Differing Approaches for the Wayward
July 14, 2011
Dear Friends,
The New Testament’s suggested response to wayward brethren is perplexing to many. Why would the Bible tell us in one instance regarding a sinner to “not associate with anyone” (1 Cor. 5:11) on the one hand and then “go to look for the one that wandered off” (Matt. 18:11) on the other? Why the apparent contradiction? When someone sins, are we to cut them off or are we to pursue them? As with other apparent contradictions in Scripture, a closer look reveals to us the beauty of the Divine counsel and why the two seemingly contradictory passages are, in fact, complementary.
In Luke 15, Jesus presents a series of parables explaining the nuances of these wayward brethren. Jesus begins with the parable known as the Parable of the Lost Sheep. In this story, a man with 100 sheep leaves the majority of the flock to find the one lost one. To appreciate what Jesus is saying, we have to understand that the lost sheep didn’t wander off deliberately. It was lost. By way of interpretation, we understand this as someone who loses connection with the other sheep. They are hurt, confused or weak and as a result, get lost. The solution to this problem is to reconnect with them and lead them back. You have to find them where they are and lead them back.
The next parable is the Parable of the Lost Coin. The coin is lost in the house. This is someone who is still in the midst of us but is lost. They have lost their faith but for whatever reason, perhaps inertia or habit, they keep coming. Their heart is not in it, but they are still there. We need to look within the household for these “lost.”
The next story is the famous parable known as the Prodigal Son. Unlike the previous two parables where a diligent search is made for the lost sheep and the lost coin, no search is made for the Prodigal Son. Why the departure from pattern? Why not look diligently for the Prodigal Son? The key here is that the Prodigal Son was not lost. The Prodigal Son made a deliberate decision to choose the world over his father’s house and left. No attempt was made to bring him back because he simply wasn’t ready to come back.
The Lost Sheep (those who are lost and have left) and the Lost Coin (those who are lost but have not left) are similar in that both of them were lost. People may be lost for a lot of reasons. Perhaps they are lost because they don’t have deep relationships in the meeting. Others may be lost because they have a poor understanding of what life in Christ is all about. Some may be lost because of some dysfunction within the ecclesia which causes them to lose their faith. Some may be lost for the simple reason that they can’t think of a good reason to stay. Nevertheless, whatever the circumstances, these are people who may be recovered by someone simply reaching out to them and showing what life in Christ can truly be. All of the stories, parables and passages in the Bible that talk about us pursuing the wayward hearken back to this theme.
The Prodigal Son represents a different class of sinner. The characteristics of the Prodigal Son are an arrogant disregard for the ways of God. These are brethren who willingly and unrepentantly pursue sin. They typically refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. They mock their brethren and godliness. The solution to their problem is very plainly to give them what they want – the world. This is what is meant by turning someone over to Satan in 1 Cor. 5.
When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. (1 Cor. 5:4-5 NIV)
What we want from this process is exactly what happened to the Prodigal Son. What happens is the world that they crave so much will beat them down so badly that they see the error of their ways, humble themselves and return. We allow people to get exactly what they want and do not protect them from the consequences. The modern phrase for this is “tough love.” We are not administering punishment per se, the world does that. We simply no longer offer them the benefits that should come with an ecclesial family. If we rush in too quickly to help them before they learn their lesson, we may do more harm than good. In the story of the Prodigal Son, the boy learns humility and is now prepared to be a good son. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:21 NIV)
So we see then that when it comes to the wayward, the Bible presents us with two responses depending on the attitude of the wayward. This might not be as easy to discern as we might presume, but we can generally discern them by their attitude. The key point is that we need to offer the right solution to the correct problem and those solutions might be vastly different also the desired result is the same in both: “so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”
Have a great week,
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