“And when the shepherd has found the sheep,
he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”
– Jesus to the Pharisees “The Lost Sheep” (Luke 15:5)
Although the shepherd rejoices when he finds the lost sheep, his joy is not without discomfort. The wandering sheep must now be taken back to the fold, meaning that the shepherd has an exhausting and grueling task ahead.
When a sheep realizes that it is lost, it will lie down stubbornly and refuse to move. The only way the shepherd can take the animal home is by carrying it on his shoulders over the long distance. The joy of restoration does not come without its sweat-producing toil.
Too often, we as evangelicals concentrate our attention only on seeing people “converted.” We want to see lost sheep “found” and lost sinners “saved” – and rightly so. But the parable of the Lost Sheep does not end with the sheep out in the wilderness enjoying its renewed relationship with the shepherd. No, the shepherd takes the sheep back to the flock. Salvation leads to the church.
A new convert must be integrated into a body of believers. This incorporation is not always an easy task. Just as the shepherd rejoices even as he understands his coming labor, so must we rejoice in the burden of restoring wanderers to the fellowship of the church. Throughout the long, wearisome process, we must always rejoice, not allowing the fatigue, exhaustion, and discomfort to get us off track. The joy comes as we consider the eternal value of our actions and the grace that God is able to show through our lives.
Christ bore the same burden that we must bear with others – to carry on his shoulders the weight of the lost sheep. Only through this act of kindness and surprising joy, can one be restored to the fold.
Jesus never promised us that the Christian life would easy or free from suffering and responsibility. Sin’s awful toll on others will create burdens that will weigh upon our own shoulders. It is not easy to integrate new believers into local fellowships. Perhaps that is why we are often more comfortable doing shot-gun evangelism that leaves church-membership issues aside.
Yes, we will be weighed down by the restoration process of other lost “sheep”, yet helping carry the load remains part of our responsibility. Just like the shepherd, we must not only seek out the lost, but also be willing to help the new convert become a mature disciple.
