The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
~ Luke 15:1-7 (NRSVUE)
This morning, we heard the story of Corduroy, and I assume that many of you either heard it as children or read it to your children, or perhaps both. The story is about a bear in a big department store who loses a button on his overalls, then, in searching for his button, he loses his way. Luckily, with the help of the store’s night watchman and a little girl named Lisa Corduroy, he not only finds his way back to his shelf but also gets a new home, a new life, and receives a new button to replace the one that he lost. All the things that were lost in the story are found, and we celebrate a happy ending for everyone involved.
As a young child, I was, let’s just say, a little sensitive, and I often worried about the feelings of other people. I was the one who would always choose the awkward, less-than-perfect stuffed animal at the store that was missing a button, because I worried that no one else would pick it and it would be left all alone at the store. So the story of Corduroy and the Parable of the Lost Sheep have always been near and dear to my heart.
I remember when I was very young, we would sometimes take the “long” trip to Sears and Roebucks in Providence. They had a big candy counter on the first floor just as you walked in the door, but that was not the reason for our trip. We were usually there to buy clothes on the second floor. Well, I knew deep in my heart that Sears and Roebucks in Providence was where Corduroy lived. That was the first place I ever remember seeing an escalator.
Friends, stories shape our worldview, and they help us make sense of things we don’t always understand. Stories teach us how to get along in the world, how to deal with hardships and challenges, and how to behave toward others. That’s why, besides reading scripture each Sunday, we sometimes have a storybook as well, because stories open our minds to understand the world around us better.
Jesus fully understood the power of storytelling. That’s why he used parables so often in his teaching. Stories helped the people who were listening to Jesus get a better grasp of who God was, how they could best live in the world around them, and just how much God loved them.
Today, in our scripture reading, we find ourselves in the fifteenth chapter of Luke’s gospel, and once again, it’s storytime. Throughout the season of Lent, we are following Jesus toward Jerusalem for the last time, and today, as we many times do, we find Jesus talking with tax collectors and sinners, and those who are outcasts and unwelcome. While he does, we also hear the Pharisees, the lawyers, and the religious leaders grumbling and complaining about the company Jesus keeps.
Okay, folks, before we go any further, I have a quick side note that I feel I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention. Many times, as people of faith or as the church, we refer to the tax collectors and sinners in scripture and those who are often outcasts and unwelcome in our society as those who are “Lost.” And the only way for them to be “found” is to follow Jesus on the straight and narrow, just like all of us! But when we use those labels, we are only adding to the hurt, the shame, and the wounding of others. Folks, the fact is none of us are always lost or always found. We all travel a spectrum of lost and found at various points in our lives and even at different hours in the day. So please understand that being lost or found are the extremes, and in real life, we often walk with Jesus through the messy middle between the two.
Okay, with that being said, as Jesus spoke with the tax collectors and the sinners, the outcast and the unwelcomed, he did not call down woe on them, as he did on the Pharisees, the lawyers and the religious leaders, but instead, Jesus shared a parable or a story loud enough for everyone to hear. He said, “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home, you’d call in all your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’”
Now, over the years, some people have wondered whether Jesus was being sarcastic and joking as he shared this parable, because to be successful and to assure the safety of the ninety-nine sheep that you still have, of course, you would not leave the flock to search for just one. You’d simply cut your losses and protect what you’ve got. After all, how much does one sheep in the grand scheme of things really matter?
But we have to remember that Jesus doesn’t worry about success, and the Kingdom of God doesn’t worry about winning, making profits, or increasing revenue and the bottom line. Jesus only cares that every beating heart finds a safe place, and the Kingdom of God works to be sure that no one, no matter who they are, what they’ve done, or where they have been, is lost, forsaken, alone, misplaced, outcast, or lonely.
So, like the store’s night watchman who helped Corduroy, Jesus helps us find our way to safety. Like little Lisa, who emptied the savings from her piggy bank and brought Corduroy home and fixed his overalls, Jesus loves us and pays the price to give us a new home. And with grace, he replaces our lost buttons and offers us unconditional love.
Folks, sometimes I wonder why we refer to today’s parable as the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and why we don’t instead call it the Parable of the Found? I feel like Jesus would want us to refer to the story as the good news, not the struggle. But I also imagine that as Jesus told the story, there were Pharisees in the crowd who were probably rolling their eyes. There were tax collectors who squirmed in their seats and looked at their hands. And lawyers who sighed and thought to themselves, “This guy has no idea about business! What kind of fool would leave ninety-nine sheep in the field to look for just one?” But maybe God wasn’t talking about us. Maybe God was talking about God’s own reckless love. Maybe God was talking about God’s own willingness to turn the world upside down for you and for me. To make sure that each and every one of us. Every single child of God. And every beating heart was safe and loved and cared for.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, don’t worry about those who are lost or those who are found, and don’t worry about fitting into one label or the other yourself. Because the truth is, this story is not about us. It’s about our God who is a seeking God, a with-us and before-us, and a chasing-after-us God. Friends know that no matter where you wander, what mountains you climb, or how lost or found you feel sometimes. Our God, the God who walked the streets of Jerusalem, who shook hands with lepers, patted children on the head, and told stories of love, is always close at hand. So, on the good days and the hard days, on the mountain tops and in the valleys, and no matter how lost and lonely you might sometimes feel, know that God is always there, loving you, caring for you, and keeping you safe. Because, as a child of God, you have never been lost. In God’s eyes, you have been, and you always will be, found!
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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