All We Like Sheep Series

To begin this evening’s message, I would like to share a verse from the Old Testament. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” All of us have gone astray from God at some point in our life. Before we were saved through Jesus Christ, we were separated from God; and even now, those of us who are believers, still go astray sometimes. When we abide in the sight of our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, we are kept in the security of the flock; but sometimes we become distracted.

Have you ever been driving down the road on the way to church, and as you were coming around a curve, you were startled to see two huge saucers staring at you, attached to a head sticking through a fence? In case you are still suffering from shock about what that could have been, it was probably a cow. Cows have the company of other cows, and the luxury of being fed by the farmer each and every day; but it doesn’t seem to be enough. They get distracted by what’s on the other side of the fence.

This evening we are going to be looking at what happens when Christians go astray from the comfort of the flock, and how the Shepherd reacts to them. Many times we as Christians become dull to sin, and we act like sheep or cows. Like an electric fence, sin keeps on zapping us, but we eventually become accustomed to it and cross over to enter the dangers of the world. As we will see tonight, however, the Shepherd will react to us. How will He react? Hang on and we’ll find out in the parable ahead!

The Sheep Went Astray (v. 4)

4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

Farmers, I know you can relate to this. I remember all the times that my dad and I had to run down a bull that broke loose, and was on a neighboring farm. The problem was that this big Brahma bull would usually be running us down instead. The reason why we went after the bull was because it was valuable to us; we could sell it for a profit. Therefore, we left all the other cows in the field for that one bull.

Jesus presents us with the picture of a shepherd whose sheep has gone astray. In ancient Israel shepherding was a major livelihood. Sheep provided people with “meat, milk, fat, wool, skins, and horns,”(1) many of the necessities of living. “The economic value of sheep stood in direct proportion to the amount of [guidance and protection] these beasts required.”(2)

The shepherd had to put forth a lot of time and effort to train a sheep to stay near him, and to remain in the flock. When the sheep went astray, the shepherd went after it because he didn’t want to lose his investment. He didn’t want all of the hard work that went into making an obedient sheep to go to waste. Therefore, the sheep was only valuable if it stayed with the flock.

Also, the shepherd realized that the dangers of the world could kill his sheep. Ezekiel 34:5-6, alludes to some of the evils that sheep face out in the world. These verses say, “They became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth.” Sheep are subject to being killed by hungry animals, like ravenous wolves. They can wander on high mountains and fall into deep crevices and perish, never to be found again.

Jesus, who is our Shepherd, has a whole lot invested in us. We are His instruments to use in the ministry of the kingdom, and He doesn’t want to lose us. He knows that if we go astray that we will be spiritually attacked by the world; and that we could become of no use to Him if the world destroys our obedience to Christ.

The Sheep Is Chastened (v. 5)

5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

We just learned how the shepherd puts forth tremendous time and effort into making an obedient sheep. Why does a sheep have to be obedient? If he’s not obedient, then others will see him and follow his lead, and they too will be led away from the protection of the flock and the shepherd.