In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to his disciples: “What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
"And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the 99 that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”
For most who don’t know the importance of minding a flock, that parable may seem farfetched. The modern mind tends to think it is too risky to leave an entire flock untended to go and look for one stray sheep.
What if a wild animal attacks the rest while you’re gone?
What if another sheep wanders itself lost while you are searching for the lost one?
The pursuit is a waste of time; there are plenty of others — after all, it’s just one sheep.
That’s Jesus' point. It is one lost sheep — and one is too many to be lost. From a human perspective, risking 99 to save one doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially in a throw-away society.
Just write it off.
That’s the cost of doing business.
There are plenty of others.
But the parable is about people's worth. One person who gets lost in life — whether it is lost from the family of faith, or having lost their direction in doing what is right and good, or becoming confused because of ill health, or a loved one's death, or suffering from fear and uncertainty of what the future may hold — is important enough to pursue and help that person regain a sense of direction and belonging.
In God's eyes, each person is just as important as the next. Each person, each individual, is valued and loved. Nothing will stop God from searching for us when we stray.
Are you willing to believe you are that important to God? If not, why not — because you are.
How important are the people in your life?
Is there an errant family member who needs to be reminded of how they are loved and need to be brought back into the family fold?
Is there a friend who seems to be heading down a path of self-destruction that needs to be reminded of their great worth?
Is there someone suffering loneliness and isolation who needs to comforted and reminded they are loved?
Go search for the lost. There is great rejoicing when the lost is found — not only by the one who is searching, but also for the one who was recovered.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Go — search for the lost 'sheep'