Daily Devotional For Sunday, December 21, 2025
Note: In each devotional where you see only the reference to a Bible passage without the verse (ex. John 3:16), that is a direct link to that passage online. All you have to do is click on that reference and you will be taken to the verse itself. Thank you.
We are making our way through Matthew’s Gospel and today we are going to limit our devotional to just Matthew 18:11-12:
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (12) What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? (13) If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. (14) So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish” (NLT).
Verse 11 is an oddity because it is not found in most of the earliest manuscripts. This is why many translations leave it out but if they include it, they give you a heads-up about this. Some scholars think it may have been encouraged by the words in Luke 19:10 so that it served to bridge the gap between Matthew 18:10 and Matthew 18:12-14. In Luke 19:1-10 words are used to describe Zaccheus who was lost, but then found.
Both Matthew and Luke give us this story, but each tells it differently. In Luke’s context, the words were addressed to the religious leaders who always objected to Jesus’ dealings with undesirables and the unclean (such as Zacchaeus, a tax collector). In Luke’s account, we are told the sheep is “lost”; in Matthew’s account, the sheep has “gone astray.” Here, unlike Luke’s account, Jesus was addressing not His opponents (the religious leaders) but His disciples. Jesus reminds them that God’s care extends to each of His “little ones” (here portrayed as sheep). If a sheep should go astray from the flock, God, like a protective shepherd, will go in search of the one that went astray. God is concerned about every single genuine believer and will actively go in “search” of those who have “gone astray” (meaning they are no longer in a right relationship with Him, or they are heading toward false teaching, or they are heading down a dangerous path in life, or are falling into sin).
For sheep that go astray, once found, it is a time for celebration. But the search for this lost sheep is not at the expense of the remaining sheep. For this shepherd to leave the 99, does not mean he leaves them unprotected to predators. There would have been other shepherds, but one of them goes and searches for that lost sheep, leaving the remaining sheep under the protection of the other shepherds.
The point is God the Father does not want any of His genuine sheep to wander off from Him. A sheep that does not want to be “found,” will face horrible consequences for this. What wonderful love from God the Father to do everything He can to get His straying sheep to return to Him. He also wants other believers to be part of this as well. This is why community groups, small groups, are essential to the church. If someone stops coming, then it is the responsibility of the other group members to go search for them and to get them to return. Wandering away from the faith is an easy sin to commit. I know numerous Christian parents who raised their children in the Christian faith only to painfully see their children later in college for example walk away from their faith and replace it with their own subjective and relative morality.
No telling how many people have done this in church and it is easy for the rest to write them off, neglect going after them and only be concerned about reaching others for Christ. Jesus challenges such self-centered attitudes. In Jesus’ day, shepherds were known for their tenacity and determination to find a lost sheep, a wandering sheep or an injured sheep. To those of us in the church, we must see this as a priority, not an annoyance or nuisance. This must become our priority and passion.
Spiritual children are like literal children. At each stage of their spiritual development and growth, it can be joyous and it can be irritating. Just like when your child learns to say “Mama, Dada” versus when they learn to say “NO!” Each age of childhood has its joys and trials. The same is true with spiritual children. In case you forgot yesterday’s devotional, Jesus says membership in His Kingdom belongs to those who humble themselves like children. Children are dependent on their parents and we are to be the same with our heavenly Father.
Jesus' words about sheep and shepherds reminds us of Psalm 100:3. It reminds us of Psalm 23:1. God is often compared to a Shepherd over His sheep in the Old Testament: see Isaiah 40:11, Genesis 49:24, Numbers 27:17, John 10:11, 14, Micah 5:2, 4 and Hebrews 13:20. The Scripture sometimes calls God’s leaders shepherds over their flock (see 1 Peter 5:1-5). 2 Samuel 5:2 is a reference to David as a shepherd over God’s people and nation. On Monday, we will continue looking at this because lostness is a deep concern to God the Father. Even if it is not to us, it must be due to the horrible consequences.
Assignment: Think about all the people you have known that were in the flock of sheep and then for whatever reason, you never saw them again. What was your personal reaction? Did you go search for them or did you think, “Well, it’s their decision and none of my business?” Do you consider it a waste of time, energy, and resources for you personally to go find that lost or wandering sheep? If not, then what has kept you from doing that?
Scripture To Meditate On: Ezekiel 34:12, “I will be like a shepherd who looks everywhere to find his lost sheep. I will find them and I will rescue them. I will bring them back from the places that they have run away to” (ESY).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when I have turned a blind eye to those who have abandoned or left the faith. Give me a heart for them. Give me the desire to go find them and help them return to You. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly