Scripture:
Matthew 18:10-14 NKJV
[10] “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [11] For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. [12] “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? [13] And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. [14] Even, so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Observation:
I wanted to take a look at this scripture this morning because I believe it exposes the heart of the Father. It’s another teaching moment for Jesus, and honestly, it looks like a warning for the church if you look at the first few words in verse 10…” Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones.” I believe what is being said is GOD loves everyone that HE created, and HE created everyone. I believe The statement following the warning is a call to seek GOD’S face to see HIS very heart. A heart of love and compassion. A heart that says HE knows you differently HE made you that way. In verse 11, Jesus states HIS purpose. This is something we all know, so it really needs no explanation. Jesus Christ came for those who were lost. No matter their condition, the lost, the hurting, the broken those who are different. The ones who don’t know HIM. That’s who HE cane for. Verse 12 opens up the purpose of Christ even more. HE poses a question. How valuable is the sheep in your flock? If you lose one, do you chase them down, or are they even noticed? The Bible says, ” Well, the condition of your flock.” That’s the Shepherd’s job. It also says be shepherds of GOD’S flock not because you are able but because you are willing. Verse 13 shows the heart of a good Shepard one who notices the one sheep that is missing or going astray. A Shepard with a heart of love. When he notices, he chases them down and gathers them back to the fold. He rejoices when they return. Verse 14 exposes GOD’S heart one more time so that there is no mistake about what we are supposed to be doing here. HE desires that not one sheep be lost or perish. Second Peter 3 verse 9 says that He desires that we all come to repentance.
Application:
I have some rather harsh questions in my heart sometimes regarding this kind of stuff. I ran into a friend of mine who was a little different the other day. He struggles with some mental health issues, and when he is not on his medication, he has a really hard time. I remember the day I saw him walk into the church. It put a big smile on my face. I knew he was in the right place. Around people who would love him and welcome him into the fold. He started to feel like he was a part of something and at some point chose to stop taking his medicine. It didn’t take long for him to have some strange behavior, and low and behold, an episode happened at the church, and he stopped coming. It broke my heart because I didn’t really have any contact information. However, I love how GOD works. A few weeks ago, he found his way to volunteer at Abbas Table. It brought a smile to my face to see him there chopping veggies and preparing food for the less fortunate. We had the opportunity to talk a little, and I got to hear more of the story which broke my heart even more, and it left me with some questions. What is the heart of the church? Is it the same as GOD’S are we concerned about the one? Or is it the 99 that has our attention? I remember when I first started coming to Life Recovery, there was a brother in there that everyone loved his dad was a member of the church and had been for a long time. The brother had gone astray for a while. I remember my heart for him, and the fact that GOD would bring him to mind on occasion helped me to remember the reason that we are here. We can get stuck on numbers and totally forget about the people. What is it we are looking for… quantity? Chasing down the one that has gone astray is chasing after the heart of GOD. The 99 are safe, and we need not worry about them. Just because they slip away doesn’t mean GOD doesn’t love them. Just because they don’t fit a mold doesn’t mean that they don’t belong in the fold. GOD’S heart is for everyone. HE loves all of those HE created, and HE created all of those. The ones that are hard to love are the ones HE wants us to love. My heart broke when I found out what had happened to my friend with mental health issues. Because I would have chased him down… my point is we all need Jesus, every one of us, whether we are different or whether everyone loves us. The one who slipped away from life recovery, I had the pleasure of chasing down to the best of my ability, and we got to watch him return and do well. My desire is to see a church that has the heart of GOD. I heard a saying years ago, and it seems to fit. “Be the change you want to see.” Let’s chase after the ones that don’t fit. The ones that need to be loved. The ones that don’t look like or act like us and show them how to live for Jesus, that’s what it means to make disciples. We are the church the ones made to kick down the gates, not lock up the captives.
Prayer:
Father, you are love, and we are all made by your hand. Help us to love the way you do. Help us to see everyone as one of yours. Help us to have your heart. To not discriminate because someone is different. Help us to come up next to them and pray with and for them. You have made every one of us. Your word tells us that we are to be careful. Because we may be entertaining an angel. Let us see everyone as one of yours, knowing that your Holy Spirit is calling out to all who will listen. Let us have a heart that will chase them down, not push them out. We love you and want your love to shine through us. Show us that the 1 is more important than the 99. We don’t want to see numbers. We want to see your heart, and we want to be a part of what you are doing, giving us a heart of love. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.