The Lost Sheep
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, help me to see with your eyes, and give me a heart that loves the lost. Amen.
“1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” - Luke 15:1-7
REFLECT:
The parable of the lost sheep, along with the other parables that Jesus tells in the book of Luke, make it clear that the lost are absolutely worth our time, attention, and effort. Christ commanded us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19 NIV), and so we know that our mission is to share the good news of the gospel. I think it is important that we remind ourselves of who needs to hear that good news. Often, particularly for those who have been in the church for a long time, it is easy to find yourself surrounded almost exclusively by those who already love and follow Jesus. Many of us can probably admit that is a rather easy and comfortable situation to be in (and boy I sure do love a good comfort zone), but it isn’t effective in helping us ‘zoom in’ on lost sheep.
Here in this passage, we see that Christ tells this parable in response to the muttering of the Pharisees, who clearly had an issue with kind of people Jesus ministered to. As Jesus says in Luke 19:10, he came to seek and to save the lost. And in several of the gospels, Jesus says that it is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31 NIV). Repeatedly in the gospels we find our Lord actively seeking out those who are wandering and lost. The 99 sheep who remain gathered are still valuable and loved by the Shepherd, but he leaves the herd to pursue the one because that one is in the most need.
APPLY:
When you encounter someone who is wandering or lost, ask the Lord to give you a heart like his and ‘zoom in’ on those people. Think this week about one person who may not know the Lord, and pray about how you can walk alongside them.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord, as I seek what your heart is, I pray that you lead me towards someone who may not know You.