Luke 15 vs 1 – 7 (NKJV)
“Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man [a]receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine [b]just persons who need no repentance.”
Think about this, Jesus came for the lost. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That was why “tax collectors and sinners” came to Him. The pharisees and scribes just could not understand this. They expected Him to only go near, or allow near Him the “righteous” So, He spoke this parable of the lost sheep to explain His mission.
We thank God for the millions of believers all around the world, but do you know that Jesus heart is for the millions of unbelievers all around the world that are yet to know Him. His heart yearns for them to come into His Father’s kingdom. He wants to see the lost and the backslidden returned to their rightful place of relationship with The Father. So, when He came to the face of this earth, He went after the lost. He went from home to home, town to town, city to city preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, healing the sick, setting the captives free, feeding the hungry, raising the dead, that by all means He might win over those that did not know Him.
We have been won over to the Kingdom of light, praise be to God Almighty! We are part of God’s family; thanks be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are Christians purchased by the blood of the lamb, left here to pursue Christ’s mission.
There are so many in our families, homes, workplaces, schools, neighbourhoods, amongst our circle of friends and community who are lost. We need to go after them and keep going after them for Jesus, until they are “found” like that lost coin. That was what Jesus was saying through this parable.
The whole host of heaven rejoices even when just one person repents and puts their faith in Jesus our Lord. Heaven sings loudly when just one person gives their life genuinely to Christ, compared with the knowledge that there are already so many believers. Can you imagine the whole of heaving rejoicing?
There is something about someone repenting and turning to Jesus that produces joy like no other. So, go after lost souls. For every one soul won, that is a life being restored to relationship with the Father, someone receiving abundant life, someone becoming a new creation, someone being snatched out of hell, someone being set free from sin and death, someone being forgiven, someone seeing the light, someone made ready for heaven and for eternity. What joy that produces! Even right now, my heart yearns just like Jesus to see souls saved. Does yours…….?
Let’s go after them with a heart full of love like the heart of Jesus.
Grace to you.