One More - Tuesday
TODAY’S VERSE
Luke 15:4
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” (ESV)
A few years ago, my wife received a phone call from my mother-in-law that shifted the dynamic of our day for the next few hours. She was in a state of panic because one of her dogs was missing. Since I’ve known Benji, he’s been notorious for his spirit of adventure as well as his propensity to act as an escape artist. It’s quite the combination when you can roam the hills of Eastern Kentucky.
Context here: My mother-in-law assumed “custody” of Benji after my wife and I got married. But Benji was actually my wife’s dog long before we started dating. He’d been a consistent presence in her life over several years. Needless to say, it didn’t surprise me when my wife was more than ready to blaze I-64 and the Mountain Parkway for the 3-hour trek back home to find her beloved pup.
Spoiler alert: My mother-in-law eventually found Benji hanging out at a neighbor’s house down the road. All smiles, covered in mud, and no shame.
In our text today, Jesus introduces the first of three parables that will build on each other. Parables are one of the teaching tools Jesus would often leverage to illustrate a biblical reality. In His first example, Jesus uses the relationship between a shepherd and a lost sheep, which should be somewhat familiar to His listeners (including the Pharisees and the scribes).
As we would expect, a shepherd’s livelihood was based on his sheep. A loss of even one sheep would be an extraordinary loss because of the value each sheep inherently possesses. In the same sense, this describes God’s relationship to His lost children. When one of God’s lost children is found, He celebrates, and heaven celebrates; therefore, we should celebrate (Luke 15:5-7).
That’s why we celebrate baptisms across all of our campuses each week. Not because of the numbers, but because behind every number is a name, and behind every name is a soul. The lost are being found, so we rejoice. Do you sense the tension Jesus is creating? The ones who prided themselves on being found were actually lost. And Jesus will double down with another parable.
APPLICATION
Who is close to you but far from God? Make a commitment to consistently pray throughout the course of this year for God to move in their hearts.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for sending Jesus as our Good Shepherd who came to seek and save the lost by laying down His life. Open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to be more aware of those who also need His saving grace. Amen.