Paul was writing to the Church in Rome about unity. The followers of The Way were no longer all Jewish; there were Gentiles as well. The Jews had certain rules that they continued to follow, whereas the Gentiles did not. Paul was encouraging the people to look past their differences and to consider only God, to whom everyone was accountable. Just like in Paul's time, we don't judge between a sinner and someone who is not a sinner; and also following the parables that Jesus gives us today, we go and seek out the lost.

Jesus had been preaching to a large crowd, and He knew that the Pharisees and the scribes were criticising Him for allowing sinners to be present with Him. So, He shared two parables – one of the lost sheep and the other of the lost coin. In both instances, the owner dropped everything else until the lost had been found.

We may find it astonishing that the shepherd left the other sheep to search for the one lost sheep – what if the others had strayed? But this is the way God cares for each one of us. God is not satisfied until all those who do not know God's love find their way to God. Each person is important and there is great rejoicing when a person comes into relationship with God.