The Word This Week
Luke 15:1…
In a somewhat surprising response to Jesus’ very tough message to the great multitudes in Luke 14, it was the tax collectors and sinners who drew near to Jesus to hear more.
We remember Jesus had concluded His tough remarks by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
It was the most reprobate people – as most of the crowd would have viewed them - who responded.
Any tax collector worked in conjunction with Rome, and they were all considered to be traitors to the Jewish state.
And what would have to be SO apparent about your life you would simply be referred to as a “sinner,” and everyone would agree with that assessment?
In the minds of the Pharisees and scribes, drawing near to tax collectors and sinners was something they would never ever do – and they found Jesus reprehensible for doing so. It was yet another obvious flaw in Jesus’ claim to be a prophet. No prophet, they would assert, would ever hang out with tax collectors and sinners, and no prophet would ever share a meal with anyone who was unrighteous, as that would have them becoming like the tax collectors and sinners as they broke bread together and received the same sustenance at the same time, making them metabolically alike in nature.
Of course this is absurd, and Jesus does very well at pointing out obvious absurdity.
What is the point of evangelizing those who have no need of repentance? If your evangelism pond is limited only to those who are already saved, what would be the point of evangelizing?
Jesus equates repentance of the lost with rescue from a death-causing condition. Anyone and everyone would rescue their animal from death, because an animal has monetary value to its owner.
Now think about your value to God, Who created you to be His child. Jesus allows us to see human life is much more valuable to our Creator God than animals, even domesticated ones. It is you God is focused upon. It is you God seeks out and desires to rescue from death, because you are created in the image of God, and because you are an immortal soul.
This chapter is, in reality, all about God’s love for you.
Pastor Bill
In a somewhat surprising response to Jesus’ very tough message to the great multitudes in Luke 14, it was the tax collectors and sinners who drew near to Jesus to hear more.
We remember Jesus had concluded His tough remarks by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
It was the most reprobate people – as most of the crowd would have viewed them - who responded.
Any tax collector worked in conjunction with Rome, and they were all considered to be traitors to the Jewish state.
And what would have to be SO apparent about your life you would simply be referred to as a “sinner,” and everyone would agree with that assessment?
In the minds of the Pharisees and scribes, drawing near to tax collectors and sinners was something they would never ever do – and they found Jesus reprehensible for doing so. It was yet another obvious flaw in Jesus’ claim to be a prophet. No prophet, they would assert, would ever hang out with tax collectors and sinners, and no prophet would ever share a meal with anyone who was unrighteous, as that would have them becoming like the tax collectors and sinners as they broke bread together and received the same sustenance at the same time, making them metabolically alike in nature.
Of course this is absurd, and Jesus does very well at pointing out obvious absurdity.
What is the point of evangelizing those who have no need of repentance? If your evangelism pond is limited only to those who are already saved, what would be the point of evangelizing?
Jesus equates repentance of the lost with rescue from a death-causing condition. Anyone and everyone would rescue their animal from death, because an animal has monetary value to its owner.
Now think about your value to God, Who created you to be His child. Jesus allows us to see human life is much more valuable to our Creator God than animals, even domesticated ones. It is you God is focused upon. It is you God seeks out and desires to rescue from death, because you are created in the image of God, and because you are an immortal soul.
This chapter is, in reality, all about God’s love for you.
Pastor Bill