Articles
The Lost
The Lost
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Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Lk. 15:1-2)
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In His involvement with the tax collectors and sinners, Jesus' critics saw an occasion for censure. Surely, no self-respecting man of God would stoop to fraternize with rabble like this. In their eyes, Jesus trashed His credibility by the company He kept.
But in response to this criticism, Jesus offered three parables about lost things: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. We cannot match Jesus' effectiveness in evangelism until we can see the lost as He did.
In the first two parables, the emphasis is not on how the lost items became lost, but on their value. A lost sheep and a lost coin have inherent value and are worth the trouble to find them. Anyone who has lost property can appreciate that simple lesson. That's how God views those whose lives are mired in sin. They are lost--separated from their rightful owner, doomed to a dark fate. Yet they still have value, and are worth the trouble to rescue. No one faults the shepherd for leaving his flock to find the wayward sheep, or the woman for turning her house upside down to find the missing coin. How can we fault God for doing the same thing?
In the third parable, the parallel is drawn into sharper focus. The younger son is lost by his own foolish choices, not some random act of fate. Every sinner bears at least some responsibility for his misspent life. Up to that point, at least, the theology of Jesus aligned with that of His critics. However, the parable does not dwell on the sinner's mistakes, but on his repentance and restoration. The father's reaction to his son's return is a model of tender compassion. The reunion of father and son tugs on our hearts in a way that every parent can understand. Only a cold heart could fail to appreciate the beauty of such a homecoming.
Which is precisely why the scribes and Pharisees failed to appreciate what Jesus was doing. In their smug self-righteousness, these men were indifferent to the value of those fallen souls. Their desire for social status blinded them to the reclamation work Jesus was doing. The lost were being saved and the angels in heaven were rejoicing! But like the haughty older brother in the rest of the parable, Jesus' enemies had no regard for this noble enterprise. The lost could go to hell; they didn't care.
Until we can see evangelism as a campaign to rescue God's lost children from Satan's clutches, rather than a PR strategy to get people to join "our church," we will never be successful at it. Evangelism requires that we get close to those who need saving.
Let us be busy in this good work.
--David
