He Leaves the Ninety-Nine

“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?” (Luke 15:4). Jesus is speaking here of a sheep that has been in the fold. Clearly, this represents a member of Christ’s flock, one that has been well fed and led by a loving shepherd. Yet this sheep had become lost so the shepherd has gone out looking for it.

Note what Jesus says about the shepherd here: “[He goes] after the one which is lost until he finds it.” God never gives up on anyone who belongs to him and has gone astray. Instead, the Shepherd goes out to find that sheep, embraces it, and brings it back into the shelter.

David testified, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (Psalm 139:8). Simply put, you can go so far into sin that you come to the very brink of hell, and he will still pursue you.

We have all heard the expression “hell on earth.” That is what life is like for those who run from God; their “bed in hell” is an awful condition. It means to be captivated by sin, drifting further and further from the Lord, eventually falling into a nagging fear of being lost forever.

You may have made your bed in hell, but you are not too deep in sin for Jesus to reach you and receive you with open arms. “When [Jesus] has found [the sheep], he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:5). When the shepherd finds the lost, injured sheep, he does not take it back to the fold right away. According to the parable, he carries the wounded creature into his house. Then he calls all his friends and neighbors together, exclaiming, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” (15:6).

It does not matter what you have done, how far you may have strayed. Once the Shepherd brings you back, you are redeemed in full and he rejoices over you!