1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
3 So he told them this parable: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7 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.
Jesus' parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 reveals the heart of the Father: God does not see people as statistics, but as individuals worth pursuing. We cannot rescue ourselves or simply "find ourselves" - we need the Shepherd who seeks us, carries us home, and rejoices when the lost are restored. This message also challenges the church to remember the grace we have received and to share Christ's heart for those who are still lost.