Going After the One

By Danny Saavedra

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ‘What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”—Matthew 18:10–14 (NIV)

In this incredible passage, Jesus uses a parable to explain His heart toward us. It’s the parable of the lost sheep. Here, we see the lengths Jesus, our Good Shepherd (John 10) goes to when we, His little children, His sheep, inevitably wander off.

When we wander away from Him, He doesn’t cut us loose or count us as a lost cause. In fact, our Savior does the exact opposite. He pursues us because He loves us—I say “us” because each and every one of us who is a disciple of Jesus, one of His little children and sheep, have wandered off at some point.

When Jesus said, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” do you think He meant He loves the other 99 less? No not at all! It means that all 100 are so fully, completely, and unconditionally loved that He will never abandon anyone—He’ll always pursue and restore us.

This is the love of God. It’s a love that encompasses all of humanity (John 3:16), but it’s also personal toward each individual child/sheep in the world. Jesus doesn’t cut His losses and say, “Oh well. I lost one, but I still have 99. Can’t win ‘em all.” He doesn’t treat us like assets that can be recouped despite absorbing some loss. He treats us like priceless family heirlooms! Friends, the bottom line is this: Even though this parable talks about the shepherd rescuing the one lost sheep, all 100 sheep are prone to wander away every second of every day—and He goes after each one!

And guess what . . . If you’re truly His sheep, His little child, in John 10:28 (NIV) Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” He will never lose a single sheep, no matter how far we wander off. We can be stuck in a ditch or broken and injured at the bottom of a canyon, but He carries us back and restores us.

My friend, I hope you feel assured, confident, and full of joy knowing that God does not dwell on the fact that we wander and get lost. Instead, He pursues us with all of His heart, because nothing brings His heart greater joy than reconciling us to Himself! And instead of chastising us or shaming us when He finds us, Luke 15:6 (NIV) makes it clear that His heart says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”

Aren’t you glad that’s God’s heart toward us—toward you? Isn’t it cause for thanks that He doesn’t write you (or anyone) off because of your sin? Aren’t you glad Jesus always goes after the one?

Pause: How does your life fit into the frame of this parable?

Practice: Set aside time today to express your thankfulness for God’s heart toward you.

Pray: Jesus, I thank You for love that individually pursues me no matter how far I wander. My Good Shepherd, help me to stay close to You, to stay within the pasture You have for me. Help me to remain in Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.