Out Our Way: Hunting strays

Luke 15:1-7

"Which of you,having one hundred sheep and finding one was missing, would not leave the 99 and search for the one that was lost until it was found, and finding it, returns home rejoicing?"

Out our way, the pastures near the Bear Paws are not simply grasslands, but an area marked with steep ridges and deep arroyos. The herds tend to stay together and usually out in the open where the grazing is best - but now and then a few wander off and get lost.

The ridges are rocky and can be tricky. You have to go up and over or around to see what is on the other side, and even then, because there are many ridges, you may still be lost. A calf behind one ridge, let alone many, cannot see the herd that lies hidden beyond.

The gullies or arroyos can be deep and are usually overgrown with cottonwoods, thorn trees and other vegetation that keep those outside them from seeing in, and those within them from seeing out. And like the ridges, there are many of them.

Now, young calves are usually the most common types of strays - they are immature, ignorant, and gullible - but I have rounded up stray cows, cow-calf units, maverick steers, and even a bull that wandered off. The water dries up and the grass gets overgrazed from time to time and the herd has to be taken to new pastures and still waters. The stray left behind may well starve, die of thirst or exposure - not to mention being easy prey for various predators that wander the hill country.

That is why Charlie and I spend time in the saddle constantly checking the fence, the herd, and watching out for strays.

Now, the shepherds to whom Jesus addressed the parable of the lost lamb were considered the scum of society in those days, only slightly higher on the social scale than the leper or beggar. They couldn't keep all the strict rules and regulations created by the fundamentalist Pharisees nor offer any real advantages to the worldly Sadducees who controlled the Temple and entered into a coalition with Pagan Rome to control the country. The shepherds were the lowest class in society and the least powerful,

When He spoke of the lost lamb, they knew He was talking about them, the outcasts of society. They knew they were sinners - not only because the Pharisees and Saducees delighted in saying so - but because they had been assured God said so too. So why bother?

But in the parable, the Good Shepherd says the opposite. Yes, they are lost. Yes, they have wandered away from God's will. Yes, they are sinners. But no! They are not lost forever. No! They can come back! No! They are not condemned and written off! ( "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners!" Luke 5: 32).

God rides the ridges and hunts the arroyos searching for the strays - not to condemn and punish them, but to bring them out of the dark places and back into the light. To bring them from the dry and barren lands to the green pastures and still waters He has provided. You belong there too, and like the Good Shepherd - and the Good Cowhand - He is seeking you to bring you home.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Brother John

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The Rev. John Bruington is the retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He now lives in Colorado, but continues to write "Out Our Way." He can be reached for comment or dialogue at [email protected].