PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 18:1-14
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“What do you think? Will he not leave the ninety-nine and go to look for the one that wandered off??” (Matthew 18:12)
I’ve often wondered about how Jesus describes the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the wandering 1. Jesus’s point is to stress how much God cares for the ‘little ones’ (Matthew 18:14). And so it is most likely hyperbole, an extreme statement to make His point clear! Yet the question “what do you think” makes it sound like His point is obvious, even to the disciples. It implies ‘of course He will leave the 99 to find the 1.’
But what about the 99, who will take care of them? The assumption in the story is that they are safe, that a hired hand is watching over them and they are in the sheep pen, with plenty to eat. They are, to use another analogy, not sick but well, so the physician does not need to focus on them (Mark 2:17).
I think about this because in my role as a ‘shepherd’ (pastor), I often felt like the 99 were more important than the 1. I could spend time with those on the outside, but only if I also kept up my feeding and visiting duties inside the pen. And if a problem arose between a new believer and a long time member, it was important not to offend the long time member; afterall they were long time members (this actually happened).
God sent Jesus to seek and to save the lost. Jesus sent His disciples to continue this mission. As Jesus followers, this remains our primary mission. Of course the church needs to set up ways for supporting the found, but the focus of the church should always remain the lost, the least and the last. More mature disciples need to make room for, and extend extra grace for, newer, younger disciples. They should be “happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.” (Matthew 18:13)
This is something I have struggled with while working in the church. It seemed that we prioritized the found more than the lost. Now that I am not in that role anymore, what is my priority? Am I looking for a church to be fed and cared for, or am I prioritizing the lost, the least and the last? What would it look like for me to prioritize the wandering ones? “What do you think?” (Matthew 18:12)
Lord Jesus, after years of wondering about this, and struggling with my focus on the 99, You are giving me the opportunity to change my focus. Open my eyes to see the wandering ones around me, that I may share in Your happiness about finding the lost ones.