Basis for reading:
“And all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to him for to hear him.And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.And he spake this parable unto them, saying,What man among you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he finds it?And when he finds it, he lays it on his shoulders, delighted;And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.I tell you that likewise joy will be in heaven over one sinner who repents more than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.“ Luke 15:1-7
We have always heard this story, in fact, many grew up listening to the song about this story, “One Hundred Sheep”. And we almost throw it at the stray, who has to return to the flock. Well, let’s analyze some simple factors, just valuing the text itself.
First, the reason Jesus told this series of parables was an accusation! Accused of receiving sinners […] Which is an extremely true accusation.
Now what catches my attention is the difference between the lost sheep and the flock, because the text says that this shepherd, upon realizing the loss of this sheep and before setting out on a mission to look for it, he leaves the ninety-nine sheep in a DESERT; Now I don't even need to do a Greek textual exegesis for this word, which in its root means place with little pasture, which in the transliteration only fits desert, we are left with this word – desert.
This goes against any system, because “which man?” is the question, who would be so foolish as to leave a flock in a desert to go after one? It is the antithesis of our mathematics, the famous saying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” It is not taken as divine wisdom, because this shepherd gives the impression of irresponsibility in caring.
It is only at the end of this parable that we discover its interpretation, when Jesus says: “I tell you that likewise there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than for ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance“.
Who then can be declared righteous before God, except God himself declare it, and who can obtain the mercies of God except a repentant heart?
When we seriously read the interpretation given by Jesus himself, the separation of sheep, between the flock and this individuality that we have in Christ, becomes clear. This flock of ninety-nine sheep is the people of self-righteousness, the people who do not need to repent because of their self-declaration of righteousness.
And how do they declare themselves righteous? By law, by religion, by moral practice, by time in the house, by customs, by believing that they have acquired rights in the Kingdom of God through behavioral and philanthropic acts. Therefore, this is the flock that the good shepherd leaves in the desert, they are people gathered together as a flock, but disunited as the body of Christ. they are people who earn their self-declaration of holiness by “shouting”; This flock in the parable was precisely the people of the accusation. “…this man receives sinners…” he was the Pharisee, the religious man, the one who observed rites;
In this flock is Cain, who despises offering to God with heart and truth, thinking that God had the obligation to receive him, only for the act of service rendered; In this flock is the Pharisee who went to the temple to pray, and thanks God for not being like the poor publican, and who also thanks God for not being a person like people: “like other men…”. In this flock of ninety-nine there is one of the sons of a man from another parable in Matthew, who says “yes father, I will go”, and in the end does nothing; In this flock I could be, you could be, you just have to subtract from your heart the truth of who you are, a sinner who desperately needs God’s mercy, as a constant act of repentance.
Based on this, it becomes clear why the poor sheep distanced itself from the flock, the unbearableness of living with people who justify themselves, people without a repentant heart; of living with religion on the outside, forgetting to reconnect within, in Christ; of living only with liturgical appearances, without having the altar of worship inhabited in the heart, and doing so in spirit and in truth. Therefore, the sheep was lost to be found, because whoever loses it will find it, and whoever seeks it will find it. The chief shepherd's search is for repentant hearts.
Proof of this is that in the parable the shepherd does not return with this sheep to the flock, and yes to HOME, do not confuse the hymn with the text of the word of God, do not return to the fold, nor does the shepherd return to that fold, but return home (a place of intimacy), with her on his shoulders (relief of burdens), call friends for a party (dimension of joy in the Gospel), and rejoice. Reason? “I found MY lost sheep” (mark of belonging, never abandons you – “The Father gave them to me, and no one has snatched them out of my hand.”).
All because his heart was repentant.
Don't be a flock of ninety-nine, be ONE sheep that was found by Him, and belong to this Good Shepherd.
What was found,
Fabiano Moreno