November 12, 2023 - Good News for the Hurting & the Lost (Luke 15 & Matt. 26)

In three parables — told in the mixed company of self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees alongside despised tax collectors and sinners — Jesus shares the extent of God's pursuing love, and his willingness to leave the people a religious teacher would be expected to be with, for the sake of those far away — the hurting and the lost. We later see the extent of Jesus’ love in his Gethsemane prayer: he experienced deep sorrow, pain, and agony. He was deeply honest with God. And he still submitted himself to God’s will — on our behalf. Jesus was hurt, rejected, and even killed by his love for us. This gives us confidence: in our losses and when we feel lost, we can rest in Jesus’ unfailing love and pursuit, even to his own death. His perfect life covers our imperfections. When we face pain, suffering, and even death, we can trust that God is with us, and works even in pain for our good. Jesus entered human history because of God’s pursuit of you. His suffering gives us hope and strength in our own.