How important is social standing to us?
Just have a quick think before you answer. Can you name a prominent Business Person or Sport’s Legend that you know has a dubious moral compass?
Would you have dinner with them if invited?
Maybe your own spirit will kick against it… but what if they came to know Christ? Would you have any issues sitting next to them in church, knowing that they are still fighting their battles?
In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parables of all things lost. The lost sheep, leaving the 99. The lost coin… and the lost son.
”Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
(Luke 15:4 NIV)
In both cases we get a similar verse:
“Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”
(Luke 15:6 & 9 NIV)
We get that. We like it. But the lost son (or the Prodigal Son) hits a bit different.
He takes his father’s money, goes and squanders it, and then when he returns, he is accepted back in the family and everyone is partying… except his brother.
When you look at the discussion between the “good” brother and the father, it seems like the brother that stayed has a point… But if you think of the context of Jesus’ story, the picture changes a bit… Jesus was highlighting two groups: the Pharisees and the lost (sinners and tax collectors mentioned in verse 1)
The brother was acting more like a servant than a family member. He had no joy about the return of his brother… only condemnation.
Which made me ask a few questions of myself:
- Do I want the lost to be saved? Yes, absolutely
- Do I want the church to grow? Yes, yes, I definitely do
- Which lost would I prefer to be attending my church?
Which struggling new Christian and drug abuser would I prefer next to me in church? The World Cup Winner? or the street person? (And would the person I am sitting next to perhaps move away a bit if they knew my sins and my story?)
So God challenged me a bit. We love a good testimony… once the person is cleaned up. But do we shy away when we are required to become part of the story? When we need to get dirty? Am I seeing a son of the Most High, or the man sleeping with the pigs?
And I think that is what Jesus was trying to say to the Pharisees: You have everything in your hands and in your heart to become part of the story. Even your passion is commendable, but you keep on standing on the side… get in the fight!
