Have you ever noticed Jesus’ focus on just one person in this story?

Think about it, the teaching text says that there were a “great number” gathered around this pool. But we have no record of Jesus engaging with any of the other people here, performing any other miracles, or teaching any other lessons.

We see Jesus preaching to crowds, feeding thousands in other places, but this story is about a one-on-one encounter that changed everything for this man.

I want to welcome you to our new teaching series called For One.

Throughout this series we will seek to know and understand the power of the Lord’s one at a time pursuit of people. Our goal is not only that we would know the stories, but that we would adopt Jesus’ one at a time approach in our lives.

Often our focus is on the many. Our nation, our community, our family, and to be sure, that is a good thing. But the goal of this series is that together we will ask the Lord to give us just ONE person that we would pray specifically for. And not just pray for them, but that we would literally interrupt out days, our plans, yes, our lives to see them come to know Christ.

That’s what Jesus did, and we want to join him. We want to be for one, because in the kingdom of God, one is worth it all.

As more and more of “those people” are coming to hear Jesus, the local religious folks begin to voice their disapproval. They don’t think a prophet or a teacher like Jesus should be keeping company with notorious sinners.

God’s prevenient grace was at work drawing people in and not everyone was excited about that. The religious leaders thought he should keep his distance from those people, he certainly shouldn’t be sharing meals with them. But what becomes clear is that they don’t know God’s heart for his poeple.

Rather than a direct rebuke for their self-righteous murmurings, Jesus tells a story to help the religious leaders understand His heart for the one.

The story begins with a man who owns 100 sheep. One of these sheep wonders away, getting lost from the rest flock.

Now from a practical standpoint, this is no big deal. 99% the sheep are still right there, doing fine. But this ONE lost sheep causes the man to take action.

The only explanation for this reckless accounting is that the man LOVES his sheep.

We arent told what the search involves, but we are told how long it takes. Don’t miss that key word of determination in the search: "The man looked for it UNTIL it was found."

This wasn’t a quick look over the ridge, a convenient whistle here and there- whatever it took, however long it lasted, he searched until the sheep was found.

When he finally finds this sheep the shepherd puts the wondering sheep on his shoulders and carries it back to the flock.

When he arrives back home, he calls his friends and neighbors to help him celebrate the safe return of this one sheep. The man literally throws a party to celebrate. All for one sheep who wondered away.


While this makes a compelling and heartwarming farming story, that wasn’t the point. Remember, Jesus is telling this story to make a point.

The tax collectors and the sinners that the religious folks were looking down on, who were murmuring about- they were God’s lost sheep.

Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, was giving his life to go after them. And to the shock and surprise of the pharisees and teachers of the law, there was more rejoicing in heaven over just one them coming home, than any of those who didn’t need rescue.

Friends, what we see in this story is God’s heart for the one.

God sees every lost sheep and his heart is to see them found.
He knows their names, he knows their story, he knows the pain and brokenness they have experienced. God knows his lost sheep, they are his, created in his image. And he wants to see them found, he wants to see you found.

Throughout Jesus’ life we see him pursuing one person at a time. He would change is plans, allow interruptions, and he would go where others wished he wouldn’t. All for one.


Are you ready to join Jesus and his heart for one?