The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Does Jesus Really Care About You? (EP 96)

Episode Date: May 20, 2025

In this episode, Bryce dives into the scriptures about God's care for us!

What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce, and today, by the title of the episode, you know, we're going to talk about, does Jesus really care about you? How do you know if God cares about you? There's millions of people, billions of people, so many people have existed before and will exist after you. How do you know that you're valuable and God cares about you? We're going to talk about that, guys. We're going to be in Luke chapter 15 today. It's going to be amazing. And listen, the heart posture behind this was I started getting plugged into a church back in my hometown in Georgia. and Pastor James is just amazing. I want to have them on the podcast one day, but,

man, Pastor James, when we did this series, this little series on Luke 15 at church, it rocked my world so much that this has been a passage that I continually go back on, reflect on that I love talking about. And so today, we're going to share it with you guys as well.

So Luke chapter 15, does God really care about you? Let's talk about it. And there's going to be three types of parables in Luke chapter 15. the lost sheep, parable of the lost coin, parable of the prodigal son. You guys might be familiar with them or may not. Don't want to assume things. But here's the reality of parables. What is the purpose of a parable? You guys know, I've talked about this multiple times, but a parable is a sifting

mechanism. Okay, it's a sifting mechanism to see who really wants the benefits of the kingdom over the king and who really wants the king, right? King Jesus. Do you want King Jesus or do you just want what he has to offer? In these parables, we're a sifting mechanism for Jesus to get his point across. And for those that didn't want Jesus, but one of the benefits of Jesus, they ran away from the parables because they were like, this guy's a bozo. He doesn't know what he's talking about. But for those people that wanted to know more, they would go, hey, Jesus, what did you mean when you said this? You can see an example of that in Mark chapter 4. But let's read through each of these parables, and we're going to explain them. We're going to go through them one

at a time. It's going to be great. Luke 15, verse 1. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. All right, time out, time out. We got already in this book right now three types of sinners that have been described, all right? You got the rich sinners. You got the tax collectors, all right? These guys were like the Jewish tax collectors where people who would go to their own people. Imagine Rome, the government Rome, would hire out these tax collectors, right? And these tax collectors would be Jewish people amongst the Jews. And they would say, hey, listen, look, you got to go collect these fees, but overcharge.

the fee and whatever you overcharge the amount that you add on to the actual fee, that's going to be your salary. And so that's why these guys were rich sinners because they would take more than they needed. And they were taking from their own people because Rome was hiring out Jews to take money from Jews for the government. It was crazy. So you got the rich centers. Then he says you got the tax collectors and the centers. Then he says you got the good old fashioned centers. And back in this time period, they would call them the Torah defilers, the guys that went totally against the law. And then you have the third people group. You have the self-righteous sinners.

And the self-righteous sinners might actually be the worst one. Like when you think you know it all, you've already lost. When you think you're perfect and everything and you got it and you know it all, you've already lost. It's like the tiniest ounce of wisdom

will make your head big and then you realize that you don't actually know anything when you learn that there's more. Does that kind of make sense? Like these guys were the self-righteous sinners. And they make a statement. They say, this man receives sinners and eats with them. Now, we may think that that's a stupid,

statement, but you have to understand the perception that the Jews had of the Messiah, what they thought at least. I mean, these Pharisees, they thought that the Messiah was going to be this holy, righteous, amazing person that came from a rich family, that came from a royal background that was going to bring this government that was going to overthrow Rome, okay? And so when they look at someone that is, that claims to be the Messiah hanging out with people that they don't think the Messiah would hang out with, that's why they make this statement. So sometimes we can look at a statement that the Pharisees make, like, this man eat, receive sinners and eats with them. And we go, oh, these guys are stupid.

You know, we make fun of the Pharisees and the Sadducees now. Like back in this time period, it was kind of a valid statement to make to say, this man received sinners and eats with them. How can he be the Messiah? How could this be so? Because they thought that Messiah was going to be someone who wouldn't even tolerate sin at all. They think that because Jesus is hanging out with the sinners and tax collectors that he's tolerating sin when in reality, how can sinners come out of their lifestyle of sin if we don't meet them where they're at? And this is what Jesus is about to tell them.

