As Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built, so are his teachings the unifying cornerstone of Christian doctrine.

The Price of a Sheep

At 2010 Wyoming market prices of $145 per 100 pounds of weight, the average sheep might bring around $100 a head. So, in Luke 15 when Jesus spoke of a shepherd leaving the 99 behind to look for the one lost sheep, he was speaking of a bad investment idea, humanly speaking. He was not leaving the 99 in safety but in the wilderness, vulnerable to predators. The shepherd put $9900 at risk to save $100. A risk to reward ratio of 99:1 is a far higher gamble than sensible business risk takers would be willing to make. Yet, Jesus risked far more for us. The story is in the exaggerated mode of Hebrew parables, which are precisely designed to emphasize a point. Do we appreciate how much God is willing to risk to save each one of us?

No comments: