Luke 15:4-5 “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.”
As the Lord was preaching and teaching, “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.” (Luke 15:1). Then the self-righteous “Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them” (Luke 15:2). The Lord answered them in a “parable”. In His “parable”, He equates His people as His sheep and the Shepherd as Himself. This flock of “sheep” was already His and they knew Him because they were drawn to Him. These “sinners” were as one of His “sheep” that had gone astray, involving themselves in the sinful behaviors of the world around them. But the “good shepherd” (John 10:11) still goes after His straying “sheep” and retrieves them. When He “hath found” his straying “sheep”, “he layeth it on his shoulders”. He “layeth it on his shoulders” because sin weakens the Children of God, eventually they begin to long for the flock and for their Shepherd, but often they have gone so far away that they can see no way to return, and they have pitifully become too weary to make the trip. Then the Loving Shepherd comes to them and tenderly reaches down and takes them upon His Mighty Shoulders and lovingly carries them home to the flock. And, when He returns with His straying sheep, surprisingly there is no condemnation, no rejection, no cold shoulders, and no judgment; but, calls the flock to “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” (Luke 15:6). Can you see the little lamb with tears of amazement and joy in its eyes as it feels the tender touch of its Shepherd and hears the rejoicing of the flock. Then the Lord tells the self-righteous, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7). Later, the Apostle Paul wrote, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (I Timothy 1:15)!