Matthew 18:10-20
10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.
For the Son of Man came to save the lost. 12
What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13
And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14
So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
15 “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19
Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Reason out your responsibility.
So. A sheep is not worth as much as a cow.
And if a cow is lost in the old time stampede to market - well you go and look and after a time - you give up. Because you can't endanger the herd for a few. A few of the herd are not going to make it to market.
We get so caught up in the mercy of God to us - we forget the message.
Jesus did not stand outside the Temple and flap His arms daily because the Sanhedrin Council was unhappy with Him for three years. Jesus didn't rush from His Resurrection to the Temple to stand in front of the Holy of Holies and Yell "TADA."
The Point is. Sort of. David was by himself
as the Shepherd of his family flock
when the Prophet Samuel showed up and began to look how to do God's will...
David was that sheep out in the field about to be - Overlooked.
David was a young boy, and if he had gone home to his father Jesse and said, "Aww, I saved Baby Lambkins, but soo sorry the herd got eaten by the lions." (Archaeology says existed and David fought.) His Jesse Dad would have said, "Saved Baby Lambkins, that's Terrific, Son!"
No. This passage is about nicey and personal responsibility. Seriously.
1 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
that the fire may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the thick forest has been felled!
3 The sound of the wail of the shepherds,
for their glory is ruined!
The sound of the roar of the lions,
for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
4 Thus said the Lord my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”
7 So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” 10 And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
17 “Woe to my worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”
Let's study something we have yet to "platituded" - really put the algebra equation with our ducks in a row.
1 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
that the fire may devour your cedars!
(This has happened. The Sequoia forests of Lebanon are gone - for taking liberty with a forest filled for centuries with grace and abundance.)
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the thick forest has been felled!
(Yep Gone and only existing today because Queen Victoria rushed in to wall around a Lebanese forest she said must exist again.)
3 The sound of the wail of the shepherds,
for their glory is ruined!
The sound of the roar of the lions,
for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
(Zechariah got that right - the fleet of Tarshish - built from this is - done. And the wood from the Temple. David's Palace.)
4 Thus said the Lord my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”
(How we truly treat people and our responsibility to them 'Be Warm and Go Well'. Even when the game is on. Jesus dealt with very complex people.)
7 So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor
(tism - who it is happy to serve and there is a reward).
the other I named Union.
(They Will kick up a fuss to get their rights - so I better under punishment.)
And I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
(My Uncle Tate said Hell is a car trip with the ones you love in a small car.) (This was an analogy - he had a small family in the days of large cars!)
9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.”
(That's sometimes called the inevitable and sometimes called "Work harder")
10 And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.
12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.”
(This is the twirled version of self-martyrdom, give up and call you the meanie, lack of communication, it's too hard, I never win, and some true - turn the other cheek.)
And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.
(Think upon that. It's very sobering.)
13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
(Before Democrats and Republicans start to argue about health care, amnesty, whistle blowing and immigration - let's consider - what we do with what we could do and replay play one another, pity me, I'm The One On Top, nourish me - i'm weak and this is our usual routine.)
17 “Woe to my worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”
Jesse was not going to thank David if Baby Lambkins survived, while the flock was Lion Dinner.
Subtitles are great for simplification - but not when we let Jesus take the fall for what we need to do TODAY.
The lost need help. Not to the extent that we carry Baby Huey and his feet bleed because he needed to find his feet. Case in point. Jesus did not rush to Caiaphas and plead with him to repent.
I'm on Top.
Case in point. Jesus in the Old Testament - recognized that Pilate and his wife - wanted to help Him.
The quote goes - "I received these blows in the house of my friend." Pilate begged Jesus to have Jesus tell him how to get Jesus out of this mess. Jesus told Pilate - there are other people more to blame. Pilate did still sin. Pilate saw Truth and Claimed Jesus forever as King.
Pilate did not stay on top. That adventure was one of many that said - you are not thinking this out.
This Zechariah 11 says the government gets very muddled when the people cannot sort out what laws they truly will die to follow.
Roman Empire? Hezekiah threw out the Assyrian Empire by saying the Temple of God and Faith Comes First.
Seek the lost?
Jesus headed out to the wilderness - People followed.
Jesus
Is
The Lamb of GOD.
Bam.
We are so busy begging God to do for us. What are we doing for "when did we see you naked and needing help God?"
What Government did GOD set in place ? God does that - This is His Job.
GOD sets in place the Book of Judges.
What?
God believes in "Self Governance."
What? Joshua - Balance - Centered on Jesus.
The Cross Jesus bled upon to have us worthy to enter His Salvation.
Centered.
At a Terrible Cost.
We are the herd. At the Place where the upward portion of the Cross points upward
Where we zigzag right and left.
When the song of the angels is stilled.
When the star in the sky is gone.
When the kinds and princes are home.
When the shepherds are back with their flock.
The work of Christ(mas) begins:
The find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.
Alleluia! Unto us a child is born.
The Lost? Jesus said in the Samaritan Neighbor - is the one who shows you - mercy - IS your neighbor.
Jesus didn't flap with the Saduceen Council. Begging them.
Jesus said don't put down a flicker of Him. Jesus said feed, clothe, encourage.
Balance. Work hard to be kind and fair - when you simply Can NOT - Cry Out to Jesus.
Just don't stick a clip on tie on it and call it worked.
The broken - don't feed them till they can't feed themselves.
The hungry - what are you really feeding?
The prisoner - are you enjoying 3 square meals and a roof without helping the outside?
The nations - who appointed us to work away from home? How is your own house?
Bring peace among brothers? The Brothers of Jesus fought among themselves to have a true peace. Not polite
nicey
that falls apart in a storm.
Music in the heart - who are you singing for ultimately?
Subtitles. Hum bug.
Work out your Own Salvation With Fear and Trembling.
And if your Salvation involves griping about someone else in Judgment - Work on Yours - Again.
Confessing the sins of someone else is pointless.
What are we to do?
Salvation is a Work of GOD - like McHammer - we cannot touch that.
Jesus is GOD and HE is King of Kings.
GOD saves people. Salvation is God's. God is going to figure out how to reach - HIS - People - HE Loves. God Is Father to the Beloved Children of His.
Approach Him with Gratitude, Honestly, Complain, and Ask for His Mercy.
We need that! In abundance.
Jesus listens to you - Do what He says. Jesus is the sheep in the wilderness. We have to go out the narrow gate to find us finding Him.
God says Go to Church and Worship Him. He is the ONE feeding us.
Bam.
Lord Father GOD, help us find You. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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♔Lord Jesus Saves †
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