Okay? He told him this parable. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need repentance. Okay, what is going on here? Jesus gives a picture, okay?

Shepherd and sheep. He says, there's a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray. And if you think about it, if you're in a room of 100 people, right, and one person leaves, you would probably count the cost. You probably wouldn't even realize that one person had left if you're in a room with 100 people. You see what I'm saying? But in the story, Jesus says, no, the shepherd recognizes it. that one of his hundred sheep have gone missing. And he says, now, look, most people would say, I'm going to count the cost and let that one go. But no, Jesus says, no, the shepherd in this story,

he has to go get the sheep. And he goes all throughout the countryside and waters, and this is that. He finds the sheep. And when he finds this sheep, he doesn't scold the sheep, he doesn't scold the sheep. He doesn't curse of the sheep. He grabs the sheep of joy, puts it over his shoulders, comes back and rejoices for he has found the lost sheep. Now, there's a couple things we need to learn from the story. Okay? Number one, we are the sheep. Jesus is the good shepherd. Okay? And this is the second point we have to learn from this.

Sheep are stupid, man. Sheep are the dumbest animals on the planet, all right? If sheep don't have a guide, they wander astray. They will get killed by animals. They will fall off cliffs. They will wander out. They will wander away from the pack so fast and not realize that they're wandering off

and not realize the stupid decisions that they're making before they know what they'll die. You know what happens when a sheep gets haunted by a wolf? They don't run away. They lock up, freeze, and fall over. Okay? So it is no good business for a sheep to be wandering astray without a shepherd. And you know what happens like when we wander away?

We don't let Jesus become our shepherd, but we allow other things to become our shepherd. So let me give you an example. It's, oh man, I don't feel God today. So God, you're not my shepherd. I'm going to let Netflix be my shepherd. I'm going to let social media be my shepherd. Oh, man, I'm going to let money be my shepherd. In reality, we're just wandering off.

when we think we're giving these things control, allowing these things to guide us, but no, we're wandering off, and these things don't satisfy and fulfill us and they lead us down a bad hole. Oh, more money. If I got more money, I'm going to be happier. Lie.

If I'm going to have sex with all these people, I'm going to be happier. Lie. If I'm going to eat all this food, maybe it'll numb the pain. Lie. If I watch enough social media videos that are distracting my brain,

lie, you have to keep going back to these things that lead you astray. And to recognize that we're stupid, allows us to come to ourselves and say, I need someone outside of myself to help me. That's the purpose of the good shepherd. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd.

And he says, I am the good shepherd. Let me guide your life. Let me guide your path. Let me teach you and show you the way. Because when we lean on our own understanding, we wander away. Proverbs says, there's a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

The way that seems right to a man means, let me go out of my own strength, let me do things my way, and we wander off and we die. But Jesus Christ says, let me be your good shepherd. And Psalm 23 reminds us that, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, what happens when we have the good shepherd by our side? We fear no evil for he is with us.

And then it says his rod and his staff it comforts us. It means when we're leaning astray, but Christ is our good shepherd. He uses his staff. He doesn't beat us with the staff. He gently corrects us back in line. Powerful thing. So it's kind of like a funny jab that Jesus says

when he's like, they're sheep or stupid. He's like, we're stupid without him. And here's the other part that we can recognize. He shows the 99 how important one is. You're valuable. Does Jesus care about you? Yes, you're valuable because the shepherd is willing to risk the 99, leaving the 99 just to come after you. And that's the perspective of Christ. If every human being in this world was perfect except you and you were wretched and sinful and wicked, Jesus Christ would still come and live in this world and die for you, just for you. He would allow

his sacrifice to be made just for you because you're a value. people. So here's what we can learn for the first parable, right? We need to draw near to Jesus because we are the lost sheep and he is the good shepherd. When we draw near to him, we tend to live this life of change and live this life of righteousness and live this life of holiness for him. And here's another thing I want to point out, verse 7 to close out that parable. Just so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. He's calling them out. He's saying, you guys think you're good because you followed the law. The law, obedience to the law, should be a byproduct of your love for me is what Jesus is saying.

