The Straying Sheep

Matthew 18:12-14

12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not thewill of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Jesus warned His disciples about not causing others to stumble and sin. He reminded them that He came to save those that are lost. He illustrates His point by telling a story of a man with a hundred sheep who lost one of them. It wasn’t the man’s fault the sheep was lost. It was the sheep that went astray. Notice how far the man went to find this lost sheep. Jesus said he went to the mountains looking for the sheep. Normally, shepherds would keep their flocks in open fields where they could see predators coming from a distance. This man traveled a great distance, going to the mountains to seek his one lost sheep. When he found it, he wasn’t upset at the distance he had to travel or at the sheep for wandering away. The man rejoiced! Jesus concludes by saying it is not the Father’s will that any of His little ones perish.

The man in this illustration is Jesus Himself. He came a great distance to seek after straying sheep. But this story gives us insight into how much Jesus cares about the one. We tend to think of Jesus coming to save multitudes, which is true, He did. However, the emphasis here is that He is going after just one who went astray. Jesus loves you as an individual. Even when you go astray, He goes after you. He does not give up on you because you are too far gone. He leaves the open valleys and travels to the mountains to find you. Upon finding you, He rejoices because He does not want you to perish. If this is how Jesus loves and seeks after you, then how should you respond to others who have gone astray? Don’t despise them. Don’t view them as a lost cause. Don’t consider it a waste of time to go after them. Don’t loathe having to go to great lengths to ensure their safety. Love them enough to see their value in Christ. Consider how far Jesus went to find you. Be conscious of the fact that God is not willing that any should perish. And then rejoice when you are used by the Lord to help a straying sheep find his way back home.