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Originally Posted by JonathanHunt  Quote:
Originally Posted by MOSES A modern day example:
There is a 100 member church. 1 member falls into gross sin and temptation. The session attempts to show him the error of his ways but he refuses thier counsel. The man is put under discipline and faces excommunication.
The Lord works in the mans life, he repents, and he is brought back into the church and restored.
Everone in the Church rejoices over this and praises God for this 1 man who repented, then the 99 members of the church who did not go astray.  | That fits with the context of the Parable how, precisely? Christ is teaching the Scribes and Pharisees that He must and will go after the vilest offenders. I don't really see how it relates to church discipline, I DO think that is a stretch too far! |
My example does not fit into the "context" of the parable at all...being it was a practical example, and not an exegetical analysis of the parable.
Most of us are not involved in literally sheparding sheep, but we are involved in the church and we have seen people go astray and come back, and we have seen people rejoice over this.
There is nothing more vile then a brother who departs from the "flock" and becomes involved in gross sin and inmorality. Perhaps the pharisee like members of the Church will not agree about going after these vile "covenant breakers", but Christ does. He leaves the 99 sittin pretty on the pews and goes after the 1 in the bar!