Go to the Lost Sheep

The sermon uses scripture Matthew 9:35-10:15.  It was preached on June 18th at Gregory Memorial Presbyterian Church in Prince George, VA.

 

Go to the Lost Sheep

 

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is very busy.

The verses before this scripture have included miracle stories;

Jesus has healed a woman,

brought life to a girl,

opened the eyes of 2 blind men, and

cast out a demon from a man who was mute.

Jesus has gone to multiple towns and villages

and everywhere he goes there is a need.

And Jesus has compassion for all of them.

He describes them as ‘sheep without a shepherd’.

Even more than that, not only without a shepherd but

          also harassed and helpless.

These people, this flock, have been neglected by the shepherd.

They have not been cared for;

They have been ignored and dismissed;

These ‘lost sheep’ are without hope;

They need someone to help them.

So Jesus has been busy,

          reaching out to many in need.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”.

The ’harvest’ is the work that needs to be done;

          missionary outreach to those on the margins;

healing, caring, loving, and improving their lives.

This is the work Jesus is called to do;

Jesus’ earthly mission is to show the love of God,

God’s mercy and grace to the people of Israel.

He enlists disciples to be part of this mission;

          the disciples are made partners in his work.

They are given the same tasks:

          Cure the sick,

raise the dead,

cleanse the lepers,

cast out demons.

The disciples take on the mission they are called to do:

there are more laborers for the harvest.

When the disciples are given their mission, it is specific:

 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions:

“Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,

 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Now this is very specific –only to the house of Israel,

          Why not go to all people,

all who are hurting and in need?

There is an interesting answer

          -the disciples reflect the mission of Jesus.

Isn’t Jesus’ mission to spread the love of God to all?

Well, no and yes.

Jesus has a 2 fold mission:

          the House of Israel is at the center of part 1.

Part 1 is Jesus’ earthly mission:

in Matthew 15:24

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

It is only after his death and resurrection that part 2 begins.

The post-Easter mission –go to all!

Last week you heard the verses from Matthew

concerning the commissioning of the disciples.

From Matthew 28:19    

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

When you think about it, this makes sense.

You start with home and move outward from there;

first, get your house in order

then broaden your mission.

Think of it this way

          When you and I have news to share (good or bad)

–we start with our family and friends first

 before ‘proclaiming it on Facebook’.

For the disciples

-first get the house (of Israel) in order

by healing, caring, loving, and improving lives.

And the instructions on how to go about their mission,

          how to travel, is also very specific.

Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,

 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff;

In other words:

Travel light.

Be humble on your journey.

The way they travel demonstrates faith in God

by refusing to take along money and provisions.

They must live the humble life as Jesus did

          because the disciples reflect the mission of Jesus.

One commentary on Matthew states:

“Jesus’ way of living is a prophetic sign that embodies the truth of the message of the kingdom of God.”

The disciples are messengers of God;

          their mission is to be shepherds,

to care for those in need,

and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Remember the verses in Micah 6

          Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.

The humble life is again mentioned in Romans 12:16   

Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.

So what happens when the people or the town

do not welcome the disciples and their message?

They must move on.

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.

They move on to the next town

shaking off the dust from their feet.

The disciples

          do not give up

          or quit and return home.

The mission, their faith carries them on.

What can we learn from the disciples?

‘Go to the lost sheep.’

Who are the lost sheep today?

          Are they…

                   the unchurched

                   the spiritual but not religious

                   those in need

                    those with no one to turn to

                    those without hope?

The disciples are sent to aid those who are in need within

          the ‘house of Israel’,

They worked from the internal

before heading into the world.

Do you and I need get our ‘house in order’

                   before we reach out to others?

We do need to know ourselves and our beliefs

          and be open to encounters with God.

We do need to know what we are called to do

          and be faithful to God’s call.

We do need to know how we can best reach out;

          how can you and I help?

          how can you and I care?

          how can you and I give hope?

The good news is you and I live in the post-Easter world,

          we live in the light of salvation,

                   in the truth of  Christ resurrection,

                   in a world full of God’s saving grace.

We have hope.

Jesus’ mission,

the disciples’ mission, is the wellbeing of others.

‘Love one another as I have loved you.’

God’s love is at the center of what we do;

          it is the why and the how of our reaching out to others.

You and I  can take on this mission.

We too can proclaim the good news;

          share our experiences,

          act with humility,

          and when you and I encounter those who do not listen,

                   we shake the dust from our feet and keep moving on.

We too can promote the kingdom of God:

God’s kingdom in the world we live in now

          to make lives a little better,

          to show love,

          to express our faith,

          to grow God’s kingdom.

Listen to God’s call.

Follow in Jesus’ footsteps.

Let the Holy Spirit inspire you.

Go and be laborers, for the harvest is plentiful.

Go and be shepherds, there are lost sheep in need.

Go and be disciples, and reflect Jesus’ mission.