The Story: Three Stories
Last week I blogged about seeing into the mind of Jesus by looking at what He spoke about. This we continue seeking to understand what was important to Jesus by looking at the things He talked about.
In the Bible in the book of Luke, chapter 15 Jesus speaks about how much God loves people and wants us to be in a relationship with Him. The three stories He tells demonstrate the lengths God goes to in His search and rescue efforts for His people. They show how much He loves us and what motivated Jesus to come and die on the cross for our sins. These stories were told in response to the criticism of the religious leaders; they accused Jesus of spending quality time with unbelieving sinners and even eating with them.
Apart from showing us how much God is willing to do for us I also think the stories might be a rebuke to church people who have become so comfortable in their “religion” that they no longer share God’s passion and His mission. Jesus makes it very clear that He came to bring people back into a relationship with God.
The stories of a lost coin, a lost sheep and wayward son clearly set out His [Jesus] ministry as well as helping “religious” people to see the importance of loving people into the Christian faith. He talked about lost sheep who needed a shepherd; about lost coins that had value and needed to be put into circulation; about lost sons who needed to be in fellowship with the Father. As you read these stories for yourself I hope that you will feel truly loved and valued by God. I hope too that God’s attitude towards those around you who currently do not share your love for Jesus will rub off on you.
