Monday, September 7, 2009

Lost and Found, Part 4 of 78

TEXT: “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’ So He spoke this parable to them, saying, ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which 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 neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance’ ” (Luke 15:1-7).

IDEA: Men and women whom others despise are the heroes and heroines of Jesus’ stories.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate that directly and indirectly Jesus attacks the prejudices and “social ranks” that are an established part of any society.

A masked man enters a room where a man lies sleeping on a narrow bed. The intruder holds a sharp knife in his hand . . .

What is going on here?

“A text without the context is a pretext.” This is a basic rule for understanding the Bible or for reading a passage in any book.

Luke 15:3-32 contains three stories—very familiar stories if you much about the Bible. Here are some important questions:

Why did Jesus tell these three stories? How would you find out? Look at Luke 15:1-2:

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear Him.

And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

What happened?

What is the “subject” this passage? What is Jesus talking about?

Why do you think Jesus told stories to answer His accusers? Why not just come out and give a straight answer?

Jesus’ first story is about a shepherd who has lost a sheep. We find this in Luke 15:3-7:

So He spoke this parable to them, saying, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which 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 neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

I. Jesus “digs” at His accusers by the way He introduces the story: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them . . .”

The religious leaders had mixed emotions about shepherds:
In their Old Testament Scriptures shepherds were noble:
Moses was accepted a shepherd.
David was a shepherd.
God is pictured as a shepherd.

In contrast, in the first century flesh-and-blood shepherds who wandered around after the sheep were regarded as unclean:
They were not allowed to enter the temple area.
They were looked at as dishonest and as thieves.

“Respectable” people like shepherds in the abstract, but not up close and personal.

How did they respond when Jesus said, “Now, which of you, if you had a hundred sheep . . .”?

II. Why do you think Jesus “insulted” His audience if He wanted to explain His conduct to them?

“Which of you” is an indirect and a powerful attack on the Pharisaic attitude toward “despised” professions and people.

Jesus did that with “Samaritan” when He made a him a hero of His story, and with the woman in the next parable.

Think of the work you most despise, and Jesus would identify with it. Think of the people you look down on as a class and Jesus gives them dignity.