GOING AFTER THE LOST & THE LEAST
Luke 15:1-7
Introduction: Have you heard the story of Shrek, the merino sheep that had evaded capture and shearing for 6 years? When he was finally discovered in 2004 in his high mountain cave of New Zealand by rancher Ann Scanlan, he was almost unrecognizable as a sheep. The first thing his rescuer did was pin back his wool so he could see to walk.
There was such an interest in Shrek’s return that the owner kept him in a pen for weeks so reporters and television stations could broadcast the amazing return of the lost sheep. And then, on live television, world champion shearer Peter Casserly shaved off 6 years of matted wool. As the shearer worked, he laid Shrek on his side with a foot of wool as his bed. Later he died in 2011, not with heavy wool or laden with fleece, but a rescued and freed-up sheep.
How much is Shrek’s story like our story, for "we all like sheep have gone astray." We evaded God’s care and protection. But thank God for Jesus who did not give up on us the Lost Sheep. For the past few weeks, we have been studying through the Gospel of Luke. Last week we looked at the theme, “The Greatest of All Time.” Today we will look at a familiar story in Chapter 15, where we will see how God goes after the lost and the least.
BACKGROUND: In Chapter 14 we read: On a Sabbath day Jesus went out to eat at the house of a prominent Pharisee. He was being watched carefully. He heals a man suffering from edema. The healing of this man on a Sabbath day did not go well with the Pharisees. He shares with them the story of the Great Banquet. A certain man prepared a great banquet.
He invited many guests but everyone turned down his invitation by giving lame excuses. The master was furious and tells his servant to go out and bring in the lame, the poor, the crippled and blind and fill the house. Even with all of them in, there was still more room.
The master tells his servant to go and compel from the country lanes and behind the edges to come and enjoy the feast because he wanted his house to be filled with guests. Similarly, God is inviting all of us to enjoy the great banquet, but what lousy excuses are we giving? God wants the whole world to be at his banquet table. There is still more room.
In Chapter 15, we see a peculiar crowd gathered around Jesus. There were sinners who were eager to hear, but the Pharisees and teachers of the law were complaining that Jesus was associating with such sinful people and even eating with them. That opens up a door for Jesus to share this all familiar story of, “THE GOOD SHEPHERD &THE LOST SHEEP.”
I. THE LOST SHEEP:
In ancient times people tended sheep, goats and other cattle. A typical shepherd would have a sizeable flock of a hundred sheep. Shepherds and other herders often watched over their animals together, so the shepherds could leave their flock with the other herders while searching for the lost sheep. In our story, a shepherd has hundred sheep and one of them “gets lost”, in Matthew, we read, “wanders away.”
Generally, sheep are gregarious creatures, a sheep lost from its flock becomes quickly agitated and disoriented and must be carried back to the other sheep. In the story, the lost sheep represents the sinful crowds. Though the self-righteous Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were supposed to be shepherding their flock were themselves lost too.
In fact, all of humanity can be compared to that lost sheep. Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
The prophet Isaiah laments over the lostness of mankind. Isaiah 53:6, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” In our story, Jesus asks his audience, what will the owner of the sheep do? Suppose if you were the owner of a hundred sheep and one of them got lost, what would you do? You might say to yourself, well I still have the ninety-nine intact with me, why to bother about the one that got lost, right! Well, the owner in the story reacted differently than what we might have done. He left the ninety-nine obedient sheep and went after that one rebellious, and wandering sheep.
The shepherd was searching. It must have been dark, the mountains were steep and rugged, filled with thorny bushes but he wouldn’t give up his search, he must find his lost sheep. At last, he hears a faint voice of his sheep, he reaches out risking his life over a cliff and pulls the sheep. He puts it on his shoulders goes home rejoicing and throws a party to his friends.
As children, we were fascinated every time our grandfather pulled out a crumpled picture and tell us dramatically the story of the Lost sheep. Even as a child I saw myself as the that lost, lonely and fearful sheep. I longed t be picked up by that caring and loving shepherd. This story echoes the prophecy of Ezekiel where God rebukes the un-caring shepherds of Israel.
II THE GOOD SHEPHERD
The prophet Ezekiel prophesied denouncing the uncaring and apathetic attitude of Israel’s shepherds (leaders). These shepherds were only looking after their own selfish needs and they neglected the poor, the weak and the wounded, as a result, they were scattered over the whole earth. Because there were no shepherds, God’s people became a target for their enemies.
Therefore God himself got involved in the searching and rescuing of his people. Here are God’s rescue mission and the warning to the un-caring shepherds in Ezekiel 34: 11-16, “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.
I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills.
I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!
In this passage, we see God’s caring heart of a Good Shepherd. Jesus personified God’s heart of love and care when he said in John 10:11-18, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming.
He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.“I am the good shepherd;
I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” Throughout his ministry, Jesus was involved in rescuing the lost and the least. Towards the end, he commissioned his disciples to go and do likewise.
III THE GOOD SHEPHERD’S COMMISSION
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, while he was on the earth, went after the lost and the least. He healed the sick and the broken-hearted. He fed the hungry with physical and spiritual food.
He restored the dignity of the rejected and abandoned. He rebuked the proud and arrogant. He strengthened the weak and gave grace to the humble. He formed a new community of believers from the lower strata of society. Among them, he called twelve disciples and appointed them as apostles After his death and resurrection he gave them a command saying: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone.”
In the 21st century, we the Church, the followers of Christ belong to that new community of love and care. The Good Shepherd Jesus is still going after the lost and the least and he is calling us to join his search and rescue team. This story contains two broad themes:
In our sinful state, we were like Shrek in the introductory story, who evaded sheering for six years. We too have evaded God’s care and gentle loving correction. We wandered away in search of greener pastures, only to get stuck in a thorny lifestyle, unable to find our way back. But Jesus our Good shepherd was relentless and did not give up. He came to us and rescued us.
Maybe some of you here are evading God’s love in pursuit of worldly riches and pleasures. Jesus is going after you. He will come right into the pit if he has to. He won’t let you stay in your miserable state because he loves you too much. He will pick you up, and carry you home rejoicingly. I have a word of encouragement for those who had already been rescued.
The master is commanding you to go out to the streets, to the market place and compel the lost and the least to come to the banquet so that the master’s house will be full. As we come to the table of communion, let’s remember that the Good shepherd bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. May we commit ourselves to the noble task of going after the Lost and the Least, compelling and pointing them to the Good Shepherd, our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ Amen!
