1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 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. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 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 15:1-7 KJV)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Here is the diligent attendance of the publicans and sinners upon Christ’s ministry. Great multitudes of Jews went with him (Luke 14:25), with such confidence of being admitted into the kingdom of God that he found it necessary to challenge their false hopes. Here, publicans and sinners drew near to him with humble fear of rejection, and to them he gave encouragement, especially because some proud, self-righteous people frowned upon them. The publicans, who collected taxes for the Romans, were perhaps some of them bad men, but they were all given a bad name because of the Jews’ prejudice against their role.
They are sometimes grouped with harlots (Matthew 21:32), and here with sinners—those openly immoral, such as fornicators and reckless men. Some think the sinners here were Gentiles, and that Christ was in a Gentile region. These came near when perhaps the Jews who had followed him dropped off after his prior challenging discourse; just as later, the Gentiles embraced the apostles’ message after the Jews rejected it. They drew near, not out of curiosity or to seek healing, but to hear his teaching. In all our approaches to Christ, we should come to hear him—his instructions and answers to our prayers.
The scribes and Pharisees took offense at this. They murmured and used it as a criticism of Jesus: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2).
They were angry that publicans and Gentiles were allowed access to the means of grace, called to repent, and encouraged to hope for forgiveness. They believed such people were beyond hope and that only Jews had the privilege of repentance and pardon, even though prophets preached repentance to all nations and Daniel specifically to Nebuchadnezzar.
They also thought it beneath Christ’s dignity to associate with such people, to welcome them and eat with them. They didn’t dare condemn him for preaching to them—though that was their real grievance—so they criticized him for eating with them, which violated their traditions. Even the most innocent and excellent actions will face criticism, and we shouldn’t be surprised.
Christ justified himself by showing that the worse the people were to whom he preached, the more glory would come to God and the more joy there would be in heaven if they repented. The conversion of Gentiles and publicans brought more joy in heaven than seeing self-righteous Jews continue in their religion. He illustrated this with two parables.
The parable of the lost sheep, similar to one in Matthew 18:12. There, the focus was on God’s care for preserving saints; here, it is on the joy God takes in converting sinners.
A sinner who continues in sin is like a lost sheep—gone astray, separated from God, cut off from fellowship, and lost to himself. He is exposed to danger and distress, wandering without direction or protection, unable to return on his own.
God takes special care of wandering sinners. Though the rest of the flock is safe, he goes after the lost one. Even if he has a hundred sheep, he won’t let one go. He searches until he finds it, persistently calling and convicting through his Word and Spirit until the sinner is drawn back.
When he finds it, even if it is exhausted or injured, he doesn’t abandon it. He carries it home on his shoulders with tenderness and effort. This illustrates the work of redemption. Mankind had gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). God could have let all perish—he had countless holy angels, like the ninety-nine safe sheep. But he sent his Son to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Christ gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them (Isaiah 40:11); here, he is said to carry them on his shoulders—powerfully upholding them.
God rejoices when sinners repent. The shepherd rejoices in finding the sheep, especially since he feared it was lost for good. He calls his friends and neighbors, likely other shepherds, and says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” He still calls it “my sheep,” even though it went astray. He claims and retrieves his own. “I have found it”—he didn’t send another, but came himself. Christ, the good Shepherd, seeks and finds the lost.