Build the House – the Lost Get Found (Notes, 10/24)
I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness].”
Luke 5:32 (AMP)
Then Jesus went again to walk alongside the lake. Again a crowd came to him, and he taught them. Strolling along, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” He came.
Mark 2 (MSG) 13-17
15-16 Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: “What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the misfits?” 17 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.”
Luke 15 (TPT) Many dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often gathered around to listen as Jesus taught the people. 2 This raised concerns among the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Indignant, they grumbled and complained, saying, “Look at how this man associates with all these notorious sinners and welcomes them all to come to him!” 3 In response, Jesus gave them this illustration: 4–5 “There once was a shepherd with a hundred lambs, but one of his lambs wandered away and was lost. So the shepherd left the ninety-nine lambs out in the open field and searched in the wilderness for that one lost lamb. He didn’t stop until he finally found it. With exuberant joy, he raised it up, placed it on his shoulders, and carried it back with cheerful delight! 6 Returning home, he called all his friends and neighbors together and said, ‘Let’s have a party! Come and celebrate with me the return of my lost lamb. It wandered away, but I found it and brought it home.’ ”
7 Jesus continued, “In the same way, there will be a glorious celebration in heaven over the rescue of one lost sinner who repents, comes back home, and returns to the fold—more so than for all the righteous people who never strayed away.”8 Jesus gave them another parable: “There once was a woman who had ten valuable silver coins. When she lost one of them, she swept her entire house, diligently searching every nook and cranny for that one lost coin. 9 When she finally found it, she gathered all her friends and neighbors for a celebration, telling them, ‘Come and celebrate with me! I had lost my precious silver coin, but now I’ve found it.’ 10 That’s the way God responds every time one lost sinner repents and turns to him. He says to all his angels, ‘Let’s have a joyous celebration, for the one who was lost, I have found!’ ”
Luke 15:1-10
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus had to pass through Jericho. 2 There lived a very wealthy man named Zacchaeus (“pure”), who supervised all the tax collectors. 3 He was very eager to see Jesus and kept trying to get a look at him through the massive crowd. Since Zacchaeus was a short man and couldn’t see over the heads of the people, 4 he ran on ahead of everyone and climbed up a blossoming fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed by.
Luke 19:1-9 (TPT)
5 When Jesus got to that place, he looked up into the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry on down, for I must stay at your house today!”
6 So he scurried down the tree and found himself face-to-face with Jesus.
7 As Jesus left to go with Zacchaeus, many in the crowd complained, “Look at this! Of all the people to have dinner with, he’s going to eat in the house of a crook.”
8 Zacchaeus was amazed over his gracious visit to his home and joyously welcomed Jesus. Zacchaeus stood in front of the Lord and said, “Half of all that I own I will give to the poor. And Lord, if I have cheated anyone, I promise to pay them back four times as much as I stole.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Your repentance shows that today life has come to you and your household, and that you are a true son of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man has come to seek out and to give life to those who are lost.”
Now there was a prominent religious leader among the Jews named Nicodemus, who was part of the sect called the Pharisees. 2 One night he discreetly came to Jesus…
John 3:1-2 (TPT)
Afterward Simeon, a Jewish religious leader, asked Jesus to his home for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation. When he went to Simeon’s home, he took his place at the table.
Luke 7:36-50 (TPT)
37 In the neighborhood there was an immoral woman of the streets, known to all to be a prostitute. When she heard that Jesus was at Simeon’s house, she took an exquisite flask made from alabaster, filled it with the most expensive perfume, went right into the home of the Jewish religious leader, and in front of all the guests, she knelt at the feet of Jesus. 38 Broken and weeping, she covered his feet with the tears that fell from her face. She kept crying and drying his feet with her long hair. Over and over she kissed Jesus’ feet. Then, as an act of worship, she opened her flask and anointed his feet with her costly perfume.
39 When Simeon saw what was happening, he thought, “This man can’t be a true prophet. If he were really a prophet, he would know what kind of sinful woman is touching him.”
40 Jesus said, “Simeon, I have a word for you.”
“Go ahead, Teacher. I want to hear it,” he answered.
41 “It’s a story about two men who were deeply in debt. One owed the bank one hundred thousand dollars, and the other only owed ten thousand dollars. 42 When it was obvious that neither of them would be able to repay their debts, the kind banker graciously wrote off the debts and forgave them all that they owed. Tell me, Simeon, which of the two debtors would be more thankful? Which one would love the banker most?”
43 Simeon answered, “I suppose it would be the one with the greater debt forgiven.”
“You’re right,” Jesus agreed. 44 Then he spoke to Simeon about the woman still weeping at his feet.
“Do you see this woman kneeling here? She is doing for me what you didn’t bother to do. When I entered your home as your guest, you didn’t think about offering me water to wash the dust off my feet. Yet she came into your home and washed my feet with her many tears and then dried my feet with her hair. 45 You didn’t even welcome me into your home with the customary kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t take the time to anoint my head with fragrant oil, but she anointed my head and feet with the finest perfume. 47 She has been forgiven of all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”
48 Then Jesus said to the woman at his feet, “All your sins are forgiven.”
49 All the dinner guests said among themselves, “Who is the one who can even forgive sins?”
50 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.”
Are the lost welcome here?
Are we ok with the process?
Do we love the lost enough to go after them?
To invite them in?
To do whatever it takes to bring them to the Savior?
Isaiah 58 instructions:
- Break the chains of injustice
- Get rid of exploitation in the workplace
- Free the oppressed
- Cancel debts
- Share your food with the hungry
- Invite the homeless poor into your homes
- Put clothes on the shivering ill-clad
- Be available to your own families
- Get rid of unfair practices
- Quit blaming victims
- Quit gossiping about other people’s sins
- Be generous with the hungry
- Start giving yourselves to the down-and-out
