THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF OUR SOULS (LUKE 15:1-7)
An elderly farmer was brought into the hospital because he appeared confused and was thought to have had a stroke. Attempting to assess his mental state, the doctor asked, “If you have a hundred sheep in a pasture and seven escape, how many will be left?” “Zero,” replied the farmer. “No, the answer is ninety-three,” said the doctor. “Fella,” the farmer replied acerbically, “you don't know nothin' about sheep. When one of them dumb critters decides to go, they all go.”
Sheep are witless, harmless and powerless animals. Coyotes, wolves, and dogs terrorize them. Even a pig is enough to head them into a panic, hurry them into good behavior, or herd them into the fold, as famously captured on film in the movie “Pig.” I have read Internet accounts of the harm dogs can do to sheep: Three neighborhood dogs slaughtered thirty-one sheep in one incident and two pet dogs killed sixteen in another. A church member who grew up on a farm told how, unknown to him, his pet dog had nibbled at his sheep’s ear until it was gone. Yet, the hapless sheep did not bleat in pain, make a sound, or run for cover!
Sheep may be dumb, but they are valued. Traders value sheep for clothing, diners eat them for gourmet, and pilgrims offer them for sacrifice. Mutton comes from sheep about three years old raised in the open country; rack of lamb comes from lambs under a year old; and sheep milk generally costs three or four times the price of cow milk. Today people have been known to clone them, raise them like children, and even use them ingeniously in the country to cut grass, devour weeds, and control brush.
In Luke 15, Jesus defended his association with sinners and tax collectors, compared sinners to lost sheep and insisted that He would stop at nothing to track them, call them and rescue them. Our Lord compares people to sheep, and alls Himself the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25).
How has God demonstrated His love for sinners? What will He do for love? Why does He go to such great length?
The Great Shepherd Locates Every Sheep in the Flock
15:1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (Luke 15:1-4)
Belden Lane told a stirring story of prominent fourth century desert father Abba Abraham and his love for her niece, Mary:
Abba Abraham was known for his great holiness and austere living, but he was also known for his love. When his married brother in the city died, leaving a seven year old daughter with no one to care for her, Abba Abraham took her in, letting her stay in the other room herself. Her name was Mary, and through the years Mary grew into a beautiful and very devout girl, the image of her uncle, until one day a false and wicked hermit traveled by and was captivated by her beauty and determined to have her. He caught her by surprise one day, sexually forced her and then left her alone in the desert in complete despair. The experience broke her. She blamed herself, thinking she could never again be forgiven. She punished herself even more by taking on the strange penance of going to a brothel in a distant city, convinced God could never forgive her.
Meanwhile Abba Abraham looked everywhere for his niece. After two years he finally learned what had happened to her and where she was. With a father’s love, he determined to win her back. So he set aside his monk’s habit, dressed in a military uniform, pulled a big hat down over his ears, borrowed a horse, and set off for the city. There he found her in a tavern where he had heard she stayed, and said to the innkeeper, “They tell me, friend, that you have a fine wench here. I’d like to have a look at her, if you would.” So he sat down, ordered a drink, and soon Mary was brought in. She didn’t recognize him. So he yelled out, “Innkeeper, make us a good supper, because I plan to meet Mary with this last. I,” he said, “I’ve come a long way for the love of Mary.” And he who had tasted only bread and water for fifty years ate meat for all he was worth, all for the love of a lost daughter. After supper Mary took him to her room, for the first time they were alone. And as she bent down to take off his shoes, he said again, “I, I’ve come a long way for the love of Mary.” And then she knew who it was. She fell at his feet in tears, as suddenly she realized what he’d done for her. Abba Abraham, known for his austere life, would never have done these things if he hadn’t loved her so much and forgiven her everything. And so through his love she was able to imagine God’s love and forgiveness as well.
So she left the brothel, went back to the desert, and lived a life of great holiness, through whom many people were later healed. She is known to us today as St. Mary the harlot (Belden Lane, Bethany Press).
The contrast between these two verbs that debut in the New Testament - “mutter” and “eat”- in verse 2 perfectly captures the tension in the room and the tussle between the two groups, but the tug of Jesus’ love won the day.
God cares for every sheep, the ninety-nine unharmed sheep and the one missing sheep. He values healthy sheep, docile sheep, household sheep, even black sheep, lost sheep, sick sheep, inferior sheep, and troublesome sheep. He identifies each one of them, searches for them one by one, counts them on his fingers, pictures them in his mind and safeguards every one of them - young or old, ram or ewe, present or missing. He distinguishes sheep by their size and shape, their likes and dislikes, their peculiar behavior and habits.
Jesus tells three parables in Luke 15. In the first story, the parable of the lost sheep, the percentage of the shepherd’s loss is low compared to the other two owners in the chapter. The shepherd loses one of one hundred sheep, the woman in the next parable loses one of ten coins, and the father in the last parable loses one of two sons, but no matter the percentage, the shepherd misses the one lost and not the percentage left; values the creature and not its cost; and aims to succeed and not fail. There is no sheep a shepherd is ready to part with, assume the worst, or give up for dead.
The shepherd’s love for every sheep in the flock is likened to the Great Shepherd who loves sinners who are undeserving, worthless, and misguided, even the reckless, clumsy, and nosey ones. Every loss is irreplaceable, senseless, and unacceptable. Hired hands cry wolf, run for cover, and blame the wayward sheep, but the Great Shepherd patiently, instinctively, and tirelessly pursues the lost sheep. No employee, dog, or pig can take his place, replicate his effort, or match his love. Fred Smith said it powerfully: “God does not love me because I am good. He loves me because I am precious, and I am precious because Christ dies for me.”
