“Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ”
Luke 15:4 & 8 (NIV)
There is a song playing on Christian radio as I write this by Andrew Ripp. The song is titled “I’d Do It Again.” The song is written from Jesus’ perspective and the chorus says: “Cause there’s no distance too far/ No pain too great. There’s no grave to dark/No hell I won’t pay. The proof that it's finished is here in my hands. I know I don’t have to child but oh for you I’d do it again.” This song reminded me of how the Scriptures are held together with a crimson thread and that with the sorrow God must often feel, there is also joy when we lost ones are found. That He’ll keep searching until all that will be found have been found.
In Genesis 18 when the Lord and a couple of his messengers turn to visit with Abraham on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah in response to the outcry that had reached the throne room of heaven and after Sarah had laughed when the Lord said she would be a mom in her old age a year from then. Abraham dared to bargain with the Lord. Abraham asks Him, if He finds 50 righteous ones there will the cities be destroyed? 50 becomes 45; 45 becomes 40; 40 becomes 30; 30 becomes 20; 20 becomes 10 – the city would be spared if only 10 righteous ones are found. In Genesis 19, that 10 really becomes just Lot and rather than spare the city for just one, the Lord spares Lot and his family and destroys the cities. Lot’s wife looked back and some say the pillar of salt still stands even today. Lot’s daughters, well they are definitely a story for another day.
Which brings us to the questions before us this week. At the end of Luke 14 Jesus is talking about the cost of being His disciple and closes with “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Luke 15 opens with the parable of the lost sheep – where Jesus asks those listening, especially the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were muttering about the sinners and tax collectors Jesus was hanging out with – “If you have 100 sheep and one goes missing – won’t you leave those 99 sheep where they are and go searching for the lost one?” Jesus continues by saying that when the lost one is found, the owner will throw a party to celebrate. Then comes the parable of the lost coin. Same basic idea, a woman has 10 silver coins and one goes missing. She cleans and carefully searches until she finds that missing coin and then she invites her friends over to celebrate. At the end of both of these parables Jesus says there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over all the righteous ones present.
God so loved the world… He finds us so valuable that He paid the price of our sins and He keeps looking for all the missing sheep and lost coins. In Peter’s second letter to Christians facing persecution, he reminds them that the Lord’s timing is not like our timing. He is not being “slow the way we understand slow – rather He is patient with all image bearers not wanting any of us to perish, but for everyone to repent and accept His gift of eternal life.
Do you realize that we who walk with Jesus, no matter how imperfectly, are part of His search party? Part of His rescue team? We are meant to be keeping our hearts, minds and eyes open for those who are still lost, those He is still looking for, those who are looking for something and just need to know that, that something is a someone whose name is Jesus. Jesus who says no one is too far away to be found. Heaven rejoices every time one more lost sheep is found.
Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – remember when you were found Heaven rejoiced.
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