You say, you could be a good person on paper, but not turning away from sin. And what is repentance? Rependance is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction, a change of decision, a change of lifestyle. Okay, so he's saying there should be an outward expression of what God's doing in your heart, like a repentance of turning from our ways, a turning from our sin, a turn of direction, a change of change of mind that leads to a change of direction is a cause and an overflow of what God has done in our heart of faith and trust in him. Jesus is the good shepherd. We should draw near to the good shepherd. My favorite parable out of all these three might be this next one. Okay? Verse eight. Parable of the lost coin. Or what woman having ten silver coins if she loses one

does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying rejoice with me. For I, I have found the coin that I had lost, just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. We can read this parable and recognize that Jesus looked for me and you because he thought we were valuable. Let's put this into perspective, okay? These 10 coins in the story, all right? What does it mean?

One coin would be considered a day's wage. Okay, now I'm from Georgia and in North Georgia, the average salary per year is around $70,000 $7,000, okay, in northwest Georgia. okay so a day pay would be like 200 and something dollars a day now imagine you lose 200 something dollars like that boom let me put it in a more perspective you lose your wallet you lose your phone you lose your keys i know dang well if you lose your wallet phone keys you're going to be sweeping the house throwing the couch cushions pacing around frantically and you're not going to be doing it gently all right you're going to be frustrated you're going to be saying some things you're

probably going to be using a little bit of extra language. You're going to be doing these things because you're frustrated and built up. You're trying to find your wall because it's valuable. And then when you find it, it's, oh, man, the sun really is out bright today. Oh, man, it's all sunshine and rainbows. It's like, no, we don't play cool until we find it. I'll give you an example of my personal life. All right? I had my wallet stolen about a month ago. Man, I did not handle that cool at all. I was not cool. I was frustrated. I was like, I got a flight today. He's got my idea. I don't really care about the money. But, man, I got to find this wall. And I got an air tag in and I spent two and a half hours tracking this wallet down and I was and you can ask my girlfriend my girlfriend was with me and I was not handling I was freaking out. I was stressed. I was frustrated. I was upset at the guy that sold my wallet and I found the wall and when I confronted him. I got my wallet back and I got in the car and I literally go

oh man and I acted like as if nothing had happened and it was crazy because my girlfriend was like what she was like we were just off so frustrated and flustered for two and a half hours then once you get it back everything's calm and cool and I say that to say that's what is being described in the story this lady loses a day's wage she's freaking out she's trying to find this blah blah blah this is and that this is and finding it finding it and then she finds it and she goes who rejoices i found my lost coin what can we know we're valuable there's a price song us. Now, why are we valuable? Okay? If you go to TJ Max, right, you're going to find a fur coat in TJ Max. That is 1999. That used to be on sale at Macy's for $100. Now, how did the Macy's

$100 jacket get into T.J. Max for 1999? It's because people didn't think that jacket was valuable enough to pay $100 for. Basic economics says that the value of something is determined by the price you're willing to pay for it. And because people didn't think the jacket at Macy's was worth $100, it ended up being sold at T.J.MX for 1999. So what is the value that God puts on my life? His own life. God says that you're valuable enough to become a human

and lay his own life down for you. That's powerful. The price God puts on you and me is his own life. Second point, we're made in the image of God. Now, that may it sound silly, all right? Some people don't understand that, but that means his imprint is put on you. He has made you on purpose for a purpose.

So you might say, well, my parents didn't mean to have me. I was an accident or I was put up for adoption so no one really cares about me and loves me. And just because my circumstances, listen, listen, listen, listen, let's scratch that out. Like I understand and it's heavy and, you know, the things like that. But just because your circumstances may say you're an accident, doesn't mean you are an accident. Because if you have breath inside of your lungs and you're listening or watching this, you are made on purpose for a purpose. You're valuable.

And the value God places on your life is his own life. He says, man, I love my son and my daughter so much. I want to be with him and have friendship with him so much. I'm going to become a human. I'm going to live a perfect life in this wretched world. And I'm going to take on a death that you deserve for my son, for my daughter. And I'm going to stand on the cross, nails on my wrist, knowing that there might be a point where my son or daughter won't receive this sacrifice, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Because I love my son. I love my daughter and I want them to know that I care about them and the price I put on them is my own life. And the only way they can be set free from their sin is if I take it on myself. That's the price Christ puts on you, is his own life. If you're sitting here or listening to seeing that you're not valuable and down on yourself, I want you to look at the gospel. I mean, listen to these words. Christ values you enough to lay his own life down for you. That's why I love this parable. He puts it into terms that society exalts right now money. Value, you want to the value?

