Luke 15:2–4 (NASB95)
2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
“This man loves people we don’t even like and we think God doesn’t like either”. As I was reflecting on this parable recently, it struck me how risky it is to leave the ninety-nine to save the one. You don’t even know if the one that is missing was dragged off by a predator, stolen by the enemy or just stupidly wandered off looking for greener pasture. It doesn’t even sound like a very good business practice, to leave the ninety-nine in hopes of recovering the one. As is has been said, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” or something like that.
These three parables, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son are parables to show us the character of God, our Father. They show us that He was willing to take crazy risks and pay a great price to rescue you from the kingdom of darkness and deliver you into the kingdom of light of His Son. You are treasured, you are valuable, you are cherished and you are loved. God paid an exorbitant price for your salvation.
God patiently loves our stubborn wandering heart. Act accordingly.
I love you too, Pastor (you know that means shepherd, right?) Randy.