Jesus consistently describes the tax collectors as lost. What does he mean by this? Have you ever felt lost? How did the Gospel help you find your way again?
Attempting to maintain moral standards, while trying to love our neighbors who do not live up to them, Christians have coined the phrase, “Love the sinner; hate the sin.” But this is a difficult balance to maintain, and Christians, at least presently, have a reputation for emphasizing the second half of the phrase at the expense of the first. Jesus seems to have managed this balance—socializing with tax collectors and other disreputables, and yet still able to call them to repentance. What can we learn from his example? What can we do to demonstrate this same attitude?
In the parables, God, either as shepherd or housekeeper, goes way over the top in his/her enthusiasm for finding the lost. No one in their right mind would leave 99 sheep at risk in order to find one, nor celebrate finding a lost valuable coin by spending money to throw a party. What difference does Jesus’ description of God’s enthusiastic love make in our personal spiritual journeys?