On Sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:1-7

Now when you and I hear that we are sheep and he is shepherd, it just makes us feel warm, fuzzy, gauzy. And we think of fluffy little lambs, and green pastures and still waters. But you need to know that when the Bible calls Him the great shepherd and us, sheep, it is a very important and very well meant spiritual insult. It’s an insult. Here [are] the words of a pastor who before he went into the ministry was a shepherd. Here is what he says, He understands what it means. He says a sheep is a stupid animal. It loses its directions continually in a way that a cat or dog never does. And even when you find a lost sheep, the lost sheep rushes to and fro, and will not follow you home. So when you find it, you must cease it, throw it to the ground, tie its forelegs and hind legs together, put it over your shoulders and carry it home. That’s the only way to save lost sheep.

Excerpt from “He Welcomes Sinners,” a sermon by 

Dr. Timothy Keller on Luke 15:1-10, September 28, 2008

I highly encourage you to listen to this sermon. This was the first sermon by Tim Keller that I have heard, and I have to say that I was met with grace of Jesus again. 

http://download.redeemer.com/sermons/He_Welcomes_SinnersF.mp3