Monday, March 27, 2023
What did you do the last time you lost something valuable?
Whether the item you lost had monetary value (a wallet, a phone, or cash) or sentimental value (a family heirloom or a meaningful gift from a friend) or both (a wedding ring), I’m willing to bet that when you lost it, you did everything you could to find it.
When we lose something valuable to us, our natural response is to search for it. The more valuable the item, the more desperately and frantically we search.
In Luke 15, Jesus told a parable (a story created to illustrate a point) about a shepherd who lost one of his one hundred sheep.
Luke 15:3-4a
3 So Jesus told this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do?”
For those of us who have grown up in suburban America, where agriculture is not at the forefront and herding sheep is mostly unheard of as a career and way of life, we might initially read this and think: “Well, at least this guy still has ninety-nine other sheep.” Losing one is no big deal, right?
Jesus’ first-century Jewish audience, who grew up in a culture heavily dependent on agriculture and shepherding, would have immediately recognized what a huge loss the shepherd incurred. A flock of one hundred sheep would’ve been an average-sized herd for a shepherd, which was already a lower-class profession. The guy in Jesus’ story was by no means wealthy, so losing a sheep would have been a big deal to him.
Losing one sheep from a flock of one hundred meant losing 1% of his income, which would affect his livelihood. What would it be like for you to suddenly lose 1% of your salary? Open your calculator and divide your income by 100. If you make $20,000/year, that’s $200. If you make $60,000, that’s $600. And so on.
No matter how much you make, my guess is you wouldn’t want to lose 1% of it out of the blue—that’d be a big deal! That’s why Jesus answers the question, “What will the shepherd do?” by stating what would have been obvious to his audience:
Luke 15:4b-6
4 “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? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbor, saying ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’”
Any average shepherd might search for his lost sheep because it made good financial sense. But a good shepherd would search not only because the sheep was financially valuable to him, but also because he genuinely cared for and loved it.
Why does Jesus tell this story? To illustrate the love he has for each of us and to show he is the Good Shepherd who desperately searches for us and meets us where we are. And just as the shepherd joyfully brings his lost sheep back home and celebrates, Jesus joyfully carries us—our burdens, our sins, our mess, our brokenness, and all—back to where we belong—in perfect relationship with God.
Luke 15:7
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and turns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Questions:
How do you feel when you lose something valuable?
How does it feel to know Jesus has been desperately searching for you?
How can you show Jesus’ love and grace to others?
Next Steps:
Receive Jesus’ love and grace in your life and share it with others.
Join a group of people who can remind you of how much Jesus loves and cares for you.
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for searching for me. Even when I feel unworthy, unlovable, broken, and lost, you still search for me because you love me unconditionally and care for me so deeply. Help me receive your love, your grace, and your forgiveness in my life. Amen.