In Luke 15 there are some important and relevant truths for the church today. The first ones are found in the parable of the Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep:
So Jesus told them this story:
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” (Luke 15:3-7 NLT)
What can we learn in this passage?
- The Good Shepherd does not neglect the others when He looks for the lost sheep! He has led the ninety-nine sheep to green pastures and beside still waters; He has restored their souls! (Psalm 23) The sheep should be able by now to graze on their own, and they should rejoice with the Shepherd over every lost one that is found and brought into those green pastures!
- The priority of heaven is finding lost sheep, not continuing to fatten the ones in the pasture!
- The priority of the sheep should not be grazing day after day after day in some self-absorbed faith, but multiplying and producing lambs in the pastures of the Lord!
We often say we want to bring joy to God in the way we live. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7 that “there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” Why, then, do we spend 99 percent of our time ministering to the 99 who need no repentance rather than seeking and searching for the one lost sheep?
Jesus gave us His mission statement in Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.”
Is that our mission statement today, too?