you are an ‘unworthy servant’ who has only done what was your duty. Then, intentionally extend the same mercy to others that God has shown to you. Choose one relationship where forgiveness has been difficult, and take a concrete step toward expanding that forgiveness, remembering that God’s nature is always to have mercy.
Key Takeaways
Jesus formed a community of repentant sinners, not a community divided between sinners and righteous people, because there are no righteous people.
We are called to rebuke when necessary and forgive repeatedly, even seven times in one day, reflecting God’s endless mercy toward us.
No amount of good works, Bible study, or prayer makes us worthy before God - at our best, we have only done our duty.
Self-righteousness closes our eyes to God’s work and prevents us from showing mercy to others as God has shown mercy to us.
Our only hope in this life and the next is not our own righteousness but God’s nature, which is always to have mercy.
Ending Prayer
Merciful God, we come before you as unworthy servants who have only done what was our duty. Thank you for reminding us that none of us is righteous on our own, and that our community is built not on our goodness but on your grace. Give us the faith to forgive as we have been forgiven, to extend mercy as we have received mercy, and to build communities that reflect your heart for repentant sinners. Help us to put aside self-righteousness and judgment, and instead to embrace humility and love. May we go from here remembering that our only hope is in your unfailing mercy. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.