Luke 15:1-7
It’s such a simple story. A shepherd discovers one of his sheep is
missing. So, he searches until he finds
it. It’s a story that probably played
out hundreds of time in the Judean countryside.
Yet, when Jesus told the story, it changed the way men and women looked
at God! And, for us Christians, it can
change the way we look at the world around us.
This beautiful little story Jesus
told begins with a snobbish criticism made by his enemies. Picture them looking down their noses and
sneering, “He takes in sinners and eats
meals with them, treating them like old friends.”
Jesus responded by saying, “You got
that right!” You see, their criticism
was on the mark. Jesus was doing just
what they said he was doing. He was
treating sinners like they mattered. As
such, he became a model for us.
From Jesus’ shepherd we learn how to
deal with the “lost sheep” we encounter.
What lessons can we learn from this shepherd?
The Shepherd Knew the Danger Lost Sheep Face.
The countryside of Judea was no
peaceful land where there were no dangers.
It was full of danger and few animals were as vulnerable to those
dangers as a sheep. The terrain itself
posed dangers. Food and water was
scarce; a sheep could die without a
shepherd who knew where there was sufficient grass and hidden springs of
water. There were deep ravines and high
cliffs. A single misstep could send the
sheep plunging to its death or cripple it so that I became prey for scavenging
animals. Those animals included wolves,
hyenas, wild dogs, and the occasional bear or lion. A lost sheep wouldn’t last long. The shepherd knew this. He had probably found the torn, battered,
carcasses of those unlucky sheep that weren’t found.
Jesus understood the lost sheep he
sought were in even graver danger. They
faced eternal jeopardy. We have largely
shied away from the term “lost” in our churches. Maybe that’s good because when some of us use
“lost” we seem to imply that we were naturally too morally upright to ever get
lost, despite Isaiah’s declaration, “All we like sheep have gone astray….”
We prefer the less threatening
“unchurched.” I’m not sure that’s an improvement. It certainly isn’t less confusing. Honestly,
when we’ve been dealing with some of the nonsense that goes on in churches,
some of us wouldn’t mind so much being among the unchurched. The greater danger is that we begin to think
that just being in church fixes the lostness problem. In doesn’t
Paul describes that situation in
Ephesians. He wanted his readers to
recall their spiritual situation before they came to Christ. This is what he says:
…you were
dead, through the crimes and the sins which used to make up your way of life
when you were living by the principles of this world, obeying the ruler who
dominates the air, the spirit who is at work in those who rebel.
We too were all among them once, living only
by our natural inclinations, obeying the demands of human self-indulgence and
our own whim; our nature made us no less liable to God's retribution than the
rest of the world.
Paul would later describe the
situation as being “without hope and without God.” Until
God acted we faced the certainty of eternal separation from him.
The danger faced by those outside of
Christ ought to compel us to join the search for lost sheep. It isn’t a very popular notion right
now. We prefer to think there is no real
danger for those who spurn Christ’s claims, no peril for those whose faith is
in their own good works rather than in the work of Christ. But that peril moved Christ into the
wilderness of our world to find lost sheep like us.
The Shepherd Knows Every Lost Sheep is Valuable.
In the late nineteenth century a
popular hymn/ballad based on this parable depicted a dialogue between the
shepherd and his co-workers. The
co-workers couldn’t understand his concern.
“Lord,
Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
Are
they not enough for Thee?”
But
the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has
wandered away from Me.
And
although the road be rough and steep,
I
go to the desert to find My sheep.”
Jesus’ attitude toward the notorious
sinners of his society was revolutionary.
The religious people of his day would regard such people with
contempt. They would give them wide
berth as if they could be contaminated by coming too close. In fact, some of them believed they could be
contaminated.
Jesus scandalized his critics by
hanging around with all the wrong people.
He discussed theology with tarts.
He did lunch with swindlers. He
touched the untouchable. He was the
saintliest man in the world and the sinners loved him.
They knew that even though most
thought of them as trash in the gutter, this Man didn’t. He treated them with respect, actually
listening to them. In a world where
there was always someone to tell them how they had failed God, he told them God
loved them.
If we would follow the example of
this shepherd, we’ll resist the impulse to isolate ourselves from those who are
so rough around the ages you’re afraid you’ll get scratched if you get too close. Instead, we must learn to see everyone as
valuable, as worth the effort to reach seek them.
The Shepherd Knows Finding Lost Sheep Can Be Demanding.
Lost sheep seldom find
themselves. We don’t know if Bo Peep listened to her friends’
counsel that she could leave her lost sheep alone and they’d come home? This shepherd wouldn’t think of it. He was willing to go back into the dark night
until he found that lost sheep. He would
face the cold until he found that sheep.
He would go hungry until he found that sheep. He would go sleepless until he found that
sheep.
Jesus didn’t elaborate but it seems
pretty clear the shepherd didn’t find the sheep a couple dozen yards down the
road sleeping peacefully under a bush.
Finding that sheep demanded effort .
Unless we get into mission work, most
of us won’t have to worry about lions and cobras in the bushes when we go after
the “lost sheep” in our neighborhoods.
Still, pursuing lost sheep can be demanding.
It demands our time and our
energy. It may demand we expand our
comfort zones. It may demand we
associate with “those” people. It may
demand we risk being embarrassed and misunderstood. It may demand we occasionally say things
like, “I was wrong,” “I don’t know,” or “You could be right.”
In his story of the searching
shepherd, Jesus never says, “Ironically, that ‘lost’ sheep was found in the
sheep pen.” Of course, spiritually
speaking, lost sheep can sometimes be found in our churches, but we make a
mistake if that’s the only place we ever look for them. They’re at the school, at the office, at the
club. Like the shepherd, we have to go
where they are.
Finding lost sheep can be demanding,
but keep something else in mind.
The Shepherd Knows Finding a Lost Sheep is Cause for Rejoicing.
Each of the stories in this chapter
ends with a party. It might seem strange
to celebrate over a sheep, a smelly sheep.
Of course, we could try to analyze the story from an economic viewpoint. The shepherd had regained his property. He hadn’t lost the wool this sheep would have
produced. But that seems to be missing
the point.
If we think about the monetary value
of the sheep at all, it is to contrast it with the greater value of the human
soul. It there is that much rejoicing
over a sheep, how much should there be over that man or woman who comes to
Christ. Jesus put it this way, “I say to you that likewise there will
be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no
repentance.”[1] Before we move on, let me remind you that
from the biblical perspective no one is just who does not see his sin.
Do you remember that this time last
year some people were wondering if the Mayans would be right and the world
would end on December 21? One person
told Pat she was trying to be patient because in 2012 all the bad people will
disappear from the world. It’s funny
that people will believe something like that without ever considering that they
might be among those who disappear.
Jesus had a more gracious way for
dealing with “bad” people. He offered
them grace and transformation. When
someone experiences such a change, it’s reason to rejoice.
We need to be on guard against being
casual toward new believers. When
someone comes to Christ, I hope we never see it simply as a chance to increase
our church’s membership. It’s a reminder
of God’s great grace. Thst’s surely
something to rejoice about.
Concluson
In the story, one sheep was lost,
ninety-nine were safe. Only one
percent. That’s not too bad when you
consider the percentages. What’s our
lost sheep situation?
Let’s just say it’s obvious there are
plenty of “lost sheep” needing to be found.
They’re all around us. What are
we doing to bring them to the Shepherd?
