WATCHWORD:
3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “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? 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 neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Luke 15:3-7
Meditation:
The 99
Chapter 15 of Luke, the sheep and the shepherd, is one of the most beloved chapters in the Bible because it is made-up of Jesus parables in response to challenges, difficulties, and accusations. Jesus strongly responded to the challenges relating them to discipleship and commitment. His strong challenge did not drive people away, in fact it attracted more and more to Himself. What He was telling them was something they longed to hear.
I wonder if we feel the same way. Do we sometimes drift away because we want solid proof of what we believe and our faith is shaky, at best. In the passage cited above, I wonder if we are the lost sheep or are we among the 99. I guess that’s a question each one of us have to answer.
Isn’t it strange that a sheep would be lost or, stranger still, that a shepherd would go after the one, leaving the 99 unprotected. Either the safety of the 99 was assumed and the point of this parable is in rejoicing that the lost sheep is found. If the 99 had not been left on their own, the one lost sheep would never have saved himself or find its way back to the flock. In the parable, Jesus taught that God actively seeks out the lost. He does not grudgingly receive the lost; Instead he searches after them and when he finds them he rejoices.
Think of the parable of the prodigal son. What was the reaction of the father when the son returned? He rejoiced, called for a celebration, a grand celebration, the slaying of the special lamb, the gift of a ring and a robe, signs of sonship. A grand welcoming back.
How far do we stray from the Lord? We claim we do not deny the Lord as Peter did, and that would be true. We did not do it as Peter did, but we do it in our own way. We deny him when we do not follow him. We deny him when we see pain and suffering and do nothing. We deny him when we see injustice and choose to keep silent. We deny him in so many other ways. Yet, he welcomes us back, he does not hold our sins against us, he gives us cleansing and restores our faith in God. We are the lost sheep, now found, welcomed back into full children of God. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
I am the last sheep, I am the prodigal son heavenly father. Yet you find me, you embrace me, you sound you surround me with your graces of forgiveness and you restore to me as a follower as a son to Sunship and Jo. Thank you heavenly father for grabbing me something I do not deserve, for lifting me up well I was still a center, from cleansing the thoughts of my mind and replacing it with the inspiration of your holy word. Thank you heavenly father, it’s with great gratitude that I offer these prayers in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen
