The shoulders of the Shepherd
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:4-5).
There is a service station at the northern end of the M6 motorway. In the restaurant is a large and striking photograph of an old, smiling Cumbrian shepherd with a lamb on his shoulders. It always reminds me of Luke 15. Isaiah 9:6 speaks of the Lord and the government of the world being “upon his shoulder”. We often compare this to the shepherd’s shoulders in Luke 15 where the Lord speaks, not of His “shoulder” of government, but of “his shoulders” of salvation. It is an illustration of the depth and power of His redeeming love. The old hymn powerfully expresses this thought:
But none of the ransomed ever known
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night which the Lord passed through
Ere He found His sheep that was lost. (E. C. Clephane)
In Luke 15 the Lord Jesus gives a beautiful picture of Himself. The shepherd searches for one lost sheep and finds it and brings it safely home. It is the story of three journeys. The journey the lost sheep took, the journey the shepherd took and the journey of the shepherd with His sheep. The first journey describes where we were without God – lost. The second journey represents the cost of our salvation – Jesus coming to where we were. And the third journey describes the joy and power of a love from which we can never be separated, and of our glorious destiny.
In John’s Gospel Jesus doesn’t give us an illustration; He tells us clearly, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He wanted us to understand, without any doubt, His love for us.
In Luke 23 the Lord Jesus does not speak in a parable, nor does He describe who He is; He proves it. If ever a man was lost, it was the dying thief. Jesus, in the very act of dying as the Saviour of the world, finds this man: “And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’” (v. 43).
The Lord’s shepherd-heart continues to be seen in His resurrection. He finds Mary, the two on the road to Emmaus, Thomas and Peter. He went to where they were in their sorrow and confusion, and in their unbelief and failure. He drew them to Himself. He showed them the wounds of the Good Shepherd. He assured them that His ministry of grace and love would continue to sustain and empower them. The Lord makes Mary His messenger; sets alight the hearts of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; makes Thomas a worshipper, and Peter a shepherd.
The Lord’s shepherd’s-heart has not changed. Let’s rest in Him, worship Him, follow Him, witness to Him and never forget that His love will carry us home.
