“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 15:4-7
The scripture passage for today has something to do with Divine mathematics. From a logical perspective it makes no sense for a shepherd to leave 99 sheep unattended to search for a single one who wandered off as sheep are wont to do. What if the remaining 99 wandered away? From a business perspective that is nonsense. But God’s mathematics are not necessarily like ours. This passage also illustrates the importance of every single sheep and every one of us. No one has more significance than anyone else.
Have you ever been lost both figuratively as well as literally? It is a scary feeling. In this Bible passage the shepherd (Jesus) goes looking for the lost sheep---not the other way around. If we were “lost” we might look at a map or seek guidance from a wise friend or counselor. It is important to remember that Jesus is looking for us and will help us when we get lost as we will all do sometime in our life.
Sheep are pretty helpless animals and easily led. Does this sound like us at times? When we find ourselves “lost” we can ask our Shepherd to help us find our way----and He will.
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