What do the religions of the world have in common? They all attempt to
pursue and appease their gods, who have distanced themselves from humanity.
That is a key difference between these religions and the Christian faith.
Christianity is the only faith in which the one true God reaches out to
humanity. He pursues and seeks us out; we are the ones who are lost - not
God.
We can rejoice not only because God seeks us out, but also because we can
know our Creator personally and have a thriving, fulfilling relationship
with Him. We can talk to Him as we would a close friend. We can know the
very heart of our true God. In essence, Christianity is not a religion, but
a relationship. In the Gospels, we see Jesus conveying this message over and
over again.
At the beginning of Luke 15, we see the religious leaders murmuring against
Jesus: "But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them'" (v. 2). The Pharisees considered
anyone who admitted his need for God's forgiveness as ignorant and weak.
Though they studied the Scriptures, they were far from knowing and
comprehending the heart of God.
Jesus was not intimidated by their intellectual arrogance or elitist
attitude toward faith. He responded to their muttering by telling the
parable of the lost sheep. "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses
one of them," Jesus said. "Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open
country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it,
he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his
friends and neighbours together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my
lost sheep'" (Luke 15:4-6).
Can you imagine how these powerful leaders reacted to being compared to a
simple shepherd? They would never lower themselves to labouring through the
muddy hills. Instead, they would chastise the hired shepherds and order them
to conduct the search for the sheep.
In Ezekiel 34, the shepherds of Israel - the religious leaders - angered God
because they kept the food of God's Word for themselves instead of
spiritually feeding their flocks. God warned them, "Woe to the shepherds of
Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of
the flock?" (v. 2). The Pharisees of Jesus' time were shepherding the same
way.
Yet our God does the searching for His lost sheep. Throughout the Old
Testament, we see this image of God as our caring, protective shepherd.
We read in Psalm 23:1-2: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters."
And in Isaiah 40: "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs
in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that
have young" (v. 11).
As God's sheep, we can take comfort in knowing that our Good Shepherd loves
us enough to go after the one lost sheep. He shows His love for us through
His vigilance, faithfulness, and commitment to pursue that one wandering
sheep; and when He finds the sheep, He joyfully carries him all the way
home. We may think that we are the ones who found God - but God was the One
who pursued us. And just like God never rests until He finds the lost sheep,
we must also diligently pursue the lost sheep around us.
Is there someone in your life who does not know the Good Shepherd? Pray for
that person today, and ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance in sharing the
Good News about the God who pursues us. Share your personal story of how God
pursued you and never gave up on you - and how still today God does not
forsake you, even when you feel abandoned by the world.
"Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his
people, the sheep of his pasture." - Psalm 100:3
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