The 99 or the 1?
This morning our men considered the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7. As always it was a blessing to me to see these men who are so hungry for the Word of God and ready to live it out in their daily lives.
Jesus gives this parable in response to the murmurings of the Pharisees and the Scribes, who disliked the fact that the tax collectors and sinners "all" flocked to hear Jesus, and He was glad to welcome them. They felt like He should have been putting the emphasis on them, instead of the sinners. Jesus thought just the opposite, so he told them a story about a shepherd with 100 sheep. One gets lost, so he leaves the 99 and goes after the 1. He finds the lost sheep and carries him home rejoicing. He even calls the neighbors to rejoice with him over finding the poor lost sheep. Then, Jesus tells the crowd that the same thing happens in heaven when one sinner repents. There is "more joy" in heaven then, than over 99 who need no repentance.
What does that tell us? Jesus has a heart for those who are lost in sinful lifestyles and caught up in the world, and He wants us to have the same heart, so we will go after them. He wants us to invest ourselves in the effort it takes to see people come to Him, because we know it causes Him so much joy. Sadly, we are often more like the Pharisees and the Scribes than like Jesus. We are too content to be comfortable and to stay with the 99. We do not feel compassion for the 1, and we allow him to remain lost, when it is our responsibility to go out and find him with the Good News of Jesus. If we really get this parable, we will restructure our lives to put more emphasis on the 1, instead of the 99.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 30-32.
Jesus gives this parable in response to the murmurings of the Pharisees and the Scribes, who disliked the fact that the tax collectors and sinners "all" flocked to hear Jesus, and He was glad to welcome them. They felt like He should have been putting the emphasis on them, instead of the sinners. Jesus thought just the opposite, so he told them a story about a shepherd with 100 sheep. One gets lost, so he leaves the 99 and goes after the 1. He finds the lost sheep and carries him home rejoicing. He even calls the neighbors to rejoice with him over finding the poor lost sheep. Then, Jesus tells the crowd that the same thing happens in heaven when one sinner repents. There is "more joy" in heaven then, than over 99 who need no repentance.
What does that tell us? Jesus has a heart for those who are lost in sinful lifestyles and caught up in the world, and He wants us to have the same heart, so we will go after them. He wants us to invest ourselves in the effort it takes to see people come to Him, because we know it causes Him so much joy. Sadly, we are often more like the Pharisees and the Scribes than like Jesus. We are too content to be comfortable and to stay with the 99. We do not feel compassion for the 1, and we allow him to remain lost, when it is our responsibility to go out and find him with the Good News of Jesus. If we really get this parable, we will restructure our lives to put more emphasis on the 1, instead of the 99.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 30-32.