There's no monetary value that can be put on you. There's a value greater than money. There's a value more powerful than the amount on your bank account screen. It's a life. It's breath inside of your lungs because we only get one. And time flies like a vapor in the wind. And to know that God took his life and decided what am I going to use with my own life, but to put it on the cross for you is powerful, man.

That gets me fired up. you are valuable. What can we learn from the first few parables? We're stupid without God and we need him, but we're valuable in his eyes. Let's read the third parable. Prodigal son. And he said, there was a man who had two sons.

And the younger of them said, he was father, father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into the far country. And there he squandered his property and reckless living.

Okay, let's talk about this, all right? So, father has a inheritance that he leaves to his children, leaves his, that's something you do today. Like when people die, they leave money, they leave houses, they leave items, assets to people. Now, imagine what's being said of this. You will receive an inheritance when someone important in your life passes away. So when the son comes to his living father and says, give me what's mine already, he's looking at the father and saying, you're dead to me.

Do you know what happens when we choose sin over Christ? We're looking at God dead in the face and saying, you're dead to me. And when I say those words out loud and I reflect on my life of when I sin, it breaks my heart to think that every time I chose sin, I was basically looking, God, dead in the eyes. And I said, you're dead to me. That's what the son does to the father.

He's looking at him and says, give me what's mine, because I want this now before you die, before he die because you're dead to me and I can live this on my own. This son is motivated by foolishness and greed, often what people are motivated by today. And it tells us what happens to him. He says he lost it all. Lost it all.

Blued on prostitutes. Brewing on food. And when he had spent everything, a severe fame and arose in the country, and he began to be in need. Verse 15, so he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

Now, this is important. And he was long and he was long. to be fed with the pods that the pigs hate and no one gave him anything. Are you kidding me? If you're a Jew listening to this or you're not a Jew, let me put this into perspective. Pigs are considered unclean in Jewish culture and this Jew got so desperate. He was desperate enough to eat with the things that were deemed unclean in society because he was so desperate for food. Is that not crazy? He's a man, my culture, these pigs, I know they're unclean, but I'm so desperate to eat. I'm so desperate for food. I'm so desperate for help. I'm willing to be considered

unclean for the sake of food to quench my hunger, to quench my thirst. Here's what happens. But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger? I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. And he arose. rose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called her son. But the father said to

his servants, bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fat and calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this. My son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. That's where we'll stop in the passage for today. but I really want to hone in on what's happening here. If you guys listen to the last episode with Judah, you know, he talked about this, and I can't get over this speech that the son has prepared. This is how he says, you know what?

I'm so lost, but my dad, he goes, okay, my dad has these workers and they're better off than I am, so I'm going to go to my dad not to be his son, but to be a slave. I'm going to work for him. And so he creates this speech. Dad, I'm sending it to you, whatever, whatever. Just let me work for you.

Is that not what society tells us to do today? Oh, you've wronged me. Work to give me your love. Work and then I'll give you this. Work for this. Work for that. Work for this. And we live in this world of a math equation where all of our love, which should be unconditional,

which shouldn't be based on favoritism, which shouldn't be shown in partiality, which shouldn't be shown in conditions, is, because that's what society teaches us. And so when we look at the story, what Judah described as worthy world, let me work for my worth. The Bible is telling us that we operate out of a place of grace,

what Judah called a grace land. And this rocked my world, man. It's like for some reason, when we screw up, we still try to build our tower of babble to God. and God says, look, look, look, to get to me, I've done the work. I've done the work on the cross to get to me. Your repentance, your obedience should all be a byproduct of your love for what I've done for you. And so when the son is coming home, now think about this, established men never ran.

The father runs to the son. He runs and meets him down there. Now think about this. This is how I view of the father always looking down every day, maybe wondering where his son's at. You know what we oftentimes think is like when we're screwing up and we're making stupid decisions and we're rebelled against God, we think that God wants nothing to do with us. That's what our sin convinces. Our sin convinces us that God wants nothing to do with us. But in reality, the father is constantly checking out the window. Where's my son at? I miss my son. Is he here?

