Worthy Brief - September 25, 2026

 Worthy Brief - September 25, 2026

The shepherd who comes looking for you!

Luke 15:4-6 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, comes home, and calls together his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’ 

The miracle involving the leper revealed to us a King who reaches out to those who have been excluded. The parable of the lost sheep shows us an even more touching truth: the Shepherd searches for the one who has wandered.

Yeshua (Jesus) told this parable because the religious leaders complained that He was accepting sinners and dining with them (Luke 15:2); they saw the wrong sort of people at the meal. Yeshua, on the other hand, saw lost sheep. That is the point of the parable. The story is not concerned with the sheep's failure but with the shepherd's pursuit.

The sheep is still valuable even though it has gone missing; it remains His own. In Israel, the flock was counted by each sheep being led in turn under the shepherd's rod (Leviticus 27:32). Jeremiah predicted that there would be a restored land in which "the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them" (Jeremiah 33:13). A true shepherd would know at once when one of the sheep was missing. This Shepherd does not simply say, "I still have ninety-nine"; he seeks out the one that is lost.

The Hebrew term for shepherd is ro'eh (רֹעֶה). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David all knew that God had called them before to lead His people. Jacob told Laban that for twenty years he had himself borne the loss of whatever had been torn by wild animals (Genesis 31:39). Since a shepherd was personally responsible for each of the animals under his care, when David sang, "Adonai ro'i" (יְהוָה רֹעִי), the Lord is my shepherd," he was stating that God Himself was taking responsibility for him.

Then we read in Ezekiel 34. The leaders of Israel had let the flock down, and the Lord said, "I will myself look for my sheep and search for them... I will look for the lost and bring back those who had been driven away; I will bind up the broken and strengthen those who are sick" (Ezekiel 34:11, 16). In a similar way, Yeshua now appears before leaders of the same kind and tells a story about a shepherd carrying out exactly those actions. This is not merely a pastoral image; it reveals who He is.

Look at the phrase "until he finds it". He doesn't search carelessly or turn back when the ground becomes difficult. Instead, He keeps going until He finds the lost person. That is what persistent love means.

When He sees the sheep, He does not beat it, scold it, or make it go home ashamed, but instead puts it on His shoulders. That is the way shepherds throughout the land have for centuries carried a tired lamb, wrapping it across the back of the neck and holding its legs in front. It is the Shepherd's strength, not that of the sheep, which enables the return. As Isaiah said concerning the coming Son, "the government will be upon His shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6). It is the same shoulders on which the government of heaven rests that carry you home.

He does this with joy. The Shepherd is not annoyed at having had to go looking; instead, he is overjoyed and says, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep." Heaven responds to repentance by celebrating.

That is the reason why Yeshua ate with those whom others shunned and halted for people while everyone else walked on by. The Shepherd was searching and still is.

There are various reasons why people go away. A few do so out of rebellion, while others move about because of pain, disappointment, exhaustion, or injuries which they never knew how to bear.

The Shepherd is able to tell the difference; he knows the path that each person has followed and precisely where he can find them. The family member who has gone is still within his access, and the friend who used to be near and now seems distant is still in his sight.

Kefa, the Shepherd knows your name; He knows where you are, all the roads you have traveled, and all the places where you have felt weary. His pursuit is based on love. If you are praying for someone who has strayed, have courage, because He loves them more than you do. He can go to places you cannot and walk paths you cannot see. So keep praying, keep loving, and keep believing. For our God is the true shepherd.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach! The Feast of Tabernacles begins tonight. We invite you to explore our archive of Sukkot devotionals, drawn from more than 20 years of reflections on this joyful biblical feast.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka

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