Lost And Found – Lost Sheep And The Great Shepherd

This article is part 4 of 11 in the series Lost And Found

                     
    They came from all over the country to see Jesus. People were even seen to be
climbing trees to get a view! I don’t blame them… I would too! Jesus wasn’t
ashamed to be seen talking and eating with them, (Luke 5:27-32; 19:1-10),his
mission, was/is to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), not to impress the
powers that be. As usual, “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Personally I think that interpretation is weak… I think they said (under their breath) “This is no man of God! He hob nobs with people WE would not even speak to!” 
   Now let me introduce to you two different types of people… First: those who think they
are ok. These are the ones who believe they just need to keep the commandments
and that’s enough. These think they are good enough and don’t need to change, and
certainly don’t need grace. They are good ‘law-keepers’ and expect the same
from others. These maintain the religious status quo, keep the traditions, and
think grace is unfair. These people prefer not to be around ‘sinners’, and have
a hard time with Jesus for this reason. Second:  those who don’t think they have a chance with God.
   They know their actions are not and never will be good enough. They are like
the tax collector in Luke 18:10-14, who cry out for mercy and simply lean on
His grace. Now it is important to notice that the listeners, the ones referred
to in this chapter are the Jews, the children of God. 
   Jesus is seen here in the company of these sinners, tax collectors and Pharisees and teachers of the law (of Moses). One group looked down on the other. Surely we don’t do this today. Not in church… not Christians. Surely we don’t see God’s grace and forgiveness to sinners as unfair… or do we?  
   Jesus says, I want to tell you a story… “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? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his
shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and
says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 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
15:3-7).  
   This story is not so much about the sheep, as it is about the shepherd. He has 100
sheep, and one gets lost. Sheep stray off, it’s just what they do. They get
distracted by something and off they go. Eating the grass as they go, then they
are lost, stuck… needing the shepherd’s help. Sheep do not dislike other sheep,
they don’t hate the shepherd, nor do they intend to get lost… they just get
lost. It’s stupid, I know, but sheep stray and get lost just the same. 
   How can one be so important? Why not be satisfied with the 99 he has? The shepherd, goes after this one and doesn’t stop till he finds it. Here is a lesson in true ‘shepherding’, caring, loving…to the ones who should have known all about it.  

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