What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

                                                                                                            Matthew 18:12-14

Today: Read Matthew 18

Does God care about me? It’s a question that we all ask at one time or the other. This question especially surfaces when we are going through incredibly difficult times.

In this passage, Jesus explains the importance of going after those who have gone astray. He equates this to a man who has one hundred sheep. If one of the sheep goes off from the herd, the sheep owner will instinctively go after the one that is lost. It is simply not enough for him to say, “Well, I still have ninety-nine others, I can afford to lose one.” The question Jesus poses is a good one. “Does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” The answer of course is, yes, he would obviously do that. Why? He goes after the lost animal because every one of the sheep is important. The sheep owner does not have to go after the sheep. He is not obligated in any way to rescue the sheep. But he does so because every one of the sheep is important. Mankind is like the sheep. We have all gone astray. But Jesus sees value in every human life, even those committed to rebelling against Him. He loves us in spite of ourselves and is dedicated to the proposition of saving those who will trust Him by faith. And heaven shares this affinity for rescuing mankind.

“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

                                                                                                                     Luke 15:7

Jesus spoke these words after telling the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus says that there will be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. We visualize heaven as an eternal place of joy. But here, Jesus compares the level of joy in heaven as being based on the repentant actions of a wayward person. That is pretty incredible when you stop to think about it. Turning from sin and turning to God spiritually frees us, brings God joy, and all of heaven rejoices with us. He mentions this concept again a few verses later after telling the parable of the lost coin.

“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

                                                                                                                   Luke 15:10 

Does it matter to God whether a person repents? These verses seem to indicate that heaven itself is in celebratory mode every time this happens.

Jesus concludes with a remarkable statement, “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish?” What little ones? If you go back to the beginning of this chapter, you will find the disciples asking Jesus who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. To answer this question, Jesus calls a little child to himself (Matthew 18:2). What Jesus is saying is that God does not wish for any of those precious lives to perish. Do people perish? Of course they do. But it is not the will of God that they perish. Little children grow into adults, but God doesn’t stop caring about us just because we reach a certain age. If He loves us as children, He still loves us into and through adulthood. A passage that has helped me understand the heart of God is found in the Old Testament. In this passage, God is pleading with His people. Like the sheep, they continued to go astray and He was calling them back as an earthly father would invite back a wayward child.

But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

                                                                                                             Ezekiel 18:21-23

God is calling for repentance on the part of the wicked man. He is stating that the man’s decision whether to repent or not is the criteria for God’s actions. Wickedness would lead to death and destruction but repentance would lead to forgiveness and life. Then God poses the question, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” It is rhetorical and the answer is obviously, “no.” God gets no pleasure from seeing someone perish, even the wicked. He goes on to add:

“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

                                                                                                            Ezekiel 18:32

God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. In fact, God continues to remind the wicked to repent so that they can live. This is God’s desire.

Now back to Jesus and the sheep. We all like sheep have gone astray. But God loves us and does not desire that any life perish but that all would come to repentance, so He gave us Jesus. He paid for the sins of all who would come to Him by faith. When a person is saved, God is pleased, the individual is set free, and all of heaven rejoices! Do you see the heart of God?

Does God care about me? The answer is yes! God loves you. Jesus died for you. And it is not the will of the Father that you should perish. Trust in Him today!

There’s room at the cross for you,
There’s room at the cross for you,
Though millions have come, there’s still room for one,
Yes there’s room at the cross for you.

Ira F. Stanphill (1914-1993)