Then earlier, in chapter 9, Matthew, apparently picking up the language of His Master tells us – “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
In both these cases, and even more particularly here in our text for this morning, Jesus’ ministry was specifically towards Israel. “I am not sent BUT unto the lost sheep OF the house of Israel.” Do those words imply that there might be lost sheep which were not of the house of Israel? I will table that idea for a while.
Can you imagine how painful those words were to the ears and heart of this Canaanite woman? “No, I will not heal your demon-possess child, because my ministry is toward Israel only.” The woman was in as much – or more – agony than her daughter. Jesus’ words would probably have sliced me to the heart and sent me bleeding out into the street. But this was no ordinary woman, she was in a special way, a daughter of Abraham, and she would not be denied. “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
I don’t think it can be successfully argued that Christ’s earthly ministry was primarily focused on Israel. He spent 98% of His time within the borders of His own nation. But there WERE those few occasions when He ventured to the east and then to the northwest of Israel. And while He was there He did bless various Heathen souls with His mercy and grace. I rejoice to think that I live in the Northwest, just as this Syro-Phoenician woman lived northwest of Israel. God’s grace extends to the northwest of Israel and even to the northwest within the continent of America.
Since the Lord Jesus once again brought up the subject of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” I thought that we shouldn’t ignore the subject any longer. Initially, you might think that this is a waste of our time, but I assure you that it is not. The Bible clearly brings the subject back to you and me, as we shall see in about twenty minutes.
Why were the people of Israel called “sheep,” and more specifically, “the sheep of the Lord?”
Think of it this ways – people and societies have measured wealth in different ways down through the years. For example, today, many people measure success by the size of their bank accounts and the speed at which they retire. Other people, and especially people from a few generations back used the extent of one’s property in determining someone’s wealth – “How many acres do you own or farm?” But Israel, at least prior to the days of the Lord Jesus, used a far different measuring stick. There were no banks, retirement funds, stock exchanges or stock certificates, so even though a few very wealthy people collected gold and silver, this was not the common way to determine a man’s substance. And by God’s law it was impossible to permanently amass vast expanses of property. At least every fifty-years all property was supposed to be returned to its original family ownership. Essentially, all land belonged to Jehovah, and He only shared it with the people of Israel as a stewardship to be used for the Lord’s glory. The defacto measurement of wealth among the people of Israel was in their livestock – sheep and goats and to some degree, cattle and donkeys. Even among the royalty in Israel, wealth was measured by cattle – before getting to lands and gold.
Since this system was designed by God for His people, we aren’t surprised that Jehovah used the same criteria Himself. Speaking anthropomorphically, God’s wealth has always been His people – those who worship and serve Him. The poets of Israel recognized this – Psalm 79:13 – “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.” Later when Israel began to suffer for her sins, those same godly poets groaned within themselves – “O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?”
To be called “the sheep of God’s pasture” is a great, great blessing. It is to recognize a very special relationship. And it is to acknowledge the Lord’s ownership and protection. But – as the poet Asaph suggests, the sheep of the Lord had become scattered – lost.
Why was it necessary for the Lord to send His disciples out to find the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
Part of the answer – perhaps the greater part of that answer – is to be found in the nature of sheep. I won’t go into details, but domestic sheep are essentially very stupid, defenseless animals. Some of them have horns, but they use them more against one another than against their enemies. Boy, doesn’t that sound like a bunch of Christians? Sheep are susceptible to various diseases, against which they have little protection in themselves. They are often afraid of their own drinking water. They blindly follow one another into disastrous situations. And they find it difficult to find their own food. Without good shepherds, it is just about guaranteed that domesticated sheep will destroy themselves. Sheep come into the world with three strikes against them.
But several Old Testament scriptures add another serious problem to that list – their shepherds. For example there is Jeremiah 50:6-7 – “My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.”
Perhaps Ezekiel 34:1-6 is even more graphic – “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.”
