Howdy. Some of the most comforting words in Scripture
are when God calls Himself our shepherd. Think
of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd I shall
not want. We love that picture. Green pastures,
still waters, a soul restored when life wears
us down. But if you've ever seen how sheep actually
behave, You know, the comfort of that image comes
with a dose of reality. There's a story from
Turkey where one sheep wandered too close to
the edge of a cliff and fell in. The rest of
the flock followed. 1 ,500 of them. One right
after another, right over the edge. 450 of them
did not make it. Most of them survived because
they landed on the pile below. It's a reminder.
Sheep do not always make the best choices. They
wander. They follow blindly. They get shoved
around, and sometimes the very shepherds meant
to protect them, sitting off to the side, not
paying attention until it was too late, turn
out to be selfish. or corrupt. And that's why
God keeps reminding his people of this promise,
I myself will be your shepherd. I will seek you
out. I will rescue you. Today we see how that
plays out in two of our passages, Ezekiel 34
and Luke 15. One is a grand prophecy to a people
that are scattered and hurting in exile and the
other is a parable. Jesus told when sinners and
tax collectors were drawing near, put them together
and we get a picture of God's heart, a shepherd
who rescues his flock from every danger, corrupt
leaders, harmful communities, and even our own
wandering hearts. Ezekiel shows us the problems
clearly. Leaders who fed themselves instead of
the flock, sheep who trampled and shoved one
another, and others who wandered away into danger.
And then in Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of
a shepherd who leaves the 99 to search for the
one. Taken together, it's the story of a God
who refuses to give up on his people, even when
the trouble is one we brought on ourselves. Listen
now Ezekiel records God's promise for thus says
the Lord God behold I I myself will search for
my sheep and Will seek them out as a shepherd
seeks out his flock when he is among his his
scattered sheep So will I seek out my sheep and
I will rescue them Do you hear the intensity?
I myself not an angel not a prophet not a hired
hand God says, I will come, I will search, I
will rescue. We celebrate with the 24th anniversary
of 9 -11 those who spent their time, the firefighters,
the first responders who rushed into the burning
towers as others fled. They weren't calculating
risk or weighing the odds. They were compelled
by love and duty. to seek, to rescue, to save,
even when they thought it might be just one more.
That's the kind of shepherd that God promises
to be. He doesn't stand at a distance. He comes
into the smoke and rubble of our lives to find
us, even when the danger is great and the odds
seem impossible. And when Jesus tells the parable
in Luke, He's saying the same thing. A shepherd
leaves the 99 to search for the one knowing that
each of those 99 at some point has been the one.
From the outside, it may look reckless, but from
the perspective of love, it's the only thing
that makes any sense. But who were the shepherds
that Judah had at the time? The ones Ezekiel
seems to be condemning. This is a time where
Ezekiel is speaking just before and just after
the people of Judah are taken away out of their
land forcibly into a Babylonian exile. See, there
were Judah's priests, kings, princes, and leaders.
The very people God had appointed to care for
His people. But instead of protecting the flock,
they exploited them. King Jehoiakim had imposed
heavy taxes to pay tribute to Egypt and Babylon,
while ordinary people struggled to survive, and
then they still got taken into exile. The leaders
indulged in luxury while the poor went hungry.
The priests neglected their duties. They led
worship astray. tolerated idolatry, practiced
things that they saw in other countries, made
alliances with nations they had no business connecting
with. These leaders ate the fat and clothed themselves
with the wool while failing to strengthen the
weak, to heal the sick, to seek the lost. Because
of their neglect, the people were scattered.
They were left vulnerable. to enemies, both human
and spiritual. We've all seen this kind of failure.
A boss takes credit for the team's work, leaving
the employees unseen. Politicians enrich themselves
while ignoring that they're meant to serve. Or
imagine... Seeing the lifeguard at a busy pool,
taking the time to tan evenly, sipping soda,
and flirting with the girls while the kids are
flailing in the midst of the pool, and he doesn't
notice. That's the level of failure that God
is confronting through Ezekiel. But it actually
turned out to be true with 9 -11 as well. Fraudulent
charities cropped up claiming to help victims'
families only to pocket the donations. people
in desperate situations were preyed upon. Some
employees who survived or lost coworkers at the
World Trade Center faced retaliation, unsafe
working conditions, or wrongful termination as
companies tried to protect financial interests
in the midst of the chaos. And how many of our
leaders, even the ones claiming to be Christian,
did nothing unless they were forced to do so.
Sometimes people are hurt where they should have
been cared for, and leaders, even religious leaders,
can fail. God sees this and He says, enough,
I will shepherd them myself. Jesus later calls
Himself the Good Shepherd, and part of His goodness
is that He is nothing like those false leaders.
