subject: A Good Shepherd [print this page] Maybe a good shepherd would say under his breath, I still havent found what I am looking for until I find the sheep. He probably looked under rock and shrubs. Jesus said, One day, when the shepherd found the sheep, he would take the sheep and place it over his shoulders and walk back home. Check out what Jesus said happened. Luke 15:7, I tell you that in the same way there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.
You see, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law didnt get it. They did not understand why Jesus was on Planet Earth at that time. And Jesus was saying, Guys, here is my mission statement. Here is what I am about. I am the Good Shepherd, and I will leave 99 in the sheepfold to go out, and I will find that lost sinner.
The Pharisees could easily see God accepting a repentant sinner crawling back on his or her hands and knees. The Pharisees could see that. But they could not see an initiative-taking, Shepherd-like God, who went out and said, I still havent found what I am looking for until I found you.
Theres rejoicing when one sinner repents. There is rejoicing check this out nowin the heart of one who repents. There is rejoicing in the one who communicates the truth to him or her. There is rejoicing in the group of people who have seen this person step over the line of faith. The Bible says that there is a heavenly hoedown going on when someone bows the knee to Jesus. Lost things matter?
Now Jesus changes gears. He tells another story. Ed Young Author tells us that this is a story that the female folk could identify with. Im sure when Christ went off on this next story, the girls were saying, Oh, that is just horrible. That is just terrible. Really. Because he was talking about a woman who was married. He was talking about a woman who lost a silver coin. To those of us here in this culture, we say, Whats so big about a silver coin, Ed? Thats no big deal. Back in Biblical times, it was. It was like losing your wedding ring. Ladies, if you lost your wedding ring, would you press the pause button and try to find it? I think most of you would.
