For Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 please read Luke 15:1-10
This scripture contains 2 of Jesus' best-known parables: the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. The context is: Jesus has collected a crowd of "sinners" who are anxious to hear his teachings. The religious leaders do not like this. They criticize Jesus for welcoming and eating with "sinners." So Jesus tells 2 parables to demonstrate how there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over all the righteous people who do not need to repent.
Questions for reflection and comment: Who are the "sinners"? Are the religious leaders as righteous as they think they are? Who are the people that Jesus is really calling to repentance here? What's the difference between the way in which sheep get lost and the way in which a coin gets lost? In other scriptures Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd who seeks out the lost sheep. What is the significance of Jesus using a woman as the example of the one who seeks out the lost coin? According to this scripture, with whom should present-day Christians spend most of our time: with other Christians, or with those whom church and society label "sinners"?
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This is an interesting question...today in the video on friends references Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm". The context of the lesson was to discourage our youth from being friends did not practice Christian values would potentially cause them problems. In a way suggests the opposite of what is being encouraged, although I suspect for those who have found the lord and know the path would have the strength to sway sinners.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, John. You're right: youth and new Christians are very vulnerable to being pulled off the path. I think in the parable Jesus is addressing the religious leaders and those who believed themselves to be "righteous" - in today's terms, church leaders and adults who have grown up in the church.
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