Luke 15:1-7 Then all
the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the
Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and
eats with them.” So He spoke this parable to them, saying: What man of
you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he
finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his
shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends
and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which
was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need
no repentance.”
This wee, Michael write that
Luke chapter 15 is often called the gospel within the gospel. This is where
Jesus shares important parables about the gospel of grace. The first
illustration is the parable of the lost sheep.
The Pharisees criticized
Jesus for associating with tax collectors and sinners. They thought that they
were too righteous in their own self-righteousness to keep company with the
“unclean” sinners of the world. When Jesus had previously addressed the
Pharisees, he told them about two people who came into the synagogue to pray.
One person, a Pharisee said, “I’m
thankful that I’m not like those sinners over there because I keep the Old
Testament law and the Ten Commandments.” The other man, a tax collector
beat his chest as he prayed, “O Lord have
mercy on me a sinner.” Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Which prayer do you think that God heard?” The lesson is to humble
ourselves under the mighty hand of God. In our own sinful power we are truly nothing.
We must empty ourselves so that he is our all in all.
The people of Jesus’ time
could relate to the parable of the lost sheep. By experience, they knew that
sheep were helpless and in need of a shepherd. If a sheep lay down in a ditch
and rolled over on his back, the sheep could not get up. This “cast sheep”
would die in this position if the shepherd didn’t rescue him. The shepherd was
responsible for every sheep in his flock. When one sheep was missing, the
shepherd diligently looked for the one lost sheep until he found it. Some villages
owned flocks of sheep and appointed shepherds to watch the sheep. If one
shepherd didn’t return with the sheep at the end of the day, they knew that he
was looking for a lost sheep.
When the shepherd returns
with the lost sheep, there is rejoicing. There are four types who rejoice when
the shepherd finds the lost sheep. One is the sheep himself. Today, when a
person strays from the flock and then is restored into fellowship, the pastor,
the shepherd of the sheep also rejoices. (2) Jesus Christ himself, the chief
shepherd rejoices. Jesus identified himself as the shepherd of the flock. The
shepherd leads and guides his sheep through the valley of the shadow of death.
He gladly lays down his life for his sheep.
Let's continue Michael's message on the Lord's shepherding His flock in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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