Chapter 15 of Luke moves to the
pertinent topic why our God earnestly pleas people to respond to his generous
invitation call to the banquet. The theme of this Chapter is who the lost are.
Although all humanity is lost and fallen the Scripture never misses to spell
out who the lost really are. It’s because there are a great deal of
misunderstandings and ignorance on how to treat the lost. There are three
parables, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the
parable of the lost sons. Not a single individual is left out in the parables. All
is lost in Adam. That’s the reason for our God to invite all to the well-prepared
banquet and come to join in the fellowship with Christ Jesus the Lord who is
the living water, abundantly outpouring love, joy, peace unto the faithful
comers. When our Lord says, “Come, for everything is now ready,” it means what
it says. Yes, everything is now ready, so just come and take all inheritance
through the faith in Christ Jesus.
“Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
The first parable is the lost sheep.
The great misunderstanding on the lost sheep is not failing to identify whom
they are, but failing to know how to treat them. The dangerous bigotry and
prejudice on those lost people by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law
moved our Lord to speak on this issue.
“Now the tax collectors and
sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the
teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke
15:1-2)
Our Lord Jesus invited the tax
collectors and sinners and taught them. A great number of people joined and
listen to Jesus. But the religious leaders strongly opposed him because they
totally ignored the tax collectors and prostitutes and treated them as the scum
of the earth. To the eyes of the religious leaders they were nothing but the
traitors and sinners condemned by the Law. They were the outcasts socially and
religiously in such a tight-knit community and thus blocked to join the
synagogues. The religious leaders asserted that such a people was already
condemned and cursed.
In our days they may be loan
sharks, pimps, human traffickers, drug dealers, etc. How easy is it to condemn
such a people! There is absolutely no room for mercy on those who practice evil
and wicked things. There is no time to lose in swift and relentless
condemnation and curse on those people. But our Lord Jesus tells us a parable
which truly rebukes our bigoted and self-righteous mind through the revelation
of the heart of God. Here is the parable of the lost sheep.
Then Jesus told them this
parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t
he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until
he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and
goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice
with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 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.” (Luke 15:3-7)
Our Lord Jesus tells a story in
which a shepherd lost one sheep out of one hundred and went out to find it.
Here Jesus is saying that the lost one is one of the tax collectors and sinners
or the loan sharks and drug dealers. What is sheep which Jesus picks up out of
numerous animals? Sheep is known as one of dumbest and feeblest animals because
they are almost certain to get lost without the shepherd’s care. But one
notable thing is that they get lost without any adventurous intension or deliberation
at all. Nevertheless, they get lost although they don’t mean to. That’s how our
God sees those people who are hopelessly lost although they don't mean to at all. In
fact, sheep do not know that they are getting lost until they are utterly lost.
As the lost sheep is never happy
but awfully terrorized and bewildered so are the lost people. Since they never
meant to get lost they are frustrated and unsatisfied and upset at the
destination they have arrived. So, as millions of people always do, they dig in
further, trying to search for the satisfaction and fulfillment in life. But no
matter how they try and what they accomplish they are more irritated and
annoyed. They do not know that they have been hopelessly lost. Who does want to
get lost anyways? That’s the picture of the fallen race.
There was a man named Levi who
became a tax collector in the first century. He was a young man born in an
ordinary Jewish family and as others desire quite naturally so also he wanted
to fulfill his life. One historical fact is that he lived under the iron grip
of Roman power which was dominant and supreme on much of the land around the Mediterranean
including the Palestine in the first century. It is sure that it wasn’t the
time of King David. Eventually he ended in occupying the seat of tax collector
as his profession. On a usual but crucial day, he was visited by a man named
Jesus of Nazareth and invited to follow him. It might be like a thundering
voice from heaven to him when he heard of saying, “Follow me!”
“After this, Jesus went out and
saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,”
Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.’” (Luke
5:27-28)
Why did he leave everything and
follow Jesus? If he were fully satisfied and fulfilled in wearing the tax
collector’s cloth he would not have left everything and followed a rugged
country preacher, Jesus of Nazareth. Something constantly annoyed and bothered
and even haunted him day and night, let alone the harsh and cold treatment of
the neighbors and relatives against him. He got lost by making several missteps
one after another. He had no way to turn and the case seemed hopeless and
gloomy. He got stuck in the mud of taxing business which his own people
condemned it as a traitor’s work. He was obviously in agony and torment, not
knowing what to do and where to turn and yearning to take the happiness and
enjoyment of life back.
As in the parable a shepherd who
lost a sheep and left ninety-nine sheep in the open country and went after the
lost one until he found it, so did our Lord Jesus come into the world to go
after Levi, a lost one until he found him. Apostle John wrote in his Gospel that
God so loved the world that he sent his begotten Son and whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). God never gives up the
lost ones but keeps on reaching out his loving and kind hand with wounds and
bruises to the poor and the needy in spirit.
In the Scripture, our God never
says that he has done with those swindlers, fornicators, robbers, thieves, slanderers,
greedy, drunkards, homosexuals, idolaters but faithfully wants them to repent
and be cleansed and washed and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God.
“Or do you not know that
wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the
sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you
were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
When the shepherd found the lost
sheep, joyfully put it on his shoulders and went home. Then he called his
friends and neighbors together and said, “Rejoice with me for I have found my
lost sheep.” Our Lord Jesus says, in the same way, that there will more
rejoicing over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons
who do not need to repent. That’s our God’s heart. He wants the lost to repent.
But our God is not just waiting doing nothing but has already demonstrated his
unfailing love for the lost people by letting his one and only Son die in
horrible and unimaginable sufferings on the cross of Calvary.
Apostle Paul acclaimed and even
shouted for the unfailing love of God which has demonstrated and manifested on
a hillside just outside of the city of Jerusalem, the city of God in the first
century just exactly at God’s appointed time. Who can understand the height and
depth of his love? Who can fathom the length and width of his giving heart
through the Son Christ Jesus?
“He who did not spare his own
Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him,
graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God
has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one.
Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right
hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or
danger or sword?” (Romans 8:32-35)
Is it not the Christmas’ spirit?
The Maker of the heavens and the earth became a man in keeping the promise to send
the Savior of the world. The Immortal became a mortal and died in our place. The
tidings of the coming of the Savior was delivered by an archangel Gabriel to
Joseph who was pledged to marry to Mary, which was prophesied by Prophet Isaiah
some seven hundred years before Christ came.
“The virgin will conceive and
give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with
us”). (Matthew 1:23)
“Therefore the Lord himself will
give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will
call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
The Son of Man came to the earth
and walked on the corners and streets of the towns and villages, healed the
sick, drove out the demons, and taught the kingdom of God. He was perfected by
his death and finished the work of redemption for the fallen race. He did not
save himself in order to save the lost like us. He did not revenge when he was
reviled but entrusted himself to the Father who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). He
faithfully defends those who believe in him through the shield of his blood
from all accusations and charges by the devil.
“If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Our Lord Jesus is strong enough
to keep us from falling and sinking and to present us as the blameless and
faultless and holy bride on the Day of the Lord.
“To him who is able to keep you
from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault
and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and
authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)
Prayer: Thank our heavenly
Father for your unfailing love for the lost that through the Son of Man and his
death and blood all may be delivered and liberated from the bondage of falling.
Praise the faithful Father who is the Immanuel despite of our transgressions
and sins because he rejoices the lost who repents. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
December 10, 2015
© 2015 David Lee Ministries – All Rights
Reserved.
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