Matt 18:12-14

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Luke 15:4-7

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 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.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Reflection:

Here we see the incredible celebration over repentance or turning from our lost ways and being found by God.  Why would God care about ‘one’ when ‘99’ are still with Him? These passages speak volumes of the love and care of a true shepherd in that all sheep are accounted for – no one is less than the other – and expressing this genuine joy once the lost one has been found.  We see the wonderful result of redemption in action as there is a reason to rejoice even when just one person is now united back with the Father.

Response:

Knowing what we have experienced and continue to receive from the loving hands of the Father, we can’t help but think that this could also be enjoyed and received by those who are not yet in the fold. As followers of Christ, we are compelled to share through our lives, so that others are drawn into the life that is found in Him. Let’s pray today that we will be truly generous with our lives, so that in the end there is rejoicing in God’s kingdom when the lost come back home to the Shepherd of us all.