![]() ![]() You are the Seeker and the Savior we thank You for bringing ourselves and our loved ones into restored communion with You and with one another. He leaves the 99 sheep to go find that one that is lost. In this parable, the shepherd has 100 sheep, 99 of which are accounted for, and one which is missing. Pray with UsĮach of us was once a lost sheep that You found and carried to safety. The concept of leaving the 99 to find the one is from the Parable of the Lost Sheep, which is found in Matthew 18:1014 and Luke 15:37. > Since all heaven rejoices in the salvation of one sinner, surely we can do the same! Thank God today for your salvation, as well as that of family and friends you know. Jesus told this as the first in a series of three parables-a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son-in which God’s relentlessly faithful and tender love is highlighted. The lost sheep in this parable does nothing but get lost. We might picture God as a king sitting on his throne waiting to receive petitions, but our Shepherd actively seeks and cares for the lost (v. The key theme in this parable is God’s love. This parable powerfully showed these self-important leaders the joy of God’s heart when sinners repent, as contrasted with their own rejection and grumbling. Jesus’ comment at the end that they were the “ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” was ironic and sad (v. They were also lost, but they didn’t recognize their need. The Pharisees were also listening, but their hearts were proud and critical (v. The Good Shepherd didn’t view them as “acceptable losses.” He would search until He found them, and all heaven would rejoice! The parable brilliantly showed these social outcasts that every single sheep matters to the Lord. They were the lost sheep who needed to hear this story. Who were His listeners? Tax collectors and sinners gathered around Him (v. Tozer wisely commented: “The only safe place for a sheep is by the side of his shepherd, because the devil does not fear sheep he just fears the Shepherd, that is all.” Today’s reading is often called the “parable of the lost sheep,” but it might be more accurately called the “parable of the seeking shepherd.” As we have learned so far this month, Jesus’ story would have evoked many Old Testament associations for His listeners. We have left God’s path to follow our own.A. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. In the beginning, God made people good, but they have found many ways to be bad. God’s creatures would get sick, sad, hurt, and… yes, like the sheep in our story, lost! Every person born since then has been born with sin in his or her heart. With sin came death, just as God had warned. Sin is doing things our own way instead of God’s way. Right away they knew something was wrong. The fruit looked delicious so Eve took a piece and ate it. Instead, he said, she would learn about good and evil and become like God. One day a serpent, who was God’s enemy in disguise, told Eve that she would not die if she ate the fruit. He warned that they would die if they ate the fruit from that tree. He told them they could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except for one. No one was ever hurt or lost there-not even one sheep!Īdam and Eve were happy in God’s good world. Elephants, bears, cows, sheep, and all sorts of animals lived peacefully with people. God’s world was a good place for people and animals. God loved them very much.Īdam and Eve lived in the beautiful Garden of Eden where they walked and talked with God. God made them in His image, to be like Him. God created a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. After God created all of these things, He made his most important creation-people. He made the sky and dry land out of nothing. In the beginning, God the Creator made a good world. But what if a sheep gets lost? Let’s go to the very beginning to answer that question… ![]() The shepherd feeds, guides, and protects the flock from danger. We know that a shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep. 15:132 To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:17) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:1214), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:810 the prodigal son, Lk 15:1132) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner. They listened carefully as He said: “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?” Luke 15:4 All sorts of people were there that day: old, young, friends, and enemies. The lost sheep cannot return he does not know his. Crowds came to listen as the Great Teacher began to speak. For you see, in the parable it is Christ who seeks the lost sheep and not the lost sheep seeking to return. ![]()
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