Matthew 18:11-14 tells one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. It is the story of a man who had 100 sheep. “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
In some ways we can all understand the beauty of this story. But in other ways, we cannot. We look at this story and we see a shepherd man who had 100 sheep. Even after losing one, he still had 99. Why would anyone leave 99 healthy, safe
sheep and go searching in the dangers of the night for one single little lamb? It doesn’t make sense to our human minds. We think, “So I’ve lost one. It’s only one. I still have ninety-nine more!” Or, perhaps we think, “I don’t feel like searching through the night for one little sheep. It doesn’t matter. We all lose a few…”
But this shepherd was so different from our selfish human thinking. We think of our own safety and comfort. But this shepherd thought of nothing but the value of each individual lamb in his flock. He was not willing that any should perish in the darkness! He would not rest while one little lamb was at risk to the cold, the rain, or the wild beasts of prey. No, this shepherd could never be satisfied while he knew that one of his lambs was lost.
Jesus Christ said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11. This is why Jesus came to Earth from Heaven and gave His life on the cruel cross. He did so because He loves you and me with an everlasting love! He did not care for His own comfort. He did not try to seek an easy way. He loved us so much that He suffered and bled and died so that our sins could be forgiven.
How great was this love? His love was so great for us that Romans 5:8 tells us that God tenderly showed His love to us even when we were still sinners by letting Jesus die for us. Imagine someone loving you so much that they were willing to die for you even though you were offending them and rejecting their act of love! There can be no greater love than this.
Which of the gods of this world ever came and sacrificed himself for our benefit? Which died to save us from destruction? Only one! Only Jesus loves us like this. Only He was willing to die in our place so we could go free from the curse of sin. All He asks of you is that you would confess your sins to Him and turn away from them. Ask Him to forgive your rebellion and evil deeds. If you will humble your heart, He will show mercy and grace. Joel 2:13 says, “…Turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness…”
My dear friend, you are that lost lamb that has gone astray. You have nothing but emptiness, suffering and death ahead of you. But you don’t have to die in your sins. The Great Shepherd is here today searching for you, that little lost lamb!