These two scriptures are more than enough to describe what has happened to the flock of the Lord. These scriptures describe Israel spiritually and also historically. Because they were so corruptible in the first place, they fell easy victims to bad shepherds. Because they were not constantly urged to dwell in the “habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers” – they wandered. And to where did they wander? “Through all the mountains, and upon every high hill.” Israel, time and time again, forsook the worship of Jehovah, turning to the Canaanite idols of the mountains and high places. “They have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting-place.” Without doubt, their evil shepherds, like Jesus’ adversaries the Pharisees, were to be blamed. But the fact remains that Israel loved to stray; to pattern themselves after the goats of Canaan – and sometimes even after the wolves.
And what becomes of stupid defenseless sheep? “All that found them have devoured them: And they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.” In fact even their shepherds enjoyed dining on their roasted carcasses. “Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.”
Jeremiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit makes a comment which can’t be ignored. “All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.” Whether all of Israel’s enemies knew and understood, at the very least God’s prophets certainly did – The judgments which befell the lost sheep of the House of Israel came from the hand of their offended God.
So Israel was forsaken by God, and permitted to wander – for centuries. But in the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son, the Good Shepherd. “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
What does it mean that Christ came “seeking” His sheep?
It doesn’t mean that He didn’t know where they were, because nothing can be hidden from omniscience. Rather it means that He came calling them, pleading with them, inviting them to come back to their Shepherd. “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
One of the reasons that Christ used this kind of language about His ministry, is that it fulfilled prophecy. I’ve referred to Ezekiel 34 already, but let me to drop down a few more lines to verse 11 – “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. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.”
Ezekiel 34 is one of those prophetical scriptures which has both spiritual and eventually physical fulfilment. There will be a day when that nation will once again be within the Lord’s sheepfold, and under the Lord’s direct and divine care. But it also has had an ongoing spiritual fulfilment beginning with the spiritual salvation of Jesus’ disciples. “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” But the fat and self-satisfied, those who refuse to see that they are lost and in trouble – they will be consumed with judgment.
Okay, all this is slightly of interesting, but what does it have to do with you and me?
For an answer all we have to do is go back to the scripture with which we began. Here was a woman of Syria – a Canaanite – a woman definitely out of Israel’s network. “O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” Despite being “sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” the Lord Jesus blessed this foreigner. I believe that we shall find that former alien in Heaven when we arrive there. And she will not be alone – there will be Roman centurians, Grecian businessmen and Philippian jailers along with hundreds of thousands of others saved by the over-reaching grace of God.
I am of the opinion that one of the most thrilling of all scriptures is found in the context of John 10. John 10 is the great chapter of the Good Shepherd – the Lord Jesus Christ. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” “I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go into and out, and find pasture.” “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine….and I lay down my life for the sheep.” I think that John 10:16 is one of the most heart-warming of all scriptures. Christ said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” Those “other sheep” included that woman of Syria – and me – and I would like to hope – you as well. The Good Shepherd is inviting other sheep into His eternal flock.
Not only is Christ the Good Shepherd, but in a related illustration, He is the Lamb of God – the Lord’s sacrifice. As we’ve seen, Israel went astray, lead by diabolical earthly shepherds. But those shepherds were not the primary cause of the wandering sheep – they were wayward by nature. Those sheep needed new natures – new hearts – they needed to be born again, as well as cleansing and forgiveness. And that required a perfect sacrifice. Christ Jesus died on Calvary as that perfect sacrifice.
Now, by the grace of God, not only are lost Israelites returning to the fold of God, but so are lost Americans and other heathen. Israel is not the only nation with lost sheep – every nation is filled with them. What is required of those sheep which the Lord chooses to save? Humble repentance, and as we see in this woman, faith in Christ. The Book of Hebrews closes with these words – “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, 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.” “If you from sin are longing to be free, look to the Lamb of God.” Return to the shepherd and bishop of your souls in repentance and faith.