Too Great a Sinner?

If you have ever said that God wouldn’t want you back because you are “too great a sinner”, listen to what Jesus had to say about that which will probably change your mind.

We know from the Gospels that Jesus frequently welcomed and dined with sinners. When confronted by the Scribes and Pharisees about this behavior, Jesus replied, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

Jesus also tells the parable of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the one who was lost. Once he found that lost sheep, “he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way,” Jesus says, “it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” (Matthew 18:13-14)

With these words of Jesus in mind, it is hard to imagine a God who has pre-judged and will accept only those who are without sin. The image of God rejoicing over a lost sheep who has been found is a very powerful one. To be rejoiced over, we just need to be found.

Consider the predicament of that lost sheep. Separated from its flock and the protection and guidance of the shepherd, the sheep has no idea how to return. It is in a hopeless situation. Its only hope is hearing the call of the shepherd who is searching for it.

The spiritually lost are in the same situation. The world has many apparent paths to happiness, but most are dead ends. Only by hearing and responding to the Shepherd calling to us, can we be found. If you are spiritually lost, listen, the Shepherd is calling for you. You just need to respond, “Lord, I am lost, please find me!”