Between Lost & Found: Lent Week 4

Scripture

Luke 15:1-7 Common English Bible

All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.

Reflection

Imagine being one of the ninety-nine sheep, a highly intelligent sheep that comprehends the shepherds voice. The shepherd has let you lie down in green pastures; leads you beside the still and quiet waters; refreshes and restores your soul. Like any good shepherd would. One day you hear the shepherd's voice, not a call to gather, but a declaration: "I've got to go. I'm going after the one who is lost."

A sense of unease settle's in. Why is she leaving us for a single stray? What gives? The logic seems skewed, even reckless. You might say "Don't you care about us?"

Yet, the shepherd's tone conveys not dismissal, but deep care. "I know you don't yet understand it, but this is who I am, I care about each of you." You protest some more and the shepherd replies "we are not us until that lost one is returned."

This isn't about neglecting the ninety-nine. This about demonstrating the boundless scope of love, a love that refuses to leave anyone behind.

The shepherd's actions, from the searching high and low for the sheep to the joyous celebration, challenge the conventional wisdom of prioritizing the majority and speak to a love that transcends simple accounting. It's a love that disrupts the expected order, challenging the comfort of the status quo.

For the ninety-nine, it's an invitation to expand their understanding of belonging. It's an assurance that their security isn't diminished by the shepherd's pursuit of the lost, but rather enhanced by the knowledge that they are part of a flock where every member is cherished.

The shepherd's heart is large enough to hold both the safe and the stray, offering a sense of belonging that transcends any single act of rescue. Seems there is a story of redemption here not just of the lost, but for those who thought they were already found.

Here are three questions for discussion:

• How might the ninety-nine sheep feel when they hear the shepherd's declaration of going after the one lost sheep? What emotions or thoughts might arise, and how could those emotions impact their understanding of the shepherd's character?

• How does this parable challenge the idea of merit-based love or a system where the majority's comfort is prioritized over the individual's need? What implications does this have for how we understand community and belonging?

• If we consider the ninety-nine as representing a church/community of faith, how does the shepherd's action of seeking the lost one reshape the community's understanding of its role and responsibility towards those who are struggling or marginalized?