Have you ever noticed that when we read a novel or watch a movie we tend to identify with a person, group of people, or situation in it. It seems to be a natural human characteristic to find personal connections with a story. No doubt that is why Jesus often used the parables to teach the crowds. Parables are moral stories designed to connect truth with life, and as they heard Jesus speak they would naturally put themselves into the lessons and make the necessary applications.
The framework for all that follows in chapter fifteen; the story of a shepherd and his sheep, of a widow and her coins, of a man and his two sons. begins with these words; Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
It is important to remember the situation which led to Jesus telling these stories and to ask – “whom do I really identify with in this situation?”
- Do we identify with Jesus, the good teacher, who challenged everyones convictions, called into question all they believed, and yet reached out and loved everyone, especially the most unloved?
- Can we identify with the Pharisees, who rightly understood the dangers of a close association with the “wrong crowd.” but have gone beyond looking out for people convinced that they and they alone understand God and man’s relationship to Him.
- Or maybe the tax collectors and sinners who worked for the Roman government, often robbing their own people? People who never attended synagogue and seemed to lack even basic morality?
During the wrap up time of his ministry Jesus reminds us that we all were lost and now have an opportunity to be found, an opportunity that comes with responsibility on our part.
