The Missing
By David Drury
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My
wife and I were so exhausted the other night from taking care of 3 sick
pre-school kids that we watched a new “reality” television show. I think
we had faint hopes that it might make us feel better about our lives in
comparison. We happened upon Fox’s “Unan1mous” which features a
group of people locked up in underground living quarters for an indeterminate
amount of time. All the typical unreal “reality” elements are in place:
over a million dollars at stake, Survivor-style voting people “off the island”,
the alliances that voting spawns, the lying traitors the alliances spawn, and
the confessional-style booth to let us TV viewers in on the lies.
Yes,
if you haven’t watched reality TV lately this is basically what they all are. And everyone that’s anyone in Reality TV says
that the key to these shows is the “casting.” They want to get somewhat
“realistic” people who are going to get on one another’s nerves and have fights
they can show on TV for better ratings. In this show there are several
obvious casting choices I saw in the first 5 minutes. They even have a
self-identified “ladies-man” who has already lied about having cancer to get
sympathy votes for the money. If you
can’t tell from my opinions so far, I turned the TV off after 15 minutes.
I watched this show so that you don’t have to.
The
worst part of the show for me was the intentional placement of two people
guaranteed to degenerate into constant argument. In one corner was the
bombastically offensive female minister, and in the other corner was an
effeminate and outspoken gay man. I think they were having it out before
the second commercial break when I turned it off to read a book. The minister told the man: “God is against
homosexuals and you’re going to hell.” This got the whole group in a
tizzy of yelling and finger pointing, holding them both back like brawlers in a
bar. The gay man pointed in her face and joyously said, “Well, honey,
surprise-surprise, you’re going to be there frying with me.”
Wow.
Is this what it has come to? Is this what it means to talk about God and
heaven? Is this evangelism? Can you imagine talking to someone that
way—with the cameras rolling no less?
CHANGING THE TONE
I worry that too many in the world today view
evangelism as being something similar to this. It’s evangelism as reality
TV fight philosophy. Christians and non-Christians alike seem to think
that when talking about “who is going where” in the afterlife it will always
degenerate into a bar-brawl of ideas. A debate of who is right and who is
wrong. So the Christians are guilt driven to coming up with better and
better arguments, and the non-Christians are either shame-driven into faking
like they are religious, or anger-driven into avoiding Christians as much as
possible.
Again I ask: Is this what it has come to? Is
this what it means to talk about God and heaven? Is this
evangelism? This is why evangelism is one of the few subjects likely
to make both Christians and non-Christians uncomfortable
We are both uncomfortable because the assumption is
that the conversation will be unnatural and perhaps even offensive to everyone
involved. No wonder so many Christians avoid evangelism like a root
canal! We need to change our tone and change our language when it comes
to evangelism. It’s about bearing positive fruit in our lives and making
ordinary attempts to share our stories with God with people. It’s not about
being the most skilled debate champion or being the most shockingly bombastic
“proclaimer.” It’s about being who we really are in Jesus Christ… and
helping others be the same.
One of the first things I think we should do is… Consider those a.k.a. “lost” to be “missing.”
The word “Lost” is common shorthand Christians have
used to mean “those who are not following Jesus Christ.” It’s a buzzword
meaning non-Christian. Most Christians are so familiar with it they pass
right over the word without thinking about what it really means or what it
sounds like to those who are not Christians. Our church even has the word
in a portion of its mission statement, as we aim to “reach the lost.” How
often have we stopped to think about what it means to be “lost.”
I believe it would do us and non-Christians a lot
of good to think of the word “lost” to mean “missing.” I believe it’s the
right tone to set in talking about the lost. Think about this: if you
lose a child somewhere, in a shopping mall or a public park, how do you feel
about that child in that moment? When a child is lost, your heart
sinks. You want to do everything you can to find them. You retrace
your steps. You ask others if you’ve seen the child. You enlist the
help of others to search. If you search for a while, you even enlist the
help of the police. If they can’t find the kid they may even enact an
“Amber Alert” where television, radio & highway signs are used to locate
the chile. You can even get amber alerts on your cell phone now to help
people find their lost kids. This is how
God feel about the lost. He
will do anything possible to find them because they are missing. Luke 15 gives us the best description anywhere in
the Bible of what it means to be “missing.” It’s where Jesus takes a
moment to fill in his followers and detractors on how he feels about it.
Luke 15
1Now the tax collectors and
"sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats
with them." 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you
has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in
the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he
finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls
his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my
lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in
heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who
do not need to repent.
DOING LIFE WITH THE MISSING
Right from the beginning in this passage we see
that Jesus is doing life with the missing. He’s more concerned with the
way things are than the way things look. Over and over again we see
Jesus being called names by his detractors because he does life with the
missing. In Luke 5:30-32 we read about another one of these occasions.
