American motivational guru, Zig Ziglar (now deceased), put the power of money in perspective when he said that money can buy acquaintances but not a friend, an expensive mattress but not a good night’s sleep, sedatives but not peace of mind, popularity but not love. Being so dependent on our economic system we accept, without question, that money can take care of all our needs.
No system can truly be a “shepherd” to us, because it doesn’t have the power to meet our deeper needs. Jesus knew that, and so he felt sorry for the people of his day (Matthew 9:32-38).
“At the sight of the crowds, (Jesus’) heart was moved with pity for them for they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep, without a shepherd.”
Just as our hearts are saddened when we see videos of immigrant children who have been abandoned by their parents, being herded along with a crowd of migrants, so was the heart Jesus moved to pity when he saw the “shepherd-less” people of his day. He looked at their faces and saw worry, fright, and despair written on them. He looked into their hearts and saw emptiness, abandonment, and confusion. No doubt these people were eking out a living and had enough food, clothing, and places to live. But inwardly they were as orphans who had lost their parents.
Jesus, the good Shepherd, upon seeing these lost sheep, so much wanted to gather them into his Father’s house, where they would find safety and love. That he said to his disciples:
“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Jesus needed an army of shepherds to go out among the peoples of the world and let them know that God loves them and invite them into a kingdom that they didn’t even know existed. He wanted his disciples to plead with the master of the harvest that he send workers into the world to bring the millions of suffering sheep into his fold.
What about us? Are we not sheep, also, who desperately need a shepherd to care for us? Or have we bought into the false belief that the system is our shepherd? What about our needs for being loved, being forgiven our sins, having a close relationship with God, finding a clear purpose for our lives? How can these deeper needs be met? God has provided us an answer by giving us his only Son, who forgives us, leads us, and embraces us with love. Once we find Jesus and surrender to him as Lord of our lives, all our needs are met. As Psalm 23 says, “there is nothing that I want.”
Do the people of the world know this? Or do they prefer to wander around as sheep without a shepherd and to latch on to anyone or any philosophy that shows them attention? Not having a shepherd to take care of them, they try to shepherd themselves and end up lonely, disillusioned, and confused.
The Good Shepherd always has room for lost sheep. His Father is quick to set another place at his table for repentant sinners. Jesus shared the Good News with the poor, to help them realize that they didn’t need money to buy them what they really needed. The Father’s love is abundant, and the way into his love, though narrow, is free.
When we live in peace and in trust under the watchful care of the Good Shepherd, others will see us and want what we have.
