It is my desire to preach on real issues that we deal with as believers, so here’s a real observation to start off with: Some believers act like once they have received God’s forgiveness and been saved from their sins by the blood of Jesus Christ that they’re somehow better than the lost. However, I must point out that believers are not without fault, but forgiven (1 John 1:9); they are not better, but blessed (Ephesians 1:3); and they are not greater; but rather, they have received grace (John 1:16).
It’s a sad fact that some believers become prideful in their position before God. C. S. Lewis stated that when an individual Christian starts “looking down his nose at other people . . . he has taken the wrong turning.”(1) Some believers are looking down their noses at those who are spiritually lost. They insist on keeping a safe distance from them, feeling that maybe their sinful behavior will contaminate them; or that, perhaps they will be seen as guilty by association; and for these biased reasons believers can fail to share their faith with the ones who actually need their help.
In our passage today, Jesus challenged those who deemed themselves as being the spiritually elite to consider just how valuable the lost are in the eyes of the heavenly Father.
Jesus Spent Time Among the Lost (vv. 1-2)
1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Here, we read how the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him teach, and that the Pharisees criticized Him for it. It’s interesting that the Scripture doesn’t simply throw everyone who was present into one big category and call them all sinners. There’s a distinction made between “tax collectors” and “sinners.” First of all, tax collectors were seen as the vilest offenders.
Tax collector [was] not a popular job, although presumably it paid well. In addition to taking people’s money, tax collectors were working for the Roman occupation forces; it wasn’t uncommon for the Roman authorities to auction off the right to collect taxes to the highest bidder.
In order to pay the Romans and still earn a profit, tax collectors and their publican employees could use vicious tactics to extract money from people - not that the Romans cared, so long as they got their share. In addition to the perception of tax collectors as being dishonest, they were also regarded as impure because of the constant contact with Gentiles.(2)
What about this group called sinners? When we hear of sinners we often think of the average person who tried to live according to the law and what was right, but would occasionally fall short. Even Christians sometimes mess up. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Some scholars suggest that they must have been deemed sinners because they didn’t keep the standards that the Pharisees kept; meaning, they did not wash their hands before eating, or some other aspect of ritual purity.(3) This interpretation is incorrect. Listen closely as I share from a commentary:
The “sinners” in the New Testament were not the ritually impure. Nor were they the everyday, average person who tried their best but who, because of human failing and limitation would tend to sin. In the New Testament, those people are called “the crowds.”
The term “sinners” that gets used in the New Testament (hamartoloi) is the same word that gets used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament for the word “wicked” . . . The sinners are those who know what the right thing to do is and just don’t care - the wicked [and] the unrepentant.(4)
Here we find Jesus eating with those who were dishonest crooks (the tax collectors); and keeping company with those who did not live according to any standard of righteousness, but who lived entirely for themselves (the sinners). So basically, we learn that Jesus spent time “hanging out” with the lost.
Are you, as a believer, being intentional about socializing with lost people - the ones who don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and who only seem to care about living for themselves? Or, are you afraid that if you do, that you’ll be condemned by the Pharisees of today - those legalistic individuals who tend to judge you, saying that you have lost your faith?
You have likely heard someone declare in a lofty manner, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17); or perhaps, “Be ye in the world, but not of the world,” which, by the way, is a scriptural misquote from John chapter 17 (vv. 11, 14). Immediately after this often misquoted verse, Jesus prayed in John 17:15 that His disciples be kept safe from Satan while in the world, not that they be removed from ministry in the world.
The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus came to this earth to minister to the world, and to lay down His life for the world; therefore, we should follow His lead. 1 John 4:17 says, “Even as He is, so are we in this world.”
The world is comprised of all the tax collectors and sinners, or those who are lost without saving faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus declared of our mission, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” so that “he who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:15, 16). When we’re searching for people to influence, do we only keep company with those who claim to be Christians, or those whom we think would make upstanding church members?
When you’re looking for something that’s lost - whether it’s your watch, or the missing mate to a pair of socks - the rule of search is this: The first place to look for anything lost is the last place you would expect to find it. Guess what? It’s the same with those who are valuable to Jesus. So, where are you looking for those who are lost, those without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ?
Jesus Said the Lost Are As Sheep (vv. 3-5)
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 “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? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”
Jesus said the lost of the world are as sheep. Sheep need a shepherd or guide. Isaiah said, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). “A shepherd once observed that sheep only lie down when they are full. And they cannot be left lying down by themselves too long, lest they roll over and suffocate in their own wool.”(5) This strange occurrence is called being “cast.” “If the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonably short time, the sheep will die.”(6)
Sheep are also directionless, with no sense of where home is located and they have little sense of danger. “A sheep will wander too close to the den of a wolf, or get caught in a thicket of briars, or wander out into swift water where its fluffy fleece will first float it away, then weigh it down to be drowned.”(7) These are some of the reasons why a shepherd becomes concerned when a sheep wanders away from the fold; and when applied to lost people, they are in a world of hurt if we don’t go after them.
Notice how the one lost sheep was considered very valuable. In biblical times one sheep was equal to twenty-two and one-half shekels.(8) One denarius was one day’s wages for an agricultural worker, and there were four denarii in a shekel.(9) Therefore, twenty-two and one-half shekels, which was the value of one sheep, was equal to ninety denarii or ninety days wages! It was no wonder why the shepherd left the ninety-nine for the one! The point is that Jesus sees the lost as extremely valuable and worth pursuing.
