Lately, I've been thinking a lot about sheep. I've felt like one of the lost sheep that Jesus teaches about in the parable of The Lost Sheep.
Jesus is telling a group of Pharisees (religious leaders in biblical times) that if one of them had a flock of 100 sheep and one wandered off and got lost he would leave the 99 sheep in open country and go after the lost sheep until he found it. Then he would joyfully pick it up, bring it home and call his friends together to rejoice with him. He finishes the parable with a clearer explanation of His point, "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." When we "get lost" or sin, the Shepherd searches for us, and when we repent of our sin there is rejoicing and a welcome back into the fold.
However, after a deeper dive into this parable, I realized it wasn't one of the lost sheep that I related to so I kept searching the Word for more lessons about sheep. In John 10 Jesus again speaking to Pharisees teaches about how He himself is the Good Shepherd and that His sheep know and follow His voice. The shepherd comes to the pen through the gate, but the thief doesn't use the gate and he only comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus also talks about the hired hand and how if there are sheep in a pasture and a wolf comes, the hired hand will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him. While these are excellent teachings about how Jesus cares for His own, they still didn't quite resonate with my spirit.
I continued my search and found an occasion when a group of Jews asked Jesus, "If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus responds to them by saying, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep." Seems a bit harsh, but I appreciate Jesus' clarity. He doesn't tell them, it's too late for you, you can never be my sheep, but He shows them the truth about their condition and the barrier to their acceptance of Him, their unbelief.
Finally, in this same conversation, Jesus says the words that hit my heart and overwhelmed me with hope which has been so lacking lately. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." I guess I've felt a little lost lately but not due to my sin like the Lost Sheep. I've said many times that my grief is so unexpected. I don't recognize myself in it, but the truth that brought me so much hope this morning is that Jesus knows me and that no one can snatch me out of His hand. The security I thought I had lost when my husband left and again when my Dad died is not gone. I'm not broken beyond repair. And although I don't recognize myself in these early stages of grief, my Father does. He knows me; I can't get so lost that He can't find me. He comes for me; He rescues me every time.
I've needed and longed for this breakthrough. Thank you for your prayers for me. God hears them and is responding to them. Thank you for hoping when I struggled to and thank you for loving me.
