"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." Matthew 18: 12-14
Recently, David and I traveled with a group on a bus trip to Holland, Michigan. We were two of forty-eight passengers, besides the driver, Linda, and the escort, Russ. Every time the group reboarded after a stop, the escort made a careful count of the passengers.
As Russ passed my seat, I ventured to inquire, "Does the bus ever leave if one is missing?" to which he vehemently responded, "Never!"
His persistent counting of heads reminded me of the Lord Jesus. As the Chief Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, He is no less conscientious than our tour escort as He minds the sheepfold.
As I pondered this within the above scripture, it occurred to me that the lost sheep is a believer who had wandered away from the faith. To illustrate this, if a passenger had been missing from our bus, Russ would not have gone out and grabbed anybody from the street corner to fill the seat. No, he would, of course, make a careful search for the one who held the ticket to ride. No passenger is forced to get on the bus; they come willingly.
To be a passenger on the bus to eternal life, the ticket price has been paid for by the blood of the Shepherd Himself, who laid down His life for us. To board the bus, one must leave his life of sin by accepting the free ticket and riding in the direction God takes him. And if he should wander off, the Escort will make a careful search for him, not leaving without him!
I have been riding God's bus for many years now and I love it. The Driver knows the way like the back of his hand. The passengers are protected from harm. We are well fed and cared for tenderly. The scenery is always changing and the destination promises to be more than we could ever imagine. The fellow passengers are friendly, and there's plenty of room for more to join us.
The door is open! Come on!
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10
"The Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
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