OK, I have preached the Luke 15 passage many times during the course of my ministry. I get it! Lost stuff is found, people rejoice. There is no doubt that Jesus was emphasizing this truth. But what does Jesus say causes the rejoicing - repentance. "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" v. 7 (NIV) And what does one repent of - sin.
And so during a recent reading of the chapter I asked myself, "Is Jesus perhaps identifying the sin that needed repentance in these Parables as well?" Four groups of people are identified in the crowd: the tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. I believe the Parables address some specific sin in the life of them all, and for us today.
Sheep: It should be no surprise to you that sheep are helpless. They require a Shepherd, and they key in on the Shepherd's voice. Jesus did not have much use for the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were present. Their sin was essentially one of masking the voice of God. They were more enamored of the laws they created and imposed on the people than they were in their own obedience to the truth of God's Word. And virtually all the laws they created were never articulated by God himself.
And so Jesus saw the people as sheep without a Shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) Furthermore, they rarely applied their own laws to themselves which caused Jesus to brand them as hypocrites and accused them of actually keeping the people from finding the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 23:13)
Today's Church faces the same challenge. Pastors, teachers, church leaders, and Christians are more consumed with their own traditions, theologies, politics, worship styles, systems, hierarchies, homogeneous ethnic congregations and "man-made laws" so that the people no longer hear the voice of the Shepherd.
In fact, I once attended a service where the name of "Jesus" was not used one time, in word or song. And when the sheep who really long to hear the Shepherd's voice grow agitated, most churches are glad to see them go somewhere else; although, this is one of the things that makes new church planting so effective and needed. You get to put all the man-made stuff aside and begin again with relevant worship and Biblical teaching.
Is the Shepherd's voice audible in your life, and in your church? Do you reject the input of those just seeking to clear away the noise so they can hear God?
Coin: Did it ever strike you that Jesus talked about 10 coins, nine found and one lost? Could Jesus' audience have understood a subtle reference to the Tithe?
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