You and I are like sheep.
By nature, sheep are weak, defenseless, prone to wander, vulnerable to attack and disease, without speed, and without foresight to think ahead.
And without Christ, this is exactly how we are. People are sheep without a shepherd, thus incurring many unnecessary scars and suffering. Christians must be moved with compassion for them. We must feel their pain and hopelessness.
Like Savanah, a young lady I met at the Apple store helping me get a new phone. She had a rough exterior full of tattoos, piercings and hopelessness. But as I shared my One Minute Witness, she was totally interested. And when I finished, she genuinely thanked me for telling her this good news, and was so grateful I gave her one minute of my day.
“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.” Isaiah 53:6 NLT
Whether rich or poor, everyone is a lost sheep in need of a shepherd who loves them. Whether they be educated or uneducated, refined or crude in their behavior, they desperately need a shepherd. Many pray for God to help them, but don’t know how to reach Him.
Enter Jesus, the Good Shepherd!
“He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.” Isaiah 40:11 Our Lord expressly calls Himself the “good Shepherd of the sheep”, and the apostle Peter calls Him the “chief Shepherd.” (John 10, 1 Peter 5:4)
Jesus is the shepherd that lays down His life for the sheep. He enters into their weakness, and stoops to their level of need. (2 Cor 11:29) He is filled with sorrow and concern when they drift away from His care. He leaves the 99 and goes after the 1lost sheep. He is relentless until He finds him and returns him home!
Maybe instead of judging people, condemning people or ignoring people, we should be the Shepherd’s voice? Maybe we should enter into their sufferings. After all, we are the bearers of the good news. We are the only humans who can give them eternal hope! The good news of Jesus is their last line of defense, and their only ray of hope.
These lost sheep have a name.
There are dozens of Savanah’s in our circle of influence. Let’s pray to have eyes to see them and love them with compassion as Jesus did for us. The lost sheep of our cities are desperately waiting for us to come out of our churches, step out of our religiosity, and enter into their sufferings. They await our decision.