Let’s study that portion of scripture together for a moment:
LUKE
5 – LEVI/MATTHEW’S PARTY
5:30The Pharisees
and their scribes grumbling
at His disciples,
saying,
"Why *
do you eat
and drink
with the tax collectors
and sinners
?"
kai; ejgovgguzon oiJ Farisai'oi kai; oiJ grammatei'ß aujtw'n pro;ß tou;ß maqhta;ß aujtou' levgonteß, Dia; tiv meta; tw'n telwnw'n kai; aJmartwlw'n ejsqivete kai; pivnete;
5:31And Jesus answered
and said
to them, "not those
who are well
who need
a physician,
but those
who are sick.
kai; ajpokriqei;ß oJ #Ihsou'ß ei\pen pro;ß aujtouvß, Ouj creivan e~cousin oiJ uJgiaivnonteß ijatrou' ajlla; oiJ kakw'ß e~conteß:
5:32"I have not come
to call
the righteous
but sinners
to repentance."
oujk ejlhvluqa kalevsai dikaivouß ajlla; aJmartwlou;ß eijß metavnoian.
Jesus
did not come to reject the righteous and accept the sinners... he came
to correct those attempting to be righteous but who were missing the point… and
to call the sinners who weren’t even making the attempt to be righteous to
begin the journey and follow him. He says he is looking for them to
repent – meaning change their lives and turn around. The religious types
didn’t need to turn around; they just needed to get back on track. They
were facing the right direction—just getting off course. Again, it’s not
how things look, it’s how things are. And they are like this: if we’re
not looking for the missing like Jesus is looking—how are they ever going to be
found?
This
is why…Jesus
was known as a “friend of sinners” (Luke 5:30-32; 7:34; 19:5-7)
And
my simple question is this… Are we?
Are
we known as friends of sinners? Are we looking for the lost? Are we
searching for the missing? Are we doing life with them? Sometimes
we forget that this was Jesus’ amazing example for us. The stories found
in Luke 7:34 and Luke 19:7 both back this up. It’s inspiring to see him
constantly bucking the expectations placed on him and simply but consistently
doing life with the missing, a.k.a. the “Lost.”
Why
was Jesus doing this? Well…it’s all about two
parties:
1) Jesus was a friend to “the missing” because of
the party in heaven he wanted them
to come to. That’s the ultimate party. It’s the feast of
feasts. The glorious get-together. The eternal heavenly hang-time
with God. The heart of Jesus was drawn to invite people to this
party. No one likes to be lost. It’s also no fun to tell someone
else they are lost. But everyone likes to give directions to someplace
they know. Particularly if it’s a party at your place and you’re with
someone you really want to be there. And that’s what this is. Jesus
is inviting every missing person he knows to the party? Are we?
2) The second party Jesus knows about and he tells
us about three times in the parables in this chapter, is the party right
now. Did you know there is a party
happening right now? There is. It’s a party about all the
missing people who right now are deciding to come to the party in heaven—to
follow Jesus there to make sure they take the right route and get there on
time. Jesus says that when the sheep is found the shepherd calls his
friends and neighbors together for a celebration and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” This is the
whole point of the lost sheep parable—because he points out that there is more rejoicing
in heaven over one missing person who turns their life around then over 99
of the rest of us who are already on our way to the ultimate party in
heaven. So there’s a party going on right now in heaven. Perhaps
you recently figured out that you’re missing and have decided to follow
Jesus. If so, the party is still going on in heaven over that decision.
What’s more, we should be celebrating here on earth
too. There is nothing more important to throw a party for. And
getting together as the church is part of the party. Wouldn’t it be great
if Easter Sunday this year was just one crazy party to celebrate every missing
person who started the journey to the ultimate party this year?
PARABLE PARALLELS
So
that’s the parable of the Lost Sheep. But Jesus isn’t done yet.
Instead he tells us two more parables after this one. And as the
listeners hear them they notice the three stories are very similar.
They’re all about something that’s missing, a.k.a. “Lost.” The Jews of
Jesus’ day would have been completely in tune with what he was doing even if we
are not. Repetition was one of the key tools the Jewish Rabbis, and all
teachers, use to make a point. When they repeat something they are doing two
things: 1) clarifying the emphasis of the story and, 2) developing
themes. One key in interpreting what Jesus was telling us is to see the
similarities between these three very different stories: one involving a
possession, another livestock, and the third a family member. They follow
a similar story arc that I want to encourage you to read and study this week
for yourself as we only have time for me to preview all this chapter has for
you to learn.
As
we’ve just seen in the first parable, a sheep is missing; the shepherd leaves
the rest of the sheep to find it and when he does, there is a great
celebration. A similar thing happens in the next parable. A woman
is missing one of her ten coins then begins a search for it throughout the
house. When it is found she calls her friends over to celebrate.
Then in the final parable a son asks for his inheritance early—effectively
saying to his father “I wish you were dead.” He leaves for a distant
country and squanders it all and doesn’t realize he is missing until he hits
rock bottom in a literal pig pen. Upon returning home his father rushes
out to meet him and throws a party to celebrate his return. And of course
this parable has an added feature: and that’s the poor attitude of the elder
brother when the missing son returns (you see, sheep and coins are not as prone
to jealousy as we humans.)
