Luke 11:32 (NKJV)

32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

Trash And TreasureLuke 11:32

Trash and TreasureThey say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Something may be old and useless to you, but new and valuable to someone else

We might also say that beauty (or worth) is in the eye of the beholder

Trash and TreasureFar too often we throw away things that are useful, or even needful to others

We do it with food, clothes, furniture and all kinds of material goods

Too many times we do it with those who have a soul

Human WorthIn our minds we make judgments everyday as to who we feel may be worthy or unworthy of hearing the gospel message

We may not categorize them as “trash”, but that’s in essence what they have become in our minds

Human WorthThis can be done based upon several factors:

Race

Status

Wealth

Beauty

Intelligence

Human WorthIt may be that we doubt the power of the gospel more than anything

We simply do not think that some people can be changed

Or perhaps, we simply do not want to see other people changed, so that they “get what’s coming to them”

Jonah & NinevehOne glaring example of this comes from the story of Jonah and the Ninevites

God saw the wickedness of Nineveh and could have opted to destroy it

Instead He chose to send Jonah there to help them (1:2)

Jonah & NinevehJonah arose and went the other direction

Jonah & NinevehOften times people say that Jonah fled because he was afraid of the people of Nineveh

Many will suggest that he was fearful of what they might say or do to Jonah for preaching the truth

What does the Bible say?

Jonah & NinevehJonah 4:1-2

Jonah fled because he knew if the Ninevites repented that God would not destroy them

To Jonah, the Ninevites were nothing more than trash that he wanted to see God destroy

Jesus & The PhariseesWe see the difference in perceived value shown in the gospels

Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners and the Pharisees could not understand why (Matt. 9:10-11)

Jesus saw the value of these souls while the Pharisees could not

Jesus & The PhariseesJesus spoke again about those who He came to minister to

He mentions the blind, lame, lepers, deaf, and the poor (Matt. 11:5)

This list doesn’t include people who society would mention as the “treasure” of the world

Jew & GentileIt’s no secret what the Jews thought of Gentiles

Certainly the Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people

If you weren’t a Jew, then you were looked down on by them

Jew & GentileGod’s plan following Christ’s death, burial and resurrection was to include all in His plan for salvation

God sent this message to Peter in Acts 10

It took 3 visions for Peter to begin to realize what God was telling him (vs. 9-16)

Jew & GentilePeter went on to proclaim in verse 34 that “God shows no partiality”

Peter was privileged enough to convert Cornelius and his household, the first Gentile converts

Sadly, there were still Jews who rejected those who God had accepted

God’s TreasureGod has always seen treasure where man sees trash

Gideon saw himself as a nobody, yet God used him in a powerful way (Jud. 6)

Rahab, a harlot, found herself in the lineage of David and Jesus

God’s TreasureMatthew was a tax collector turned apostle

Peter was just a fisherman, yet used in a powerful way

Paul once persecuted those who were followers of Christ, yet God saw the treasure in him