Leaving the 99 // Matthew 18:10–14

INTRODUCTION

Illus. Grandpa — where is my mug with the broken handle?

How in the midst of all that clutter did he notice the one seemingly insignificant, broken thing that was missing?

TRANSITION

I often think about that story when I read our passage this morning about God leaving the ninety in order to find the one. If you were with us last week, we looked at the passage just before this where the disciples were arguing about who was greatest in the kingdom. Jesus doesn’t settle the score, but instead pulls over a child and says in v.3 that “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus obviously couldn’t have been telling the disciples they were too old and lame, so they needed to age in reverse to become like children. So what did he mean? He meant that his kingdom belonged to those humble enough to seek him with sincere faith — not those with status or looking for something to gain, but those who have nothing and find in Jesus their everything. He then goes on to speak about his heart for the “little children” who love him, giving a sharp warning to those who would undermine or wound their sincere faith.

In our passage this week, Jesus continues with that same imagery of the “little ones” to tell us about his heart as the Shepherd to protect and keep each one of his people.

Let’s take a look at the passage together…

Matthew 18:10–14 CSB

“See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

What I want you to see in our passage this morning is God’s heart and compassion for the weak and wandering sheep. I want you to see that…

Big Idea: God leaves the ninety-nine because is a Shepherd to every “one.”

God’s heart for the “one”

God’s pursuit of the “one”

God’s rejoicing over the “one”

EXPOSITION // Matthew 18:10-14

ONE // God’s Heart for the “One”

Matthew 18:10 CSB

“See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven.

“Little ones” — defined in the passage we studied last week

Like children → sincere and simple faith; those who aren’t trying to flex their own status or become someone, but who instead have made Jesus their all in all

Angels ≠ grandad up in heaven watching over me

God’s heavenly army entrusted to care for God’s beloved sheep

God saying → if you want to go after the sheep, you have to go through the Shepherd

Warning — to those who carelessly wound the faith of others

Comfort — to those who unnoticed and far from God.

The Shepherd abides with you and keeps you… even when you feel small and insignificant… even when you feel unnoticed… even when you feel overwhelmed and helpless.

Doesn’t mean harm will never come, but it does mean that the Shepherd who loves you will never let anything come to pass that isn’t for good.

TWO // God’s Pursuit of the “One”

Matthew 18:12 CSB

What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?

God’s pursuit → his love is not theoretical; it takes shape in his willingness to leave the ninety-nine to go after the one

Points to something fundamental in this sheep/Shepherd dynamic

Sheep metaphor ≠ compliment → sheep are dumb animals. They need the shepherd to not walk into harm it seems like they should know to avoid.

Little children wander like sheep — Context is one who belongs to the fold, but has been lured away by temptation or perhaps wavered in their faith. It’s possible for us to have known the love and care of God, yet to choose something else, even that which we know will not satisfy and will bring us harm.

Illus. Graham asking for things… again?!

We might think of God this way → that each time we wander, God rolls his eyes and gets up out of his seat to begrudgingly rescue us because he made a promise that he has to keep.

Passage points to a better truth God → God’s love is the kind of love that would lead him to leave the ninety-nine to find the one every time.

Doesn’t mean he would intentionally endanger the ninety-nine; God is big enough to care for these sheep and more.

Means that God loves each one of us enough to personally pursue and draw us close, even when we’re doing more to deny that love than we are to accept it.

Application: Personal nature of God’s love → sometimes tempting to believe God’s love is for everyone but me; this passage confronts this notion head on to tell us that even in our struggling, doubt, and disbelief, God cherishes us.

THREE // God’s Rejoicing over the “One”

Matthew 18:13–14 CSB

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

When a sheep is rescued → God rejoices.

Like the brothers of the prodigal son story (next week!) — you might think it’s not fair that God would rejoice and throw a party for the one who was squandering what he had been given. What about those of us who didn’t wander?

Passage confronts two things: 1) probably none of us are totally unlike the sheep or wayward son, 2) God’s love is sufficient for those who wander and those who remain in his love.

Rescue of the wanderer → fullness of God’s love and saving work expressed

God’s will → the little ones perish will not perish

Doesn’t mean they won’t → God has made us humans with free will

There are seeds sown along the path that will be snatched up by the enemy or squashed out by temptation (Matt 13)

People do depart from God after having “tasted and seen” — 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.”

God’s heart is continually towards rescue —1 Timothy 2:3–4 “This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

APPLICATION

Comfort for Wandering and Weak Sheep — the difficult, can’t seem to get it right, habitual sinner, socially awkward, unloved, etc.

Call to become like the shepherd in seeking the “one” — that includes people who are difficult, who expend your inner resources, and who take a long time to get things right

CONCLUSION