Lost Sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “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? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, 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
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Lost Sheep
Sheep are not the smartest of God’s creatures. They wander off, get lost, and constantly find themselves in life-threatening situations. Most sheep would perish in the wild if not for the faithful shepherd. And when we hear this parable, we are to understand that the lost sheep is us, the sinner, while Christ Jesus is our Good Shepherd. The sheep He finds is every Christian, rescued and delivered by God, from sin, death, and the devil. The friends and neighbors rejoicing are the saints and angels in heaven, celebrating as another sheep is returned to the fold. In this parable, Jesus uses the devotion of a shepherd to demonstrate God’s willingness to find wayward sinners like you and me. God does not abandon us to our foolishness, He does not leave us in the wild to be devoured by wolves, but seeks us out, calling us to repentance and to faith in the Gospel. May He always bring us home and may there always be joy in heaven as we lost sinners are found, and repentance and forgiveness abound.