The story of "The Prodigal Son,” in Luke chapter 15, is in fact the core ‘grace story’ of the Bible. The younger of two sons decides he’s had enough of his father’s controlled living so he asks Dad for his share of the inheritance. There are five scenes in the picture of this story: first - the youngest son leaves home, son spends all his money, son ends up homeless, hungry and friendless, son makes his way back home, father welcomes him back – in fact he’s been standing watch for him daily and when he see him coming, he runs to meet him with widely opened arms! To me that’s Amazing Grace. If you’re a parent wouldn’t you do the same, open the doors of your life and home to your child in some way if they had lost their way or gone astray, yet wanted to return home?  So to a parent this story makes sense, especially if your child showed remorse and if they displayed humility as the son in this story displayed.

However also in Luke 15, we see another story that illustrates grace in a different way – it gets me every time I consider it, as it’s redemptive grace personified. However, when it’s held up against our 21^st century worldview, it doesn’t make sense – really! Jesus tells the story about an ordinary shepherd that has a herd of 100 sheep. Then somehow in the night, one of the sheep slips away from the fold and the shepherd can’t find it. Now this shepherd decides to put at risk his 99 obedient and well-behaved sheep. He leaves them in the open country; unprotected from roaming wolves, with the possibility that they could also be lost or injured, and heads off looking for this one lost sheep.

How crazy is that! He puts his livelihood (his sheep herd) completely on the line for this single sheep. What possesses this guy to leave them all, to search for the one sheep that’s gone AWOL; this disobedient and defiant sheep that didn't have enough sense to stay within the group, where it was safe and secure. This rebellious sheep that didn't want to be a part of the fold but to go it alone; this adventurous risk-taking sheep that only wanted to see what was on the other side of the hill and explore new horizons.  Yet the story told by Jesus suggests that this shepherd risks all his 99 other sheep to save the one.

Why would you do that, it makes no sense?

Get this, Jesus says that when this shepherd finds this poor little lost sheep, he picks it up places it around his shoulders and carries it gently back to his home. But it does not stop there - he then calls all his friends and invites them to come over to his place to celebrate and with no thought of expense, He throws a party because of this sheep being found. Have you ever thought like I have, what actually happened to the other 99? We are never told. Like most of you, I have always assumed that they must have been fine - but we’re never told really. However it doesn't matter, as the moral of Jesus’ story is based around the value of the 1 and not the 99.

Now if you and I were measuring the leadership or personal responsibility of this guy and his shepherding role, we would have to say that this shepherd is very irresponsible. He makes reckless decisions, failing to secure his property or investments. His decision to go search out the 1 and put the 99 who stayed at risk is, on the face of things, unintelligent and irresponsible. What he does just doesn't make sense. If the shepherd was my employee, I’d reprimand him or, in fact, fire him for his poor judgment.

However we have Jesus instead explaining his story like this. He says, "In the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." One could almost get the picture here, that in heaven, they get more excited about the wayward than the saints. It appears the righteous don’t excite the angelic throng or lead the angels to sing, shout and dance.

I have come to understand that learning to give grace – like Jesus’ examples in the gospels, is the only thing that saves us from ourselves. So I’ve had to conclude in my Christian walk, that this revolutionary grace stuff doesn't makes sense.  It just doesn't add up!

Revolutionary grace – let’s take hold of it like our very life depends upon it – because, friend, it actually does.

Revolutionary grace – let’s give grace to others as if their life depended on it – because, Christian, it actually does.

Revolutionary grace gives everything it has to help the lost, wayward, errant sheep find their way home.

Revolutionary grace releases people into God’s divine purpose in society and all creation.

Revolutionary grace loves people to the measure that we are loved by Jesus, Romans 5:8.

This is the real Grace Revolution!