Notice where the shepherd was leading his flock - “in the wilderness” (v. 4). The wilderness was a place of great danger. When wandering from the fold, sheep are subject to being killed by ravenous animals such as lions and wolves. They could wander upon high mountains and fall into deep crevices never to be found and die of starvation. Spiritually speaking, the wilderness was seen as a place of evil where unclean spirits roamed about (cf. Matthew 12:43). The lost are in danger if they remain in a spiritual wilderness without hope of rescue.
The shepherd was not afraid to leave behind the ninety-nine for the one, because he knew the flock would be safe under the guidance of the bellwether. The term bellwether “is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram (a wether) leading his flock of sheep. The movements of the flock could be noted by hearing the bell before the flock was in sight.”(10) The sheep would follow the bellwether, thereby remaining safe, and the shepherd could easily relocate his flock.
The bellwether was once a lost sheep itself. We read here, “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (v. 5). If you have ever seen the picture of the shepherd with the lamb lying across his shoulders, the lamb is there because the shepherd has broken its leg. The sheep then has to depend on the shepherd for its mode of travel and support, and thereby learns to follow and trust the shepherd. One modern day shepherd testifies,
When this sheep is well, it will be the model sheep of my entire flock. No sheep will hear my voice so quickly nor follow so closely. Instead of leading the others away, it will be an example of devotion and obedience. In short, a complete change will come into the life of this wayward sheep.(11)
We must never discount those who are lost, or the people who appear so immersed in the world as to be without hope of ever being redeemed. No one is beyond hope, and no one has strayed so far from the fold that they are unworthy of rescue. If we will let go of our prejudices and take the time to invest in the lives of those deemed as sinners, then one of them could become the next great Christian leader!
Jesus Said to Rejoice When One is Found (vv. 6-7)
“6 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!’ 7 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.”
Jesus said here that when the shepherd found the one lost sheep that he rejoiced with his friends and family. Do we rejoice when one who is lost comes into our church family or decides to attend a worship service? A sheep that’s been lost in the wilderness will not come into the fold brilliantly white and ready for show. It will likely be dirty and stinky. How many of us would rejoice if an unshaven man with long hair walked into the sanctuary for morning worship?
A pastor friend of mine, by the name of John Wyatt, wondered how his church would react if a drunken bum showed up; and so he devised a test. He let his beard grow out all week long, and then on Sunday morning he dressed himself in some tattered clothes and wore an old hat. He borrowed a coworker’s car, drove it to church and parked in one of the spaces out front. He then pretended to be asleep, while holding a beverage bottle in his hand wrapped in a brown paper bag.
John shared with me that when his church members began showing up for service he could hear them talking amongst themselves as to who the man in the car was, and whether they should see if he was okay; but no one bothered to go check. Some even contemplated asking him to leave. John stayed in the car as the worship service began without him, and just as it came time for him to preach, he walked in still dressed as a bum, and then headed straight to the pulpit. He then revealed his identity, and had a very effective message that morning!
How many of us actually rejoice when we see a lost person yearning to know more about Jesus Christ, or even making an effort to attend church? How many of us realize that our behavior can speak volumes about what we really feel concerning that individual? In his song “Start a Party,” Michael English said, “I have a clue that my reputation could show that God’s love has an open invitation. I won’t miss the chance that someone might call His name.” He then sings out, “I wanna’ start a party up in heaven, and get those angels dancing for a new heartbeat! It’s a righteous celebration, singing hallelujah! I wanna’ start a party!”(12)
Time of Reflection
Do we rejoice when a lost person comes seeking, or do we expect them to be perfect first before coming to church, or before they’re worthy of salvation? Jesus didn’t tell people, “Stop drinking, stop cussing, stop telling dirty jokes, and make sure that you dress in a three piece suit, and then I will think about giving you eternal life.”
Paul said that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We are to love people right where they are in life, realizing that they are at a point where they don’t yet have the spiritual discernment necessary to know any better. We’re to love people simply for who they are, realizing that growing in Christ is a process.
You can come to Jesus just as you are. In Revelation we read, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). There are no restrictions placed on who can partake of the water of salvation and eternal life in Christ.
Jesus said, “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The key word here is “all” – “all you who . . . are heavy laden.” No matter where you’re from, or what you have done; if you have a desire for the water of life, then you can come freely and partake just as you are.
NOTES
(1) C. S. Lewis, “Judgment by Others,” Grace Quotes: thegracetabernacle.org/quotes/Judgment-Others_by.htm (Accessed June 16, 2011).
(2) “Tax Collector,” All About Jesus Christ: www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/tax-collector-faq.htm (Accessed June 16, 2011).
(3) Mark Schaefer, “Eating with Sinners,” posted September 12, 2004; American University United Methodist Community: www.aumethodists.org/sermons/sermon040912.html (Accessed 2008).
(4) Ibid.
(5) Elmer L. Towns, My Father’s Names (Ventura, CA.: Regal, 1991), p. 33.
(6) Philip Keller, “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,” (1970), excerpts prepared by Neil Chadwick; www.joyfulministry.com/keller.htm (Accessed 2008).
(7) Towns, My Father’s Names, p. 30.
(8) Tom Edwards, “Bible Weights, Measures, and Monetary Values,” Spirit Restoration: www.spiritrestoration.org/Church/Research%20History%20and%20Great%20Links/Biblical%20Weights%20Measure%20and%20Monetary%20System.htm (Accessed June 16, 2011); “one sheep was equal to 225 pints of barley” and “one silver shekel equaled 10 pints of barley.”
(9) “Weights and Measures,” eBible: ebible.org/web/weights.htm.
(10) “Bellwether,” posted June 7, 2011; Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellwether (Accessed June 16, 2011).
(11) Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1997), p. 108.
(12) Michael English, “Start a Party,” (Curb Records, 1992).
