“As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep…” Ezekiel 34:12

That is from one of our verses from last post, and this a very telling verse.

The Lord himself truly came to seek out those sheep he had spoken of.

“Then Jesus went thence, and departed from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought (pleaded with) him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

But he answered them and said, I am not sent but (except) unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

But he answered and said, It is not meet (right)  to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs.

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt (you have asked)  And her daughter was made whole from that same hour (was immediately healed).” Matthew 15:21-28

He wasn’t being harsh, he was only stating fact, he being the Messiah had come to save the house of Israel.

The faith of this woman and others with similar stories are and were an example for us and to showcase the mercy and compassion of the true God.

Think of it as one group who doesn’t particularly have any connection or common ground with another group, someone they would have normally never had occasion to know or even have conversation with, much less ask favor of.

But her in faith in seeking him, was the pivotal key in the salvation of all who seek him and that took courage and boldness. 

She had to go outside of her comfort zone, and she had to go outside of societal norms but in doing so, her request was granted. Her daughter was healed and Gentiles, all nations, all kindred, and all people could now access the one true God and receive the salvation that had been promised to the Hebrews.

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 

But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of God is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely ye have received, freely give.

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 

And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide until ye go thence (stay there until departure) 

And when ye come into an house, salute it.

And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it not be worthy, let your peace return to you.

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 

Verily (truly) I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in the same hour what ye shall speak. 

For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  

It is enough for the disciple to be as his master, and the servant as his lord.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub (a devil) how much more shall they call them of his household?

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon housetops.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.”  Matthew 10:5-28

Notice that they had to depart on their journey in absolute faith, not taking anything with them.

Trusting God that every need would be met and with clear instruction to bless those who would accept the Word and to shake the dust off their feet when departing the homes of those who would not.

As it were to Sodom and Gomorrah, God had sent his disciples to witness to them, this was a divine invitation and once that was rejected, they could no longer plead ignorance to the truth.

He gave them warnings as to how the adversary would greet them with trouble and persecution, but that the very Father would speak through them on their behalf and that not even death could harm their eternal souls and in enduring, keeping the faith until the end, they will be resurrected as he himself was.

As we know by scripture he was rejected by his people, the elders, and the pharisees did not have a clue but in that the greater plan of salvation for us all, Jew and Gentile unfolded and is still unfolding to this day.

His disciples were some those sheep of Israel and they that accepted his word through them preaching.

As He was Jewish and so were they and they that accepted him of the early church in Jerusalem because he had specifically sent them to the children of Israel.

He did later send Paul to the Gentiles, and he sent Peter a vision as he also was called.

I love that in the dealing with the Gentiles, just as the lady from Canaan and the story of the Samaritan woman, and others, He ministered to them himself, personally.

Not always with the crowds but often one on one.

Heaven itself visiting people who were often not considered people and shunned by society.

Not calling out their sin for all the world to hear but one on one, because in the presence of God all things become laid bare and we realize the wretched creatures that we are.

Just as Peter asked Jesus to go away from him because he was sinful, Jesus hadn’t mentioned Peters sin, it was Jesus’ holiness that brought Peter to his knees.

That is my favorite example, used it many times, probably use it many more, Lords will.

That is what happens when the true shepherd comes among his sheep.

Accusations and harsh treatment, threats of hell, isolation and congregational humiliation are not tools of a true shepherd.

He was rough on the Pharisees, and hypocrites, and those of the day and rightfully so.

They were not his sheep.

As he told them they were of the father the devil, they professed God and yet did not recognize who stood in front.

He loves his sheep and gently leads them as remembering their weaknesses. 

“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth (views with compassion) them that fear him. 

For he knoweth our frame (our being); for he remembereth that we are but dust. 

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.:” Psalm 103: 11-17

That is who Jesus is.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20,21

Next time, Lord’s will, we’ll dig a little deeper into shepherding as instructed by the Good Shepherd, who is the example for us all.

Love & Peace! Thank you for reading! 

Φλογιζω NBJ 2026/ Rev. N Brown Johnson

*The image is not  meant as a representation of Christ, it is merely a symbolic shepherd*