Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open
country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Reflection
Our scripture today is the first of three parables Jesus tells in this section. There are a couple of things we need to note about this story. First, this story would have been quite common to the people listening to Jesus with one hundred sheep being a normal size group. Second is that the “open country” would have been a safe place to leave the sheep. Finally, they would not have been left unattended. But the primary concern of this parable is the rejoicing in the rescue of the sheep who was probably lost, lonely, and according to verse 5 hurt needing the shepherd to carry them. Have you ever been rescued by God, our shepherd in this way? How do we show this kind of love to those in our community who are lost?
