"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" Jesus asks (15:4)."And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (15:5-7).
The obvious answer to Jesus' question is that no one would do this -- no reasonable shepherd would ever leave a flock of 99 to go searching for one lousy sheep. That would be crazy.
Fortunately, God is not like us. He is not bound by the constraints of prudence or economic necessity. Though he has absolutely no need of us, yet God loves each one of us with an utterly irrational passion. Thus, even in the darkest depths of our sin, when we have closed our hearts to him and fled his presence, he never ceases to pursue us, to search for us, to offer us his love and forgiveness.
All we have to do is admit that, in the truest sense of the phrase, we are lost without him, and let ourselves be found.
(Image: Jesus as the Good Shepherd, Catacombs of San Callisto, 3rd century)
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I love this as Jesus' response to the Pharisees attack on His relationships with "the lowest of lows" in Jewish society. It becomes even more powerful of an image when you look at the other stories in this chapter (Parable of the Lost Coin and The Parable of the Lost Son.) Especially understanding the jewish context pointing to the same fact that God seeks after us, with pure unconditional love.
ReplyDelete"...and let ourselves be found." - great words to pursue living out