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PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP – SEEKING THE LOST!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17
Luke 15:1-7

Memory verse: Luke 15:7

 

“And when he hath found it,

he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

 

PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP – SEEKING THE LOST!
 
A shepherd would go and look for his one lost sheep, even though he owned one hundred sheep. This was a matter of fact in Christ’s time. Christ’s main point in this Parable of the Lost Sheep was to raise the question of why the Pharisees and scribes would be offended by God, who looks for a lost sinner.
 
The shepherd is Christ. The lost sheep is the sinner. The wilderness is the world.
 
Sheep are very docile animals, and they are without guile. But they are also very dumb and helpless. They cannot differentiate between good green grass and poisonous weeds. They are timid and dare not drink the cool, refreshing water of flowing streams. If they fall or trip and roll into a depression on the ground, and end up with all their four legs pointing toward the sky, they cannot get themselves back up. They stay there until they die under the hot sun or wild animals come and devour them. They foolishly walk or run toward a cliff and plunge to their deaths. They have no way of returning home, unlike some other animals.
 
Based on the sheep’s weaknesses and characteristics, the shepherd knew that if he did not go out to look for the lost sheep, it would not return on its own and would surely die! The shepherd searched high and low wherever he thought the lost sheep might be. He did not care for the inconvenience and the hardship. His single-mindedness drove him on. He was determined to find his lost sheep, no matter how long or difficult the search might be. Is this not an accurate picture of every sinner, including us before we were born again? Christ went out of His way to look for us. He did so by suffering and dying on the cross for our sins. God raised Him from the dead for all sinners’ justification if they would believe. He found us. When? When the Gospel was shared with us, Christ found us and offered salvation. Thank God we accepted. When that happens, like when the sheep was found, there is joy on earth among all believers who know, and there is joy in heaven.
 
THOUGHT: Am I lost or have I been found?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank Thee from the depths of my soul for finding a lost sheep like me. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

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