Parable of the Lost Sheep
Play Audio
MP3 Download (20.4mb)
Fourth in Trinity
Parable of the Lost Sheep
June 20, 2010
TEXT: (Luke 15:1-7 NKJ) 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 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 just persons who
need no repentance.
This is the first in a series of parables Jesus uses to teach the Pharisees and
scribes the lesson of why He eats with sinners—first the Parable of the Lost
Sheep—next the Parable of the Woman who lost her coin—The Prodigal Son—and
ending with the Parable of the Unfaithful Steward—today we are going to focus on
one parable—the Parable of the Lost Sheep
Sheep are associated with God’s people from the very beginning of Scripture—Abel
raised sheep—and he offered his sheep to God in thanksgiving
(Genesis 4:1-4 NKJ) Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore
Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 2 Then she bore again,
this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a
tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain
brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought
of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and
his offering,
Abraham tended sheep—Jacob—whom God named Israel—tended sheep—Moses was tending
sheep when God called him to lead the children of Israel from Egypt
(Exodus 3:1-10 NKJ) Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his
father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the
desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD
appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and
behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then
Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does
not burn." 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to
him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I
am." …10 "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring
My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
God chose the Pascal Lamb to be used in the Passover which saved the firstborn
of the Israelites—and all of God’s people—as they were led out of Egypt by
Moses—God’s people were saved by the blood of the lamb
(Exodus 12:1-13 NKJ) Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the
first month of the year to you. 3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel,
saying:`On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb,
according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 `And if the
household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house
take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you
shall make your count for the lamb. 5 `Your lamb shall be without blemish, a
male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 `Now
you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 `And they
shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel
of the houses where they eat it. …It is the LORD'S Passover. 12 `For I will pass
through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will
execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 `Now the blood shall be a sign for you on
the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and
the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Moses begged God not to leave His people—the congregation of Israelites—God’s
flock of believers on earth—without a shepherd
(Numbers 27:16-17 NKJ) "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh,
set a man over the congregation, 17 "who may go out before them and go in before
them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD
may not be like sheep which have no shepherd."
David—the King of Israel—was described as a shepherd boy—God used the tending of
sheep as a boy to prepare David to be King of God’s people
(2 Samuel 7:8 NKJ) "Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant
David,`Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from
following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.
There are many Psalms written about sheep—the Great Shepherd—and God’s
people—the flock—none more familiar or more quoted than the 23rd Psalm
(Psalm 23:1-6 NKJ) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes
me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He
restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You
prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with
oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days
of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
To properly understand this Psalm we need to know al little about sheep—sheep
will not seek food—you need to lead them to it—hence He makes me to lie down in
green pastures—sheep will not drink from a moving stream—hence He leads me
beside still waters—sheep need constant shepherding—they cannot find their way
home even if home is within sight—the shepherd leads them around—he uses his
staff to guide the sheep—and his rod to protect the sheep—because a sheep’s only
defense is its cute appearance—they can’t run fast—and they can’t fight—they
can’t administer a ferocious bite
When sheep are with their shepherd—they are comfortable and safe—just as we are
when we are walking with our Lord—we fear nothing—and He gives us instructions
with His comforting Word—that’s the point of David’s Psalm—Isaiah also writes of
the Good Shepherd
(Isaiah 40:11 NKJ) He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather
the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who
are with young.
Jesus came looking for the lost sheep of Israel
(Matthew 15:24 NKJ) But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
And now for our text—the parable of the lost sheep
TEXT: (Luke 15:1-2 NKJ) 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 receives sinners and eats with them."
This is the beginning of what would become a hostile relationship between Jesus
and the Pharisees—the Pharisees were highly educated Jews—who were especially
knowledgeable of the Old Testament—but they tended to be arrogant and looked
down at those they considered sinners—they were not very compassionate—they were
not very tolerant—and they were not patient with those that needed help to
understand—they despised Jesus—and took every opportunity to publicly attack
Him—they disliked Jesus so much that they refused to even say His name—hence
they refer to Him as “This man”
Jesus does not confront them and antagonize them—He offers them a simple—neutral
parable—to allow them to see clearly the truth—to remove anything
confrontational or personal—that they might see and understand the simple
truth—and they might be saved—these Pharisees and scribes might be the lost
sheep Jesus came to seek—they were certainly lost—and they certainly had
knowledge of the Scriptures—and just as Paul despised the Christians—these men
despised Christ—but just as Paul was converted in an instant—these men could
also be made to see the error in their way—and that’s why Christ is so patient
with them
TEXT: (Luke 15:3-4 NKJ) 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?
Sheep were very common in the region—and none of the Pharisees or scribes tended
sheep—therefore—Jesus’ use of sheep was masterful—each man could project himself
into this hypothetical situation—and analyze the question without emotion or
personal involvement—Jesus asks the question for any or all to respond to—but
yet no response will come—the question is one which requires no answer—the
answer is so obvious—by using sheep—Jesus disarms the self-righteous pride that
was blinding the Pharisees and scribes—the image He describes shows them why He
eats with sinners
TEXT: (Luke 15:5-7 NKJ) "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 just persons who need no
repentance.
The sheep is carried home—on the shoulders of the rescuer—friends and neighbors
rejoice
The proper understanding of this earthly story with a heavenly meaning is this
Lost sheep = the sinner
Rescuer = Jesus the Christ
Carried home = taken to heaven—carried because we sheep cannot make that trip
ourselves—Jesus is the Way—and heaven is our home
(Philippians 3:20 NKJ) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
The rejoicers = the angels in heaven and the saints who went before us
Some feel that there is too much emphasis on the rejoicing of the one—and not
enough over the 99 that are not lost—Luther gave a masterful explanation of
this—when a mother has a sick child ready to die—and that child is healed—she
rejoices nonstop for the cured child—while also being thankful for the remainder
of her children that were never sick
Seeking the lost is the mission of the Church on earth—and our Lord has given us
each other to help each other carry on this work
If we succeed there will be much rejoicing in heaven—we need to be patient—just
as Jesus was patient—we need to present the message in a way that is
non-confrontational—understandable—and a message administered with true
Christian love
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!!