Lost, Found, Joy 失而复得
Dexu Xia
Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. Luke 15:6
“They call me ‘the ringmaster.’ So far this year I’ve found 167 lost rings.”
During a walk on the beach with my wife, Cari, we struck up a conversation with an older man who was using a metal detector to scan an area just below the surf line. “Sometimes rings have names on them,” he explained, “and I love seeing their owners’ faces when I return them. I post online and check to see if anyone contacted lost and found. I’ve found rings missing for years.” When we mentioned that I enjoy metal detecting as well but didn’t do it frequently, his parting words were, “You never know unless you go!”
We find another kind of “search and rescue” in Luke 15. Jesus was criticized for caring about people who were far from God (vv. 1–2). In reply, He told three stories about things that were lost and then found—a sheep, a coin, and a son. The man who finds the lost sheep “joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me’ ” (vv. 5–6). All the stories are ultimately about finding lost people for Christ, and the joy that comes as they’re found in Him.
Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” (19:10), and He calls us to follow Him in loving people back to God (see Matthew 28:19). The joy of seeing others turn to Him awaits. We’ll never know unless we go.
By: James Banks
What joy have you seen when people turn to God? How will you point others to Jesus’ love today?
Thank You, Jesus, for finding and loving me! Please send me in Your joy to another who needs You today.
我失去的羊已经找着了，你们和我一同欢喜吧！—路加福音15章6节
我和妻子卡莉在海滩散步时，与一位正使用金属探测器扫描沙滩的老先生闲聊。老先生说：“他们都叫我‘戒指大师’。单在今年，我就找到了167枚人们丢失的戒指。”他还说：“有时戒指上刻有名字，我喜欢看到物归原主时，人们失而复得的欣喜表情。我会在网路上发布，希望有人会联系失物招领处。我曾找到很多被人丢失多年的戒指。”我告诉他，我也喜欢用金属探测器寻找失物，但只是偶尔为之。老先生的临别赠言是：“你若不去寻找，就不会有收获！”
在路加福音15章，我们看到另一种形式的“寻找和拯救”。耶稣因关心众税吏和罪人而遭受非议（1-2节），因此祂用三个失而复得的比喻加以回应，分别是失羊、失钱和浪子的比喻。在5-6节，当那人成功寻得那只走失的羊之后，“就欢欢喜喜地扛在肩上，回到家里，就请朋友邻舍来，对他们说：‘⋯⋯你们和我一同欢喜吧！’”这三个比喻讲述带领失丧的人归向基督，以及将人寻回而得着的喜乐。
耶稣来，是为了“寻找、拯救失丧的人”（19章10节），祂还要我们效法祂去爱他人，领人归向上帝（参阅马太福音28章19节）。领人归向上帝的这份喜乐正等着我们，而我们若不去寻找，就不会有收获！
作者： 庞雅各
你曾看到人们回转归向上帝时，经历了怎样的喜乐？
今天，你会如何带领人认识耶稣的大爱？
耶稣，感谢祢寻找我并且爱我！
今天，让我带着喜乐的心，带领人来认识祢。