Over the last year, the parable of the 1 lost sheep over the 99 safe ones has been referenced multiple times in my life. In two different places, it has been used in church reference as focusing on searching for that one lost sheep. This is an accurate description of the focus of this passage, but for this one I kept feeling like there was more to it. For the last year I attempted to spend some time considering the passage and what was gnawing at me about it. I still probably haven't come to the full idea of it, but after some meditation, I think I found that what was gnawing at me was that it isn't fully about the search, but about the being lost and the journey back.
In both passages, Jesus relates the shepherd to God in the sense of how God actively searches for those who are lost and celebrates with the angels when they have been found, same as how a shepherd celebrates when he finds his lost sheep. The shepherd isn't worried about the other ninety-nine. They are already safe, they are already home. He sees that one lost sheep as so important to risk his life for it. He personally cares for each of his sheep, but the sheep don't always listen and so run away or get lost as they travel. This then leads the shepherd on a hunt for that sheep.
In my opinion there are different levels or depths of being lost. In this case the sheep was simply separated from the main party, either ran away or got lost in the middle of traveling, but there is a sense of relation between physically being lost and mentally, emotionally, intellectually and/or spiritually being lost (lost here being the state of being that can be changed rather than the definite state of absence). The sheep could be far separated from the group, miles away, or could simply be around the next corner of the road. When the shepherd finds the sheep he rejoices. He has found what was once lost, rescued what was in danger. The sheep was alone, wandering in the wilderness. The shepherd then places the sheep on his shoulders to carry back to the group. This, to me, is a beautiful image of care shown by the shepherd.
When there is a newborn lamb into the flock, the shepherd will carry that lamb on his shoulders, singing and speaking to the lamb so that it will remember his voice. For the sheep to get lost, it must have forgotten or not heard its shepherd's voice. When Luke states that the shepherd had placed the lost sheep on his shoulders, I imagine that the shepherd is whispering to the sheep, telling it how much he cares for it, missed it and was afraid for it while it was lost, so that it can become familiar with the his voice again. I also imagine that the sheep must have struggled more than once on its way back. Probably kicked the shepherd in the face a few times trying to get free because it saw the distraction that got it lost in the first place, forgetting its problematic situation a few minutes ago.
It is important to notice that there is no condemnation from the shepherd about the sheep being lost and how hard it must've been to find it again. Instead the shepherd rejoices and calls together his friends and fellow shepherds to celebrate in the finding of his lost sheep. God actively seeks the lost. What got me so much about that idea was that it felt a little too dismissive to those who were already safe.
My prideful self wants to say that I am part of the 99. I'm home, I'm safe, I haven't strayed. But the more I think about it, the more I reflect on myself, the more I become aware of my own lost-ness. I forget what the voice of God sounds like, I get distracted and deviate from the defined course of action (not to say that I know what my course of action is, but that my perception and discernment becomes weaker at certain points and lose track of where I should be). I don't realize that I am actually lost. When I remember this and turn around and seek God, I find Him seeking me. When He finds me, He walks with me back home, or rather in the direction of home. Along the way I see the same distractions and try to follow them again only to start the cycle over. I might be getting closer to home in the long term, but there are some moments where I end up farther than I should before I turn around.
The entire way, there is no condemnation. Instead, God is just emanating love and grace, telling me how much he loves me and wants better for me, celebrating when I am found and hoping for so much better for me.
