Why would God leave the 99 to find 1?

Answer

Both Matthew 18 and Luke 15 recount Jesus’ parable about a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep in the fold to search for one that had wandered away. Jesus shared this story in response to the Pharisees who were upset that Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them” «And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. », (Luke 15:2). The religious leaders in Jesus’ time had organized their system to elevate the self-righteous and exclude those who did not meet their often arbitrary standards «Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. », (Matthew 23:28). They had imposed so many rules and regulations on God’s law that no one could follow them all, not even those who created them. When Jesus arrived, His approach puzzled them. He appeared to be sent by God, yet He criticized the outwardly righteous and welcomed the sinful. How could this man truly know God?

So Jesus shared a parable with them, as He often did to convey spiritual truths: “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little ones to perish” (Matthew 18:12-14). The people in Jesus’ time understood the bond between shepherds and sheep, but the significance of a shepherd seeking one lost sheep is sometimes overlooked by us. It may seem peculiar that Jesus would leave the majority to find the one stray sheep, but it illustrates the depth of God’s love and concern for each individual.

At a shepherd would leave his flock to search for one missing sheep.

We might consider the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 this way: a father and his five children are asleep in their home when the smoke detectors go off. The father awakens to find his house filled with smoke and the sound of flames and crackling timber coming nearer. Panicked, he races to his children’s bedrooms and begins to rouse them. Calling to some and carrying others, he stumbles down the stairs and out the front door. He deposits the sleepy children on the grass a safe distance away and then turns. Gasping for air, he squints through the smoke to count kids: “Tim, Sally, Angel, Jojo—where’s Lilly!” He is missing his youngest, three-year-old Lilly. Four children are safe, one is not. What will this father do?

God is a Father. He counts His kids. He rejoices that some are safely in Christ, prepared for eternity and nestled near His heart. But some are missing. Where’s Karen? Where’s Abdul? Where’s Jose? The Father sent Jesus on a rescue mission “to seek and to save the lost” «For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. », (Luke 19:10). God does not abandon the 99. They are already safely in His kingdom, attended by His angels, and guided by His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14;Hebrews 13:5). But His heart aches for those not yet in the fold.

So the Good Shepherd pursues the lost sheep, woos them, calls to them, and allows circumstances into their lives designed to make them look up. It is often in the bleakest of circumstances that we finally surrender our demands to have our own way. We finally submit to our Shepherd, who carries us back to the fold «And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. », (Luke 15:5).

5). In John 10, Jesus once again refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, stating, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (verses 16–17). Then in verses 27–29, He declares, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” The 99 are still significant to Him, but He understands that the flock is incomplete without the lost sheep. And a good shepherd always seeks the lost sheep.

In Luke’s gospel, two additional parables follow the one about the lost sheep, both reinforcing Jesus’ central message, which is the worth of each individual. The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) and the parable of the lost son, also known as the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), continue the theme of God as the seeker of lost souls. We were all lost at one point, and the Lord pursued us. If He had not taken the first step, no one could be saved «No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. », (John 6:44). Therefore, when our Good Shepherd desires to seek another lost lamb, the 99 in the fold can gladly assist in the rescue.