Matthew 9

Sheep. They are the animals which our Lord used as the primary illustration of our relationship with Him.

Sheep in English Countryside — Sheep blocking the road in the English countryside.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36 ESV

Shepherding sheep is something that was understood and seen throughout Israel and the Middle East countries: indeed, it still is. Thousands of years ago, when King David wrote Psalm 23, he presented a beautiful picture of the Good Shepherd.

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1-3 ESV

The shepherd provides all that the sheep need. The shepherd leads the flock to green pastures, to fresh grass, to comfortable resting places, things that are sometimes difficult to find along the barren hillside. The shepherd takes the flock to still waters. Why still water? Because the shepherd knows that if the water is rushing past, it could kill the sheep if the animal slips and its fleece becomes soaked with water, thereby drowning the poor animal . Calm water, though, provides welcome refreshment to the flock without danger.

Flocks can be very large as the shepherds combine flocks and they then all take care of the sheep combined together. But, the shepherd can call his sheep and they will come to him, even if they are part of a large combined flock. Jesus references this in John chapter 10:

To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. …

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. …

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:3-4, 14-16,27 ESV

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep and when He calls them by name, they come to Him and He leads them out of the fold. He is the Good Shepherd and His flock is one united flock, even though it is comprised of sheep from various sheepfolds. The sheep Jesus saw before Him were the Israelites in the area; but His sheep come, not only from Israel, but from the Gentile nations of the world. That is what Jesus is talking about when He said “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also.”

Girl with sheep — Young girl with grazing sheep.

So, are you one of the sheep in Jesus’ flock? There is a song that is sometimes sung around the campfire by children and youth, but it expresses the desire to know Jesus and to be one of His sheep.

I just want to be a sheep, I just want to be a sheep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep, I just want to be a sheep.

Are you a sheep in His fold?

Lord, thank You for being the Good Shepherd, and I praise Your Name for lovingly bringing me into the fold. I thank You that You know my name, and I pray that I would respond and come to You when You call.

We need rain! In East Tennessee we currently have multiple fires burning sending smoke into the air in a spreading blanket of contamination across the area. While we have needed rain for several months, it was only of passing general interest.

I drafted this post before the air quality alerts went into effect and the need for significant rain became obvious on a daily basis. The initial focus of the post is rain, but its application relates to faith in all areas of our life. May it be a blessing and a challenge to you, my dear Reader.

A friend sent me a modern parable that goes something like this:

It was especially dry, and the village needed water but no rain was in the offing. In response to the situation, all the villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered and prayed, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s FAITH.

This parable reminds me of an Old Testament story illustrating faith. There had been no rain in the land as a judgment by God on the people and evil King Ahab, and this act of judgment was to be relieved only by Elijah’s word. I Kings 17. After winning the challenge between Baal and God on Mount Carmel, the people repented of their sin in going after other gods, and they said that the Lord would be their Lord.

Thus, the prophet prayed for relief from God’s judgment. After petitioning God for rain, the following discourse occurred between Elijah and his servant.

And he [Elijah] said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he [the servant] went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he [Elijah] said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he [the servant] said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he [Elijah] said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'”

1 Kings 18:43-44.

rain-in-mississippi — A massive rain storm in Mississippi. Rain is visibly falling in several places as we were heading toward the storm.

Elijah sent his servant to look for the rain cloud … 7 times. And, that 7^th time the servant saw “a little cloud like a man’s hand”. Although no rain had yet fallen, Elijah told the servant to go tell the king to get ready to run now, otherwise you will be stuck in the mud because of the rain. That’s FAITH.

What is scriptural faith? In the Bible, the writer of Hebrews describes faith as follows:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. … And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:1, 6.

It is not faith in everything that comes along, nor is it a blind faith that has no foundation. Your faith is misplaced if you sit in a small plastic chair for it will collapse under the weight of a 250 pound person. Clearly, the amount of your faith is not in question — you acted on your faith by physically sitting down. The problem was that the object of your faith was seriously deficient.

Faith in God, the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, the Lover of our souls, and the foundation of our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord is the faith that provides peace, support, and salvation. Faith alone in God, through Christ Jesus, is the path to eternal life.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.

John 14:6.

Paul testified:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17. Note, the King James Version of verse 17 uses the more familiar language “The just shall live by faith.” The meaning of the two translations is the same – God justifies and declares us righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2.

Jesus repeatedly told persons during His ministry that the faith of those He healed had made them well. For example:

Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

Matthew 9:22

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

Matthew 9:29

And He said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:19

These people had faith that Jesus could heal them, an event that had not occurred but was to be in the future. Because of their faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, they were healed so that God would be glorified. It was at that point that their faith became a reality.

So, when you pray, do you have faith that you will receive an answer to your prayer? The answer may not come immediately, and it may not come in a form that you expect; but there will be an answer. David understood that God would answer his prayer according to God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of Your steadfast love answer me in Your saving faithfulness.

Psalm 69:13

Praise God that He is faithful, that He abounds in steadfast love. He is in control, He is the Almighty God, and He will respond to the prayer of faith in His time and in His way.

By the way, do you know where your umbrella is?

Father, I pray that I would have more faith so that I would be the one who brings the umbrella when prayers are raised up for rain. I pray that my prayers would not just take up my time but that they would come before you in your majesty and power. And, I pray that I would not be faint when the answer seems to be so long in coming; may I trust in your unfailing love and mercy and may I rest in your grace, through Christ my Savior I pray.