The Unexpected Seeker

“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?"

Luke 15:

About twenty-five years ago, a new way of speaking spread throughout the church. Those whom we used to call "non-Christians" were all of a sudden identified as "seekers." This shift in language was felt to be less alienating, even as it recognized that all human beings have a deep longing for God. Seekers might not know God yet, but they are on the way.

In Luke 15, Jesus uses similar imagery to describe those who are separated from God, but in a surprisingly different manner. In verses 3-7, for example, he paints a picture of a sheep that has strayed from the flock and the shepherd's care. The sheep is not so much a seeker as it is one that is lost. Yet there is a seeker in Jesus' painting. The shepherd! The shepherd leaves the rest of the flock in order to search for the lost sheep. When he finds it, he brings it home and calls together all of his friends so that they might rejoice with him because the lost sheep was found.

Of course, Jesus is not giving a lesson in how to care for a literal flock of sheep. Rather, he is underscoring something essential about God's nature and, therefore, his own kingdom-centered mission. Jesus is also drawing from a gripping description of God found in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 34, the Lord revealed himself as the good shepherd who searches for his lost sheep (vv. 11-12). Jesus represents this kind of God. Indeed, he is this kind of God in the flesh.

Whether we refer to non-Christian folk as seekers or not, we must remember that God is the Seeker extraordinaire. He is the Good Shepherd who seeks those who are lost, including you and me. What an amazing truth this is!

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Do you ever think of God as a seeker? Do you ever think of God as seeking you? How might your life be different if you thought of God as seeking a relationship with you?

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us this picture of the good shepherd. Thank you for helping us see the Father as one who seeks the lost. Thank you for being the primary means by which the Father seeks us.

Thank you, gracious God, for seeking and finding me. Thank you for reaching out to me when I wander away from you even now.

All praise be to you, seeking, saving God! Amen.