A man has a hundred sheep but loses one (Luke 15:4). Does he think, “Oh, it’s not a big deal. I still have ninety-nine?”
Not so fast.
The man left the ninety-nine sheep “in the open country (15:4)” to find the lost one. Did he risk losing more? Yes. But they were already in the fold. They weren’t lost. They were found. They had each other.
But the lost one? It was all alone. Isolated. Scared. Hurting. Wandering aimlessly.
It didn’t have the support and strength of a flock. Most of all, it didn’t have a shepherd to guide it to still waters or green pastures (Psalm 23).
So the shepherd weighed the cost. He determined it well worth his time to find the lost one. He searched high and low and near and far. He lost sleep. He didn’t eat. His sole desire and focus and motivation each day was to find that one sheep. He was all in.
And then? Sure enough, from a distance, he spots the sheep. “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.” (Luke 15:5,6).
Jesus tells this story in response to the Pharisees and teachers of the law who grumbled, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2).
In other words, the church people needed to be reminded of the whole point of, well, the church.
Jesus came not for the healthy, but for the sick. He came not for the seeing, but the blind. He came not for the hearing, but the deaf. He came not for those walking in the light, but for those in the dark.
He came not for the found, but for the lost.
So, it begs the question. What is our mission as individuals? As the church?
Who is the “lost sheep” in our midst? Are we willing to pursue him or her no matter the cost? Maybe it’s a co-worker or neighbor or classmate or even family member.
Honestly, I struggle with this challenge. Because “found” people still need a shepherd too right? And let’s face it, I like spending time with familiar faces in familiar places. I like my comfort zone and routine and the way things smell and taste and feel and look.
Yes, found sheep need food and water and care. But there’s a healthy balance here.
What if Jesus had remained in Heaven and said, “It’s not a big deal. It’s not worth it. They’ll figure it out themselves and find their way to me on their own?”
He loved us too much. He cared about us too much. And He counted the cost. It broke His heart to see us wandering around like sheep without a shepherd.
So He left the familiar sheepfold of Heaven and lost sleep to find His sheep. He saw us from afar and He ran towards us with a full head of steam.
He scooped us up out of our sin and hoisted us onto His strong shoulders and carries us home to Heaven where there are streamers and balloons and cakes and dancing and rejoicing.
He gave up everything in order to reach the lost one. He lost His life so we could find ours.
“And we all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
We were lost. But now we are found.
Now it is our mission to save others the way we were saved.
Because pursued people pursue people. Saved people save people.
Found people find people.
I think I can hear the music now.