“All humanity winds up in a taxi at one point or another.” – Dorothea Benton Frank, American author
I just love that line from one of her novels. All of us, at least once in our life, have gotten lost. We took a wrong turn, or we weren’t paying attention, or we just didn’t know where to go next. Maybe we were running away, or perhaps we were returning home – anxious, excited, scared, alone. We’ve all sat in the back seat of that taxi, in an unfamiliar place, dependent on a driver who probably doesn’t speak our language very well, waiting to be taken somewhere. Suddenly our status, our money, our past – none of that seems to matter sitting in the back seat of a taxi. We are all the same, wanting to belong, wanting to go somewhere, trying to figure out the secret, or if there really is one.
Jesus said his parables contain “the secret of the kingdom of God”. (Mark 4:11)
And the parable he told about the lost sheep touches us all. It describes God’s greatest desire and love for us. It is a child who returns, a heart that repents, a voice crying out to God, and someone to lead us safely home.
Matthew 18:10-14 ~ The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Jesus said, “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. [For the Son of Man has come to save the lost.]
What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, I assure you: He rejoices over that sheep more than over the 99 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.”
The overall theme throughout the entire Bible shows God seeking out his children and bringing them back to him. When Jesus came, he continued that same theme of His Father. Jesus did not make it difficult with a long list of rules to follow, or require that we have everything figured out first or make sure our house was all in order. Jesus simply said, “Follow Me.” Accept My Grace. And I will show you the way.
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
