What does Luke 15:5 mean?

In the New Testament, tax collectors took money from fellow Jews on behalf of the Roman government. To pay their salary, they were allowed to take extra for themselves. Many were corrupt, and all were hated by their fellow Israelites. The "sinners" in these passages are those considered immoral or irreligious. Such persons have been flocking around Jesus. He welcomes them and willingly eats with them, showing a level of acceptance that the Pharisees find deplorable in someone who claims to teach God's truth (Luke 15:1–2).

In response, Jesus tells three parables about God's desire to forgive and reconcile with those who don't know Him or who have rejected Him. He starts with the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus challenges the Pharisees to imagine themselves as shepherds with a flock of a hundred animals. One of their sheep foolishly wanders off away from safety, food, and protection. How should they react (Luke 15:4)?

In the days surrounding the Babylonian captivity, religious leaders were like shepherds who abused and took advantage of the sheep in their care. The sheep "wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. [They] were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them" (Ezekiel 34:6). That is not God's heart for people who stray. He seeks out the lost. When He restores that one lost person, He rejoices.

This parable is reassurance for the lost. There is no place so dangerous, dark, or tough that God cannot reach in and save you. There is no decision so foolish that God is not willing to rescue you. God will rejoice over every returned soul, including yours.