“So he told them this parable: ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 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 15:3-7 ESV)
Now the Lord had me address verses 1-2 in the last devotion,
titled, “Cruel Reproaches,” but I am sharing it again here for the sake
of context:
“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 ESV)
Now the interesting thing about this is that the scribes and
the Pharisees, at least by Jesus’ description of them, were also “sinners.” So
they were being hypocritical in their judgments of Jesus’ actions, and they were
being snooty and prejudicial, too, seeing themselves as somehow superior to the
tax collectors, who they despised.
But Jesus said about them that they did not practice what
they preached, and that they were hypocritical liars who were showy and
prideful, who practiced religious rituals but not God’s righteous requirements.
He said they appeared clean (righteous) outwardly, but inside they were full of
wicked deeds (see Matthew 23:1-39).
So, Jesus told them this parable to call out their hypocrisy
and to let them know, too, the reason why he ate with sinners. He did so in
order to share with them the message of the gospel of salvation so that they
might repent of (turn away from) their sins and now follow Jesus in obedience
in holy living. And he used the example of sheep so that the scribes and
Pharisees could connect with what Jesus was trying to tell them, to illustrate
his point.
For God didn’t call us as believers in Christ to stay home
away from the world and to only hang out with people who call themselves “Christians.”
Now he did say that we are to be his holy people, and that we are not to be
partners with the ungodly, and that we are to live such pure lives that how we
are living is separate (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being
conformed to the likeness of Christ. And so the world should reject us.
But he also sent us out into the world to love the people of
the world as he did, and to minister to their needs, and to share with them the
gospel of our salvation so that they, too, can come to know Jesus as their Lord
and Savior and die with him to sin and follow him in obedience to his commands
in holy living. But Jesus didn’t coddle the “sinners” in their sins. He spoke
the straight truth to them and he let them know the rewards of obedience and
the consequences of disobedience, should they refuse Christ and his gospel
message. And he let the scribes and Pharisees know that, too.
So, we are to be in the world, but not of the world. And we
don’t become like the world to win the world, for then what are we winning them
to? A false faith in a false gospel of a false christ? Yes! For loving the people
of the world does not engage us joining in with them in their worldly practices
just so that they will feel accepted by us. We can show them love and kindness
and still share with them the truth, for the truth is what is truly kind.
Now this last verse here is subject to multiple
interpretations, but what appears abundantly clear to me is, if they need no repentance,
it is because they have already repented of their sins and they are those who
have been walking in faithfulness to the Lord. For even the scribes and
Pharisees were in need of repentance, for they were still actively sinning against
the Lord while putting on a performance of righteousness.
But since we all have to come to repentance at some time in
our lives, if we want to be in relationship with Jesus Christ, then at some point
heaven must have rejoiced over our repentance. For none of us are righteous in
our own merit, and we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the
Father first draws us to Christ. And even the faith to believe in Jesus is not
of our own doing but is a gift from God, and thus it aligns with his will and
purpose.
So, I am not going to attempt to explain verse 7 only to say
that we should be cautious against being religious hypocrites who judge other
sinners for doing the same things we might be doing, or worse, that is IF we
are being like the Pharisees who looked clean on the outside but were filled
with wickedness within but who looked down on others who may not have been as
bad as they were. Don’t be a hypocrite! Be honest! Follow Jesus!
But it is perfectly okay for us who are walking in holiness
and righteousness to help a brother or sister caught in sin to come out of that
sin and to no longer walk in that sin. That is not being hypocritical. It is
loving! And it is commanded of us that we should be sharing the truth of the
gospel with the people of the world, but that we should be living what we preach,
too. This is not a demand for absolute perfection, but it is a command for holy
and righteous living, in practice, in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh,
to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This
is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly
I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus,
Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh,
to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving,
forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping
the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking
the wandering sinner to find.
O
to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy
and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly
enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing
to suffer others to save.
O
to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour
out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make
me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit
me for life and Heaven above.
Oh,
to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd
Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come
in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp
Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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