Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
October 10, 2001
Introduction
Back in Luke 14, Jesus had been invited to a dinner party by one of the
chief Pharisees.
The Pharisees were a sect that believed all the right things. They believed
in miracles. They believed in angels. They believed in a resurrection. They
believed that all the Old Testament Scriptures were the Word of God. They were
also very, very, very legalistic.
At this dinner party, Jesus began to confront the Pharisees about some of
their beliefs and behavior.
He showed them that when it came to their ideas of “keeping the Sabbath”,
that they really were more concerned about animals than they were other people.
He confronted them about their proud behavior of trying to sit in the
“place of honor” at the feast.
He encouraged them that when they have parties like this, that they ought
to invite people who can’t pay them back, that they need to have a heart for
the needy.
As He was speaking these things, a greater and greater crowd began to
gather around Jesus.
Jesus turned to this great crowd and talked to them about what it means to
follow Him. A person must be willing to make Jesus first in their life. He must
be more important than any other person in their life. He must be more
important than even a person’s own life. A true disciple of Jesus will
carefully consider this before choosing to follow Him.
As Jesus has made things rather uncomfortable, and as He has challenged
people to “take up their cross and follow Him”, an interesting thing begins to
happen. The makeup of the crowd around Him begins to change.
:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
publicans – telones – a
renter or farmer of taxes; a tax gatherer, collector of taxes or tolls, one
employed by a publican or farmer general in the collection of taxes. The tax
collectors were as a class, detested not only by the Jews, but by other nations
also, both on account of their employment and of the harshness, greed, and
deception, with which they did their job.
sinners – hamartolos –
devoted to sin, a sinner; specifically of men stained with certain definite
vices or crimes; tax collectors, heathen
I think it’s fascinating that as Jesus is talking about what it really
means to follow Him, that this is the group that inches a little closer to Him.
:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth
sinners, and eateth with them.
murmured – diagogguzo – to
murmur; either of a whole crowd, or among one another; always used of many
indignantly complaining
receiveth – prosdechomai –
to receive to one’s self, to admit, to give access to one’s self; to admit one,
receive one into intercourse and companionship
eateth with – sunesthio –
to eat with, take food together with
In the culture of that day, to “eat with” someone was an act of becoming
“one” with them.
You would typically sit at a table and have a common bowl in the middle
with something like soup in it. The
host would take a loaf of bread, break off a chunk, and pass it around the
table. As you ate the bread, you would
dip into the “soup” and then eat the bread.
You all ate from the same bowl.
You all ate from the same bread.
You were all nourished with the same food. You were all becoming one.
For the good Jew, this was disastrous if you ate with a “sinner”. You were becoming one with a “sinner”.
Yet Jesus was astounding these men because He not only spent time with
“sinners”, He actually ate with them.
Lesson
Grumbling at sinners
The Pharisees and scribes were “nice” people. They were used to only
hanging out with other “nice” people. They didn’t like being bothered or made
uncomfortable by being forced to hang around “uncomfortable” people.
It’s a sad thing, but we can become comfortable in church and comfortable
with our little groups of friends that think like we do, dress like we do, and
talk like we do. It’s okay to have
friends and it’s okay to feel “comfortable” in church.
When it becomes a problem is when we cease to be friendly with “sinners” or
people who don’t seem to fit in with us.
Illustration
His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans
and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of
college. He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and very, very bright. He became a
Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a
well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the
students, but are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there.
He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has
already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The
church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now people are looking
a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and
closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats
down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college
fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!) By now
the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this
time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon
is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has
silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man, very
elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts
walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, “You can’t blame him
for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his
background to understand some college kid on the floor?” It takes a long time
for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the
clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can’t even hear
anyone breathing. The people are thinking, “The minister can’t even preach the
sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.” And now they see this elderly
man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and
sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won’t be alone. Everyone
chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control he says, “What I’m
about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will
never forget.”
Author unknown
I sure hope that we will be a church that won’t be grumbling when “sinners”
come through the doors. I hope we will
be a church that will sit down on the floor with them.
:3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is
lost, until he find it?
lose – apollumi – to
destroy; render useless; to lose
leave – kataleipo – to
leave behind; to depart from, leave; to forsake, leave to one’s self a person
or thing by ceasing to care for it, to abandon, leave in the lurch
ninety and nine – ennenekontaennea
– ninety nine
the wilderness – eremos –
solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited; a desert, wilderness
lost – apollumi – to
destroy; render useless; to lose
find – heurisko – to come
upon, hit upon, to meet with; after searching, to find a thing sought
Jesus is laying out a situation that the people would be familiar with.
