URC Daily Devotion for 4-02-2026

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.  “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.

Reflection

In Luke’s version of this passage the focus is on the shepherd losing one of the sheep (Luke 15: 4).    Matthew places the emphasis on one of the sheep wandering away (Matthew 18: 12).   Whereas Luke’s readers might have empathy for the shepherd in their loss of a sheep, Matthew’s readers could conclude that the sheep does not deserve being looked for as it had chosen to “go astray” (NRSV) so the shepherd does not need to bother.   The temptation to blame others for their misfortune is real and compelling;  the challenge to consider and act on how we might respond with compassion and urgency is uncomfortable and something we may prefer to resist.
 
Jesus spotlights the innate worth of the “little [insignificant] ones” – those we regard as not worth worrying about:  they have angels who see the face of God.    Jesus is clear:  99 out of 100 is not enough in the purposes of the God whose heart is for the least and the lost.   God’s unconditional love extends to all of the 100:

… not just the ones who remain within the fold but also those who wander off …
… not just the ones who get it right …
… not just the ones who are like us …
 
At the heart of today’s gospel reading is the God whose heart is for the lost;  the God who does not recognise our categories of “in” and “out”, “deserving” and “undeserving”.   God reaches out to those who wander off and in Jesus embodies the commitment to finding the lost – even if, even when, they wander off.  God goes to the extreme bounds of love – love on the Cross – to demonstrate that God’s heart is for the lost, the last, the least.
 
This God shames our attempts at blaming others for wandering off and invites us to be more God-like in our efforts at searching, finding and embracing the “little ones”.
 
Prayer

Shepherd God,
I thank you that when I am lost
your love seeks me out and finds me.
Spare me from the temptation
to ignore those who are lost
on the grounds that it is their fault;
and fill me with a love like yours
that is prepared to go to any length
in order that all may know your love.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.