Of course, you know the Bible story.  It’s one of the most beloved stories in Christianity.  The picture is in the Children’s Bible – beautifully illustrated in colour.  A man in a long white robe carries a sheep draped over his shoulders.  The caption reads: The Good Shepherd.  You might remember it well, or perhaps the image is a bit blurry.

But does it really matter?  After all, we’re not shepherds.  We don’t keep herds the way people did back then, with shepherds watching over sheep all day long.  Things are different here.  We use fenced enclosures, far from marshy areas so the sheep won’t get foot rot.  In the evenings, someone will fetch them to bring them home, where they sleep safely in the kraal, away from predators like jackals.  We keep a close eye on the ewes when they are about to lamb, often bringing them into the barn near the house so my father can help if their bleating wakes us during the night.

Sheep are not very smart.  It’s almost comical how they are rescued from one situation, only to get themselves into the same trouble a few steps later.  They are herd animals, blindly following one another, even to the edge of a cliff.

In ancient Judea, it was easy for sheep to stray.  The pastures were located on hilltops, forming a kind of spine along the centre of the land. These plateaus were narrow, only a few miles wide, with no walls or fences to contain the sheep.  Because grazing was scarce, the sheep wandered as they fed, and they could easily fall into a ravine or ditch from which they couldn’t escape on their own.

The Palestinian shepherds were skilled at tracking lost sheep.  They could follow a sheep’s tracks for miles and climb steep terrain to rescue it, wherever it was stuck.  During Jesus’ time, a flock often belonged to an entire village, with two or three shepherds caring for it together.  That’s why a shepherd could leave the ninety-nine behind to search for one lost sheep without worrying that more would wander off—the others were under the care of his fellow shepherds.

It is this familiar image of a shepherd, tired but triumphant, carrying a sheep over his shoulders, that Jesus refers to.  The whole village would gather to welcome him and hear the story of the lost sheep that had been found.

Let’s read:
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.” (Matthew 18:12-13)

Here in Matthew, Jesus’ words seem almost neutral, as if he is merely comparing a shepherd’s natural care for a lost sheep with the love He has for each of us.  He points to the best qualities of an earthly shepherd and highlights the joy of recovering what was lost.

In Luke (15:3-7), Jesus expands this image in response to the Pharisees, who criticized him for eating and socializing with sinners.

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he 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 neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 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.”

Once again, Jesus speaks of good shepherds, evoking an image of care and compassion.

Then, in John (10), we reach the climax of this metaphor, where the image of the Good Shepherd reveals the heart of the Father.  We must always remember that Jesus is the mind and heart of the Father embodied in human form.

Jesus himself is the Shepherd.  This is one of the seven important I AM -statements in John’s Gospel, where Jesus reveals his character.

“Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. 

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Jesus continued:
“I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away, and the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep, and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

These words are like soothing balm to my soul. They heal doubt, fear, and anger. They give courage and pour pure, powerful love into my broken heart.

The “voice” of Jesus in these words is like the calm evening breeze, blowing away the sadness and uncertainty of life in a broken world.  His voice is in his Word.  If we know it, we will “hear” it in times of need and in moments of overwhelming gratitude and worship.

God has patient love for each individual. He works tirelessly to gather every lost soul.  He actively seeks the lost, no matter the cost. 

This was hard for the Jews to understand.  They could accept that if a sinner came crawling back in sorrow and repentance, God would forgive. But they could not grasp the idea of a God who actively searches for sinners, regardless of their state.

God’s love is joyful.  There is no hint of reproach or blame.  The lost one is welcomed with joy and celebration—no resentment, no revenge.  God removes our sins and remembers them no more.

God’s love surrounds and protects us.  It fills us with wonder, gives us wisdom, strength, and victory.

Wipe the dust from the Children’s Bible and look at the picture again.