Luke 15:1-7 (ESV)
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." [3] So he told them this parable: [4] "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? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] 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.' [7] 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.
Questions to Reflect Upon
1. As a child, when was a time you got lost from your family or a group?
2. Why did Jesus choose a parable about sheep to make His point?
3. In what ways do we go astray?
4. How does the picture of “rejoicing in heaven” over repentance make you feel?
5. How does it feel to return to the fold?
6. Why do you or don’t you go to church?
