Luke 15.1-10, Pentecost 14C
Theme: The Lost
Pictures of Jesus carrying the lamb are quite commonly seen in many Christian sanctuaries around the world. Often, it is in stained glass windows. The picture, in one form or another, is found in ancient as well as modern churches.
The parable told by Jesus is of the shepherd who leaves most of his sheep to find one which is lost. It describes one of the most popular character traits of Jesus. Jesus is the one who saves the lost. Jesus tells the story describing a shepherd acting as the compassionate one. Most see Jesus as THE shepherd and shows him in the roll of rescuer.
Did the lamb just wander off, or did it run away? What caused it to be separated from the flock?
He said, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.” Vs. 4-5
I think a better portrayal would be to put myself (or you) in the picture holding the lamb – the one saving the lost.
But one could ask the question, does the lamb want to be saved? Perhaps the lamb has lost trust in the herd.
Last year, I had a conversation with the director of the Colorado Christian Home. That organization takes in Children from the Denver area who have become wards of the court. He said most of the children come from homes where they have been neglected because of the presence of illegal drugs, physical abuse or their parents have been arrested and there is no family who can care for them. He said that statistically 75% of those children will end up back in the court system as adults.
What can be done?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following things:
Those who are followers of Jesus know God needs to be involved in the rescue. But how?
Yes, Jesus does go out of the way to care for each of us. He is described often as doing just that. The Gospels tell of him performing many miracles at times and in situations where he had to interrupt other important work.
In the Gospel of John, we find recorded a more informative quote. The Gospel quotes Jesus as saying:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” (John 10:11-18)
But, in the parable found in Luke 15, Jesus does not identify himself as the one rescuing the lamb, but he suggests his followers become shepherds. In other words – the shepherd is the one designated with the task of caretaker. It clearly means Jesus was identifying his followers as the ones designated as shepherds – that would be you and me.
Are we really interested in the needs of the lost? Are we willing to leave the safety of our jobs, and homes to go looking for those in distress?
Also then, how do we cross the barriers caused by lack of trust? To do that, we need to look hard at our motives. We must become the servant. Jesus calls us to surrender ourselves to God’s service. We do this not for our own benefit, but that of those who we wish to reach.
It’s risky, but with God’s help, we can do it.
Worship with us in person at 10:30 AM as we will be meditating on what we must do to be like Jesus.The service will also be streamed live on the internet -- (https://fccmaryvillemo.com) or on the church’s home Facebook page.If you miss the live stream, a recorded session is also available to view at your convenience.Want to make a comment on my blog? Click on https://fccmaryvillemosanc.wixsite.com/ftdo