Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 15:1-7 "THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP"
Day 189 – Luke 15
Text: Luke 15:1-7
THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP
How do we understand and apply this series of parables Jesus told? Luke dedicated a whole chapter to explain how Jesus viewed “the lost”. In a more light-hearted way, Luke 15 is sometimes called “The Lost Chapter”.
The three parables, and they were obviously related to each other, well portray the theology of Jesus with reference to reaching out to the lost; a segment of society who were obviously despised by the Pharisees and Scribes. These included the tax-collectors because they were seen as collaborators of Rome. Tax-collectors were often crooked and even wicked in their fleecing of the common people – in the name of collecting taxes for Rome. The “sinners” (Luke 15:1) were the “riff-raff” of society. These could well be thieves, prostitutes etc! As far as the self-righteous religious leaders were concerned, these were beyond redemption, and beneath their attention!
DIRECT APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE
Jesus applied the Parable of the Lost Sheep directly to the people who gathered around Him. He posed an important question,
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep,
if he loses one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness,
and go after the one which is lost
until he finds it?”
Luke 15:4
The question Jesus raised was a rhetorical one. The answer was obvious. Every single one of them would answer that it was natural for the shepherd, whether he is the owner or just a person hired to look after the flock, to do his utmost to look after every sheep. He must account for every single sheep. If one sheep were to go astray, he could not say, “But I still have ninety-nine”. He would be an irresponsible shepherd!
It was obvious that Jesus thought of Himself as a Good Shepherd (John 10). He knew His sheep. He cared for each one. He knew His sheep by name! If one went astray, the good shepherd would even be able to tell which one went astray.
To an “outsider” the loss of one sheep may not seem very significant. However, to those who tended sheep, this parable would make a lot of sense to them. They would understand the heart of Jesus even as He spoke this parable.
THE CHOICE OF USING THE IMAGERY OF A SHEEP
The choice of featuring a lost sheep as the first of this series of parables was not insignificant. Jesus might well have alluded to the famous passage in Isaiah where man was described as sheep that had gone astray. He would certainly have been familiar with this chapter, for it also described His redemptive work.
“All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, everyone, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:6
In Matthew’s Gospel, we have a direct reference to how Jesus saw the multitude. Let’s take time to read what Matthew said about how Jesus felt,
“But when He saw the multitudes,
He was moved with compassion for them,
Because they were weary and scattered,
Like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36
In Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the work of the Suffering Messiah, he described the difficult work that the Saviour would have to do. Sinful men may indeed be described as foolish sheep choosing to walk in their own ways.
The Messiah understood the nature of His redemptive work. He would have to bear the iniquity of sinners on His shoulders. He would have to go and search for each and every sheep that had strayed from the fold and bring that sheep back.
JOY IN “SEARCH AND RESCUE” WORK
Jesus had such a huge amount of work to do each day! There were messages to preach. There were disciples to train. There were detractors to battle with. There were the sick to be healed. There were demons to be cast out.
That wasn’t all that Jesus had to do! He still had to specially reach out to “the tax-collectors and the sinners” (Luke 15:1). These were like lost sheep that needed to be sought and brought back to the fold.
How did Jesus see His work? We catch a glimpse of how He must have felt as He described the triumphant joy experienced by the shepherd as he finds his lost sheep.
“And when he has found it, he lays it on His shoulders,
rejoicing.
And when he comes home,
He calls together his friends and neighbours,
Saying to them,
‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
Which was lost!’ “
Luke 15:5,6
Jesus went on to make an insightful and very important statement.
“I say to you that LIKEWISE
there will be more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents
than ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
Luke 15:7
May we never lose the JOY of soul-winning work.