The Parables of the Lord Jesus Christ
3 - The Lost Sheep
The parable we are looking at this time is found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 18 verses 12 and 13 where Jesus says, "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off."
At the beginning of this chapter the disciples had come to Jesus and asked "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" In reply, Jesus called a little child to Him and used him to teach them about the great value of children and what they could learn from them about humility. He tells them how awful it will be for those who cause these little ones who are trusting in Him to stumble and fall into sin. The disciples had been focusing their attention on their future greatness: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", they had asked. Jesus answered that whoever has humble faith like a little child is the greatest in God's kingdom.
The Lord is teaching in this parable that each person is very precious to God. So the picture is of the shepherd going out after just one lost sheep. Jesus talks about his great work on earth and about the church's great task in the world. What is this great task of the church? It is to bring individuals out of darkness into the light of Jesus Christ, and to baptism and instruction in the Scriptures, and to establish them as members of the local church wherever that is possible.
So, He asks the disciples, to get their attention, "What do you think?". They would know from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Lord Jehovah is the shepherd of his people. Jesus reminds them of what God is doing as the Great Shepherd and what He, the Saviour, is doing as the Good Shepherd.
In this little parable we see four things. We see, "The Straying Sheep"; "The Seeking Saviour"; "The Joyful Recovery" and the "Personal Example."
First, then: "The Straying Sheep". Jesus says that this one sheep is lost. In the original language this is a very strong word. It literally means "that which is destroyed". It does not mean that the sheep ceased to exist. It means that it had become useless to the shepherd as long as it was away from him. A lost sheep cannot fulfil its purpose. We are told that this sheep had left the flock, it had "gone astray". The prophet Isaiah says that "All of us like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way." So Jesus asks the question of his disciples, and of us, "What do you think about this?" In other words, what is to be done about this one sheep that is missing and lost? What is to be done about those who are lost to God and astray in their sins?
Jesus says to them, "The shepherd must leave his flock and go looking for the sheep that is lost." Notice that He says, "And if he finds it". The sheep will not be easily found for it is totally lost. It is seriously lost and very far away. We seldom find an "if" in the work of the Saviour, but here is one. The "if" does not show any weakness in the shepherd, but the awful danger of the sheep. In verse 11 Jesus says of Himself, "The Son of Man came to save what was lost." Saving implies great danger, helplessness, hopelessness, ruin and disaster. To be lost in sin is a dangerous and ruinous condition. Where are you today in relation to God? Are you far away, lost and wandering, perhaps without even realising it? In your mind and life are you moving further and further away from the only one who can save you? It is a terrible thing to be lost. Jesus says of the shepherd in his story, "Will he not go to look for the one that wandered off?" This brings me to the second point and to the "Seeking Saviour". The shepherd took a very special interest in this one particular straying sheep. Why did he do this? Because it was his own! He had a hundred sheep that belonged to him. He had counted them and one was missing - only one. A hired servant might have said "It's only one that is missing, why bother, there are still ninety-nine?
To the shepherd the whole flock is precious and if only one is missing it must be found. In Jesus' story the sheep represent people who belong to the Good Shepherd Himself. They are his own by his choice, by inheritance and by divine gift. They are his by costly purchase because it cost God's Son his life on Calvary's cross. He is not prepared to accept ninety-nine when He owns a hundred. The flock is the gift of his Father and none of them will be lost.
For a shepherd to go out seeking his lost sheep called for sacrifice. In Jesus' story, the shepherd did not send someone else, he went himself. And God in Christ came Himself from the glorious courts of heaven down to this poor sin-sick world to seek and to save the lost. His life here was poor and hard and He is described as "a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering". He knew what it was to be hated and despised and ridiculed. He was falsely accused and deserted by his friends. He was spat upon and beaten and finally He was crucified - rejected by those to whom He had come. Why did He do this? He was seeking the one who was straying. He came to save that which was lost. There is a verse that says: "None of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed, or how dark was the night that the Lord passed through ere He found the sheep that was lost." He died as our substitute on that cross. If you ever wonder how far people are lost, look again at the awful price that had to be paid by the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep - for me and for you. If you are still lost, this "Seeking Shepherd" is seeking you today. Call out to Him and be saved.
Next, in this parable of the lost sheep, we have the "Joyful Recovery." This parable reminds us that each one of the Lord's sheep is loved equally. I said just now that to the shepherd the whole flock is precious and if just one is missing it must be found. The Lord has great sorrow over straying humanity, but what joy there is in his heart when just one sinner turns to Him in repentance. You may feel that you are just one among the millions on earth so how could God be interested in you. You may feel that you have strayed away too far and there is no hope for you. As you listen to this programme, whoever and wherever you are, you are loved by God. He has sent his Son into the world so that you may be found. Heaven is waiting to rejoice as another lost sheep is found and brought home on the caring, strong shoulders of the Good Shepherd. It is not the millions, but the individual sheep that Jesus is seeking. It is not the good but the lost that He has come to seek and to save.
In Luke's record of this parable we read this concerning the shepherd: "And when he finds the lost sheep, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' And Luke goes on to record Jesus' commentary on this: "I tell you that in the same way there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." On this occasion Jesus was telling this story to the self-righteous religious leaders of the day who felt no need for God's forgiveness. They did not recognise that they were lost sheep. Just as the shepherd is delighted when he finds his lost sheep, so heaven is delighted when just one sinner turns to Christ for salvation. Have you made heaven rejoice yet?
Lastly then, in this parable of the lost sheep, we have the "Personal Example." In his willingness to go out and seek those who are lost the Lord Jesus has set an example to those of us who are his followers. Every Christian is to be a seeker of the lost. Jesus said to his disciples, after He had risen from the dead, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And after He had said this He breathed on them and said "Receive the Holy Spirit." We are to be Christ's ambassadors to a lost world and soul winners for Him. By his Spirit in us we as Christians have the power to be his witnesses to our family members, work colleagues, friends or some other person. Think of someone like this who is still lost and in their sins; be deeply concerned for them and pray steadfastly for them and go and seek them for Christ.
Lost sheep have to be actively sought. Are you waiting for the right time? It may never come. Imagine the fisherman watching the water but never baiting his hook or casting his line, just waiting and waiting for the right moment and never catching a fish. Jesus went through lonely places and steep tracks to find his lost sheep, but sometimes as Christians we are not willing to go out of our way to seek out and find those who need Him. If you are a Christian you are called to live a life that speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the most powerful argument of all. To show his love for a lost world by our love and our compassion and by the way we live is a powerful witness.
May I ask you, as we finish this discovery of the parable of the lost sheep, "Are you a soul seeker, or are you a lost soul that needs to be found by the Saviour?"