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Today is a very special Shabbat known as Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. The word Shuvah in Hebrew refers to two types of “turning”: physical turning and spiritual turning. Spiritual turning connects to the Hebrew word Teshuvah, which means repentance. Teshuvah describes our turning away from our sins and returning to the Lord. We observe this special Sabbath of repentance because it represents the main theme of the High Holidays, especially Yom Kippur.

When we think about repenting from our sins, it often feels very uncomfortable. I personally do not enjoy thinking about all the ways I have made mistakes in my life, and I suspect the same is true for you. Acknowledging our sins is uncomfortable, and we often feel ashamed and depressed because of them. I think we often imagine this is the “proper” way to repent.

But repentance involves more than just “feeling bad” or being remorseful. Repentance should also create joy. We experience joy because of the restoration that comes with turning back to the Lord. We rejoice that God’s power has transformed our lives. So if your ideas about repentance only involve feeling depressed and ashamed, then you are missing an important part of the Bible’s teachings on repentance.

One place that powerfully teaches about the joy of repentance is Luke 15. The entire chapter contains parables teaching us about this special kind of joy. Interestingly, these parables come after Luke 14, which ends on a powerful teaching about the cost of being a disciple of Messiah Yeshua. Following Messiah Yeshua is costly. We will lose the respect of this world and many of the people in this world who have chosen to reject the Lord. But we move from this difficult teaching in Luke 14 to the joy of Luke 15, which is not a coincidence.

This morning, we will examine Luke 15:1-7, the parable of the Lost Sheep, and study this parable’s message on the joy of repentance. The central idea of this parable is that when we experience God’s desire to find us in our sins, His joy transforms us into disciples filled with eternal joy.

We begin with verses 1-2, which provide the context for this parable.

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The audience for this parable consists of two very different groups of people. First are the tax collectors and sinners. Others in their community despised these people for their behavior, and they desperately needed repentance. Verse 1 tells us that they were all drawing near to the Lord. This is not surprising to read because large crowds of people had been following Messiah Yeshua. Earlier in Luke’s gospel, we read how Yeshua miraculously fed thousands and performed many other amazing miracles.

But verse 1 contains one surprising and important point. This group of sinners drew close to Messiah Yeshua not for a miraculous meal or healing. They were getting close to Him because of His teaching. The message Messiah Yeshua had been sharing was difficult to hear. It was a message about how desperately they needed to turn away from their sins and turn back to the Lord. How they were sinners, not in a right relationship with the Lord and needed to repent. But His words drew them; they wanted to hear the words that gave eternal life.

In contrast, we have our second group, the Pharisees. The Pharisees cared deeply about God and following Him with purity and holiness. They passionately taught other Jewish people that they needed repentance as well. The Pharisees would agree that the sinners and tax collectors needed some intense Teshuvah. But this repentance needed to be done “properly,” with social decorum at a distance. In their view, a Rabbi should not welcome sinners and certainly should not eat with them. So the Pharisees grumble, upset at the actions of these sinners and Yeshua. They have the opposite attitude of the sinners; they do not draw close to the Son of God but keep a greater distance, physically and emotionally.

Jewish tradition at this time was to keep distance from those who were known sinners and considered unclean. Both the Pharisees and Yeshua have a standard of righteousness, but differ in their attitude toward sinners and their willingness to go where those who need them are.

If we imagine a sanctuary like this one, the Pharisees would agree that these sinners needed to be told to repent, but they should make sure to come to a formal service like this one and maybe not get too close to the front.

But these sinners and tax collectors want to be in the front, they want to hear Yeshua’s message. The Gospel was stronger than social norms that would have kept them away from a righteous Rabbi. Messiah Yeshua welcomed them to draw close and learn. He invites them to the front of the room; they don’t have to hide in the back. This is because He focused on their repentance, on their hearing His message. Yeshua draws people to repentance because He is willing to go to them wherever they are and genuinely wants to be with them.

With this mixed audience of Pharisees and known sinners, Yeshua tells them a parable to teach everyone about our attitude towards those who are lost and the joy of repentance.

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

The main character of this parable is a shepherd. This is a dirty and difficult profession that many other people look down upon. The Pharisees would especially dislike shepherding because of how unclean it was. Yet we are asked to imagine ourselves as a shepherd with 100 sheep, and one is missing. The way Yeshua asks his question makes it clear that His audience can easily answer it. Both these sinners and Pharisees know that if you have a missing sheep, you go out and look for it. Not only do you look for it, but you do not stop until you find the sheep. Notice it isn’t “Look for a few minutes” or “until we get tired and annoyed.” We look for the sheep no matter how long it takes.

