Luke 15:3-7 "And he spake this parable unto them, saying, (4) What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? (5) And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6) And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. (7) I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
As we read this parable, I pray we can reflect upon the deep love that our Lord
Jesus Christ has for us. How deep is our Father's love for us that He sent His
Son into the wilderness of this world to bring us back home to Him. I
think of a few examples of fathers loving their sons in such a manner. Jacob
sent Joseph to see about his brothers even though those brothers hated Joseph.
Jesse sent David with food for his brothers who were in the army of Israel.
Even at that, the brothers accused David of simply wanting attention when he
volunteered to go against Goliath. I think of this passage of Scripture,
"He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he
led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye."
(Deuteronomy 32:10)
To what depth did Jesus go in order to bring you and me back to the Father?
Until we arrive in heaven, we will never know the complete depth of His
love. He left the splendor of Heaven to walk among sinful men. He endured
such a contradiction of Himself while living a perfect life on earth. He went
deeper even than that which is spoken in the parable. He went deeper than the
briars and brambles through which the shepherd traveled in order to bring home
his little lost lamb. Jesus went all the way to the cross on Calvary's Hill. He
endured the shame and the pain of men who scourged Him, spat upon Him, mocked
Him, nailed Him to the cross. But the greatest distance Jesus traveled was when
He was made to be sin for us that we would be made His righteousness before the
Father. He took my sin and your sin upon Himself and paid that debt in order
for us to be secured in Him. For three hours, Because of my sin, He was
separated from the Father. Yes, Jesus is indeed the Great Shepherd of our
souls. We can trust Him. We should show our love for Him. We should turn from
our ways to walk in His path of righteousness to honor our blessed Saviour.