Midweek Reflection for July 21, 20

Luke 15:1-7 (Common English Bible)

15 All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. ² The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.

 

Reflection

Last Sunday, Jesus said about those gathered on the shore looking for him, “they were like sheep without a shepherd”. Today’s story from Luke is another example of the same thing, sheep without a shepherd.

In this case, a single sheep has wandered away. Of course, the loss of a sheep is a loss of income for the owner. No sheep means no wool to sell.  Often, the shepherds aren’t the owners of the sheep, just the hired caretakers, and the loss of a sheep is a mark against the shepherd. Too many lost sheep means less pay.

In this story, the focus is not on the shepherd, but on the sheep. Of 100 sheep in the flock, one has wandered off. Sheep are known to wander away without a shepherd to guide them. Instinctively, sheep follow the sheep ahead of them. But in a field, they may graze their way into trouble, or they may be spooked by a sudden noise and flee from danger. Even modern shepherds spend significant time searching for lost sheep, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

When we think of people as sheep, the wandering away is more intentional. The wandering away can be to join a new flock, where the grass seems greener. It isn’t but at first, it may appear so. Unlike sheep, people can choose to not be part of the flock at all. They become angry at other sheep, or they dislike the shepherd, or they choose to not participate in activities like worship and Bible study and so forth. Sleeping in is attractive, or Sunday is the only day for chores, or a weekend away is more appealing than worship.

The parable of the lost sheep is about Jesus telling us that the sheep who are lost are worth looking for. The sheep who have wandered away for whatever reasons are not lost to the shepherd; they are still members of the flock.

Since we are the under-shepherds to Jesus the Good Shepherd, that means it’s our responsibility to seek and find the lost sheep. We personally know some of them, but many are unknown to us, and we will need to be creative in our attempts to draw them back into the flock, or into the flock for the first time.

We may also consider ourselves. We may be tempted to wander from the flock, to seek greener pastures, to find a time out from the flock we are currently part of, to discover if we need to be part of the flock – if we will be missed.

Let’s pray: Jesus, our Good Shepherd, we ask that you guard and guide us, your sheep. And we ask that you aid us in the search for the sheep who are missing from the flock. Show us how to draw them in, so they can experience your tender care. Speak to those who are lost, so they may know they are valuable and beloved. And remind us that we who are in the flock are equally important to you, valuable and beloved.  Amen