He’s laying out a situation where the people would be agreeing to what He is
suggesting.
If a shepherd has lost a single sheep, he will leave the flock in order to
find the lost sheep.
Lesson
Being a responsible shepherd
Keep in mind – a shepherd won’t leave the flock forever, but only for a
while.
A good shepherd is around to tend to the needs of his flock.
(Prov 27:23-27 KJV) Be thou
diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. {24} For
riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? {25}
The hay appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the
mountains are gathered. {26} The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are
the price of the field. {27} And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy
food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
For a shepherd, his “flock” is his way of supporting
himself. A good shepherd will pay attention to his flock and the needs of the
flock.
When Jesus is talking about “leaving the ninety and nine”
for the sake of the “one”, He isn’t saying that a shepherd will forever leave
his flock in order to spend all his time looking for lost sheep.
A good shepherd doesn’t neglect his flock, he takes care
of his flock.
In a sense, we all have some kind of “flock”. For those of
us who are parents, our families are our flock. If you are married, your spouse
is part of your flock. If you have a job, there is a sense that your employment
is a type of flock.
I’ve heard Pastor Chuck tell about how he had gotten to
the place where he was constantly gone all the time, flying around the world to
different conferences and speaking opportunities. And he began to see how it
affected his flock. He changed his schedule and is home much more now.
A good shepherd protects his flock.
David was a shepherd before he was ever a king. When he faced Goliath, he
had already been trained what to do because of his experience as a shepherd.
(1 Sam
17:34-35 KJV) And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep,
and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: {35} And I
went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when
he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
David wrote a Psalm about shepherding:
(Psa 23
KJV) A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. {2} He maketh
me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. {3} He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake.
As our Shepherd, God leads us to healthy places. He
doesn’t make us lie down in a desert, but in green pastures. He doesn’t lead us
to drink in places that are going to sweep us up and carry us off, but to
“still waters”.
{4} Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
We don’t have to be afraid because our Shepherd is “with”
us. The rod and staff were tools of the shepherd to both discipline and guide
the sheep, as well as to beat off the wolves. David found comfort in knowing
that God was willing to use His rod and staff, whether to guide his steps, or
to protect him from an enemy.
{5} Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my
head with oil; my cup runneth over. {6} Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
layeth it on – epitithemi –
to put or lay upon
shoulders – omos – a
shoulder
rejoicing – chairo – to
rejoice, be glad; to rejoice exceedingly
:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
calleth together – sugkaleo –
to call together, assemble; to call together to one’s self
friends – philos – friend,
to be friendly to one, wish him well
neighbours – geiton – a
neighbour
rejoice with – sugchairo –
to rejoice with, take part in another’s joy; to rejoice together, to
congratulate
:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance.
joy – chara – joy, gladness
that repenteth – metanoeo
– to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent; to change one’s mind for better,
heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins
just persons – dikaios –
righteous, observing divine laws; in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous,
keeping the commands of God
What is repentance?
Our English word, repent, means to “turn around”. It means that you were
driving in one direction, you stop, and turn around and go another direction.
It means that you stop running from God and you start running toward God.
But with the Greek word that is translated “repentance”, it’s not just a
change in behavior, it’s a change at the root of what causes the behavior. It’s
a change of mind.
You can tell a pig to stop wallowing in the mud, and it might be able to
control its behavior for a little while. But sooner or later it’s going to go
back to the mud because it is still by nature a pig.
Illustration:
A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on its
back across the river. “Are you mad?” exclaimed the turtle. “You’ll sting me
while I’m swimming and I’ll drown.” “My dear turtle,” laughed the scorpion, “If
I were to sting you, you would drown and I’d go down with you. Now where is the
logic in that?” “You’re right,” cried the turtle. “Hop on.” The scorpion
climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As
they both sank to the bottom, the turtle, resigned, said, “Do you mind if I ask
you something? You said there is no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do
it?” “It has nothing to do with logic,” the drowning scorpion replied. “It’s
just my nature.”
