Luke 15:1-7: 1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I 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.
Jesus launched into this trilogy of stories because the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were muttering about Him, criticizing Jesus for spending time with sinners. It’s clear they didn’t understand Jesus’ mission. Jesus purposefully engaged sinners so that He could reveal God’s love for them.
Jesus is radical about lost people. Radical. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. No matter where it takes Him, He is seeking out lost people. Jesus is willing to go wherever, whenever to reach even one lost soul. As blind as the religious leaders were, it was going to take three stories with the same message to try to get through to their thick heads!
Jesus told this story of a shepherd who had a hundred sheep, and one went missing. When you are taking a test, 99/100 is a good score, right? You consider that a success. You don’t sweat missing a point. You don’t even worry about what you didn’t get right. You have a sense of victory and accomplishment about it, but when you are talking about souls, about people who could be eternally separated from God forever, 99/100 isn’t good enough for God. Every person matters to God. It is God’s will that NONE should perish.
The shepherd is determined, persistent and is passionate about every sheep, wanting none to be lost. When he finds the one sheep, He isn’t just relieved that he collected the stray, but he rejoices. He is overjoyed. He carries the sheep on His shoulders all the way home. It is a true celebration!
And then he texts everyone in his contacts and creates a Facebook event, to invite everyone to a celebration to rejoice with him over the one lost sheep who was lost but is now found. He has a “found” party! It’s a big deal to the shepherd, and every person who comes to faith in Christ is a big deal to God! It’s the biggest deal!
Jesus told this story not just to demonstrate His passion for every person, but He told it so that the 99 understand their own assignment. We who are in the 99 need to be going after “the one” who has gone astray. We who are in the 99 need to be passionate about people who are lost. We who are in the 99 need to have a sense of urgency for and determination to find lost sheep. If you are in the 99, I ask you, “Who is your One?” Who can you go after? Who can you talk to about Jesus? Who can you pray for to come into the realm of the found? Who can you witness to about your personal relationship with Jesus? Who can you invite to Church? Who is the One you are working to win to Christ?
The shepherd meant to find the lost sheep. He didn’t just hope he’d bump into him down the road or just hope that he would somehow wander back on its own. No, the shepherd went looking for the lost sheep and was relentless about finding him. Jesus was intentional about engaging lost people where they were.
Sinners have to be engaged. Many lost people don’t even realize they are lost. They aren’t simply going to migrate towards Jesus. They aren’t going to wander into a relationship with Christ. They have to be brought in. They have to be loved in. They have to be prayed in. They have to be invited into relationship with you and then introduced to Jesus.
Can you invite yourself to someone’s driveway, to someone’s cubicle, to someone’s extra-curricular activity? Those who exhibit curiosity about Jesus, can you encourage them a step closer to a personal encounter?
The Gospels tell us of over 40 meets up with people individually, and I am confident there were many, many more that simply didn’t get recorded. Jesus ministered to crowds, but the cry of the crowd didn’t surpass the needs of the One.
And even as He was dying, Jesus’ ear was tuned to the cry of “the One.” His heart was moved by the need of “the One.” Jesus was in unimaginable pain on the cross. It wasn’t a convenient time for a conversation. If anyone had a reason for a pity party, for a “woe is me” session, it was Jesus while He was on the cross. But even in the most horrific of circumstances, Jesus gave His attention to engage “the One” in order to bring salvation to his heart. He wasn’t satisfied knowing there were many who had turned to follow Him when the “One” right next to Him hadn’t come in yet. As long as He had breath, Jesus had an opportunity to bring one more into the Kingdom. That is how He viewed it. That is how intentional He was about bringing salvation to as many who would receive Him.
Who is your “one?” Your ONE is anyone in your relational zone who doesn’t have a relationship with the Great Shepherd, Jesus.
As long as there is one lost person, as His followers we must engage in His mission to bring “the one” in. I guarantee you, a focus on “the one” will not only grow the Kingdom of God, but it will grow you. Take the Great Commission challenge and make it the “Everyday Commission” as you daily seek to win “the one” for Jesus’ sake.
