In Luke 15 Jesus was criticised by the Pharisees for being a "friend of sinners" to which Jesus replied by telling three stories. The first story was about the lost sheep and He asked the Pharisees if they had 100 sheep and lost one if they wouldn't leave the 99 and go search for the 1 lost sheep until it is found? Upon finding the lost sheep the shepherd would pick it up, put it on his shoulders, and carry it back home.
Modern Christianity has isolated itself inside a Christian bubble and we, like the Pharisees, have become professionals at avoiding sinners. It's as if we expect them to come to us and become part of our bubble. The parable of The Lost Sheep illustrates to us the point of going after the lost, which requires us to leave the bubble! Our "snowglobe religion" has caused us to create things that preach at the lost without us having to be in a relationship with them. Bumper stickers, T-shirts, jewelry, yard signs, and so forth and so on have become our instruments of witnessing rather than entering into a relationship with lost people.
Christians want to avoid sinners so they use things like signs and stickers to communicate to sinners without having to engage them. Religion has replaced relationships. The longer we're Christians the fewer lost people we know until we find ourselves living in the Christian bubble. Nothing can replace relationships! Jesus was friends with sinners and had relationships with them. He didn't use signs and stickers. He didn't stand in the streets and scream, "THE END IS NEAR! YOU'RE GOING TO HELL! GOD HATS FAGS!
As much as I respect the boldness of street preachers, the lost culture of our nation does not need someone screaming judgement at them from a street corner or cramming Scripture down their throats. Standing on the streets making a fool of yourself doesn't win the lost--relationship does! We are not going to change culture by condemning it. Jesus said, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17 KJV). The world we live in doesn't need us to condemn it--it's already condemned. The world needs a Savior. They need the church to pop the bubble and go out and engage culture with the love of Jesus Christ! That love is illustrated and proven through relationships with the lost.
2 comments:
I'm just curious. How was Jesus a friend to the SyroPhonecian woman who came requesting her daughter be delivered from a demom? How did he meet her on her level in the context of a meaningful relationship?
How did ignoring her request and then responding with comments like, "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep OF ISRAEL," and "It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to their dogs." create a culturally relevant, meaningful relationship?
How is this an example of relational evangelism? How would a religiously uneducated, Scripturally illiterate pagan feel reading this exchange between this needy woman, the disciples of Jesus, and Jesus himself?
Jesus did some strange things, this being one of them. to prove His points. Yes, He came to Israel first and they were His priority. This incident was a test. He wanted to test the faith and determination of the woman. He was fishing for a response and He got the one He was fishing for. He was impressed by her faith and responded with a miracle. While most of His ministry was to the Jews, He certainly did His share of ministering to the Gentiles. He had to find out what she was really after--that's why He asked her these tough questions and made these tough comments. If He wasn't culturally relevant and did not want to meet the needs of this woman, He would have walked away. Many times we are misunderstood by our actions and words. THis is one of many times Jesus was. You ask a good and tough question, but it's hard to say what Jesus was thinking when He responded this way, but this story is not evidence that He wasn't culturally relevant. It is evidence that He used many different methods to minister, and responded to different people in different ways.
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