And then he sees someone walking so he runs and he runs down there and it wasn't his son. It was just a servant coming back. And so he turns around and walks back. And finally he looks and he sees the son and he notices at his son because he's limp in that certain way his son used to walk. So he runs and he sprints and I love the verbiage. It says, The father saw him and felt compassion. What is compassion? Compassion is putting your place,

putting yourself in the place of someone else, feeling what they've experienced and having a sense of love and grace for them. The father had compassion on the son. I was like, man, I just love my son. And so he goes out there and embraces him. And look, the son gives him, his whole speech and do you notice that the father doesn't even acknowledge a single word he says the son creates this lofty speech thinking that it was going to fix the father's perspective of him

and the father doesn't even listen to a single word of what he says he just says look bring the best robe and put it on him do you know what the robe that he was bringing he was bringing the father's robe the best robe was the robe that the father wore brought that gave it to him when we're drowning and clothed in our sin the father gives us his robe is is righteousness. Changes our identity. Changes who we are. Put a ring on his hand

and shoes on his feet and brought the fat and calf. It killed him and left seat and celebrated. This is my point when I share these parables with you and this is my point. It's crazy how we forget the words of Christ and we listen to what social media says sometimes and we listen to what sometimes our family and friends say or what society says and we lose all sight of how valuable we are.

When I was 17 years old, I planned on taking my life because I thought my life wasn't valuable anymore. I thought my life wasn't valuable enough to take my life. I had depression and anxiety, and I thought, man, I'm not going to push through the depression and anxiety because my life isn't valuable. And the music I was listening to and the movies I would watch and the stuff I would read on social media and the comments

and all the bullies at school, you know, all these things. They would tell me who I was and I allowed it. I thought I wasn't valuable. And then I read the words of Christ. Who I believe is God, perfect, almighty, powerful. Who says, Bryce, I think you're valuable enough to give my own life for. You know what society told me I was valuable enough for?

Their own gain? Society told me I was only valuable if I gave them what they needed. and then they would leave me in the dust. The bullies at school, I was only valuable to them if they were going through a life crisis. And then once I gave them the answer to their problems, and they would go back and start bullying me again. Or your depression and anxiety will make you reflect on your self-image

and say, man, you're worth this, you're pointless, your piece of junk, your piece of crap, you're awful, shame and guilt, make you want to hide and isolate and tell you that your life is worth nothing but dirt. at Christ says, I wish you could see how I see you. I wish you could see the love that I have for you. I wish you could see how it breaks my heart when you turn from me.

Jesus tells us this. And I wish that you would just come home sometimes and live in this place of love because my son, my daughter, like if you could live in this place of love for Christ, then you wouldn't do these things anymore. And if you did do them, like there's grace. Are you valuable in God's eyes? will you ever stop being valuable in his eyes? No. How do I know I'm valuable? I'm made on a purpose, on purpose, for a purpose.

Yeah, but what does that even mean? Christ wanted you to live so bad. He laid his own life down. He took his own life for you. He yielded his life on the cross for you. Punishment. I mean, I just pray that these words marinate in your heart. Christ thinks you're valuable enough to lay his on life for you. we're valuable in his eyes, and we need to rely on him. Jesus, I just pray that you use this episode to touch our hearts, mend our hearts, use this mightily, God. Thank you for who you are and what you're doing in our lives. God, use this episode, minister our hearts.

We thank you for who you are on the cross. We love you, Jesus. Bless you, it's in your name. I pray. Amen. Guys, thank you so much for watching and tuning into these episodes. Guys, if you love watching and listening to these episodes, aside from following us along on Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, I want to ask you guys, would you guys consider partnering with our ministry financially?

Your guys' radical generosity is actually what continues to fuel and produce these podcast episodes and our evangelism videos. So if you guys feel a burden to support this ministry, reach lost souls with the gospel through digital and in-person ministry, go to Jesus in the street.org, pray and ask God, how should I partner with Bryce and their ministry? and Jesus in the street ministry, should I partner with them in prayer? Should I partner with them in finances? Should I partner with them in support?

Whatever it may be, pray and ask God, how should I support Jesus in the street ministry? Love you guys. See you guys next week for the next episode.