Essay Nine
That Great Shepherd of the Sheep
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
In these closing verses of Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews we are presented with a beautiful summary of God’s plan of salvation for his people Israel. We are told that the perfection of his sheep rests solely upon the promises of the new covenant, sealed with the blood of that great shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ. The heart of the new covenant promises is declared to be Christ working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight. The power of these new covenant promises springs from their total dependence on the working of God.
We Pollute the New Covenant with the Old Covenant
How sharply does this Gospel presented by Paul contrast with what we are taught in our pulpits today. We are told in effect, that the great shepherd of the sheep shed his blood in vain for the vast majority of his holy flock. Instead of focusing on the unconditional promises of God, we focus on man’s response, man’s behavior, and man’s experiences. In effect we pollute the new covenant with the old.
In Luke 5:36 Christ warned, “No man putteth a piece of a new garment on an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.” No matter how diligently we try to weave Christ into the fabric of the old covenant, our patchwork gospel unravels when we are confronted with the claims of the new covenant.
Can you imagine the ridicule and shame which would be heaped upon a shepherd who returned to the fold with less than ten percent of his flock? How then do we expect to build faith in that great shepherd of the sheep with a gospel which allows the loss of ninety percent of his sheep? It simply can’t be done. Either Christ will save all of his sheep, or he will have been derelict in his role as the great shepherd of the sheep.
It is not the Will of your Father that One should Perish
In Matthew 18:12-14, Christ makes it clear that he has no intention of losing a single one of his sheep. “How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
We are His People, and the Sheep of His Pasture
The old scriptures teach that the Israel people were God’s sheep, and Christ their shepherd. In Psalm 100:3 we read, “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” In John 17:9-10, Christ acknowledges that the Israel people are his responsibility. “I pray not for the world, but for them which thou has given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them” In John 6:37-39 Christ promises that of all those that the Father has given him, none would be lost. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me; I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”
My Sheep Hear My Voice
God’s sheep knows their Master’s voice and follow him. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)
Some Christians when confronted with God’s plan for the reconciliation of all mankind, express their concern that such a teaching discourages us from evangelizing the world. Quite the contrary is true. As long as we harbor the notion that God has written off ninety percent of his creation, our concern for his sheep can be quite shallow and superficial. This kind of thinking led the apostle Peter to regard Cornelius as unclean, and unworthy of salvation. The gospel of reconciliation teaches us not to call any man common or unclean, for “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:15)
Let us not forget that we were all lost sheep, and only through God’s grace and mercy were we returned to the fold. In I Peter 2:25 we are reminded, “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” As ministers of the word of reconciliation, we have a responsibility to all of God’s sheep. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)
I Will both Search My Sheep and Seek Them Out
In Ezekiel chapter 34, the Lord is very harsh with those shepherds who fail to search for his flock, and feed them. “Therefore ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” (Ezekiel 34:7-12)
The prophet Amos speaks of the concern and watchfulness of the Great Shepherd for all his sheep. “For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” (Amos 9:9)
Fear Not Little Flock
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)