Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in or were just average? Those feelings can quickly evolve from mere emotions into a full-fledged identity.
You are far from average. God made you the way that He did because He wanted to make you one of a kind. He loves you. He custom-designed you. He chases after you.
LUKE 15:1-7 NLT [1] Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. [2] This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people-even eating with them! [3] So Jesus told them this story: [4] "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? [5] And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. [6] When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' [7] 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!
God is fixated on finding the lost. All are equally loved, but the lost are the priority.
Everyone listening knew that when the sheep went missing, any good shepherd would take the opportunity to focus on protecting the ones already in his care. It would make him step into defense, focusing on his flock. However, Jesus went after the lost sheep.
WHY ON EARTH WOULD A SHEPHERD LEAVE 99 PERFECTLY GOOD SHEEP TO FIND ONE WANDERING SHEEP?
ONE | WE ARE THE SHEEP.
Unfortunately, sheep are not known to be the brightest of animals. Sheep often wander into the wilderness until they get scared. Sheep are reliant on their shepherds and their flocks. Sheep are prone to dangerous situations. Sheep are good at getting lost.
You are never lost in the audience of humanity. God can see each individual. Even though we may feel insignificant, as if we do not matter, we do matter to God.
TWO | JESUS IS OUR CAREGIVER - THE PROTECTIVE SHEPHERD.
The shepherd staff was used to correct sheep when they went on the wrong path. It was a weapon used to protect them from wild animals. It was able to smash the heads of snakes and whack away wild coyotes.
This means that our shepherd does the same for us - He protects us and provides for us. However, Jesus takes it one step further. He’s a pursuing shepherd.
It doesn’t say he hired a sheep sitter or left the flock in a fenced-in field. Nope. He leaves it. The twist in this parable is that the Shepherd left the rest to look for the one.
This shows that Jesus is willing to take a risk to seek out a
rebel. The shepherd was sacrificing a lot in this story. He left his current flock to go into the wilderness - risking everything for the one.
It seems absurd to go to such great lengths for one little sheep - until you realize that the one is you.
Notice the shepherd rejoices when he finds his lost sheep.
Never underestimate God’s passionate pursuit for His people.
He will look for you. He will fight for you. He will celebrate when you come home. God has reserved Heaven’s loudest noise for one who is served and receives the Gospel.
Whenever you are feeling outcast, alone, average, not good enough, or inadequate, remind yourself that you are the one lost sheep.
Jesus will pursue you. Jesus chased after you even when it didn’t make sense.
You might feel like no one notices you, but Jesus does. He does more than merely notice you. He radically loves you. He does this because:
Your loved one is the one. You are the one. God focuses on the one, and so should we.