Jesus came to find the lost sheep

 

Jesus came to find the lost sheep

 

Luke 15:1-7 『Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a 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 ? 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 』

Regarding the background of Jesus telling this parable, the Pharisees and scribes were dissatisfied when they saw “Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners.” The Pharisees were confident that they were righteous people and that the Messiah would come to them. However, they were dissatisfied with Jesus, who was called the Messiah, because he talked and ate with sinners. Jesus knew this. That is why this parable was told.

Parables have hidden meanings. Only those who hear and understand will know the meaning of the parable. Those who do not have ears to hear do not know the meaning of the parable. There is a parable of the sower in Matthew 13:11-13. He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.』

In Isaiah 55:1, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.』"Those who are thirsty and have no money" are like this about the kingdom of God. This means that God gives it to those who seek it. So, tax collectors and sinners sought the kingdom of God. In Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “The poor in spirit” is someone who knows that their spirit is poor in the kingdom of God. Those who are poor in spirit are those who have left God. So, if a person who understands this asks God for life that saves the spirit, God will give it to him.

The life that saves the spirit refers to the kingdom of God. In order to obtain the kingdom of God (resurrection), you must repent and ask God. God provides a way to return to the kingdom of God. That way is Jesus Christ. It is to believe that those who repent will die on the cross with Jesus and be resurrected with Christ.

A believer must know about one hundred sheep. The number ten represents completeness and fullness. One hundred is ten of ten. In other words, it is more complete (resurrected). The one hundred sheep refers to all of Israel, and more broadly, to all the people of the world. However, here, the one hundred sheep are Israel. In 『If you lose one of them』, the original Hebrew word for 『lose』 has the meaning of 『die, be destroyed』. In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son repented and returned to his father's house. The father is giving him a feast. However, the eldest son is complaining about this.

In Luke 15:32, 『It was meeting that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again (resurrection); and he was lost, and is found. Here, “I died and came back to life, I lost and found.” Here, the word “lost” is replaced with the meaning of dead. This contains the meaning of “searching for the dead, the lost sheep, among the people of Israel, and giving them resurrection life.” The meaning of 『Dead and Lost』 is that the spirit is dead. Because they left God's kingdom, they became sinners before God. So it died and was lost. So, saving the spirit is resurrection life.

In John 9:39-41, “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remains.』

Blind people are those who have left the kingdom of God and are blind to the kingdom of God (resurrection life). The content of Jesus’ judgment is, “He makes those who do not see see, and he makes those who see not see.” Those who cannot see are tax collectors and sinners. Those who see are the Pharisees. They say they see the kingdom of God.

『Jesus said to them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth..』The Pharisees claim to see the kingdom of God, but the truth is that they are sinners who do not even know much about the kingdom of God. Jesus closes the eyes of those who claim their own righteousness. Therefore, they cannot see the kingdom of God, which is resurrection life.

To repent means to turn back. Most church people think of repentance because of the sins they committed in this world, but the fundamental thing about repentance is to repent of leaving the kingdom of God. “Resisting God and leaving God” is a sin, and that is why sinners turn and return to the kingdom of God. So, repentance is for a sinner to give up the “greed to become like God” and go back. “Giving up greed” means dying of the sinful nature (greed of the flesh) hidden in the body. Fleshly greed appears as a subject called self. He creates the idea that he can do something to gain the kingdom of God. Repentance is giving up what you can do for the kingdom of God. So, God happily welcomes those who repent and return. “God’s word to repent” means to abandon the desire to become like God and return. What a believer abandons is self-denial.

『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.』"Who is that likewise repentant? He is a sheep who has left God. However, when the shepherd finds the lost sheep, what the sheep does is to return with the shepherd. The sheep does nothing and simply returns. Following the shepherd is Jesus Christ. “Following Christ who died on the cross and was resurrected” means that the sheep that died on the cross and was resurrected together is a sinner. When they meet this shepherd, they can return home. Those who believe in the death of the cross and the present resurrection are the sheep that follow the shepherd.

Jesus explains this again, the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus, through Zacchaeus, says in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The nine sheep of 99 represent the Pharisees and scribes who call themselves righteous by boasting of their own righteousness. These are the people today who look at resurrection with physical eyes.