Luke 15:4-5  “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

            Jesus often taught in parables. A parable is a physical example of a spiritual truth. They were object lessons. In Luke 15, the writer records three parables of Jesus that beautifully described the very essence of God’s love. First, in verse 4, God was not content just with those who were with Him. He desired the return of those who wandered off. His passion for the lost one was so strong that He personally went out and searched for him. God’s passion for the lost motivated Him to send Christ to seek and save the lost ones, Luke 19:10. When Jesus was criticized for eating with sinners, His response was “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” Mark 2:17. 

            The second discovery is that the owner initiated the search. He did not call upon his servants but rather he searched for the lost sheep himself. He had a personal interest in this little animal. God has a personal interest in each of us. Paul reminded Timothy that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” 1Ti 2:4.Later John writes,  “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” 1 John 4:10.

            The third discovery is that when He found the lost one, He rejoiced. Notice Luke 15:7, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. This is the ultimate quest of a loving God.

            In Luke 15:11- 32, we read the parable of the lost son. In his arrogance the son took his inheritance and left his Father. When his money played out and his friends left him, he was left alone and penniless to slop hogs. Then he came to himself and in humility determined to return back to his Father. In this parable the Father did not go out and search for His son. But when the son returned the Father ran down the road to meet and embrace his son. His response demonstrated His desire for His son’s return.

            In these parables one gets a good understanding of the heart of our loving God!