Found (Out)
“The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches… If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.”
― Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:10, NIV
As I read the Gospels I am often amazed at how clear and plain it is that the “religious” people who encountered Jesus totally missed and misunderstood Him and His mission. They were the opposition to His message, His miracles and His mission though they should have been those most ready to rally behind all three. Over and over the Gospels record how they complain about the company Jesus keeps. One narrative after another shows their strong objection to His behavior or that of the disciples. Time and again we see them choose their traditions and the power and status that their careful obedience to that tradition have won them over Jesus’ “new” and “radical” ideas. Shocking ideas like healing the suffering on the Sabbath and loving your fellow human being even if they are of a different ethnicity were simply too much for the “religious” of Jesus’ day to swallow. They would rather Jesus do things their way. They would rather Jesus stop exposing their hypocrisy. They would rather Jesus be gone altogether than cause them to change (read here repent). And as I read this, I often think to myself, “I am so glad that I understand you Jesus.” I often cast myself in the role of a faithful disciple or one of the people of renowned faith in the Gospel narratives. “I would have understood Jesus then because I understand Him now,” I think. But on my better days, the Holy Spirit nudges me into admitting the falsehood of this way of thinking. I am not better than the “religious” people of Jesus’ day. My religious garb is different but, it’s the same old pride and self-righteousness that trips me up. It’s not so much that I think I am better than sinners, it’s that I am pretty sure that if they didn’t love sin so much they would be far easier to talk to about Jesus. After all, they hold none of my carefully thought through ideals. They are selfish. And they swear. They drink too much. Some of them smoke. They are caught up in all kinds of messiness; messy relationships, messy pasts, messy family dynamics. Some of them seem nice enough when you first meet them but then you see past the façade. Or they find out you’re a Christian (or a pastor) too late and they swear or make the wrong joke and you know, this isn’t a person who would value Jesus. Or is it really that we think, “Here is a person Jesus would not value.” Only that is waaay too honest and revealing. I suppose if we give it an honest look, we find that these messy people are just the ones Jesus got in trouble for hanging out with. He partied with tax collectors and sinners. His feet were washed by a prostitute’s tears. He had to talk with a woman who was five times divorced (John 4)! Had to go to that crook Zacchaeus’ house. Had to die on the cross. Because His mission was to seek and save the lost. I am so glad that He found (and keeps finding out) me.
For personal reflection: How deeply do I trust that lost people matter to God and that He wants them found?
For encouragement: Syna Lao’s story of seeking the lost
For WEDnesday Discussion:
· What has helped you remember your “lost-ness”? What are warning signs that you are tending toward “older brother” behavior towards lost people?
· How would the idea of “living for eternity” change the way you set your priorities? How practical is it to actually live that way?*
· In the parables of the ‘lost’ in Luke 15, the main character in each story is intensely focused on finding what is lost. How does Jesus’ life demonstrate this focus? How should your life as a follower of Jesus demonstrate this focus?
· What are the key differences between Jesus’ mission and ours when it comes to lost people?
*From Alliance CORE Values, C&MA DNA, session 2, page 7, Group Discussion Questions.