I was already planning on writing about the number 100 this morning before I logged on and realized that this is my hundredth post. Nice.
I was thinking about the parable of the hundred sheep. We all understand that the one lost sheep is you or I, or anyone in need of a Saviour, who was sought out/is being sought out by the Lord. We all know about how the angels in Heaven rejoice over that one sinner that repents.
But... what about the 99? Who are they? Do they represent the pharisees from the Bible, or regular-type people who aren't saved (yet)?
And I know it's "just" a parable. As my dad consistently has to remind me, shadows and pictures in the Bible are just that--shadows. Pictures. Not entirely matching up to the reality of the situation. There's no way to have a perfect picture of Christ, because Christ is perfect. Nothing else compares. So that leaves us with fragments of the story, which is fine, because if we could understand the whole story, then God wouldn't be... God.
But I still don't understand who those 99 are. So if you have an inkling of who they represent, please let me know.
3 comments:
I always thought that they were the "good" Christians who never wandered from the flock. Still dumb enough to do it, but they just didn't. (I'm not trying to insult Christians who ARE good, but, we all know that sheep are just plain dumb, and that's why they make an awesome metaphore for us, because people, too, are dumb and flawed). Um.... yeah. I think your ways of looking at it were good too. I never really thought of that. I like it.
I don't know, it's just that does it really make sense that the Lord would leave all those sheep behind, if they represented Christians? Like, once I'm saved I don't think the Lord just runs off because He thinks the lost are more important than I am, you know? I guess that's what I was trying to get across. Just that I'm not sure that the sheep represent Christians, since the Good Shepherd left them all behind.
But... it's a parable. So yeah, maybe they are just the "good Christians."
In my bible I have a note beside Luke 15:7 The end of the verse could also be translated/could be better translated "ninety and nine just persons, which have no need for repentance." The note says that it is referring to those in the world that just don't see their need for repentance, so they are not saved. They just don't see themselves as sinners because they are just, or good. These cases are so sad to me.
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