One of the things Jesus was criticized for was eating and associating with sinners (Mk. 15:2). Jesus answered that criticism by telling the story of a sheep herder who had 100 sheep. One of the sheep wandered off and the shepherd searched for it and when he found it he was so happy that he called all his friends to share the good news with them.
He concludes the story by stating, “I say this unto you, that even so, there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Don’t get the wrong idea about Jesus, he didn’t eat and associate with sinners just because he liked to hang out with them and appreciated their company.
Whenever Jesus was around sin he addressed the sin.
He had a purpose, he was trying to get sinners to repent and lead righteous lives. They couldn’t repent unless they felt guilt for their sins. They couldn’t feel guilt for their sins unless someone made them feel guilty.
Also don’t get the wrong idea about God… he likes righteous people, but he gets real happy when a sinner turns from his sin and becomes righteous.
I’ll tell you, I feel the most comfortable when I am around righteous people. They are my favorite kind of people to be around. But you know what? There’s not going to be much “joy in heaven” if Christians just hang out with each other. We’ve got to put ourselves in a position to have influence over sinners, because if we can turn them, the folks up in heaven are going to be real happy. Go look for those lost sheep... they're out there.
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