LESSON XII.—DECEMBER 21.—“THIS MAN RECEIVETH SINNERS.”
NOTE.—In the preparation of these lessons all Scripture references, and the pages of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” should be thoroughly studied first, then the questions. The questions are not the lessons. They are only for the purpose of finding out what we have observed while studying. More of the preciousness of these lessons will be obtained if the lesson is studied each day throughout the week. In the parables of Jesus there is salvation from sin for every type of sinner—from the Pharisee to the prodigal. The notes are wholly selected from such portions of “Christ’s Object Lessons” as apply to each lesson.
1 “Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto Him for to hear Him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 “And He spake unto them this parable, saying, What man 4 of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go 5 after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath 6 found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my 7 sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, which need no repentance.
8 “Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek 9 diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice 10 with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
What class of people drew near to Jesus? How many came? For what purpose? Who murmured? What did they say?
To meet this case, what parable did Jesus give?
To whom did he appeal in the parable of the lost sheep? How many were in the flock? How many were lost? Could He have mentioned a smaller number? In His haste to find the lost sheep, where were the ninety-nine left? How long is the search continued?
Having found the sheep, how is it brought home? In carrying the sheep homeward, what is the shepherd’s state of mind? What does he first do on reaching home? For what purpose? Is there a parallel to this in the salvation of the sinner?
How many pieces of silver are lost? Who searches for the lost one? To whom does it still belong? With what care is the search made? How is her diligence rewarded? Having found it, what does she do?
Unto what is this scene of rejoicing likened? In its lost condition, what does the sheep realize?—That it is lost.
What does the lost piece of silver not realize?
How do some of the sheep happen to go astray? Read Eze. 34:1-31. Who will seek them? Verses 11-16.
Let each Christian determine whether his actions place him among those who scatter the flock, or with him who gathers. Let all the wounded, bleeding, lost, and apparently forsaken ones take courage. Our Chief Shepherd is now gathering His flock, He will not omit any.
NOTES.
As THE shepherd loves his sheep, and can not rest if one be missing, so, in an infinitely higher degree, does God love every outcast soul. Men may deny the claim of His love, they may wander from Him, may choose another master, yet they are God’s, and He longs to recover His own. He says, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.”
In the parable of the lost sheep, Christ teaches that salvation does not come through our seeking after God, but through God’s seeking after us.
EVERY soul whom Christ has rescued is called to work in His name for the saving of the lost. This work had been neglected in Israel. Is it not neglected to-day by those who profess to be Christ’s followers?
IN this work all the angels of heaven are ready to co-operate. All the resources of heaven are at the command of those who are seeking to save the lost. Angels will help you to reach the most careless and the most hardened. And when one is brought back to God, all heaven is made glad.