Why would a shepherd put in so much effort to find one lost sheep? Because it is precious to him. We spend time searching for things that are precious, like lost coins, the theme of the parable after this one in Luke 15. Or to put it in a modern context, if you lose your wedding ring in your house, are you going to look for it? Are you going to spend a lot of time looking for it, tearing apart the entire house until you find it? Of course, you will, because of the physical and emotional value of that ring.

So the sheep matters because it has worth. It also matters because it belongs to the shepherd; it is part of his flock. Just because this sheep has made the bad decision to wander away does not mean it is no longer worth looking for. Make a note of this point because we will return to it soon.

These verses also contain another straightforward but profound lesson. The shepherd does not wait for the sheep to come back. The shepherd does not tell himself, “Well, this sheep made a bad decision, so now it has to deal with the consequences; I am not going to help.” He also does not say, “I will help the sheep but only if it is where I want it to be.” This is a good shepherd who goes out to where the lost sheep are and brings them back to safety. This is a metaphor for the work of Messiah Yeshua, rescuing the lost sheep of Israel and the entire world. The Pharisees know they should be going out for the “lost sheep” as well, those who have strayed from righteousness. But their unwillingness to go where these people are reveals their own sinfulness.

Now it is easy to criticize the Pharisees, who would have seen themselves as spiritual leaders. But the truth is that shepherding is difficult work. It’s dirty, exhausting, and sheep can be ungrateful. Human beings are like sheep (don’t blame me; I am just quoting Isaiah 53). We each wander off on our own and then convince ourselves we are not lost at all. It is like in a horror movie when people get lost on a road and then convince themselves they are not lost before something terrible happens. Shepherding people is very difficult work. But as followers of the Lord, we are called to be shepherds as well, sharing the words of Messiah Yeshua that rescue those who are lost wherever they are.

When we think of our own spiritual journey or the testimony of others, we see our Lord is at work in the most unlikely of places. The Lord has reached out and saved people in many places besides a Church or Synagogue. He has rescued the lost from drug dens, cheap motels, bars, prisons, and every other kind of place on Earth. The Lord finds us wherever we are, while we are still lost.

He also sends His people throughout the Earth to preach His words of salvation based on His atonement and our repentance. Our attitude towards sharing the Good News should be the same as the Lord’s, which the next two verses explain.

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

Notice how the story goes immediately from looking for the lost sheep to finding it. The story doesn’t focus on how long it took to find the sheep or how the sheep should have known better. The lost sheep has been found, and now it is time to celebrate. It is also interesting how the sheep needed to be carried back. The sheep was completely dependent on the shepherd to be saved. With its own strength, it was very good at getting lost, but being saved required complete dependence on the shepherd. The shepherd is not upset that he must carry the sheep but is full of joy to do so.

This joy is not just for the lost sheep and the shepherd but also for all those who are connected to the shepherd, his friends, and family. He invites everyone to rejoice with him that he has found his lost sheep. It is not a question in these verses, but it is expected that everyone else will be excited and happy for the shepherd. In the same way, if a friend told you they spent all day looking for their wedding ring and finally found it, you would be happy for them as well.

There are different levels of joy. Finding five dollars in your pants pocket is different from finding a lost $500,000. A missing ring being found is different from finding a missing pet or your child, especially if they have been missing for weeks or years. The more precious and lost someone is, the more joy when they are found. To call everyone together to celebrate finding your missing sheep represents a whole lot of joy. In real life, there probably would have been a party celebrating this event.

At this point, you, like Yeshua’s audience, probably understand the deeper meaning of this story. We are not really talking about sheep; we are talking about people. People who are not physically lost, but spiritually lost, and need to turn back from a dark path. Messiah Yeshua makes it all clear in the final verse of the parable.

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

When we think about heaven, we often think about it as a place of solemn holiness or beautiful and tranquil worship. But heaven is also a place filled with joy. In Revelation 4, the Apostle John receives an amazing vision of heaven. He sees the Lord on His throne, splendid and majestic. We are told of twenty-four elders, four living creatures, and we know numerous angels surround the Lord. In this place of power, wonder, and majesty, filled with beings we can barely imagine, everyone celebrates, everyone rejoices, including the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, over one sinner who repents. Just one person is enough of a reason for heaven to celebrate. The response to our repentance in heaven is joy, not sadness. Why? Because the Lord desires everyone who is spiritually lost to be rescued and restored.

