Do you remember the lesson about the shepherd with one hundred sheep that Jesus talked about in Luke 15:3-7 So He told them this parable, saying, ”What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ”And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ”I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. I think for the most part I understand what is being taught here, however there are some things about this story that I still do not understand, if in fact what I am looking for answers to is actually in this passage.
The understanding I have taken from this passage is this, Christ loves all, those that leave the fold and those that stay. He wishes for the lost to come back home and even rejoices when they do. Not down playing at all the faithfulness of the sheep that stayed where they should have been the entire time.
I believe that I get it when it comes to the lost one coming home, the faithful remaining faithful, and the faithful not looking down on the returned lost one. Here is the part I have trouble understanding, what about the sheep that when the shepherd has gone after it does not desire to come back. Or what about the sheep that knows and understands the difference between being on the inside of the fold and not, and prefers living on the outside.
Perhaps I struggle with this because of the position in the Church I am in. As an evangelist I work together with the elders in our congregation not only to promote the Gospel to the lost, but to perpetuate faithfulness among the body of obedient believers. This is where I am torn and I have a feeling I always will be. When a sheep steps away and knows where the fold is and knows what they are leaving and still does what they desire to do, what, if anything does one do to try to get them back? I realize that all one can do, is all one can do.
You see in the parable the shepherd goes out and finds the lost one, picks it up and puts it on his shoulders and brings him back. What if the sheep does not want to come back? Then what? The answer probably lies later on in Luke 15 when the father can only wait for the prodigal son to return home. Then that brings up this discussion, isn’t there a difference between being the “Father” and a shepherd? Why didn’t the father go after the son and bring him home? I know I have heard it said before about Luke 15 that the sheep and the coin did not know they were lost, but the son did. The shepherd went and gave no choice to the sheep. The woman gave no choice to the silver. However, rejoicing still resulted. The father let the son go (I know the Lord does not wish to force someone to love or obey Him) and waits for his return.
So, I guess this is my personal dilemma, do you go after the sheep or do you wait for the son to come home?
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