4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one
of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after
that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And
when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends
and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep
which was lost. 7 I say unto
you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke
15:4-7)
The
Collect
Fourth
Sunday after Trinity
|
O
|
GOD, the protector of all that
trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and
multiply upon us thy mercy, that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so
pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal.
Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
With the Parable of the Lost Sheep, we begin a trilogy of parables of lost
things by Christ – the Lost Sheep, the Lost Piece of Silver, and concluding
with the Lost (Prodigal) Son. We may better understand these parables if
we observe the environment in which they were uttered: Then drew
near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees
and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
(Luke 15:1-2) These immaculately robed hypocrites took exception to the depth
to which the mercy of Christ would sink in saving those whom these rascals
believed unworthy of salvation. Little did they know that the most
unworthy of all gathered at this event were themselves. Jesus would reveal His
mercy and kindness with profundity to these men of empty souls full of prideful
sin.
In my understanding, the three parables represent different intensities of the
condition of being lost. The Lost Sheep is one that has been under the
authority and protection of the Good Shepherd. Though the sheep lacks far
vision (sheep can only discern clearly from a few feet away), as well as any
strength to protect itself, it nonetheless belongs to the Shepherd. The
Shepherd knows His lambs by name and feels a great sense of love and
responsibility for them.
The lost sheep is like a Christian who has just come into an understanding of
God but has little understanding of the fullness of benefits and
responsibilities he incurs in following Jesus Christ. Many would call such a
one, a baby Christian regardless of age. The sheep has very limited discernment
or knowledge in the ways of the Shepherd. He merely follows because he has been
brought close and feels the joys of being fed and protected by this amazing Shepherd
that somehow knows where to find rich, lush pastures and smooth, still waters.
The Lost Coin of Silver represents the class of those who are lost and have
never known God, for they have no sense to seek Him. The lost sinner has no
power whatsoever to come to Christ without being drawn by the Holy Ghost –
these are, like the lost coin, spiritually inanimate. And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1) Clearly we
were dead in trespasses and sin before coming to Christ. The dead have no power
whatsoever to save themselves. Their ears must be opened, and their hearts must
be warmed as that of Lazarus at the voice of Christ in the Tomb at Bethany. We
all, alike, were walking dead (zombies).
The Prodigal Son is the example of one who has been long a child of God, and
has rebelled with full knowledge and awareness of his apostasy. In the end, all
are found – the sheep, the coin, and the Prodigal – and the Lord rejoices at
their being found.
4 What man of you, having an
hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in
the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? Allow me
to pose a question to those parents who are reading this devotion: Which of
you, having ten children, if one is lost in the crowd, would not settle the
other nine in a secure fold and go search diligently for the lost child? The
parallel is just that stark! God does not discount the quality of any life He
has created. The Good Shepherd would never discount the value of one little
sheep out of one hundred, for ALL are dear in His sight. There are never ENOUGH
sheep remaining with God if ALL are not safely in the Fold. If only one is
missing, ALL are not safe. While I was with
them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost……. (John 17:12) The
Good Shepherd will go after the lost sheep with all means that God employs to
recover those who know Him and wander afield. God will not forsake His
searching until the lost are found.
5 And (when) he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. You will note the subordinating
conjunction used is "WHEN" not "IF". God is never a
burden to us. It is He who carries us upon His Strong Shoulders even after we
have run away into the desert wilderness. What does a defenseless sheep do when
it has followed nearby clods of green grass until it realizes there are no
longer any companion sheep around and, most importantly, no shepherd? It runs
to and from on the crevices of the mountain, bleating and bawling. What does a
sinner, washed by the blood of Christ do when he realizes He has drifted away
from his first Love? When we separate ourselves from God through casual living,
we run to and fro seeking to replace that warmth we felt with some element of
the world. We are much displeased because we know we have become completely
destitute of the thing that matters most. In our depravity, we at last fall on
our knees and plead the mercy of God. Our prayers are spiced with the hot tears
of contrition. We continue until the Good Shepherd hears our prayer and comes
to us. If we are trapped in a rocky crevice, the Shepherd will use the hooked
end of the staff to retrieve the sheep – the end of mercy and grace. If,
however, the sheep is unruly and panics to endanger itself, the Shepherd may use
the sharp end of the staff to cajole the sheep to move away from danger. This
is the tip of the Shepherd's staff of chastisement. When we get separated from
God, He may draw us back by loving attraction, or by prodding us into
circumstances so discomforting that we cannot remain in rebellion.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends
and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep
which was lost. This is entirely a parable of Christ and illustrative of His
joy in recovering a lost sheep. You may recall that He recovered Peter after
Peter denied Him three times. He recovered David after David had committed
horrendous sins. He also recovered Peter after Peter's faith failed him on the
waters of the sea. When the shepherd at last recovers that which was lost, the
joy of the Shepherd is overwhelming, so much so that He feels that He must find
others to share in His joy and delight. He gathers about Him the whole host of
heaven in rejoicing. As we see in verse 10, …..there
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth….If
there is joy over the repentance of a sinner that had been forever lost, how
much more for one of His own that has been lost and recovered?
7 I say unto you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Remember the audience? Remember the publicans and sinners gathered about in
whose heart there was no doubt of unworthiness? Remember the Scribes and
Pharisees gathered about who considered themselves sinless and above the common
level of those dirty sinners gathered? Christ is drawing a distinction between
those who `consider' themselves righteous, and those who freely admit of their
lack thereof of righteousness. Before we can ever gain the favor of God,
we must first recognize our own depravity and need of salvation. Until we admit
that we are sinners, how can we repent and come to God? If we believe ourselves
righteous and good, how can we ever be saved? Christ can deal with a heart that
knows its own unworthiness – its need for forgiveness; but it becomes an
impossibility to draw that heart to repentance that does not recognize sin
hidden deep in its chambers. If the Scribes and Pharisees could only break
through the wall of pride they had erected around their souls, they, too, could
have seen the desolate wilderness that lay beyond those walls and their need to
come to the green and well-watered pastures of God. We know, at least, that
Nicodemus was able to do so. Have you been able to lay aside your pride and
walk before Christ as one in desperate need of forgiveness and repentance?
Tomorrow, we shall discuss in greater detail the Parable of the Lost Piece of
Silver.
