(Ref. Texts: Exod 32:7.11.13–14; Ps 50⁄51; 1Tim 1:12–17; Luke 15:1–32)
“True Repentance is that saving grace wrought in the soul by the spirit of God, whereby a sinner is made to see and be sensible of his sin, is grieved and humbled before God on account of it, not so much for the punishment to which sin has made him liable, as that thereby God is dishonoured and offended, his laws violated, and his own soul polluted and defiled; and this grief arises from love to God, and is accompanied with an hatred of sin, a fixed resolution to forsake it, and expectation of favour and forgiveness through the merits of Christ” (W. Calcott).
Premise
Luke chapter 14 ends with the following words: “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Luke 14:34–35). It is a reference to the conditions of discipleship. Such saying implies that if the conditions of discipleship as given verses 26−27.33 are not met, the disciples themselves will equally become tasteless and worthless just like the salt that has lost its tastefulness. In the successive chapters, Jesus continues to arouse much interest in many people due to his practical, direct and selfless teachings. After clarifying things with the great crowd that accompanied or attempted following him (cf. Luke 14:25), in this Sunday Gospel, similar thing is repeated, though with a different orientation.
Luke opens the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel with two groups of people who clustered around Jesus with the intention of listening to him. Unlike the crowd of Luke 14:25, the Publicans (Greek: telōnai) and Sinners (Greek: hamartōloi) of Luke 15:1 have specific motive for gathering around Jesus – to keep listening to his admirable, untraditional and non-dogmatic teachings. In Luke 15:2, we notice that such move was in fact, not appreciated by two self-acclaimed righteous Jewish groups: the Pharisees (Greek: pharisaioi) and the Scribes (Greek: grammateis). But who were or who are these groups: the Publicans; Sinners; the Pharisees; and the Scribes?
The Publicans
In the Christian (New) Testament, the Publicans were tax collectors and revenue officers. They worked principally for the Roman government. In collecting taxes from the people, they often resorted to extortion. This explains why they were not loved even by their own people (cf. Luke 19:8).
Sinners
Generally, a sinner is one who deviates from the path of virtue; one who violates God’s will or law. In our context, that is, according to the Jewish conception (and according to the contemporary so-called ‘born-again’) a sinner is one who does not keep orthodox traditions and behaviours. Sometimes and in line with the Jewish teaching, sinners equally included non-Jews, the same way some people classify as sinners those who do not reason, dress, speak, act or worship and belong to the same faith as them. Those who failed to adhere to the Scribes’ interpretation of the Law were termed sinners. Similarly, sinners included public offenders and those who objected to the observation of the Pharisees’ rigid law of purity. Naturally, the Jews had no love for these (presumed) sinners (cf. Matt 5:46–47).
The Pharisees
They were the numerous and most powerful sect of the Jews, famous for their ceremonial observances, apparent sanctity of life, and rigid interpreters of the Law. They frequently contravened the spirit of the Torah by their traditional interpretations and precepts, to which they attributed equal authority with the Hebrew Scriptures (cf. Matt 5:20; 12:2; 23:14). They were in fact, the separated ones, hence, holy. Along with the Torah, the Pharisees also accepted as inspired and authoritative all the commandments stipulated in the oral traditions and preserved by the rabbis. Jesus confronted them severally and condemned their religious externalism and formality.
The Scribes
They were skilled in the Jewish Law, teachers and qualified interpreters of the Law (cf. Matt 2:4; 5:20). Jesus criticised their non-involvement in what they taught. The members of this class included priests, people from prominent families, merchants, craftsmen and even proselytes. Their specific and fundamental function consisted in the preservation of tradition and the interpretation and application of the Scripture. They were highly regarded and respected by people. Because of their constant contact with the Sacred Writings, the scribes were regarded as the official interpreters of the Law. They were addressed as “doctors of the Law” (cf. Luke 5:17; Acts 5:34) and as “rabbi” (cf. Matt 23:7). In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus acknowledged the formal authority of the Scribes, but denounced the examples they set (cf. Matt 23:2–3).
Well articulated, bro.