Leave the ninety-nine

So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has one hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:3-7

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why, if God is all powerful and all knowing, He allowed mankind to fall into sin? Have you asked the age-old question of why a good God would allow evil in this world? Wouldn’t it have been better for mankind if Adam and Eve had never fallen, but instead fulfilled what God set out for them to begin with? After all, when He finished creating them, He declared it “very good.” Was Christ and His sacrifice a sort of cosmic “Plan B”?

Of course the answer to that last question is an emphatic “NO!” We know He is the “lamb slain before the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8), and so it follows that the plan of redemption was laid out long before the fall of man even occurred. But why would God do all this? Why would He allow pain, suffering, and evil to be so dominant in the “very good” world He created? This parable sheds some light on the issue with the simple truth that redeemed man is better than innocent man.

Go after the one which is lost

In this parable we see two different types of people represented: we see a single sinner who is lost and in need of salvation, and we see ninety-nine described as “righteous persons who need no repentance.” It is important to note that these ninety-nine are not real specific people, but rather used for illustration. All men are in need of repentance, because all men have sinned (Romans 3:23, Psalm 14:1-3). But there was a time when there was no sin in the world. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were innocent. In their innocence, they reflected the power and righteousness of God, being made in His very image to be His representatives here on earth (Genesis 1:26).

So why did God allow them to fall? To start, the 0ne thing they did not reflect in their innocence was God’s mercy and grace. In a world without sin or folly, there is no need for mercy and grace. But we know that God is the epitome of both. They enter the picture in the person of Jesus Christ, the lamb slain before the foundation of the world, chosen to die for the sins of men to redeem a people for Himself to be holy and blameless in His sight. And throughout redemption history we see the greatest men exemplified by this trait: Abraham was a liar (Genesis 20:2), but God chose to bless the world through Him (Genesis 12:3); Jacob was a swindler (Genesis 27:19), but God elected a people from him to be His own (Genesis 32:28); Moses was a murderer (Exodus 2:12), but God used him to deliver His people from Egypt (Exodus 3:10); David was an adulterer (2 Samuel 12:7), but God promised the Christ from his line (2 Samuel 7:12). There are many more examples, but these are among the most famous. All of these men were deeply flawed, and yet all received God’s mercy and grace, being exalted as His faithful servants.

More joy in heaven

All that brings us here: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” A man or woman who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ brings God more glory than one who has no need of His grace. In Christ, all is fulfilled, and by His sacrifice, God is glorified all the more. This is incredible news for all of us who have failed: God wants failures. He has no desire to lift up those who believe they can lift themselves up. Jesus came for the broken and wicked sinner, “and such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Take this good news with you. Keep it safe and share it with all those whose lives seem to be hopeless. There is a redeemer, and He revels in saving wretched sinners like you and me.

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.