Who are the lost sheep in Jesus' parable?

Рет қаралды 37

Күн бұрын

Do the "lost sheep" represent unbelievers, or believers who are drifting away from the flock?
It might seem obvious that both are "lost" in a sense, and both are in need of a shepherd to go out and find them. But the question became more crucial when I met two people who fit each description, and the limited length of typical outreach conversations meant that I'd probably only have time to talk in depth to one of them.
In short, when forced to choose one or the other, should we talk more to an unbeliever or a drifting believer?
I'm sure every situation is different, but in a conversation with Bill, an unbeliever, and Rachel, whom I would describe as a drifting believer, I chose to spend most of my time talking with Rachel.
Part of my thinking is based on an interesting comment Jesus made to his disciples in John 13:35: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We often assume unbelievers will come to faith because they are so impressed by how nice and loving we treat them. But in this passage Jesus focused more on how we love other Christians, not unbelievers.
I remember, before I was a Christian as a teenager, how impressed I was by the relationships between the leaders of the youth ministry team. I felt like an outsider looking in, and I knew they had something between one another that I wanted to be a part of.
In talking with Bill and Rachel, I felt more of a connection with Rachel because she is a fellow believer, so when she had a question or showed some confusion about her faith, I responded more to her even if it meant less time talking with Bill.
As I talked with Rachel, Bill listened in, and not only did he hear many aspects of the Gospel explained, but he also got to see a display of that love for fellow believers Jesus was talking about.
When a shepherd searches for a sheep lost from his flock, he might just find and rescue a stray sheep in the process!