DAY17

Luke 15:1-7

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

So Jesus told them this story: “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? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 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!

Care-filled Pursuit
This story of the lost sheep shows up a few times in the bible, but in the book of Luke it is the first in a series of three stories that Jesus tells about being lost and found. You may not have much experience tending sheep, but imagine that you have a flock of 100 of the fuzzy creatures. How would you know that one has gone missing? You’d have to count each one individually. You’d have to know each and every one of your sheep and keep constant vigil to ensure they stayed together. Once you’ve counted and found that one is missing, to go looking for the missing sheep would be no small task – in open country there are any number of dangers that a shepherd could come across, and any number of paths that could be taken. You’d have to search emphatically, with passionate resolve. And finally, the celebration, calling all your friends and neighbors together to rejoice with you in a communal celebration. In the same way, God cares for each and every one of us individually – for our hopes and dreams and desires, for our wellbeing and our growth. God passionately pursues us, willing to go wherever is needed to reach us and be with us. God invites us into community, into a family of celebration, rejoicing in relationship with us.

Questions:
Have you ever had someone like the shepherd in your life? Someone who knew you fully and would go to any length necessary to be in relationship with you?
How does the reality that God loves us this way change the way you see yourself?
How does it change the way that you view others?

Prayer:
Good shepherd, thank you for constantly pursuing me. Thank you for your love that knows no boundaries. Thank you for rejoicing over me and inviting me into relationship with you. Help me to rest in this assurance today.