What Jesus said about REPENTANCE ? How to Repent ? When I was reading Luke 15 sometime ago, on a Parable told by Jesus about the Lost sheep. I had a big question on the word Repentance (metanoeó: to change one’s mind / in Greek). Because Jesus Himself had used the word REPENT twice over the lost sheep: Luk 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who REPENTS than over ninety-nine just persons who need no REPENTANCE. Wait a minute! In this whole parable if you read it carefully, you will not find in any occasions that the found sheep did any action of repentance! All that was written were only the actions of the Shepherd, who had been busy DOING THE WORK OF ATTENDING TO the sheep. The sheep did nothing at all! (Pls read the preceding verses): Luk 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not LEAVE the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and GO AFTER the one which is lost UNTIL HE FINDS it? Luk 15:5 And when he has found it, HE LAYS it ON HIS SHOULDERS, REJOICING. Luk 15:6 And when he COMES HOME, HE CALLS together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘REJOICE WITH ME, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ The Lord has been gracious and gave me the answer through my Pastor (Joseph Prince), and the ANSWER: There is only one thing that the sheep does “CONSENTING”. The sheep has to consent to be found, has to consent to be laid on the shoulders, and has to consent to come home & rejoice with the Shepherd. All the sheep did was “consenting” while enjoying the service & the goodness of the Shepherd. Is that hard for the sheep? That is the nicest & effortless thing to do for the sheep. Look! It was the sheep’s mistake to have left the flock!, and there was not even a single action of apology expected from the sheep by the Shepherd. The Shepherd took the hard work to rescue the one sheep who deserved to be lost anyway, and took the risk of losing the rest of 99 sheep by leaving them unattended, and the Shepherd seemed to be so engrossed with His Rejoicing over the one sheep found. What a good Shepherd we have! My friend, you are the lost sheep in this parable, you were once lost but now found, and you are so treasured by the Lord, He took all the trouble & pains & sufferings just to SAVE you, and bring you Home, then He rejoiced over finding you, He joyfully threw a big party in Heaven in the presence of angels and now He wants to shower you with His LOVE & MERCY & GOODNESS all over you, Do you want to Consent?
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 23:17:56 +0000
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