WHEN the blessed Lord was charged by the Pharisees with receiving sinners, and eating with them, it served as the fitting opportunity for bringing out the deep thoughts and feelings which were in the heart of God toward sinful and lost men.
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, cloth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 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 15:4-74What 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? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7I 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 15:4‑7)).
Our Lord's reply therefore opened out, not only the marvelous grace, but the intense joy of God (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) in the salvation of one sinner.”
In the first part of this wonderful picture of precious realities we have the yearnings of divine love, the almightiness of divine power, and the manifestation of divine joy, all concerning the salvation, security, and eternal welfare of one lost sheep.
First, we have the Shepherd seeking the sheep. In it He is most diligent and persevering: "He goeth after that which is lost, until He find it." There is earnestness and decision; for divine grace is in activity. The sheep's need is urgent; for it is "lost." The Shepherd seeks till He find it. His heart yearns over the object of His love, and the wanderer has no idea what is in the Shepherd's heart, knows nothing as yet of His yearnings and mercies; for the blessing is only tasted when the loving Shepherd and the poor lost one meet face to face.
The sinner must have to do with the Saviour. There must be this personal contact, this look of faith, before blessing can be known; for there is salvation in no other.
The Shepherd is a divine person. He is the Son of God. God thus makes Himself known to a sin-convicted soul in the person and work of Jesus, His beloved Son. The Shepherd died for the sheep. He gave His life a ransom for many. He shed His blood for the remission of sins.
He now, by His servants and the word of His gospel, goes after the lost. His love is divinely active. Though raised from the dead because He accomplished eternal redemption, and righteously exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high, the activities of His loving heart still go after the lost; still by His servants He proclaims present peace and eternal salvation to every one that believeth. Thank God that His deep, unsearchable love is still in exercise toward the lost!
Secondly, when the Good Shepherd has found the lost one, what does He do? We are told that "He layeth it on His shoulders"; that is, He takes the entire responsibility of the security of the sheep thus found. He upholds and keeps. His almighty power is thus active. The sheep is on the Shepherd's shoulder, put there and kept there by Him.
How blessed! What perfect security! We know this is God's will; and it is well to be assured that what we hold is according to His will. Jesus said, "This is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:4040And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40)). Nothing can be clearer. The will of God is that every one who now believes on the Son of God shall be in glory. Christ thus makes Himself responsible to raise up in the last day every one who has believed in Him. The believer's everlasting security then is based, not on his faithfulness, but on Christ's almighty power, unchanging love, and unfailing faithfulness. We now know, since Christ died, and rose, and ascended, and has sent down the Holy Ghost, that every believer is not only purged from sins, and has life in Christ, but is united to Christ by the Holy Ghost, made a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.
How blessed then to be borne up by the almighty power of the ascended Son of God, and to be in Him, thus having divine love and power in constant activity on our behalf, reserving heaven for us, and keeping us for it, through faith; Christ pledging Himself thus: "I will raise him up at the last day.”
Thirdly, there is divine joy. "He layeth it on His shoulders rejoicing." Not only is this "one sinner" found, taken up, blessed, and kept, but there is joy in heaven on account of it, so great a matter to heaven is the salvation of one lost one.
But who rejoices? Was it the sheep? No doubt; for, in the third part of the parable, after the kiss, and the robe, and the ring, we find not only that the father rejoiced, but that he says to the returning one thus welcomed, "Let us eat, and be merry"; and we are told that "they began to be merry.”
Surely the poor saved one who is brought to God in such marvelous grace cannot but rejoice; but that is not the joy referred to in the verses we are now considering-. Here we are told it is the Shepherd who so rejoices, and not only so, but He calls others to share the joy with Him, saying, "Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep which was lost" (Luke 15:66And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. (Luke 15:6)); and it is plainly added, "Likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.”
Whether the angels rejoice on the occasion we are not told, only that this outburst of joy is "in the presence of the angels of God." (Luke. 15:10). Clear it is that in heaven it is the Father who rejoices at receiving His lost one, saying, " It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad for this my son was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."(Luke 15:3232It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. (Luke 15:32)). The Saviour, too, as we have seen, rejoices. Thus we see that divine joy is active, as well as almighty power and matchless love, in bringing" one sinner” to God.