Lost in the flock

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “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? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

Luke 15:3-6

Common stories, even more common teachings

I’ve heard the parable of the lost sheep taught dozens of times in church. I’m sure I’ve even taught it a time or two. It’s connected to the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It’s a classic tale, but I think there’s a misconception that needs addressing.

Picture this: a shepherd with a hundred sheep suddenly realizes one is missing. Now, you might think he’d be satisfied with the majority, right? But no, he sets off on a mission to find the lost one, leaving the rest behind. The parables of the lost coin and lost (prodigal) son follow this same theme.

These stories are favorites of church leaders. They are used to encourage people to share the gospel with outsiders. The indication, according to this teaching, is that Jesus cares way more about outsiders than insiders. So, we, too, should care more about those outside of the faith than we do those inside the faith. Stop caring so much about yourself or the other people in here. Instead, you need to care about those people out there.

And maybe that’s true. Maybe that’s a good Godly approach to have.

But, I think that might be missing the point of the passages. Well, at least part of the point.

A missing piece of the family

Something jumped out at me the last time I heard this parable. I think most people overlook the fact that the lost sheep was actually already a part of the flock before it strayed. The shepherd doesn’t go looking for new sheep to add to the herd. The woman doesn’t go looking for a new coin. The prodigal’s father doesn’t go looking for a new son to adopt. No, all these things were already apart of the family.

“I think most people overlook the fact that the lost sheep was actually already a part of the flock before it strayed. ”

The one sheep was a part of the big group of 100 sheep. The shepherd doesn’t go to bring in someone new, he goes to bring someone back home.

How’s your back door?

I once heard a pastor say “as long as your front door is bigger than your back door, your church will grow.” Basically, it didn’t matter who disappeared from your church as long as you were bringing in at least as many or more people. It would all come out as a wash.

I think this is how many well meaning pastors and churches view the parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son. You might lose a sheep or two, that’s why you go out and find a new sheep to replace the old one. For them, it really isn’t about the sheep. It’s becomes about the number of sheep they have.

I’m not saying that Christians and churches shouldn’t be outward focused, but, maybe we’ve been missing the point a little bit.

The “who” matters

With a fresh perspective of these stories, I think this is precisely what Jesus is teaching against. The religious leaders hated that Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. They wanted Jesus to focus on what they were doing not on who was there. The religious leaders had long stopped caring about the who.

Jesus didn’t care if you were a former pharisee, a tax collector, sinner, or a person of power. Jesus cared about the person in front of him. He cared about people. His focus was not the big crowds…it was on the individuals. He wasn’t about chasing numbers or completing arbitrary goals. He cared about humans whether they already were a part of the flock or not. For Jesus, it never mattered if someone was an outsider or insider. Individual people and their relationship with God is what he really cared about.

Who’s feeling forgotten?

When I was a pastor, I saw a lot of focus on the new and shiny. And sure, welcoming new folks is great. Everyone should be welcome. But what about those who used to be with us and now aren’t? When we talk about growing a church or a community, maybe we’re asking the wrong questions. It’s not about how many we’re adding. It’s about who might be slipping away and feeling forgotten. Are we going out to find them, to help bring them back into the fold?

Here’s the thing: being a pastor, a shepherd, means sometimes you leave the ninety-nine to go find that one. Not to hit a number, but because that one matters just as much. That’s the lesson tucked away in Luke 15, and it’s one we could all stand to remember a bit more whether a church leader or not. Every. Person. Matters.