He lays down His life for the sheep, instead
of using them up. Where human shepherds are selfish
and hungry and fail, the divine shepherd rescues.
But it wasn't just the shepherds, the leaders.
The stronger Israelites mistreated the weaker
ones as well. What was happening? See, in exile,
when people were taken into Babylon, the wealthy
Jewish exiles would make connections with the
Babylonians, and they would sometimes prosper
while the poor were trampled down. Back in Judah,
there were some that were left behind, and those
had to fight over scarce resources. And some
oppressed their neighbors rather than sharing
with one another. And the social injustice of
the strong pushing with flank and shoulder, muddying
the water so others couldn't drink, was a metaphor
for how the privileged kept others away from
survival. See, Ezekiel wasn't just criticizing
the leaders. Ordinary people could wound and
exploit one another instead of living in covenant
faithfulness together. God says, is it not enough?
for you to feed on the good pasture that you
must tread down with your feet the rest of your
pasture? You push with side and shoulder and
thrust at all the weak with your horns till you
have scattered them abroad. Some of the sheep
were muddying the waters, trampling the grass,
shoving others aside. Even with God's people,
there were sheep who harmed one another. This
is very much what sheep will do. They jostle
at the water trough. They stir up mud so that
some are not able to drink because there's too
much mud in the midst of it. And sometimes we're
the same. We muddy the water of God's truth for
others because we are impatient. We gossip. We're
selfish. We demonstrate the worst of things.
And then that's what other people see of God's
goodness. We've muddied the waters of the gospel.
for other people. In everyday life, we see the
kid at recess who monopolizes the water fountain,
the co -worker who empties the coffee pot without
thinking of others, the player who refuses to
pass the ball, the selfishness, the thoughtlessness,
the pushing, the shoving, muddying the waters
for everyone else. But even while those are more
silly, there were the stories after the towers
fell where the families and victims of survivors
were sometimes exploited by insurance companies,
pressured to accept settlements far below what
they were owed. Some adjusters delayed payments
or tried to minimize claims, taking advantage
of people in grief and crisis. People desperate
for help were taken advantage of, preyed upon
in their grief. And that's exactly what Ezekiel
is describing. Sheep hurting one another. Even
in a flock that should care for one another,
sometimes the threat doesn't come from bad leaders
up top, but from the way sheep treat each other
in the flock. Gossip, criticism, harshness, pride,
muddying the waters and the weaker sheep go thirsty
because they needed the purity of the gospel.
God promises to rescue us from that too. And
yet sometimes the sheep, they don't need false
shepherds to lead them astray or misuse them.
They don't even need other sheep trampling all
over them. Sometimes the sheep just wander off
and lose themselves. After Jerusalem fell in
586 BC, many of the Israelites were taken off
into Babylon for the exile, while others were
left behind in Judah, and those who were left
behind faced poverty. danger from surrounding
nations, internal strife. Without faithful leaders,
the people were scattered and vulnerable. Spiritually,
many drifted from God seeking security in foreign
alliances and idolatry. The flock was literally
and figuratively lost. When we align ourselves
with those who do not have God's purposes in
mind, we ourselves end up finding a path that
leads to death. And yet, the shepherd goes out
and searches until he finds the lost sheep. Not
if he feels like it. Not if the sheep deserve
it. He searches until he finds it. And there's
joy. The heart of the Gospel is this. When he
has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
The shepherd... doesn't scold the sheep. He doesn't
say, oh, you got yourself into this mess, you
can get yourself out of it. He lifts it onto
his shoulders, carries the weight, and rejoices,
calls his friends and neighbors, rejoice with
me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.
How often is it that we realize we're lost, and
we can't seem to find our way back on our own?
The gospel, whether our wounds came from corrupt
shepherds, from muddy sheep, or from our own
wandering, God himself comes to rescue us, lifts
us up, carries us home. We live in a place where
we see the floodwaters, and we know that the
search and rescue teams will keep combing until
they have found every single missing person.
Not worrying about how many they've already found,
but thinking about how many could still be there.
the value of the one drives the mission. Or even
when the first responders rushed into burning
towers and they climbed stairs that were collapsing
through smoke and fire, all to find if there
was one person left. They didn't turn around
to those who had survived and said, why were
you there in the first place? The joy was in
the rescue. The very thing that heaven rejoices
with when one sinner is found. and brought home.
See, the shepherd delights in our rescue. He's
not just doing it out of duty. He rejoices because
of his love. Risking everything is what our God
does, even as He didn't just risk His life, but
He willingly gave it. There's an image that oftentimes
has been in my head, the idea that sheep are
not always the brightest. Shepherds tell of sheep
that learned to jump over a fence to get to the
field that they wanted to be in, but even when
that fence was no longer there and they took
away, they kept jumping. The exact same spot.
