Luke 15:1 – Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NIV)

Scandalous behavior!  That’s really what it was.  Jesus was intentionally hanging out with people who were deemed to be sinners in the eyes of the religious.  To those who sought to live by religious laws, this was unacceptable behavior.  For many Christians today, it is still unacceptable behavior.  

Jesus responds to their shock and outrage by telling parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin.  The application is clear – if we want what is lost to be found, we must seek out what is lost.  The lost among us will not find Jesus if we do not seek them out and show them Jesus.  While we can, and should, rejoice over crowds in religious services, we ought to be actively seeking those without a saving relationship with Jesus.  Through these parables, Jesus asks us: How can we seek the lost and show them Jesus if we choose not to associate with them?  How can we reach the lost if we judge them? 

Paul addressed this issue of judging nonbelievers in his first letter to the Corinthians.  He made it clear that we should do what we can to hold our Christian brothers and sisters accountable for their actions, but speaking of those without a relationship with Jesus he wrote: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people —  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).  Speaking of those without a relationship with Jesus, Paul added in verse twelve of that same passage: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?”

Jesus certainly preached repentance, but he had to establish relationships with the lost before he could get to repentance.  We should do the same.  If we approach the lost with judgment, we will push them away before we can establish a relationship with them and share the Gospel.

Let us not be quick to judge those without a saving relationship with Jesus.  Like Jesus taught us, let us seek the lost. 

Posted by Ramón Torres