Special
The Good Shepherd Guest Columnist Father Michael Bergeron
(This is part three in a series of articles about the relationship of a shepherd with his flock.) Sheep and Lamb as Sacrifice Only domestic animals that were raised for food were acceptable for sacrifice – cattle, goats, sheep, pigeons and doves – and they had to be free from blemish, injury, disfigurement or disease. The believer’s rank and wealth were important in determining which animal was acceptable. A high priest would offer a young bull, a king would offer a ram, a merchant or landowner would offer a goat or lamb or sheep, a poor peasant would offer a pair of birds – as Mary herself had done in Luke 2:24. A very poor man would offer a small measure of fine flour. The Lost Sheep Now, let’s look at the “lost sheep.” There was a rather bizarre story from the Associated Press several years ago about 1,500 sheep that jumped off a cliff in Turkey. First, one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others
followed, each leaping off the same cliff. In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher and the fall more cushioned. The loss was devastating to the families who depended on the sheep as a significant source of income. The shepherds only had to relax for a few moments and the sheep plunged to their death. Dumb sheep. Do I need to say to you that people do many more dumb things than do sheep? No sheep has ever been charged with abusing its own lamb. No sheep has ever been charged with stealing from a neighbor or with murder. Sheep don’t knowingly abuse their own bodies or minds. They don’t hate other sheep who are of a different color or economic level or religion. Sheep only have one or two ways they can become lost. Humans have thousands, and we seem to be inventing new ones every day. When we hear Jesus’ question to the disciples about the good shepherd who lost a sheep: “Will he not leave the ninety-nine?”; we are still not accustomed to the answer. We want to say “No.” Why put the ninety-nine at risk? It’s absurd and irresponsible to risk the whole flock for one small lamb. Cut your losses, don’t throw good money after bad. Why every businessperson knows you have to accept a certain level of spoilage, that some of the product will be lost before it can be brought to the market. But Jesus saw it differently.
20 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • January 2022
Only in Luke do we get the three parables of the lost. They become a trilogy, ending in a climax. First, we have the parable of the lost sheep – one sheep out of 100; then we have the parable of the lost coin – one coin out of 10; then we have the parable of the lost son – one son out of two. In the parable of the lost sheep, we are the sheep and the shepherd is God. In the parable of the lost coin, we are the coin and the woman is God. In the parable of the lost son, we are the son and the father is God. In the lost sheep story, the sheep did not intend to get lost. As I said, sheep are incredibly dumb animals. They can be grazing on the edge of a cliff and see a delicious piece of grass over the cliff and they will step over the cliff to get it. Dumb animals. In the story, the sheep just wandered away dazzled by the world. When it did, it was alone, vulnerable and defenseless. It did not know how it happened, it just found itself lost. Like us, we get dazzled by the world and then lost. And God, represented by the shepherd, goes out in search for it. In the story of the lost coin, the coin fell and it did not have the power to resist. It lay lost in the darkness and couldn’t save itself. Like us, sometimes we find ourselves fallen into darkness and don’t know how it happened. And God, represented by the woman, searches for it. In the parable of the lost son, the son is lost because he willfully leaves. He chooses his fate. He exercises
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