3 Shepherds

The Bible talks a lot about sheep and shepherds, and over the last two years, I have grown in my appreciation of those passages after working on a farm where one of the many animals they keep is sheep. Pardon my rhyme. :) Afternoons wrangling them back into their fences and watching my back for the ram when feeding and watering the flock have taught me quite a bit, though I know there is so much more I could learn. I was and am really only a beginner when it comes to caring for sheep. But our Heavenly Father is an expert with sheep, and I found it interesting that I left the sheep behind on the farm, only to start here in time to join a Bible study on Psalm 23: "The Lord is my Shepherd."

Since then, I have seen several posts on Social Media discussing the parable of the lost sheep, and this week I read a passage in Ezekiel that I am sure I probably read before, but had completely forgotten, also discussing sheep and a shepherd. So today we are going to read all 3 passages and discuss the common theme among them. And hint: it's not just that they all talk about sheep and shepherds.

Here’s the plan for how we will tackle these passages and connect the main point for you. It’s a bit different from my usual approach to sermons and topics, which is why I am explaining it now. I will read all three passages one after another, then share my observations and explain what they mean for us. So, I encourage you to please read along either on the screen or in your pew Bibles. I will be reading from the English Standard Version, from which the slides are also taken.

Psalm 23:1-6

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

For his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

They comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Ezekial 34:11-31

11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 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; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them a renowned place for planting so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

Luke 15:3-7

3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Did you catch the running theme in all three passages? In each one, the Lord is represented by a shepherd caring for his flock, and Ezekiel even finishes with "And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:31). We are His sheep, and God, Jesus, is the shepherd. So, as our shepherd, what does God say he will do for His flock? Those who know His voice and follow Him?

These passages tell us that He provides rest, shelter, good food, and protection. That he delivers us from our distress, from those who enslave or oppress us, and in the context of the spiritual sense, that means He frees us from sin, which Jesus did when He took our punishment and defeated sin and death. And He seeks us when we are astray and celebrates when we are found with the whole host of heaven.

In these three sheep stories, God declares His love and provision for us. But if we looked at the whole Bible, these kinds of references through parable, story, and one line in a bigger passage, the number of times God declares this or something similar would be in the 100s, at least according to the AI program I asked to count for me. This is noteworthy not just because the illustration was used so much, but because in Ancient Hebrew culture, the more something was repeated, the more important it was. It is important to God that YOU know that He loves you, that He provides rest, shelter, good food, and protection. That He delivers us from our distress, and that He seeks us when we are lost.

In fact, this is so important to God that while Jesus was here in the flesh, He went in search of a lost sheep in Samaria and found her by a well. The woman by the well in John 4 symbolizes the one lost sheep and, by extension, represents you. God loves you so deeply that He seeks you out. When He finds you, He celebrates with all of His celestial family, the host of heaven. He comforts you, holds you close, and provides for you. The story of the woman at the well illustrates that Jesus didn’t come solely for the water, but for the Samaritan woman herself, just as He came for you.

At some point in our lives, we have all felt like lost sheep. Some of us may have wandered farther than others, and some may have even jumped the fence surrounding the pasture in our desire to explore. However, like the woman at the well, pursuing our passions can leave us feeling broken, alone, and rejected.

It's important to understand that the woman wasn't at the well at noon because it was the most convenient time for her. She was there during the hottest part of the day to avoid gossip, disapproving looks, and the very real rejection she faced from the other women in her community. She was isolated and alone. Truly a lost sheep, moving from man to man, looking for a place to land where she could feel safe and loved. She was with her 6th man, and they weren't married, when the shepherd found her, and in one encounter changed her life. In the land of Samaria, a lost sheep became the person of peace who declared to her community: “He told me all that I ever did.”

I want to pause there just a moment and hit a side note. I used a term just now that many people may not be familiar with, 'person of peace.' This is a term used for a person who is able to carry influence and connect you with the community to do ministry. It comes from Luke 10:6, where Jesus instructs His disciples to stay in the home of those who receive His message. That passage reads like this:

Luke 10:5-7

5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.

Because of the woman at the well, many in Samaria received Jesus, heard His message, and believed in Him. Let me rephrase that, because the good shepherd went after the lost sheep, the sheep was restored to the flock, and the shepherd provided sustenance for the whole flock.

Today's main point is that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the promised shepherd from Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Each of us is like the woman at the well or the lost sheep that has wandered off, in need of restoration, healing, and love, despite our flaws and sins. And now, we have the same job as the woman at the well, to go and tell everyone about the coming Messiah, who knows everything about us, and loved us so much that He defeated the enemy we never could. That He took on our sin, He paid our debt, and has broken the power of sin and death over us.

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.