Extreme Grace (2) – The Extremely Compassionate and Sacrificial Shepherd

In the first of the string of three parables in Luke 15, Jesus asks a question in answer to the pharisees criticizing Him for socializing with sinners , “What man of you, if he has a hundred sheep and should lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness (desert) and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4 The Amplified Bible) Jesus says affirmatively that the shepherd in the story will definitely leave the ninety nine sheep behind in the desert to go and search for that one lost sheep. In reality I think no shepherd in his right frame of mind will do that because it does not make sense to leave ninety nine healthy,vulnerable and defenseless sheep behind in the wilderness to go in search of one lost sheep that may never be found or if found, could be severely injured or dead.

Jesus is very sure that the shepherd in the parable will leave his helpless flock of ninety nine behind and plunge into the dark and dangerous night outside to seek the one lost sheep which appearance He knows by heart. Jesus knows the heart of the shepherd in the story so intimately because HE IS that shepherd. Luke 19:10 tells us, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

To Jesus’ extremely compassionate heart, even just one sheep from His fold that has gone missing will cause Him deep sorrow; He cannot bear the thought of the lost sheep in jeopardy. But you may point out that the shepherd in the story still has ninety nine left in the fold, so one missing sheep will not make that big a difference, will it? Well, it is a BIG deal to the extremely compassionate Shepherd. 2 Peter 3:9 puts it across so poignantly, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (NKJ)

When the shepherd in the story plunges into the unknown darkness to seek the one lost sheep, he has knowingly allowed himself to be plunged into an extremely dangerous situation. He has to go where the sheep has gone, tread paths that he has never gone before and venture into dark and perilous woods just to find that one lost and defenseless sheep. By doing that, the shepherd has put his own life on the line. Jesus, the extremely sacrificial shepherd, has laid down His life on the cross for us, the lost sheep. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11 NKJ)

When one of these sheep is lost and then found, the shepherd “lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” There is no stern reprimand or punishment for the silly sheep who wandered away on its own but only extreme rejoicing. So extreme is the shepherd’s joy at finally finding that lost sheep that he lays the sheep which probably weighs a minimum of 100 pounds on his shoulders! The sheep doesn’t even have to walk! What extreme grace from the extremely compassionate and sacrificial shepherd! Isaiah 53:6 tells it so well, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” (NLT) The extremely sacrificial shepherd bore on His shoulders all the sins of the lost sheep.

Has this extremely compassionate and sacrificial shepherd found you?