Lost and found
Do you remember the children’s comedy record ‘I’ve lost my Mummy’? The song tells the story of a little lad who finds himself lost in a big store. Shoppers, and even the manager, attempt to both comfort and assist the little ‘un, but he refuses to be consoled. Then his mother appears on the scene. His relief and joy are short lived as she gives him a hefty whack saying, ‘That ought to teach you to go and get lost!’ and the lad’s wailing resumes.
Many reading this will remember the distress when, as a child, you became separated from a loved one whilst in the midst of a crowd. On the other hand, some will recall the panic when, as a parent, you realised that your child had vanished from view. Having been reunited, you then discovered that the youngster was oblivious to the concern they had caused.
Interestingly, we read in the Bible of how Jesus, while still a boy, became separated from his family when at a festival. His anxious parents went looking for him only to find that he had other things occupying his attention and was unaware of their concern.
I wonder if Jesus carried this incident in his heart when, nearly 20 years later, he embarked upon his ministry, which he said was ‘to seek and to save that which is lost.’ In the Bible, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd going out and bringing together his sheep. He tells a parable of how the Shepherd will leave the 99 in order to go after the one lost sheep. Having found it, the weary and possibly injured creature is hoisted onto the Shepherd’s shoulder and returned to the flock where it belongs.
Jesus further teaches how his own sheep will recognise his voice when he calls them. For nearly 2000 years, he has continued to call both lost and straying sheep into his fold. As with the parable of the lost sheep mentioned above, Jesus is still proactive, seeking, calling and even carrying the hurting and injured home.
What, according to the Bible, should our response be to all of this? ‘If today you hear his voice do not harden your heart…’ No matter how little or far from God’s fold we have wandered, there is rejoicing in heaven over each sheep found. There will be no hefty whack, nor sharp rebuke as in the song quoted at the start! Any shed tears are likely to be tears of joy. The well-known 23rd Psalm starts, ‘The Lord’s my Shepherd…’. Is he yours?