3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7I 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. 8“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:3-10)
Have you ever lost something of extreme value? I can remember about 15 years ago going to a large resort in Panama City, Florida. We were invited by a family in our church to spend the day with them. The place was called Eden and it had the largest pool I had ever seen in my life with several little lagoons and waterfalls built in.
Liz and I were newly married and Liz knew that my wedding ring would often slip off my finger when I would swim. She told me to take the ring off and put it somewhere safe. I replied, “No, it’s okay. I won’t lose it.” Wouldn’t you know that 30 minutes later, after swimming throughout the pool, I looked down and my wedding ring was gone!
I didn’t want to tell Liz…especially after her specific warning to me…so I started trying to look for it on my own. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She noticed what I was doing and said, “You lost your wedding ring, didn’t you?” Guilty as charged.
She started looking too and the family with us also joined in the hunt. It seemed impossible to find but everyone dropped everything to look for it. My heart was racing and I was kicking myself for not being more careful. Finally after several minutes of looking, Liz saw something shining on the bottom of the pool. She dove down and found my ring. Whew. Major relief. And joy. The transition from anxiety to happiness was so stark that I think I must have smiled for the next hour or so. And I haven’t lost that ring again since that time.
That is only a small glimpse of God’s heart for His lost sheep.
All people are created in the image of God (James 3:9). All people have been offered eternal life through the all sufficient death of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2). All people are convicted of sin and drawn to the Savior by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11). There is not a person that you will meet today or see on television or read about in the newspaper that is not precious in God’s eyes.
We tend to look at outward appearances. We tend to label people based on our own preferences. We tend to write people off. But God diligently reaches out to them. The cross of Christ is the grand display of just how far God will go to win the hearts of people to His love.
God took on flesh, entered into the smelly confines of our world, experienced the pains and temptations of life as a man, and then humbled himself further to be crucified as a common criminal….all to demonstrate His love for us and draw us back home.
And when one sinner repents and receives that love, all of heaven rejoices! Woohoo!
May we never forget the gospel. May we never let self-righteousness steal our joy or cause us to despise another person. May we never lose sight of the heart of God. And may we pray fervently that God will use us to draw people to His Son so that we can join in the celebration.
