Jesus is Essential
Luke 15:1–7: Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which 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 neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
The sheep was lost because of foolishness. Sheep have a tendency to go astray, and that is why they need a shepherd. The scribes and Pharisees had no problem seeing the publicans and sinners as “lost sheep,” but they would not apply that image to themselves!
And yet the prophet made it clear that all of us have sinned and gone astray, and that includes religious people. The shepherd was responsible for each sheep; if one was missing, the shepherd had to pay for it unless he could prove that it was killed by a predator. This explains why he would leave the flock with the other shepherds, go and search for the missing animal, and then rejoice when he found it. 1
Walking with Jesus
Have you ever gone astray spiritually? How did the Lord draw you back to Himself? Are you willing to be used by the Lord to rescue a lost sheep, no matter what the cost?
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
Rejoicing is the deepest expression of joy when a lost sinner is found.
Praying
Lord, thank You for going after me, when I was so far from You.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
