Each week, let’s reflect upon Sunday’s teaching through further exploration…
“The Heart of the Shepherd” (The Search Party Sermon Series)
Have you ever been lost in the wilderness? Years ago, Andy and I went on a short vacation with another couple. One day of our trip, we traded the busy, clogged roads of the tourist area for a side road winding deep into wooded areas. Within those woods was a trail. It was marked as “moderate,” so we left the vehicle armed with excitement and laughter (and nothing else). Six hours, steep terrain, several creek crossings, 14+ miles, and a tarantula sighting later… we finally found our way back to the vehicle and our now-hot half-cans of pop.
We had gotten lost and had no supplies to help sustain us on the long journey. While we bantered back and forth positively with one another, fear and panic were pressing on the inside. What if we became dehydrated? What if someone was injured? How far would we have to go to find a cell phone signal or even the possibility of another human being? How glad I was to be in the company of my husband and friends when those thoughts were circling in my mind. Imagine if I had been lost alone!
We started a new sermon series Sunday titled, “The Search Party,” with focus on Luke 15:1-7, the parable we refer to as “The Lost Sheep.” That title alone places the emphasis on the sheep that was lost, and that’s typically what receives the most attention when we read or hear sermons on this passage. We think of the helplessness of the sheep, our minds wandering to the possible dread it faces.
However, with the cultural context Jonathan provided on Sunday, our perspective shifts from the vulnerability of the sheep (the one incapable of saving itself) to the patience and persistence of the shepherd (the one pursuing the lost and capable of restoring it to health and the safety of the flock).
Luke 15:4 tells us the shepherd left the “ninety-nine in the open country” to go after the lost sheep. Those few words are significant. By leaving the 99, the shepherd departs from the comfort of being in the presence of others to set out on his own, alone. It’s not only other shepherds and sheep he leaves behind but also the line of sight the “open country” brings. Being in the open would allow him to see what’s ahead and the possible dangers he could encounter. Parting from that meant climbing through the wilderness riddled with unknowns. Each step may place him closer to the lost sheep, but it could also put him much closer to harm.
But the shepherd searches “… until he finds it” (verse 4). And what does he do when it’s found? The shepherd “joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (verse 5-6). The climax of the parable has been reached, the resolution is in place, and the story can be neatly packed away, right? Wrong. The irony of this parable is that the most difficult part of the journey lays ahead… after the sheep has been found. Because the shepherd now has the grueling trek back home… with the added weight and fear of the sheep on his shoulders. And he makes that trek joyfully.
Thinking back to being lost in the woods with Andy and our friends, I well remember the helplessness I felt and the joy I experienced when we finally made it back to the car. Those are things I emphasize when we retell that story, but after further reflection on Sunday’s sermon, I now realize the beauty of that event is we were never really lost. All four of us each knew the Lord as our Good Shepherd. We knew the lengths to which He’d gone to save our souls, and even if our physical well-being failed or harm came upon us, ultimately our eternity was safe in His arms. “… neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
That’s a beautiful reminder of the hope we have; it brings such comfort and peace! But it also brings heartbreak and urgency. Because there are loved ones who do not know the love of the Good Shepherd, people who view God as hateful, who blame Him for the pain and torment that plagues them and the world. Do you have people like that in your life? Those people are lost, and the journey to get to them is dark and treacherous. Will we have the heart of the Shepherd and leave the comforts of the “open country” in order to help them find their way home? Or will we, like the Pharisees, have hearts of indifference?