In 1920s America there was an
unusual court case. It concerned a man
who tripped over one of those large ropes they tie to ships and fell off a
pier. He cried for help but his friends
were too far away. However, there was a
young man sunbathing close by. This
young man was a good swimmer. But he
didn’t want to get wet. The man in the
water drowned.
The parents of the drowned man were
so incensed about this they took the young man to court. But they lost their case. The judge ruled that sun-bather had no legal
responsibility to go to the aid of a drowning person.
That is a reasonable picture of
the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed
that they knew God, but had no concern for other people’s spiritual needs. They failed to see that our God loves to
forgive and they made no effort to reach out to those who need him. How different they were to Jesus, the good
shepherd who comes looking for lost sheep!
1. It awful it is to be lost
For a sheep to be lost was
perilous. Unlike dogs or cats, sheep
don’t have a great ability to find their way home. In a short time that sheep would become the
victim of predators. That sheep was
doomed, unless the shepherd found it. So
the shepherd leaves the other ninety-nine in a safe place and goes looking.
It is an awful thing to be
lost. The apostle Paul says that before
Jesus found us we were dead in transgression and sin … and children of wrath
(Ephesians 2:1-3). Jesus spoke of humanity
being on a wide road leading to destruction.
Lostness results in death. Charles
Spurgeon writes, ‘if you are saved yourself, be on the watch for the souls of
others. Your own heart will not prosper
unless it is filled with intense concern to bless your fellow men. The life of your soul lies in faith; its
health lies in love.’
2. Look at
the lengths that Jesus to find the lost
Finding a lost sheep in the
rugged Palestinian countryside would have been a very strenuous task. Some of those predators would have been a
danger to the shepherd. Today, many
tourists go off wandering in those same isolated hills and end up having to be
brought home on stretchers because of over-exposure to the elements.
Not only are people lost, they have
chosen to go astray. We all, like sheep,
have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). We weren’t looking for him; we were hostile
to him (Romans 8:7). The good shepherd
left his heavenly home, stepped into the wilderness of a rebellious world,
endured mocking and rejection and, while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. This is personal. Not only did Jesus die for a mass of
humanity, he came looking for you personally.
Paul marvels, ‘I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20).
How gentle this shepherd is! When he finds the lost sheep, after the long
searching, he does not beat it. He does
not seek to teach the dumb, weary sheep a lesson. He joyfully lifts it up. That sheep is weak from its wandering, too
weak to follow the shepherd home. The
shepherd has to carry it on his shoulders.
Sheep are heavy creatures. Our good shepherd is determined to bring us
home. He will not loosen his grip of
us. Having found us, he will not let us
go. Jesus says, ‘For I have come down
from heaven … to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that
I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up on the last
day’ (John 6:38-39).
3. The celebration over those who are brought to
repentance
The angels in heaven have an
advantage over us when it comes to rejoicing over lost people being found. You see, we are hindered by an earthy-perspective
and a sinful nature. Their viewpoint is
from heaven and they are not tempted towards a harsh, unforgiving and
critical-spirit towards people. They
spend their time gazing upon the splendour of our amazing God, and see just how
gracious that God is to welcome sinful people as sons and daughters. They know all about the lamb that was slain
for the sins of his people. They also
are more aware of the terrors of righteous judgement that falls upon those who
refuse to repent, and so delight in merciful heart of a God who rescues so many
from the eternal punishment they deserve.
Don’t misunderstand Jesus’ words. He is using irony when he speaks of righteous
people who do not need to repent. The
Bible is clear that there are none righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). We live in a world where everybody is
encouraged to believe that they are essentially a good person. Such good people are enemies of the
gospel. My neighbour was telling me that
he is an atheist, and then added, with a smile, but if there is a heaven he is
sure to be going there. After all he
considers himself a good person. Many
sick people do not go to the doctor because they are ignorant of their illness
and so miss out on the cure.
Conclusion
There is a quaint little story
about some children who sought shelter from a storm many in a church many
generations ago in England. In that
church a preacher was speaking on this morning’s verses. He read from the King James Version, ‘And the
Pharisees and scribes murmured, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with
them.” One of the children went up to
the preacher after the service and said to the preacher, ‘Jesus receives
me! You said that Jesus receives sinners
and Edith with them. I am Edith!’
Jesus does welcome Edith and Paul
and Edwin and Joan. This parable reminds
us of the value of one. Jesus came to
rescue millions of people, but he came to rescue them as precious individuals. He welcomes sinful people and delights in
their repentance.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Jesus
used our feet to seek for the lost?
Sharing our faith is a missing ingredient in many of our lives. I don’t speak as someone who finds evangelism
easy, and I have missed many opportunities to speak about Jesus. One writer says, ‘I’ve repeatedly found that
it’s the Christians living out the unexpected adventure [of speaking about
Jesus] who are enjoying the most fulfilling relationships with God.’ You see, Jesus wants you to share your faith
not just because he has a love for the lost, but also because he delights to
bless those he has found.
(The
opening illustration, story about Edith and the insight about why angles
rejoice were taken from Scott McKay, preaching at Saint John Newlands).
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