The parable of the lost sheep is what the Church gives me to chew on today. Somehow though, I manage to connect the dots between today’s Gospel and my Jesse tree tradition (click here to see what I mean) and Advent readings.
matthew 18:12-14 – The parable of the lost sheep
“What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.“
My first thought after reading these verses was who are we to judge? Because in the verse before these, Jesus says “see that you do not despise one of these little ones……”
As followers of Christ, we sometimes get caught up in judgment and maybe even think it’s our “job” to convert someone we deem to be “lost.” But here Jesus tells us not to despise them, not to look down on them.
Psalm 139 my favorite!
Psalm 139 tells us in part: Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one. You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are you works.
God created us! We are all precious in His sight. WE ARE ENOUGH! When we judge others (not just their person but their souls and whether or not we think they’re worthy of heaven), we’re basically saying what God created is not enough, that it’s not good. The audacity!
God sees no distinction – this psalm tells us light and dark are as one. It’s all the same to Him, the Creator of the universe. So, I’ll ask again, WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE?
If we read and study Scripture and haven’t gotten the message yet, shame on us. What’s the message? The message is love, unity and non-judgment. If that’s not what we’re practicing, then we need to study harder and pray more.
Pray that God open our minds to the Truth that we are ALL God’s children. He loves us ALL the same and He pursues us constantly. Let us remember that it is not His will that ANY of us be lost. All in His time not ours.
samuel’s “conversion”
Samuel 3:1-18 shows how God persistently calls us but may not necessarily reveal Himself to us. Don’t you think it’s hard to respond to someone you don’t know is calling? You see, Samuel didn’t know who was calling Him. Scripture tells us “Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him yet.”
Eventually, Eli comes to understand that Samuel doesn’t know who God is and simply instructs him. He instructs without judgment. Isn’t it interesting that it’s Eli who reveals to Samuel who God is? Once Samuel is made aware, he is able to respond directly to God.
our call to be light
So what are we to think about today? The lost sheep. Are they lost because of some wound, a past hurt, lack of knowledge? Could it be they’re lost because, like Samuel, God has not revealed Himself to them yet?
Whatever the reason, we should not judge. Let’s follow Eli’s example. God’s plans are not our plans. The truth is we are ALL His and He doesn’t will that any of us be lost. Trust in His promise. Let’s focus on being His light in the world without judgment. Who knows, He may want to use us to reveal Himself to a lost sheep! Are we ready?
God bless you!
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