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This week we are beginning our study of Luke Chapter 15. Please read verses 1 to 10 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 15:3-6 (NIV)
‘Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
Way back in the mists of time, after playing a game of football or rugby, as a lad I was made to wash my boots, dry them and apply ‘dubbin’. I didn’t really know why I was doing it, but since I was told I had to do, I did as I was told. As I got older, I decided not to do it and realised a few weeks later why it was so important.
For anyone under the age of say 30, let me explain what ‘dubbin’ is. It is also known as dubbing wax and is a product intended to soften, condition and waterproof leather. We really had to work hard to protect our boots as I found out. After not applying the dubbin for a number of weeks, I noticed cracks in the leather and my feet were soaked through as a result of not taking care of the leather.
In the modern day, boots are completely different and even though dubbin should still be applied, the manufacturing process is so efficient that it could be argued that it isn’t actually necessary. The leather is also so thin and lightweight that I’m sure that the boots would be damaged or broken long before the leather perishes due to lack of care.
There is also one other factor why dubbin isn’t so prevalent today: we live in a ‘throwaway culture’. It’s easier to get a new pair of boots than it is to take care of the ones that need some attention. If there is an issue with the boots, then many people would throw the old away and get a new pair. This applies to so many areas of modern life. It’s so difficult to find someone who is prepared to look after what they have.
I’m sure that if this parable were to be told in a modern culture, it would be met with a complete lack of understanding. I think we have lost a lot of capacity to care for things as we did years ago. Consumerism has damaged us in a multitude of ways. Why on earth would someone go out of their way to look for just one sheep out of a hundred? It would be so much easier to buy another one. I mean think of how much effort it would take to go searching for the animal? Most people today just would not be ‘bothered’ to do that and would happily pay for a replacement.
Well, the message of this wonderful parable is that the one sheep can’t just be ‘replaced’. It needs to be found, to be loved and cared for. Yes, there are 99 others, but the one that is lost is of great worth to the shepherd and he is willing to pay the price of searching for it.
Jesus is telling us all that this is the attitude we all should have. It’s the ‘norm’ that God expects of us. We are called to care for the lost, to go out of our way in order to find them and then make the extra effort to bring it home.
I ask that we spend some time today thinking about how much effort we’re prepared to make in order to reach the lost. Make this a matter of prayer today because I’m sure that we’ll be challenged in this area in the months to come.
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