BEING WHERE JESUS IS
Autor: Derrel Homer Santee, | Publicado: 2017-08-04T00:00:00-03:00


There
will be more rejoicing in heavenover one sinner who repentsthan
over ninety-nine righteous personswho do not need to repent.

Luke
15:7 (read 15:1-10) - NIV




Jesus
had little interest in people who professed to be religious and
pious. Staying with them was a waste of time. It was useless to deal
with people who are convinced that they are God's chosen ones and who
separate themselves from others by looking down on them and
considering them to be unworthy. Those "other sinners" were
more likely to be saved than the "ninety-nine righteous persons
who do not need to repent." (irony) People who consider
themselves to be "saved" were more lost than the
self-assumed sinners!




In
these parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin represented the
people whom the Pharisees considered to be "sinners". Jesus
used irony to identify the ninety-nine sheep and nine coins with the
hypocritical Pharisees who were already “saved”. When the
shepherd, filled with joy, returned home with the lost sheep on his
shoulders he called friends and neighbors to celebrate. The
ninety-nine sheep were unable to celebrate the return of the lost
sheep. The owner of the coins made a party with her friends and
neighbors for the same reason.




Ironically
we tend to identify ourselves with the ninety-nine sheep and nine
coins. When we identify ourselves with them, we are unconsciously
equal to the Pharisees, staying within the security of the “sheep
fold” and rejoicing in our "salvation."




The
heroes of the parable are the shepherd and the woman, not the
ninety-nine sheep and nine coins. Our place is not in the safety of
the flock. It is in mixing with sinners and being equal to salt and
yeast. Salt is useless as long as it is in the salt shaker and yeast
as long as it is in the package. The shepherd of the story was with
the lost sheep, not with those who were in the sheep fold.




Where
would Jesus be today if He returned in the flesh? I doubt that he'd
be wasting his time clapping his hands in praise and prayer services,
organizing mega churches, or promoting any kind of mega events to
promote some cause or impress the general public. He would be with
those from whom the "good" people separate themselves.
Instead of being in the houses of worship He would be close to the
slum dwellers, the immigrants, the hungry, the sick, the landless,
the homeless, those without family, the unemployed, the exploited and
the manipulated. Ironically, many American professing Christians are
in favor of deporting immigrants (hiding behind the word “illegal”),
denying assistance to the needy (considering them to be lazy) and
keeping the lower income people on less than a living salary.




The
parable is a judgment against any kind of spiritual and social
elitism. Jesus introduced a new spirituality which is still not
understood. The spirituality of Jesus challenges us to rethink our
priorities and values. Jesus' church has no walls separating it from
the mass of humanity. True Christian identity is not to be different
from or better than others, but to be
supportive and transmit hope. To follow Jesus would mean to be
sensitive to the needs of the social outcasts and participating in
their struggles.




Jesus
would not be holed up in some church striving for spiritual
perfection and protecting himself from this evil world. Our challenge
is to get out there where the “lost” are and to be where Jesus
is!




LUKE
15:1-10 – NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)




Now
the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear
Jesus.&nbsp;But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law
muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”




Then
Jesus told them this parable:&nbsp;“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?&nbsp;And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it
on his shoulders&nbsp;and goes home. Then he calls his friends and
neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost
sheep.&nbsp;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.




“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?&nbsp;And when she finds it, she calls her friends and
neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost
coin.’&nbsp;In the same way, I tell you, there is
rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who
repents.”