(Please forgive me, this is late night scribble and thus I know it has errors. I will set out to clean it up someday. Maybe.)
A sheep doesn't know he's lost. At least not until he gets in trouble. But I don't want to presume to know the mind of a sheep. Maybe he does know he's lost out there all by himself but he just doesn't care. He is out there having a good ol time munching on that cherished chunk of grass that he discovered and if he knows that the rest of the gang split ship a while back he doesn't show any signs of it.
So we are faced with these 2 options:
1. Lost and alone and doesn't know it
or
2. Alone and doesn't care
Either way he's in trouble. And either description reminds me of human nature. We too often find ourselves oblivious to the dangers we are in until we realize we are in a heap of trouble. I know that I have had this happen to me on a number of occasions and the eye opening moment is a rather sickening feeling. It is the moment where reaping what you have sown is manifested right in front of you.
Examples: the father realizing his son is just like him, the brother seeing the dangerous place he has brought his little sibling into, the police breaking down the door on the embezzler, the gambler finding there is no money left in the savings account - the list can go on endlessly.
Its a fascinating thing though to watch how, even in moments like these when we are rescued we want to take credit.
When I was young in the Lord I used to think that I went out and found the shepherd. But thats not how it works is it? ?The sheep is out there in some precarious position, wide eyed and panic stricken. He has no hope of getting out of his predicament.
So, in comes the shepherd. He sees his lost one. He comes along, reaches down to that poor, helpless fella hanging out there on that edge. He reels that little fur ball in, puts him on his shoulders and takes him home.
What roll did the sheep play in the process of his rescuing? All he did was get lost. The shepherd did all the work.
If I understand the gospel of Jesus Christ correctly, this pictures the salvation He offers marvelously. We are dead in our sins, enemies of God, under the wrath of God and darkened in out understanding, callous in our conscience, and self serving in our hearts. We are lost, every last stinking one of us and sadly most people don't know it and the others don't care that they are lost (on this subject read Ephesians for proof texts galore).
It is so heartbreaking to talk to a person who has no thought beyond tomorrow. How hard it is to talk with someone who simply lives for the party, the high, the next thing with no thought about the grave. How hard it is to listen to a person who knows there is more to life than this ridiculous materialism but doesn't care to dig beyond the superficial nature of things. And speaking to a person who is lost and doesn't know it certainly fits the "talking to a brick wall" cliche.
Now in all of this it would be a rather absurd thing if while being carried back to the safe pasture of the shepherd, the sheep was thinking to himself, "good thing I am the best baaaa-er in my herd or that shepherd would never have found me." Ridiculous. Was is the volume level of the sheep that sent the shepherd out looking? Was is the power of his little voice that stirred the mind of the shepherd to even think to look for that lost one? In truth the bellow of the sheep was of little value until the shepherd was nearly upon him. No, all the real work belongs to the shepherd. All the steps along the way that made the difference he owned. He had the heart, the love, the care, the ability and the strength to deliver - not the sheep. So really all that the sheep contributed was panic.
This morning the vacuum breaks down. So I do my manly duty and set out to the task of fixing it. My 3 year old decides to help. "Let's work dad" he says with great resolve. And he does carry himself along with a great deal of busyness. But in all his activity how much did he actually contribute to the fixing of the vacuum? Zero or less than zero because when he was done I had to clean up what he was fixing. Now when the machine was all put back together and running again what does Isaac say? "We did it dad!" and gives me a high five, walking away feeling that he has accomplished something today.
It is all a very cute scene. He made me smile often during his "helping." Even recalling the image makes me smile. He was fun to have with me. But let's make sure not to blow it out of proportion - he didn't actually contribute to the fixing process.
God steps in and delivers those who recognize that have no hope and have nothing that they can contribute to their own deliverance. Yahweh specializes in this. Just as it is in our nature to wander and get lost so it is in His nature to seek and save that which is lost. Understanding my condition before Him magnifies the epic nature of God. When i see me for what i really am it serves to move my heart to praise and wonder toward a God who defies logic and reason with His sweeping mercy and grace. He intervenes, He saves, He does all the work.
His salvation glorifies Him and rescues me. Life is good. I'm going to bed.
