99 Sheeps

Jesus teaches the heart of the shepherd for the lost, leaving the 99 safe and sound to rescue the one in imminent danger. This is a powerful antidote to the quest for greatness, the kids are arguing about status while one is lost and in danger. God’s message to the lost - He is on the search and rescue mission. God’s message to the flock - stop tripping each other, shepherd up, and join the search and rescue mission.

Lost Keys

Christmas at Mom and Dad’s house this last year. Awesome time together with family, we made these shirts with hug handprints, super fun.

One little shadow on the day.

We went to pack up and leave… and my keys aren’t in my pocket.

Now, I’ve never in my life permanently lost my keys… even if you’ve heard the story while skiing, that was a temporary loss… but that sinking feeling, frantically retracing steps.

My parent’s apartment isn’t all that big, they couldn’t have gone far.

So annoying. Couldn’t find them. They had left without us.

Had to drive home and get the spare key, then come back and get the car.

So annoying. Like I said, a shadow on an otherwise beautiful day.

We use the word “lost” all the time in the church. Is that how we feel when it comes to the “lost”? Is that how God feels when someone is lost? “Oh man, seriously, Dusty? Walked off again, eh? Okay… everyone stop the fun, we have to go find Dusty again!”

“Did you search the couch cushions?” “Yes, but pull them off and search again!”

“Couldn’t find him, someone go get the extra Dusty we keep in the drawer by the fridge. We need Dusty to get home.”

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Matthew 18:10 ESV

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Don’t “despise” the little ones.

The implication is that they could. Would. Have. Are. It’s just a kid, after all.

Who are these “little ones?”

There, still, is the young child in their midst. Luke or Aiden. Weaker, Less “accomplished”, less “productive”, lesser in almost every way we can think of. Yet we are to humble ourselves like this child to even enter the Kingdom.

Humble children. That we are called to be like. And as we become like them, we become vulnerable, and the rest of the community is equally commanded to not despise us in our humble vulnerability. Not to take advantage, not to seek dominion over.

This is one of the (very few) verses that one could pick up to build a theology of “Guardian Angels.” The little ones have “their angels” and they have access to God, the face of God all the time.

Alternatively, it could refer to “their angels” more like a collective group, the angels who watch over humble children. But either way, they are watching over, protecting, these “little ones.”

Jesus will ultimately see that justice is done (you’ll sleep with the fishes) and there are multiple angels watching out in the meantime.

(Your bible might have Matt 18:11 “For the Son of Man came to save the lost.” A little foretaste of what’s coming here, but not in the earliest manuscripts). And likely quoting from the similar passage in Luke. Not wrong. Spot on, really. It’s like commentary, but GREAT commentary.

Matthew 18:12 ESV

12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

Does he not??? The Greek here indicates the expected answer. It’s rhetorical, every one there would say OF COURSE they would go and get the missing sheep. Ezekiel 34 even uses the example of a shepherd that wouldn’t chase after a lost sheep as an example of worthless shepherds, worthless leaders over Israel.

And it’s practical. 100, sure that’s a lot of sheep, but not crazy for one person to watch over. Some shepherds today watch over thousands (plural) of sheep all by themselves, perhaps with a dog. It’s a lot, enough that some attrition is to be expected.

Sheep are dumb. You are inevitably going to lose some. Fell off a cliff, eaten by a lion, stolen by Philistine, who knows?!

Attrition is inevitable.

But this shepherd isn’t content to lose one. Honestly, if he lost one every day and shrugged it off, he wouldn’t last the year as a shepherd. A shepherd with no sheep? Just a dude.

No! OBVIOUSLY he is going to chase after the lost one. And rescue him.

It says he leaves the 99 in the mountains. Like a mountain side pasture, maybe. The passage in Luke says in an “open pasture”, I bet Jesus told this story many times. He isn’t abandoning the other 99. Perhaps there are other shepherds, often shepherds would intermingle their flocks at times, and that’s why calling them out and his sheep recognizing his voice was so important.

But the point is that the 99 are fine. They are safe. They will be there when he gets back.

And the shepherd goes after the 1 lost.

Captain of the 99

Conversation with the Chief of Police for the City of Northglenn, wanting to shut down our park lunch last year.

Y’all are focused here on the 1%, we have to think about the other 99% around us.

Ummm… no we don’t. Why? Because the other 99% are fine. They are fine. They can go eat lunch in their home. Because they have a home… with food in it ready to go. And probably people to listen and love on them.

We are here, in the park, above all to serve folks who don’t. Maybe it’s for a moment, maybe for a season, but they are lost or hungry or homeless or thirsty… or desperate for a listening ear.

And the 99% might not like the look of 10 or 20 such folks gathered together. (I don’t think it’s really the 99%, it’s a noisy 5%), but I’m going to follow in the footsteps of my shepherd.

The Heart of the Shepherd

And this is the heart of God. Jesus is telling us something profound about the heart of God.

Over and over again, we meet men who are said to have the heart of God.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? All shepherds.

Moses? Shepherd for 40 years.

David? Shepherd.

Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. His sheep hear his voice, recognize him, follow him where he leads. The way that a shepherd leads, not with the stick, not with power, not with force, but with the voice calling… that is the heart of God.

And this. The shepherd chases after the lost sheep.

Matthew 18:13–14 ESV

13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Is he annoyed? Irritated? Grabbing a spare?

No, he rejoices, full of joy, more than over the ninety-nine! In the Luke passages he calls his friend together for a party in celebration… and there is “more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents.”

It is joyous, joyful, rejoicing if he finds it.

IF he finds it. Grammatically, that is a real “if.”

God has given human beings free will, and apparently that gives them the ability, the “freedom” to reject God’s lead, God’s will, ultimately God’s love. But you must know this, God is chasing them. God is seeking them, calling for them, not willing that any should perish.

The sense of a “lost” little one definitely brings to mind not just the “lost” who have never heard the gospel of Jesus… but those who have been part of the flock and fallen away. Gotten lost. Heard the truth and moved away.

Jesus, in his prayer, speaks of the flock, those given into his hand, and how he has not lost any… save one. There is a lost sheep right there among the twelve, Judas, the Son of Judgment. How it must break the shepherd’s heart.

How especially ludicrous if he’s engaged in these debates about who is greatest.

This is Jesus’ mission here on earth, and he knows the time is near. Time is running out.

The Lost Camper

Years ago we sent all the campers out for time alone with God. “Vertical Time” (2 hours alone with God).

And after those two hours we rang the bell. We circled up. We counted off. We counted off again. We found 1 more in the bathroom (there’s always 1), 1 more in the cabin… but we were still one shy.

Nate was missing.

Nate was kind of a challenge at camp in general. Often in trouble, often disruptive, there were all kinds of stories the other teenagers had about Nate, and I don’t know which were true… but it wasn’t crazy that this dude was trouble… or in trouble.

This I knew: Nate wasn’t here. I was a camper short.

So several of us counselors left the 99 and sought out the 1.

Just before I left to go find this missing camper, a bunch of other campers came up to me. Arguing about who won capture the flag. Ridiculous. Arguing about who is the BEST camper. Who scored the highest on camp points. Whose bunk was the cleanest!

No, ridiculous! How tone deaf. They wanted to help search. We didn’t let them, they weren’t ready for that, though many grew up to be counselors later.

We left them and went after Nate.

I finally found him up and over on the other side of the towers. I wish I could find the video he made, praising God, preaching a little sermon.

There was great rejoicing. Nate was lost. But now he’s found.

To the 99

Calm down. You’re fine.

Don’t fret away your time here on earth arguing and quibbling over tiny things.

Now, I love to get into the fine details of theology and church practice, and even bible study and spiritual disciplines. Here is the beautiful thing about all of those: we will be practicing those for eternity. I think we will be growing in those for eternity. Discovering new ways to worship, new aspects of God, new depths to His love and grace, His holiness, all of that.

Most of our theological disagreements will be solved with a few questions of our Lord.

So the time we spent divided and divisive, causing one another to stumble, it is so stupid… and so incredibly counter to the mission.

Stop stumbling, stop tripping each other!

Do we hear how tone deaf it is to focus so much of our attention, time, passion in these directions?

Stop stumbling, stop tripping each other!

Let us instead nurture the heart of the shepherd, to seek and save the Lost.

Fellow counselors, co-shepherds, on the mission to seek and save the lost. I’ll go North, you go South, calling as we go.

Or at least campers, maybe not ready yet, but begging to go, to be sent, eager and preparing for the moment we are sent.

Let us be on Jesus’ mission, His church’s mission, to seek and save the lost. That’s what we are about, in the footsteps of our Shepherd.

Different gifts, different roles, but all on the same team with the same mission.

To the Lost

This is true of the “lost” who aren’t in the room today, who haven’t heard the good news of Jesus. Remember Jesus’ words and speak them, teach them.

But I know sometimes the lost put on a church face and show up anyhow.

You can feel lost in your mind. You have questions. You have doubts. You feel like you’re the only one who does.

You can feel lost in faith. Everyone else is believing it, but you can’t muster up a mustard seed of faith.

You can feel lost in heart. The emotions aren’t there like they used to be, you just don’t feel it, or all that you feel is “down.” “Weary.” Lost.

Lost and alone, or lost in the crowd.

I know there are days you feel lost. And days may come. May the words of Jesus echo over and over for you. He is the shepherd who seeks and saves the lost.

Jesus is on the way.

He has launched a search and rescue mission to find you. Yes, salvation generally. Yes, the cross. Yes, the resurrection and all of that.

But also, you specifically. He made you on purpose. He loves you, specifically and individually. Every hair on your head.

He knows your story. You are fully seen, full known, and fully loved.

And He has been on a mission to tell you that, show you that, in a thousand ways. Including right now, you hearing this is no accident. This is part of his mission to tell you:

You are loved. You belong. You are chosen.

KK is going to sing a song for us. We will put the lyrics up on the screen so you don’t miss a word… but sit, and listen, receive the words of God spoken over you. To you.

The words of your shepherd.