The 99%… and the Parable of the Lost Sheep

There is a resurgence of protests taking place in America. Whether it’s the strike in Wisconsin, a Tea Party rally, or the Occupy Wall Street protests happening now, people are looking to have their voices heard.
But I am a bit concerned with how many of these demonstrations model activism on issues of poverty and injustice.
People usually don’t respond well to threats or being told what to do. Activism that focuses on guilt or demands usually causes division and rarely creates unity.
In Luke 15, we see a different form of activism modeled. And “the 99 vs. the 1” in this case are sheep. In the passage, Pharisees question how Jesus is gathering and eating with sinners and tax collectors. They don’t believe Jesus should welcome these sinners until they meet the demands of their scriptures.
In response, Jesus shares this parable:
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I 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.”
Christ’s response to his lost sheep isn’t to make threats or demands, but rather to make an invitation. He invites all of us, just as we are, to join him and his ministry.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, demand obedience first. But when we make demands or guilt others, we fail to help cultivate a heart or a world where injustice and gross inequality is intolerable.
This is the type of activism I hope we’ll live - where we invite, rather than require, others to be a part of God’s works of justice. Where rich and poor alike choose to make sacrifices to build a more just world.
Notes