THOSE PERCEIVED TO BE OF LITTLE VALUE
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.” 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 15:1-7
Do I value the things Jesus values? Do I love those whom Jesus loves? I can answer too quickly and say, ‘But, of course!’ Really?
In this parable, the one of great value is the one who has strayed the farthest from home, the odd one of the hundred, the one no one is looking for. Quickly forgotten, he is left to question his own value as, over time, he realizes that no one is pursuing him. What an awful discovery as he looks over his shoulder and dreams of unconditional love calling his name from behind. How devastating to realize that the ninety-nine are happy without him. When he has depleted all his resources and realizes he has lost his way, how will he find his way back?
Jesus’ heart is for the one so far from the fold. Our Savior goes to any length to look for him in order to pick him up, embrace him closely, and carry him home.
It is easy for us to value the Christian-looking people. They are respectable in appearance. The one farthest from Christ can be one who repels us. Tattoos, piercings, Goth style clothing, a past that makes us blush, and language that downright intimidates, can send us trying to evangelize anyone but them. But these are the ones for whom Jesus came looking.
The heart of God is one that seeks ~ not waits ~ for sinners to come home. God sent Jesus to ‘seek and to save’ those who are lost. Is this how I feel about those far away from Christ? They need arms to carry them home. They need to discover that they are being sought after. If I don’t go looking, they will assume that God is no more interested than I since I call myself a Christian. I teach others how to perceive God and that is a sobering reality.
Who has wandered from the fold that has all but been forgotten? Is anyone looking for them? Can it be you? Will it be me?
A compassionate search party. Make us one as Your church. In Jesus’ name, Amen
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Wednesday, 27 September 2023.
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