No fence, no barrier, but they still acted like
it was there. Why? That's what the last sheep
did. Isn't that just like us? Following the old
patterns or other people's habits? Not realizing
the Good Shepherd is calling us into freedom.
But whose voice are we listening to? Are we listening
to corrupt shepherds who feed themselves while
the flock suffers? Are we listening to pushy
sheep who muddy the waters for others? Are we
listening to our own wandering hearts following
patterns that lead us to danger? On social media,
trends rise and fall by the day. Everyone follows
someone, but few ask if the voice is the right
one to follow. We're currently at a turning point
in our society, a watershed. This past week has
been one of tragedy and tension, and frankly,
I'm scared. See, we have seen people gunned down
in schools with children, as well as in schools
with adults. We have seen a public figure shot
in front of his family and people are struggling
with the feeling of mourning and loss. We need
time to grieve. No matter what people may think
of the person himself, this is not how civilized
people should ever respond to one another. The
danger, though, comes when we go beyond our grief
and try to form a movement of our own hands.
People whose sorrow has turned to rage want a
place to put that rage. People may be picking
up their Bibles to use as swords against other
people, even though the irony is that the sword
of the Spirit, the Word of God, is only meant
to divide between our soul and spirit, our joints
and marrow, in order to penetrate us deeply.
helping us to discern our own thoughts and intentions.
Because God's Word cannot be an actual weapon
in any sense that people may be looking for in
the world right now. God's Word is only a weapon
so that we die to ourselves and we no longer
contribute to what's happening in this world.
There are those who will, in the coming weeks
and months, try to find things in scripture to
create modern -day crusades. bringing back dark
chapters in history. But the Good Shepherd doesn't
lead us into a battle that requires attacking
other people. It's a battle that belongs only
to the Lord. Only Christ Jesus can strike the
blow, because He already did, into His own flesh.
The answer is not to find whom we shall attack.
The answer is to offer what we've always offered,
forgiveness and hope. We are meant to be salt
and light, not to be salty and lit up with anger.
Listening to our leaders and other sheep who
are attempting to take us down their own paths
will lead us away from the Good Shepherd. Even
when the Protestant Reformers centuries ago attempted
to stand up for their oppressed leaders on the
battlefield, all they ended up doing was bringing
about bloodshed instead of the gospel message.
Following other sheep brings death. The Good
Shepherd's voice is the one that brings life.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me. Even when we fail to listen,
even when we wander, He comes after us. He calls
us. He lifts us up. He carries us home. No one
else can do that. It doesn't matter. No other
person can do that. No other name, no other legacy,
only Christ alone. When the chaos raged and firefighters
went into danger to rescue the lost, how many
of them did so knowing it would cost them their
own life? They didn't wait for permission. They
didn't pass on the responsibility. And that's
Jesus with His sheep. He sees us trampled and
comes Himself. The ones who served, who sacrificed,
who gave up their own lives, were the ones who
brought us hope and life out of that torment.
And it wasn't until later that decisions made
for the sake of vengeance and punishment got
us into terrible decisions that haunted us for
decades. When we listen to the Good Shepherd,
it is not like the corrupt leaders or the selfish
sheep in this world. He does not exploit. He
does not shove. He doesn't leave us to wander
and wonder why we fell off the edge. He calls
us. And his call is not just practical, it's
full of joy and love. And when we hear his voice
and follow him, we step into life, freedom, and
safety on the shoulders of the only one who can
carry us. So Ezekiel told us of a shepherd who
would come to rescue his sheep to find us and
rejoice. I myself will search. I myself will
rescue. And He leaves the 99 to bring us home.
So we know what this looks like. Even when so
much has already been taken, the answer is to
still be willing to give of our very selves,
our very lives, for the sake of forgiveness and
mercy. Always. That's the picture Jesus gives
us whatever may be happening inside of our hearts
He doesn't just point us home. He brings us there
himself Because the truth is is that his humility
and his service Are the very things that we need
to look for because we need rescue Let's just
be honest our nation our world. We need rescue
from bad leaders We need rescue from harmful
voices around us. We need rescue from our own
wandering hearts And in every case, no matter
where we are, the Good Shepherd is still there.
So whose voice are we listening to? Don't follow
the muddy waters. Don't follow the pushing horns.
Don't even follow your own heart, frankly. Follow
the Shepherd. Because here's the good news. Even
when we don't and we fail to hear Him, the Shepherd's
already on His way to carry us back to Himself
no matter what this next week may reveal of itself.
So may we follow Christ and Christ alone because
he's the only one who is the way, the truth,
and the life. Thanks be to God.