Luke 15:1-2

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:1-2

Jesus had raised the ire of the religious leaders because He was once again in His element. Jesus came to save the lost, and He reached out to the lost whenever and however He could. The Pharisees and scribes, in the hardness of their hearts, saw Jesus’ approach as a negative. Jesus responded to the scribes and Pharisees with three parables in which the word “lost” was used five times: A lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each parable, Jesus illustrated something of value being lost, then found, then followed by immense rejoicing upon recovering that which was lost. He then compared these parables to the joy in heaven when a sinner comes to the Lord.

Jesus spent time with sinners because He came to save the lost. God did not create some for heaven and some for hell. His desire is that all come to know Him and love Him, and He sent Jesus to provide the way. By simply repenting and acknowledging Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are saved from our sin and eternal judgment. We each were once dead but now are alive; we each were lost but now are found. There was joy in heaven when we each came to the Lord; let’s keep the joy going by sharing the good news of the hope that can only be found in Jesus.

Pastor Jeff Mericle