The Great Shepherd Leads Every Sheep to the Fold
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. (Luke 15:5-6)
The Daily Bread tells the account of a sociologist who was writing a book about the difficulties of growing up in a large family. He interviewed the mother of 13 children, mentioned several general questions, and asked the question deliberately: “Do you think all children deserve the full, impartial love and attention of a mother?” “Of course,” said the mother of 13 promptly. The sociologist then asked this tough question: “Well, which of your 13 children do you love the most?” She answered, “The one who is sick until he gets well, and the one who is away until he gets home.”
The key verb in the text is “find,” which occurs thrice (vv 4, 5, 6), and not “lost,” which also occurs thrice (vv 4, 4, 6) but the latter functions more like a noun (“the lost”).
My mental image of the Good Shepherd previously was formed by the many pictures of a shepherd and a lamb that appeared in books, bookmarks, and bookstores. The Good Shepherd in those pictures typically carries a photogenic little lamb as he would a child over his shoulders.
However, the picture of a composed shepherd with a poodle-like lamb is a far cry from the parable norm. The lost animal in Jesus’ story was not the size of Mary’s cute, cuddly, little lamb or an average lamb that weighs 125-130 lb, but a full-grown sheep that is 150-200lbs! The shepherd was carrying an animal equal to his weight or an adult’s weight (v 5)!
A more realistic painting was Morgan Weistling’s “The Lord Is My Shepherd,” which depicted a shepherd in the fields struggling fiercely to carry a full-size sheep on his shoulders. (http://www.ldsart.com/mw181.php) Also the shepherd in Weistling’s painting had wisely left a scarf on his shoulder to reduce the discomfort of bearing a hot, filthy, and heavy sheep on his back for the long journey home. A shepherd said this about sheep: “Sheep are sticky with lanolin, smelly, loaded with dirt.” (http://www.christianityonline.com/cr/7R6/7R6013.html) Further, at no time at all did the said shepherd leave the sheep, stop to rest, or delay the journey.
Jesus Christ, the Shepherd and Overseer of our Souls, will climb the steepest mountain, comb the tallest grass, and cover the farthest, the widest, and the outermost area for a lost soul. He not only has the biggest heart, the fondest affection, and the kindest compassion for a lost sinner; He also has the broadest shoulders to lean on, rest on or plop over. The Lord can lift, bear, or haul an individual of any size, in any shape or condition on His shoulders. He is never, ever tired of tending sheep, finding sheep, or guarding sheep. And the lost sinner can rest comfortably, travel peacefully, and return safely with Him.
The Great Shepherd takes the responsibility of guarding the lost sheep all on Himself. He makes sure that this time the sheep is defended, does not tire out, and will not get lost again.
The Great Shepherd Loves Every Sheep in the Field
6 Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:6-7)
An Indian and a white man were brought under deep conviction of sin by the same sermon. The Indian was immediately led to rejoice in pardoning mercy. The white man was in distress for a long time, almost to despair. But at last he was brought to a joyous sense of sins forgiven. Sometime after, while meeting his Indian brother, he said to him, “How is it that I should be so long under conviction, when you found peace at once?” “Oh, brother,” replied the Indian, “I will tell you. There comes along a rich prince. He proposes to give you a new coat; you look at your coat and say, ‘I don’t know; my coat looks pretty good; it will do a little longer.’ He then offered me a new coat. I look at my old blanket; I say, ‘This is good for nothing,’ and accept the beautiful new garment. Just so, brother, you try to keep your own righteousness. You won’t give it up; but I, poor Indian, could see that I had none, so I was glad at once to receive the righteousness of God—the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Illustrations of Bible Truths # 714)
The climax of each of the three parables in Luke 15 ends with a verb that speaks of joy: “Rejoice with me” (Luke 15:6, 9) and “celebrate” (Luke 15:23), of which the first two are imperatives. There is a progression of joy from the joy of the shepherd (v 5) or joy alone, to joy with friends and neighbors (v 6) or joy around, and finally the joy in heaven or joy above (v 7).
In the Old Testament the popular reasons people rejoice include rejoicing in the bounty of the Lord (Jer 31:12), the bounty of the harvest (Isa 9:3), the bounty of His gifts (Deut 26:11), or the works of His hands (Ps 104:31) – the wonder of life, nature, and creation, or the assurance of His deliverance (Ps 9:14), love (Ps 31:7), and promise (Ps 119:162).
However, Jesus discloses God’s sole reason for joy: the repentance of a lost sinner. Friends and neighbors (v 6), heaven and earth, God and angels (Luke 15:10) celebrate the repentance, conversion, and salvation of a soul. A convert is a new creature (2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15) or a new person, man or self (Eph 4:24). This is the only biblical passage man rejoices “with” God. Man joins God in celebration, not man rejoicing by, for or in themselves. A popular Chinese proverb says, “True gold cannot replace the prodigal son’s turnaround.”
Human or worldly happiness does not last. No celebration is like the celebration of the angels before God’s presence. No joy is greater in heaven or on earth than the joy of seeing the unsaved saved - not even beholding all the wonders of the world, all the gold in the world or all the sights of the world.
Conclusion: We are His people, the sheep of His pasture (Ps 100:3), but like sheep, we have turned every one to his own way (Isa 53:6). Jesus can save your lost soul, everyone has a chance to repent, and the greatest joy in heaven and earth is the homecoming of a lost sinner. Are you the sheep who wandered from the fold of God? Do you know that Jesus loves you and cares for your soul? Will you return to God who is slow to anger and quick to forgive? First Peter 2:25 says, “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Anyone who is sick for heaven, those with nowhere to go, nobody to lead, and nothing to lose can turn around, head home, and find rest. The host is waiting, the committee is gathered, and the Savior, your friends, and neighbors are waiting.
Victor Yap
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