Luke 15:1-9
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Meditation
This well-known parable about the lost sheep has been a favorite text to emphasize evangelism. The one sheep is sometimes compared to those who have not heard the good news and are therefore “lost.” Notice, however, that the one is actually part of the flock already. The lost sheep is not an outsider that needs brought in—it is one who is part of the beloved community and has wandered away from the larger flock.
Jesus is talking to the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes about the tax collectors and sinners who are also members of “the chosen people” (see Deut. 7:6 and Deut. 14:2) or flock. Their grumbling is about them not getting an atta-boy for their piousness, their strict observance of the law, while the tax collectors and sinners are getting lots of attention. It sounds like they are jealous that “this fellow” (vs. 2) would associate with those who obviously do not measure up to the moral standards of the time.
The question that begins this parable, “which one of you” (vs. 4), is meant to put the Pharisees and scribes in the position of the shepherd by asking them how they would respond to a lost sheep. It is a rhetorical question. Of course, I would look for my lost sheep and rejoice when I found it because it is of value to me. At the same time, the parable is also talking about Jesus being the shepherd who “seeks out and saves the lost” (see Luke 19:10). On the one hand, the 99 friends and neighbors, the rest of the flock, are to rejoice that the one has been found and on the other the hand “there will be more joy in heaven” (vs. 7) because one repents or returns safely to the community.
Repentance, then, is the key to righteousness. Even though we are obedient and faithful, “ones who need no repentance” (vs. 7), Jesus still calls us to change our perspective about righteousness where we seek out ways to offer grace and mercy to others. To the point that they are accepted and welcomed back into the fold. Then, there will be rejoicing “on earth as it is in heaven” (see Matthew 6:10b). Amen.