”And He (Jesus, Yehushua) spake this parable unto them, saying . . . . What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that one which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing (ref: Zephaniah 3:14-17) !
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them . . . . Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost ! . . . . Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence (in the midst) of the angels of God over one sinner that repeneteth, and cometh home . . . !” Luke 15:1-10
The Ninety and Nine –
There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold.
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold.
Away on the mountains wild and bare.
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.
“Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
Are they not enough for Thee?”
But the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has wandered away from Me;
And although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep.”
But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night the Lord passed through
Ere He found His sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry,
Sick and helpless and ready to die;
Sick and helpless and ready to die.
“Lord, whence are those blood drops all the way
That mark out the mountain’s track?”
“They were shed for one who had gone astray
Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.”
“Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?”
“They are pierced tonight by many a thorn;
They are pierced tonight by many a thorn.”
And all through the mountains, thunder riven
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a glad cry to the gate of Heaven,
“Rejoice! I have found My sheep!”
And the angels echoed around the throne,
“Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!
Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!”
– Click here to read the full story, a story full of hope, deliverance and restoration !
Seeking the one lost sheep – PDF article
(Hymn words by Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868
and tune by Ira D. Sankey, 1874)