Lostness

One of my all time favourite Bible passages is the parable of the lost sheep where the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine safe in the fold and goes out in search of the one who is lost. One of my all time favourite pictures is the artist’s conception of the parable with the strong and caring shepherd reaching down, staff in hand, to rescue that single lost lamb from the rocky crag and certain death. That picture has never left my mind or heart since seeing it for the first time as a young child. I have a copy of it in my study. I just love the fact that God pursues us, pursues me! Thank God for His amazing grace that He would come after me and find me in all of my lostness and rescue me and take me home.

So when I read this passage from Matthew a while back it really struck me.

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’”
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Matt 15:10-14

The two words that stood when I read this recently are the first two words of verse 14 – ‘Leave them’. In other words, don’t go after them. It seems to stand in stark contradiction to the grace of God that I know, and cherish, in my life. So how does this work?

In the context of the passage these religious leaders were offended by Christ’s teaching. We know from many other passages similar to this one (as the gospels give us quite a good look at the Pharisees’ mind set) that the reason they were offended was because they resented any implication that they were not just fine the way they were, ‘thank you very much’. They were, in a word – ‘self-righteous’. They thought they were clean. As far as they were concerned they were keeping the law and thus deserving of eternal life. They would not for one second concede to being lost. And Jesus comes along and tries to shake their tree but they continued to cling to the illusion of their own moral goodness.

So what are we to take from this? I guess we could point out the difference between being lost and being lost while absolutely refusing to admit you are lost, even when the ‘Light of the World’ shows up to show you just how lost you are! (Give John 3:17-21 a read on that note.)

And then the Pharisees compounded their condemnation even further by presenting themselves as spiritual guides for everyone else. And so, Jesus’ instruction to His disciples? - ‘Leave them’!

To any ‘black sheep’ out there, be assured, Jesus is searching for you. He really is. But be thankful you’re not a goat. The Lord knows those who are His.