Should you help them?

Should you help them?

Should I?

Jesus left the 99 for the one that was lost, I know. We've all heard this story over and over, but does it make any sense today?  Who would leave the 99 and put them at risk?

Sure, this parable / story is telling us about how much Jesus, the Good Shepherd, loves us, but is there more to this story and how does it apply to me, how does it fit in with our lives today, how can we relate?

Let me ask you a question.  How many credit cards does the average person have?

According to the latest figures from Experian, the average American has 3.84 credit cards with an average credit limit of $30,365. And their credit journey usually begins early, with the average Gen Z consumer having 2.1 credit cards.

Have you ever lost just one?  How did you feel?  I bet you probably began to panic. You may have started to retrace your tracks trying to remember where you used it last.  I've been there, I went through my pockets, searched under the seat of my car. I looked and looked until I found it, until I found the one I had lost!

Why?  I had other credit cards, right? It's not like that card was my favorite, or was better or worse than the others.  I just HAD to find it!!!!  I could not do anything else until I did!

We might consider the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 this way: a father and his five children are asleep in their home when the smoke detectors go off. The father awakens to find his house filled with smoke and the sound of flames and crackling timber coming nearer. Panicked, he races to his children’s bedrooms and begins to rouse them. Calling to some and carrying others, he stumbles down the stairs and out the front door. He deposits the sleepy children on the grass a safe distance away and then turns. Gasping for air, he squints through the smoke to count kids: “Tim, Sally, Angel, Jojo—where’s Lilly!” He is missing his youngest, three-year-old Lilly. Four children are safe, one is not. What will this father do?

God is a Father. He counts His kids. He rejoices that some are safely in Christ, prepared for eternity and nestled near His heart. But some are missing. Where’s Karen? Where’s Abdul? Where’s Jose? The Father sent Jesus on a rescue mission “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). God does not abandon the 99. They are already safely in His kingdom, attended by His angels, and guided by His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14; Hebrews 13:5). But His heart aches for those not yet in the fold.

So be on the lookout for the LOST.

We were all lost at one time, and the Lord came after us. If He had not taken the initiative, no one could be saved (John 6:44). So, when our Good Shepherd wants to pursue another lost lamb, the 99 who are in the fold can joyfully support the rescue.