Lost and Found

Matthew 18:10-12 “See you don’t disparage one of these small ones, for I say to you that their angels in the heavens on account of everyone, they see the face of my Father in the heavens. What do you think? If some person birthed one hundred sheep and lost one from them, would he not release the ninety-nine upon the mountain and go seek the one that was led astray?”

Value. Everything and everyone can fall under two categories: valued and not valued, and then, from what perspective? How do I value myself? Value my neighbors as I value myself, the second but equally great command?

God desires that all people should be saved (2 Peter 3:9), and God so valued the world that He gave His only Son in trade for all the sin of the world, that whomever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 with a little paraphrase), the atoning sacrifice once for all (Hebrews 10:10).

Value. All the sheep are valuable, and occasionally, there is the one who strays and needs sought after. What does ‘stray’ look like? What causes the ‘straying?’ Sheep in Christ’s flock are those who have accepted the conditions for ‘membership,’ he renounced himself, his cross is raised and imitate Me (Matthew 16:24). Those learning to imitate Jesus have indebted themselves to walk just as He walked (1 John 2:6), use His Twenty Commands as method to produce His spirit-fruit. The fruit kills two birds with one stone, imitates Jesus and glorifies God (John 15:8).

Valuing God and valuing the neighbors first requires valuing Jesus’ commands, found in His original sermon on the mountainside (Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6-13). Partaking in the Divine-nature (2 Peter 1:4), producing spirit-fruit rather than sins of carnality (Galatians 5:17-23), will establish anyone’s value system, valuing God and the neighbors as the self. In addition, indebtedness to the walk of Jesus creates little opportunity for ‘straying,’ one less person to have to go look for.