Listen and Learn (Jer. 4:11–12, 22–28)

We need to learn from this. We need to be listening for God’s voice in our lives, both as individuals and as the people of God. God may be sending us warnings. We may need to change our behavior. We need to make sure that God is the center of our lives and that we are caring for God’s people in the manner that God requires.

Lost and Found (Luke 15:1–10)

In this passage from Luke, we hear two stories about seeking the lost. In the first, a shepherd seeks a lost sheep, and in the second, a women seeks a lost coin. The Bible often uses the repetition of similar stories to emphasize a point. The Pharisees are criticizing Jesus for associating with sinners (an action that is prohibited by scripture). Jesus tells these stories to make the point that the Pharisees are following the letter of the law but ignoring the spirit of the law.

God loves all people and wants everyone to know and love Him. The prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures are to prevent sinners from causing the people of God to sin. However, the people of God should be helping sinners find God. It is easy for us to admire Jesus for reaching out to these people on the margin, but it is not always easy for us to follow his example. Many times, it is easier to be like the Pharisees in this story and ignore people that we do not like, but we are reminded that God loves all people, and we are called to do likewise.