Sermon Preached at Grace Community Church (EPC)
Sun City Grand, Surprise, AZ
Sunday, February 14, 2010
by the Reverend Cooper McWhirter
"In a Manner of Speaking": The Parable of “The Lost Sheep'
Luke 15:1-7
My favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said: “Objects are lost because people look for them where they are not; instead of where they are!” Rather profound, don’t you think? And when you think about it, this applies to people as well as to objects. Unfortunately, many people are lost and don’t know it!
And yet if you were to tell an unbeliever that he was lost, it’s very likely that he would resent it. And he would resent you for having said it! Thus, a golden opportunity for evangelism would be lost for someone who is lost. In our fallen nature people don’t like to be reminded that they are sinners and in need of a Savior. We tend to see ourselves as being just as good as the next person and perhaps even better. Perhaps this is why Jesus often spoke in parables. In fact, a significant portion of the Synoptic gospels are devoted to the parables of Jesus.
Jesus spoke to the multitudes in this manner so that the most profound mysteries of God would be revealed in plain, simple terms by referring to common, every day occurrences; and He did this in such a way so as not to offend those who were earnestly seeking repentance of their sins.
In the Greek, the word “parable” literally meant to put things “side by side.” In other words, one story parallels another underlying story. Thus, there is a message behind the message!
This particular parable (also recorded in Matthew 18:12-14) is the first of three in a trilogy of parables recorded in Luke in which the underlying theme is about God’s saving grace. Notice the sequence: First of all, THE GOOD SHEPHERD KNOWS HIS SHEEP (repeat).
By way of some background information, large crowds were traveling with Jesus listening to what He had to say. Included among them were tax collectors and sinners. Certain Pharisees and teachers of the law muttered amongst themselves saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” [Luke 15:2]. Jesus, knowing the hearts of all men, began speaking to them in a parable whereupon He said: “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and loses one of them ...”
Now, let’s stop right there! Notice that this particular shepherd knew precisely how many sheep were in his flock. But I suspect that each of his sheep was more than just a number. He called them by name. In other words, this particular shepherd, the Good Shepherd, was intimately acquainted with each woolly lamb. He knew their likes and dislikes, their habits and foibles. Apparently, one of His sheep had wandered off, placing himself in danger from the elements and predatory animals. But, as we’re about to discover, this shepherd, the Good Shepherd, prized each and every one of His sheep. Yes, each one was of considerable value to Him.
The writer of Proverbs says: “Know well the condition of your flocks” [Proverbs 27:23]. For not only did this shepherd know the precise number of His sheep, but He obviously was attentive to them, for how else would He have known that one of sheep had strayed away?
In the Bible, God continually compares mankind to that of sheep. And why do you suppose that is? We like to think of ourselves as being independent and self-reliant and that we can fend for ourselves. But the cold, hard reality is that we are susceptible to falling prey to the wiles of the evil one. For whether we realize it or not, we are vulnerable and in need of protection.
It was the summer of 1966 and I was working for one of my dad’s close friends who owned a cabin on Lake McDonald inside of Glacier National Park. One day four of us, all college students, decided to take a day hike starting out from the trail head in East Glacier back towards West Gracier; a trek of some twenty-five miles.
It just so happened that I had been dating a lovely young coed from Illinois Wesleyan. Well, we stopped along the way and had a leisurely lunch soaking in the beautiful panorama of Montana and its majestic beauty. But by late afternoon we were still some distance from Mount Brown and its quick descent down to Lake McDonald.
The other two hikers went on ahead and before we knew it, Charlotte and I found ourselves alone on a narrow, winding trail. The late afternoon sun peeked behind some cloud cover and we found ourselves disoriented on an otherwise well-marked trail. Nightfall found us by a stream of water where we decided to stay put. But a full moon was rising, and I decided that we should backtrack to a cabin we had passed by earlier. It was a seasonal cabin used by the park service, and to our good fortune it was opened and a caretaker put us up for the night.
We got up bright and early the next morning and made our way back down the trail to Lake McDonald Lodge where Charlotte worked as a
waitress. It was then that we were informed by some anxious, and somewhat annoyed, friends that a grizzly bear had been spotted along the same trail we had traversed the previous day. When we had failed to return by nightfall we were reported missing to the Park Service, which prompted the Park Rangers to form a search party. Needless to say, I was reprimanded for my negligence! Here was an instance where I thought I was lost, but was not. Instead, it took the light of day for me to see my way back home!
But, in addition to knowing His sheep, THE GOOD SHEPHERD SEEKS HIS LOST SHEEP (repeat).
Jesus continued this parable by asking: “Does he not leave the ninety and nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” [Luke 15:4]. This, too, raises an interesting question; for why would anyone dare leave the ninety and nine to search for one lost sheep? In practical terms most shepherds would simply have written this one off as a part of doing business. In business savvy it’s called “the law of diminishing returns.” After all, what’s the value of just one sheep compared to the total value of ninety-nine?
But not so with this shepherd, the Good Shepherd, for He values each one of His sheep. He does the unthinkable, the improbable, by leaving the ninety and nine and sets out in search of this one lost sheep. Such a scenario defies human logic and common sense.
Speaking on the Lord’s behalf, the prophet Ezekiel writes: “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill, and My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth; and there was no one to search or seek for them” [Ezekiel 34:6].
In Ezekiel’s day the religious leaders, who were charged with the spiritual oversight of God’s people, had failed to keep watch over them. They had disavowed their sacred oath. The Lord rebuked these leaders saying: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? … You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost … So they were scattered because there was no shepherd” [Ezekiel 34:2, 4].
But the Good Shepherd is like no other. Paid hirelings will run away at the first sign of danger because they have no vested interest in the lives of those whom they are charged to protect. Like that of this one lost sheep, it’s important for us to know that we, too, are of great value! Yes, my friends,
each and every one of you are a prized possession. So much so that the Good
Shepherd would dare to leave the rest of His flock in search of … YOU!
This parable speaks not only about us and of our tendency to wander, but it has much to say about the character of God. We worship a God who genuinely cares about you, and for you … as if you were the only one to love! Yes, what a mighty God we serve!
But, as important as it is for us to know that the Good Shepherd is intimately acquainted with us, and that He seeks us when we are lost, the greatest assurance of all comes in knowing that: THE GOOD SHEPHERD FINDS HIS LOST SHEEP (repeat).
The Good Shepherd is like no other shepherd for He does not search in vain. He is intimately acquainted in all our ways and so He knows right where to look for us, and He pursues us with an everlasting love until we are found.
When GCC moved into this facility in late 2003, one of the first things we needed to do was to establish a “Lost and Found”! While we were worshiping in a rental facility, our people were careful to pick up their personal items. But now our people could leave things behind knowing that they could retrieve them later. It was at that point that I knew we had arrived! Yes, this had become our home … our church home.
But this is not our real home. We are merely sojourners in a foreign land. Unfamiliar with our earthly surroundings we may, from time to time, be led astray. We search for the answers to some of life’s most perplexing questions and we search in all the wrong places not unlike the people in the days of Hosea, the prophet. For just as he was married to a harlot, we, too, have been unfaithful to the one, living and true God. We will worship almost anything and any one! Hosea writes: “They will go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them” [Hosea 5:6].
We must make sure that we seek the Good Shepherd while there is yet daylight. We must avail ourselves to Him so that He will surely find us wherever we may be. “I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.” That’s amazing … that’s truly amazing … that, my friends, is amazing grace!
Let us pray...
