The Pursuit

The Pursuit

Reading the Word

So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! (Luke 15:3–7).

Setting the Scene

Instead of responding directly to the complaints of the disgruntled “Pharisees and teachers of religious law” (v. 2), Jesus told them three stories (parables).

The first one features a shepherd and his sheep. Typically, each shepherd would have a hundred sheep and would count the sheep every night to make sure that all were accounted for. When the shepherd in Jesus’ story discovers that a sheep is missing, he leaves and searches until he finds it and then joyfully returns with the lost lamb. Each sheep is highly valued to this shepherd.

Getting Personal

The shepherd’s aggressive search for the lost sheep demonstrates his love and concern. We can imagine the sheep, cold and afraid in the dark and then meekly submitting to the shepherd’s strong arms, enfolding and carrying it back to safety. Like the shepherd, God earnestly and compassionately searches for those who are lost, to bring them into the fold. Many don’t know they are lost as they blissfully wander toward danger; but some are fearful and desperate. The Great Shepherd knows his sheep and the meaning of being “lost.” And his outreach to sinners went so far as to involve Jesus coming to earth as a human being and taking our sins on himself. “The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10).

• In what ways are you like a sheep?
• When did you feel that you were “lost,” far from God?
• Looking back, what evidence do you see of God seeking you?

Talking to God

Dear God, thank you for not giving up on me, for and seeking this wandering and lost sheep. Thank you for loving me that much! I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I am yours. Hold me, Lord.

Adapted from Life Application Study Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman and Neil Wilson (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011), used by permission.