Here
are a few features of these three parables that are repeated and that we should
pay attention to. First…
What’s missing is truly lost
I do want us to watch our communication and
language in how we interact with “the missing” (in effect, being wise in the
way we act toward those who feel like outsiders.) This is why I’m
emphasizing this “missing, a.k.a. lost” concept to you.
However, I want to also remind us that we can err
on the other side as well. What is missing is truly lost in the
end. The missing will not be at the party unless we do something to help give
them directions. Otherwise what is the motivation to invite them?
Jesus used the illustration of illness: “it is not those well who need a
physician but those who are sick.” So I want to remind us that indeed
the sheep, the coin and the son are missing and will be lost permanently without some change.
The importance of “the missing”
The fact that the missing ones are truly lost
motivates us about their importance. They are not merely “misplaced” so
that we can wait around till they “turn up.” We must hunt for them.
They are valuable. And Jesus points this out by ratcheting up the
importance of each item in the three parable.
In the first, 99 are left for one missing sheep.
1:99
In the second, 9 are laid aside to search for the
one missing coin.
1:9
In the third, 1 son feels left out because of the
celebration over one missing son.
1:1
That’s why we in the church who “get this” so often
say…“Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us.”
The hunt for what’s missing is simple but
significant
Next we see that in each parable there is a hunt
for the missing ones. It is a simple hunt (none of the attempts
are all that extraordinary.)
They are still significant, however. Some things are not done (brushing
the other sheep, counting the other coins) in order to look for the missing
ones. The hunt costs the
Shepherd, the Woman and the Father something. But it’s really all about
ordinary attempts. I wonder if we balk at evangelism because we think its
all extraordinary stories and moments instead of just ordinary attempts.
Let’s begin to think of evangelism about making simple but significant ordinary
attempts.
Right this week our church has over 60 people out
on missional trips all over the place. We may talk about their stories
and look for the extraordinary, but I want to remind us that it’s really just
ordinary people that we send out. Ordinary people making ordinary attempts.
You may think of yourself as, “Just ordinary.” Well, join the club: the
club of people making ordinary attempts to invite people to the party.
Here’s the kicker... what is missing makes
the rest incomplete
You see, in each of these stories it’s just not the
same without the missing one. The 99 sheep are incomplete with out the
missing one. The nine coins aren’t a true set without the missing
one. The one son, though he doesn’t know it until his father points it
out, isn’t quite right without the missing one.
Let me point that out to us too. We, as the church, are incomplete
with out the missing ones. There’s an empty place at the table that
screams out to us during the quiet meal. Don’t you see—we’re just not the
same without them. We’re not who we’re supposed to be. So as we
approach Easter I want to let these three parables compel us to invite people
to the parties. You may wonder who’s
missing at the parties. All I’ve got to
say is, “You tell me.”
Group Questions
1. What’s a possession
you’ve lost recently or something you always tend to lose?
2. What conversations are
you having with people who might be “missing” from church? How can you
invite them to the party?
3. Take out a sheet of
paper and have everyone in the group put their “My 5” list of people they want
to start following Christ on it. Then pray over the list.
4. Read the story of the
Lost Son in Luke 15:11-32 out loud and ask the following questions:
a. Who do you identify
most with right now in your life: the Father at home waiting, the lost son or
the elder brother?
b. In what ways do you
yourself need to go “back to your father” like the lost son and change your
ways?
By the way – I don’t think either of them necessarily
read or like this passage, but there is a distinct possibility that the claim “you’ll
be there frying with me” from the gay man on Unan1mous is accurate. In
Matthew 23:13 Jesus said, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders
(hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces; for you
neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do
so.” (The Amplified Bible)
There are some minor differences in
Unan1mous compared to other reality TV shows, since it could end at any time by
the group voting for one person to get all the money (guess how likely that
is?). And of course the money itself decreases each day in amount—so
they’re lying and tricking each other for less and less take-home-pay each hour
that passes.
Jim
Henderson’s book a.k.a. “Lost”: Discovering Ways to Connect with the People
Jesus Misses Most is one of the best guides to this way of interpreting the
Lost in these parables and his concept of “the missing” is crucial to this
message. His ministry highlight “ordinary attempts” which he highlights
in this book is also wonderful and I’ve cited it above. The entry under
“Lost” in A is for Abductive by Leonard Sweet, Brian MacLaren &
Larry Hasselmayer is another good reference. In general on the Luke 15
Lost Son parable nothing yet has been written that rivals Henri Nouwen’s Return
of the Prodigal Son. It’s the essential work on that parable beyond
the Bible itself (although being a Rembrandt fan I’m a bit biased).
Beyond that work Herbert Lockyer’s All the Parables in the Bible is
worthwhile in studying all parables, including these three-in-one. In
general in the area of evangelism I suggest The Gospel in a Pluralist
Society by Lesslie Newbigin and my own book, The Fruitful Life (not that I can
be mentioned anywhere near Newbigin in comparison) for a fuller look at the
broader issues related to evangelism.
_________
© 2006 by David Drury
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