Luke 15:1-7 Finding the Lost Sheep
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: September 28, 2018 Luke 15:1-7
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Something about Jesus attracted the outcasts. Partly it was that they longed to be part of a group, and Jesus accepted them, but it was also something more. They had rejected the life prescribed by the Pharisees. Maybe it was to support their families. Maybe, it was an accident of fate. Maybe, they looked at the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and decided that God was not there. Maybe, they were born to a situation where they were first rejected. Regardless of why they had rejected the standards of the Pharisees, they still felt a need for something more. The God of their fathers still called to their hearts, and in Jesus, they saw the God that they longed for. They listened to His humble teaching that was filled with power and believed that they could be whole.
(Understanding the Text) The Pharisees and scribes were always finding something to accuse Jesus of. They had already decided that He needed to go. This was one more in a long list of criticisms; however, even if Jesus had not been on their bad side, they would have criticized Him for associating with sinners. That was a step too far for even someone they liked.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Jesus was upending the Jewish society right and left. He broke their Sabbath rules, their washing rules, and their rules of who to associate with. He disrupted their economy by throwing the moneychangers out of the temple. He called them hypocrites and told them that they needed to invite the poor and crippled into their houses for Sabbath blessings. He should have been flattened by all the devices they used to oppose Him, but instead, His popularity kept growing and growing.
We are the lost sheep. Jesus left His 99 in the other worlds out there and gambled everything in the universe on His ability to find and save us. What’s more, the other citizens of the universe agreed and rejoiced that we could be brought back to the fold. Everyone of us who choose to leave our rebellion and turn away from separation from God is cause for rejoicing by all of heaven.
(Understanding the Text) A lot of people say that the last line “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” is a dig at the Pharisees because they did not feel the need of repentance and thought themselves righteous. Since we are all sinners their righteousness was a false righteousness, but I’m not sure that is an application we can make here. Jesus refers to joy in heaven, so I think the 99 are the other worlds out there who have not sinned and are truly righteous. I could be wrong.
When Jesus came home from the earth, there was rejoicing in heaven to have their beloved back from the grave and the horror that was life here, but I think there was also rejoicing for us. I think at least the angels of heaven love us and care for rescue, if only because one of their own was the instigator of our demise. I also think that they have to be the opposite of the fallen beings who love to torment us here on earth. As such, they must be loving and generous. They have a stake in saving us. However, I’m sure that the others in the universe must also be cheering us on hoping that as many will be saved as possible. They have not fallen, so they have to be as far from our self-centered selfish human hearts as possible. Thus, they must be loving and generous also.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that Jesus loves me and considers me important enough to come rescue. He is willing to carry me to safety. I need to rejoice that He loves others just as much and believe that He is actively searching and rescuing others of His lost flock. I pray to help in that rescue. Guide me to the people You want me to reach and give me the words and actions to reach them.