So, when you became a disciple of Messiah Yeshua, when you were rescued from spiritual darkness, all of heaven, including the Lord, rejoiced. Not just a little joy, but joy beyond what we experience on Earth. Maybe you have had the privilege of seeing a close family member or friend come to the Lord. Their journey was probably complicated, a bit messy, and maybe even a bit aggravating. I imagine you had a whole lot of joy when they finally became a disciple. God and heaven had even more joy than that.

But what about the other 99 sheep? Does the Lord care about them? He does because they are also part of His flock. The Lord has joy for them too, but it’s different from the joy at someone’s return from spiritual darkness. Sheep have friends in their flocks, and if animals can be joyful over the return of someone who was lost then how much more joyful can we be as human beings? If we are part of Messiah Yeshua’s “flock”, His community of Jews and Gentiles, then we should also celebrate with joy when another person is rescued from their sins.

On this Shabbat Shuvah, we have seen how our teshuvah, repentance, is more than just our sorrow or shame. Repentance is not trying to do good deeds to make ourselves right and convince God we are worthy of eternal life. This parable shows that repentance begins with being found by the Lord, the Good Shepherd, who, in His love and joy, has never stopped searching for us.

The sheep did not earn the shepherd’s rescue. They were rescued because they were precious, precious enough that they were even carried home. They did nothing to save themselves but accept the shepherd’s gift of mercy. That same gift of mercy is available to every human being. Each of us can be saved by the Lord from being lost in our sins and brought back to our real home with Him.

As we consider this teaching on Shabbat Shuvah, the lesson is different depending on where we find ourselves today. Maybe you feel overwhelmed, lost in darkness and pain, with no idea where to go. Perhaps you even feel you are not worth searching for, that you do not matter to anyone, especially God. If this is you, then let me tell you the truth, the truth found in God’s Word and this parable. The Lord has declared that you are worth searching for. In fact, the Lord will not rest until you and everyone else that He is calling are found. The Lord is here right now, ready to pick you up and carry you to His place of Shalom, wholeness, completeness, and peace. We experience it in a small way here on Earth, but we will experience the ultimate joy of the Lord’s care in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

If you are ready to ask the Lord to take you home, to experience the joy of teshuvah, the joy of repentance, He is willing and able to do so right now. When you do so, when you pray to Messiah Yeshua and ask Him to rescue you, then all heaven rejoices. There is an outpouring of joy. The kind of joy that you can’t help but celebrate, the joy that calls for an amazing party. We will celebrate with you because you are surrounded by people who have been where you are right now, people who have been lost, and know what it is like to be found.

If you have already been rescued by the Lord, then we are reminded in this parable that we must shepherd like Messiah Yeshua. Each one of us is an assistant shepherd, called to help lead those who are lost back to the light of God through His words, which bring life. We are to invite everyone to draw close to the Lord. No matter who they are or where they are, we are meant to go and share His Good News with those who are in desperate need of it. We need to pray and reach out to those whom the Lord has put on our hearts who are still wandering in darkness.

Finally, there is a lesson in this parable for our community. Our congregation has a choice; we can grumble and keep our distance from those who need the Lord’s grace. Or we can follow the example of Messiah Yeshua, doing the hard work of going to the lost, wherever they are, and being servants who help in bringing them home. Our congregation can be a place where sinners are invited to sit in the front rows. A place where every person who wants to hear the words of Messiah Yeshua can. In our community they will hear all the words of Messiah Yeshua, the full Good News. Hearing how they are lost, but also the only way they can be found and saved.

Our community should be welcoming to those who are lost because the truth is, each of us was once that lost sheep. Everyone here wandered into darkness, and we were all carried back by the Lord. Our community must be a place where we declare God’s amazing grace that saved someone as lost as me and you. That once we were lost, but now we have been found, was blind but now we see.

May this Shabbat Shuvah be more than just turning away from sin, but also a turning towards the joy of the Lord, the joy of repentance. May each of us experience the joy of being loved, searched for, found, and celebrated by the Lord and all His angels in heaven. May each of us share this message of joy with everyone who is lost and celebrating that every day more people are being found and rescued.