Both here in Luke and in Matthew 18:12-14, Jesus is teaching the Parable of the Lost Sheep. As was His custom, He was hanging out with “sinners” and the Pharisees were complaining about it. So, to demonstrate His mission here on earth, Jesus pulled from the Old Testament and recounted God’s promise to come and fulfill the shepherding responsibilities that had been neglected by both kings, priests, & scribes. Ezekiel 34:16 tells us, “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed.” And even today, Jesus seeks out the one who has wandered away into the desert, led astray & deceived by the world. For He actively goes after them with compassion, desiring them to turn back to God with a changed heart & mind. And this is when it says there will be great rejoicing Heaven.
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