Finding the Lost Sheep

Finding the Lost Sheep
By Jenny Komenda after Camille Corot

“For thus saith the Lord God; ‘Behold, I, even I, will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.’
‘I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down,’ saith the Lord God. ‘I will seek what was lost, and bring back what was driven away, and I will bind up the broken and strengthen the sick.’”

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-16

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In Finding the Lost Sheep, we see a lone and lost lamb, and the tireless Good Shepherd who has faithfully sought it out until He’s found it. In John 10:11, Jesus declares, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” This profound statement underscores His unwavering commitment to each of us. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is not passive in His care. He does not wait at the gate hoping the lost will return. He searches them out. As Patrick Kearon has taught, “God is in relentless pursuit of you.”

We may stray for any number of reasons. The great 19th century theologian Rev. Alexander Maclaren observed that some of us do not intend to wander—we simply “go where the grass is sweetest, or the walking easiest.” But slowly, sometimes unknowingly, we drift from the Shepherd’s side. And yet, He follows.

Charles Spurgeon painted this powerful picture: “He does not wait until the sheep is willing to return... but no sooner is its lost estate known to the Shepherd than he starts off.” There is no anger or frustration or weariness in the Shepherd’s face, only “anxious love.” His heart is full of compassion. He knows the pain, the fear, the isolation of being lost. And He comes—over hills, through valleys, into thickets—until He finds us. As Rev. Maclaren wrote, “You cannot wear out Jesus Christ, you cannot exhaust the resources of His bounteousness, of His tenderness. … He is coming after us, serene, loving, long-suffering, and will not be put away.”

This is because the Good Shepherd’s love for each lamb is persistent, active, and deeply personal. Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminds us: “The sheep is worthy of divine rescue simply because it is loved by the Good Shepherd. … Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you. He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears. It matters not how you became lost…. What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. Because He loves you, He will find you. He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing. He will carry you home.”

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