If you are like me, you have heard and/or seen the concept that it “better for one to die for the greater good than for the masses to all die” used to justify all kinds of things.

• Murders in the forms of assassination to stop the shift of political power
• Firing of personnel to assure the forward movement of an organization
• The jettison of a friendship in order to complete a personal goal

And the list can go on and on with more details and pain as the concept is ready applied through our culture….

Some of you may look at the concept and the list and think that it is ok…and you may be right in some cases, such as the firing of an employee who is hindering a company for meeting its business goals. It may also be justified in war, I don’t know…I’m still tore inside when it comes to violence and war.

The sad thing to me, and the point behind this post, is that this concept has inched its way into the community of Jesus followers. Pastors are let go for being human and slipping into momentary lapses of the current evil age. The hurts and pains of church members/leaders are sweep under the rug as the train of the organization much continue to go forward no matter the cost.

After all, any good local church reaches and cares for more than one person so of course the needs of the many outweighs the needs of any one individual. Unless, of course, that individual happens to have a large bank account, then all bets are off…but that is another topic for another time.

The crazy thing is that the local church should be the one place on earth where this concept it throw out like the crappy garbage it is. We are a people of the New Age to Come; we do not answer to this world or the messed up rules and principles of our culture – of ANY culture – for our King, our Leader, our Boss, our Friend, our Lover and Husband is none other than the One Who Made Everything and took back the keys of death, sin and hades.

We are to follow the One who left the multitudes to find and love the individual. As Jesus of Nazareth said long ago:

“How does it seem to you? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off and goes missing, what will he do? He’ll leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go off after the one that’s missing, won’t he? And when, eventually, he finds it, I’ll tell you the truth: he will celebrate over that one more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t go missing! It’s the same with your father in heaven. The last thing he wants is for a single one of these little ones to be lost.” -Matthew 18:12-14, The Kingdom New Testament

In the context of the passage, the “little ones” referenced by Jesus is referring directly to little children, who were (are) typically left out of the religious affairs and forgot, as well as indirectly to all followers who follow Him. In other words, Jesus is saying that He is more concerned about the individual who was following Him and somehow wandered off into the wilderness of the world than He is with the multitudes who are gathered together following Him as they should be.

Think about that.

Jesus cares so much for each one of us that He would take off, leaving the ninety-nine on the hillside – not safely tucked away in a barn, but out on the hillside – in order to find us, love us, and bound up our wounds.

If Jesus would, or shall I say “does do that”, how much more should we who claim to follow Him do that?

Perhaps instead of jettison friendships or sweeping the pain of living under the rug and hoping it does show…perhaps instead of casting aside leaders who stumble in the screwed up world…perhaps, just perhaps, we stopped the train and took the time to go find them, listen to them – really listen to them – and love them…

• Yes, it may mean delaying an Easter program or a cool “life-changing” Bible study.
• Yes, it may be dealing with conflict or subjects you would rather not touch.
• Yes, it may mean that some people walk away from your local church organization.
• Yes, it may mean more time, snot, and tears.
• Yes, it probably means more pain and uncertainty in one’s life.

But shouldn’t we do it?!

• Shouldn’t the local church be the one place on this planet that cares more for the individual than for the masses?
• Shouldn’t we be the people who care about others even if it hurts?
• Shouldn’t we be different?

And most importantly, shouldn’t we follow the example of Jesus?

After all it was Jesus who died under the words:

“You know nothing at all! he [Caiaphas, the high priest] said. “You haven’t worked it out! This is what’s best for you: let one man die for the people, rather than the whole nation being wiped out.” – John 11:50, TKTN