What man among you . . . would not leave the ninety-nine?

What man among you . . . would not leave the ninety-nine? 

Would you behave like this shepherd?   If you were out in the desert with one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, you wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine unprotected and head off on a wild goose chase in search of one sheep.   You’d probably cut your losses and head home to get the ninety-nine to safety.

Also, if you were this woman who lost one of ten matching coins, you might indeed light a lamp and sweep the house carefully until you found it.   But you certainly wouldn’t throw a party to let the neighbors know about your success.   You would be too embarrassed about misplacing it in the first place, or you wouldn’t want to spend the money you just found on a party.

In telling these stories, Jesus wants us to scratch our heads in wonder.   We aren’t much like this shepherd or this woman—but he is.   His concern for us and for anyone who strays is extravagant.   It’s almost as extravagant as his rejoicing when he finds us.

What good news!   God will go to any lengths to find us.   It doesn’t matter how far we’ve wandered or how much dirt we’ve wallowed in—that’s how deeply he wants us to be with him.

So don’t be discouraged if you haven’t been following the Shepherd as closely as you should.   You haven’t traveled beyond the reach of his love.   Even your realization that something is amiss is cause for God to rejoice.   And don’t despair if someone you love has wandered off and seems beyond hope.   No one is ever beyond the Shepherd’s concern.

We will never truly understand the depth of God’s mercy and love.   That’s why Jesus’ parables seem so puzzling to us.   But if we can only understand one thing, it’s this: no matter what we have done or failed to do, God never rejects us.   He never rejects anyone.   Quite the opposite.   Good Shepherd that he is, he is always waiting to hoist us on his shoulders and bring us safely back to the fold.   And when he does, what a party there will be!

Word Among Us