Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional
Seeking the Lost
By Bobby Davis
June 5th, 2016
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
I can see myself in that crowd, standing on my toes, craning to get a glimpse of the Man so many are excited about. The roar of the sweaty crowd is deafening as I listen to the shouts of joy from those being healed instantly from their pain by the touch of His hand. The healed ones make it that much harder to approach Him because now they want to embrace Him, hanging onto every word as they eagerly watch for the next miracle of healing up close.
Along the road are the desperate beggars, the disabled, the prostitutes—and at a safe distance, the leprous outcasts of society shouting and jumping up and down, hoping He’ll notice them. Some of the most despised citizens have been known to climb up in the trees, not daring to join the crowd for fear of harm since tax collectors have the reputation of being low-life thieves. Never before have we seen such a commotion in this town!
Off to the side, watching it all unfold, are those horrid Pharisees. Gathering their robes around them in disgust, they shrink from the noisy crowd for fear of being touched and made “unclean.” They’re jealous of the love and attention lavished on this Man, and their hateful hearts are made obvious as they sneer, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2. What a contrast they are to this Jesus who takes dirty little children into His lap every time he sits down.
By showing their contempt for these folk, the Pharisees feel superior to us all—a convenient way of avoiding looking at themselves. And sadly, the very things they contemptuously condemn in others is what keeps them away from Jesus. He somehow lays bare their selfishness, and the adoring crowds that follow Him stir up their self-righteous pride and envy. Little do they realize that the angry words they use to scorn Him are so very true - “This Man receives sinners.”
Jesus calls us children of God, and tells us that we are not forgotten by the Father. He promises us forgiveness and a new life. Everywhere men and women are being transformed by His words, and through His gentle touch, we are healed and even resurrected from the dead!
I’ve often meditated on the grace and love of Jesus, and I heartily recommend Ellen White’s book, Christ’s Object Lessons, and the chapter entitled “This Man Receives Sinners.” There, she points out that the parable of the Lost Sheep never mentions failure, but only success and joy in recovering His lost ones. She says that the Jews taught that before God’s love is extended to a sinner, he must first repent; and that in their view, their repentance would mean favor with Heaven. (Does that sound familiar?) “But,” she writes, “in the parable of the lost sheep, Christ teaches that salvation does not come through our seeking after God but through God’s seeking after us…. We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.”*
What joy that gives me.
What hope that awakens.
That is amazing grace!
Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 188–189.
Seeking the Lost
By Bobby Davis
June 5th, 2016
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
I can see myself in that crowd, standing on my toes, craning to get a glimpse of the Man so many are excited about. The roar of the sweaty crowd is deafening as I listen to the shouts of joy from those being healed instantly from their pain by the touch of His hand. The healed ones make it that much harder to approach Him because now they want to embrace Him, hanging onto every word as they eagerly watch for the next miracle of healing up close.
Along the road are the desperate beggars, the disabled, the prostitutes—and at a safe distance, the leprous outcasts of society shouting and jumping up and down, hoping He’ll notice them. Some of the most despised citizens have been known to climb up in the trees, not daring to join the crowd for fear of harm since tax collectors have the reputation of being low-life thieves. Never before have we seen such a commotion in this town!
Off to the side, watching it all unfold, are those horrid Pharisees. Gathering their robes around them in disgust, they shrink from the noisy crowd for fear of being touched and made “unclean.” They’re jealous of the love and attention lavished on this Man, and their hateful hearts are made obvious as they sneer, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2. What a contrast they are to this Jesus who takes dirty little children into His lap every time he sits down.
By showing their contempt for these folk, the Pharisees feel superior to us all—a convenient way of avoiding looking at themselves. And sadly, the very things they contemptuously condemn in others is what keeps them away from Jesus. He somehow lays bare their selfishness, and the adoring crowds that follow Him stir up their self-righteous pride and envy. Little do they realize that the angry words they use to scorn Him are so very true - “This Man receives sinners.”
Jesus calls us children of God, and tells us that we are not forgotten by the Father. He promises us forgiveness and a new life. Everywhere men and women are being transformed by His words, and through His gentle touch, we are healed and even resurrected from the dead!
I’ve often meditated on the grace and love of Jesus, and I heartily recommend Ellen White’s book, Christ’s Object Lessons, and the chapter entitled “This Man Receives Sinners.” There, she points out that the parable of the Lost Sheep never mentions failure, but only success and joy in recovering His lost ones. She says that the Jews taught that before God’s love is extended to a sinner, he must first repent; and that in their view, their repentance would mean favor with Heaven. (Does that sound familiar?) “But,” she writes, “in the parable of the lost sheep, Christ teaches that salvation does not come through our seeking after God but through God’s seeking after us…. We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.”*
What joy that gives me.
What hope that awakens.
That is amazing grace!
Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 188–189.
Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional
Seeking the Lost
By Bobby Davis
June 5th, 2016
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
I can see myself in that crowd, standing on my toes, craning to get a glimpse of the Man so many are excited about. The roar of the sweaty crowd is deafening as I listen to the shouts of joy from those being healed instantly from their pain by the touch of His hand. The healed ones make it that much harder to approach Him because now they want to embrace Him, hanging onto every word as they eagerly watch for the next miracle of healing up close.
Along the road are the desperate beggars, the disabled, the prostitutes—and at a safe distance, the leprous outcasts of society shouting and jumping up and down, hoping He’ll notice them. Some of the most despised citizens have been known to climb up in the trees, not daring to join the crowd for fear of harm since tax collectors have the reputation of being low-life thieves. Never before have we seen such a commotion in this town!
Off to the side, watching it all unfold, are those horrid Pharisees. Gathering their robes around them in disgust, they shrink from the noisy crowd for fear of being touched and made “unclean.” They’re jealous of the love and attention lavished on this Man, and their hateful hearts are made obvious as they sneer, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2. What a contrast they are to this Jesus who takes dirty little children into His lap every time he sits down.
By showing their contempt for these folk, the Pharisees feel superior to us all—a convenient way of avoiding looking at themselves. And sadly, the very things they contemptuously condemn in others is what keeps them away from Jesus. He somehow lays bare their selfishness, and the adoring crowds that follow Him stir up their self-righteous pride and envy. Little do they realize that the angry words they use to scorn Him are so very true - “This Man receives sinners.”
Jesus calls us children of God, and tells us that we are not forgotten by the Father. He promises us forgiveness and a new life. Everywhere men and women are being transformed by His words, and through His gentle touch, we are healed and even resurrected from the dead!
I’ve often meditated on the grace and love of Jesus, and I heartily recommend Ellen White’s book, Christ’s Object Lessons, and the chapter entitled “This Man Receives Sinners.” There, she points out that the parable of the Lost Sheep never mentions failure, but only success and joy in recovering His lost ones. She says that the Jews taught that before God’s love is extended to a sinner, he must first repent; and that in their view, their repentance would mean favor with Heaven. (Does that sound familiar?) “But,” she writes, “in the parable of the lost sheep, Christ teaches that salvation does not come through our seeking after God but through God’s seeking after us…. We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.”*
What joy that gives me.
What hope that awakens.
That is amazing grace!
Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 188–189.
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