(2 Cor 7:8-11 KJV) For though I made you sorry with a letter, I
do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath
made you sorry, though it were but for a season. {9} Now I rejoice, not that ye
were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry
after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. {10} For
godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the
sorrow of the world worketh death. {11} For behold this selfsame thing, that ye
sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what
clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what
vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have
approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Tests of true
repentance...
When I get to talking to
someone about the subject of repentance, either in talking about how they can
tell if someone else is sincere about repentance, or in talking about their own
repentance in a certain area, I turn to this passage. There are eight qualities here of true repentance.
1. Carefulness (Earnestness)
carefulness – spoude – haste,
with haste; earnestness, diligence; earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or
striving after anything
True
repentance deals with the sin immediately.
No delays. Take care of the
situation. Correct it now.
2. Clearing (vindication) of yourselves
clearing – apologia – verbal
defence, speech in defence
It’s
clearing your name. Doing what’s
necessary to clear the wrong you’ve done.
True
repentance says “I’m sorry”
3. Indignation
indignation – aganaktesis – indignation,
irritation, vexation; (from agan,
achomai; to grieve much)
True
repentance is truly grieved and upset over its own sin. Sometimes the victory in our lives over
certain areas just doesn’t occur until we get to the point where our sin just
totally makes us sick.
4. Fear
phobon - fear.
Fear of
God.
Of
displeasing God.
Of what
they’ve done.
5. Vehement desire (longing)
desire – epipotheo – to long for, desire; to
pursue with love, to long after; to lust
Repentance
involves a deep, deep desire to do what’s right. It’s a “lust”, but not for something forbidden, it’s a “lust” for
something that’s right.
6. Zeal
zeal – zelos – excitement of mind,
ardour, fervour of spirit; ardour in embracing, pursuing, defending anything
There is a great “zeal”,
a great passion to do what is right.
7. Revenge (avenging of wrong)
revenge – ekdikesis – a revenging, vengeance,
punishment; meeting out of justice; doing justice to all parties.
The Bible says that we are not to take “vengeance” (Rom.
12:19), but that is when somebody has wronged us. Here the idea is that you
take “vengeance”, but for the sake of the person that YOU’VE wronged.
It means you pay the price to make things right.
Where
there is a debt incurred, it is paid.
8. In all things ye have approved
yourselves to be clear in this matter. (in everything demonstrated to be innocent)
approved – sunistao – to
place together; to put together by way of composition or combination, to teach
by combining and comparing; to show, prove, establish, exhibit
clear – hagnos – pure;
pure from carnality, chaste, modest; pure from every fault, immaculate; clean
the matter – pragma – that
which has been done, a deed, an accomplished fact
When a person is truly
overcome with repentance, it affects their whole life.
It’s not
like they only try to change the one area that you pointed out. Their whole life turns over.
Lesson
Get serious about change
God doesn’t just want us to be “sorry” over our sins. He wants us to be serious about it, starting
with a change in how we think about our sin, and serious enough to work true
repentance.
:8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,
doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find
it?
pieces of silver – drachme –
a drachma, a Greek silver coin about the same weight as a Roman denarius
light – hapto – to fasten
to, adhere to; to fasten fire to a thing, kindle, set of fire
sweep – saroo – to sweep,
clean by sweeping
seek – zeteo – to seek in
order to find
:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours
together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner that repenteth.
Why did Jesus spend time with sinners?
Keep in mind, Jesus is telling each of these parables in order to show the
Pharisees why He is spending time with sinners.
Jesus spent time with sinners to bring them to repentance.
Lesson
Seek for the lost
Outside of church – God wants us to stretch a little and be willing to
spend time with people that aren’t Christians.
But keep in mind, the goal here is to lead people to Jesus, not to let the
unbeliever influence us. If you are
having a tough time being around unbelievers because they make it too easy for
you to backslide, then perhaps you need to take a little time off and get
stronger in the Lord.
But for most of you here (On Wednesday night, you are the cream of the
crop!) – be open to spending time with those who don’t know Jesus.
In church – we’re looking to make some changes in the way our ushers and
greeters operate at church. We’re
looking for some folks who would be willing to smile, shake a hand or two, and
welcome visitors that come to our church.
We could use some folks who are keeping their eye open for visitors, and
who would be willing to sit next to someone different in church.
Lesson
Heaven loves repentance
I think we should get a little excited when someone chooses to turn around
too.
When someone comes forward at church, I wonder if we
shouldn’t be applauding! Perhaps
handing out party hats! I think that
the folks in heaven are doing it!