e-votional
1 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 “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 which was lost!’ 7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. – Luke 15:1-7 (NASB)
Have you ever lost something? Maybe misplaced a bill or have your keys mysteriously disappear? Encountered the phenomenon of the remote control growing legs and walking off into another room of the house? We all have lost. We all know that anxiety and the frustration that comes with misplacing something. In today’s text, we see the story of a shepherd who lost one sheep among one-hundred.
It may be hard for us to understand the shepherd-sheep relationship in our world today. A good shepherd valued his sheep. He took his responsibility very seriously. He understood all the little nuances that made his sheep special. He knew the traits of the individual sheep under his care. He also keenly understood how vulnerable his sheep were if they found themselves alone. That is why a good shepherd would go looking for just one sheep, even if he had the other ninety-nine tucked away safely. When that one was found, the shepherd would celebrate. I imagine he would cling to it the way a child clings to her recently found stuffed animal.
The prophet Isaiah reminds us that like sheep, we all have wandered off the path and away from God (Isaiah 53:6) Not only do we all know what it is to lose something, we also know what it is to be lost. Jesus reminds us just how much he loves us by looking for us. We have value to Him. Sometimes we may feel alone and forgotten. We may wonder if anyone really cares. We may question our worth and value. We need to know that we are of immense value to God. We are worth so much to Him that He came looking for us, even though He had plenty of sheep already tucked away safely. He still was looking for that one lone straggler. He kept on seeking that one frightened little sheep. The one frightened and alone in the dark. The one shivering in the cold. The one dripping wet. That one is you. That one is me.
For most of us, we would take ninety-nine out of one-hundred. We would lament missing one, but having ninety-nine percent by most standards is extraordinary. But, God is not like us. He keeps looking. That is the measure of His great love. That is the measure of what you mean to Him. You do matter. You do have worth. You matter to the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-15). That’s some great news. That’s the kind of news that makes you want to get in your car and go celebrate! Now, if I could only find my keys.
Pastor Darrell
