What do we do when our Plans Fall Through? And We Don’t Want to Listen.

Joshua’s KP Ranch is the most beautiful ranch in the area. A quiet stream flows gently through the verdant pastures.

On that ranch, Joshua owns thousands of sheep and lambs. He divides his flocks into groups of one hundred. He personally names each of the lambs right after birth. He never forgets a single name of any of his sheep. He loves each of his sheep equally.

He loves Ben who is a gentle sheep who likes to cuddle with Joshua. He loves Molly who is an ornery older sheep who tries to ram Joshua in the rear end any time he turns his back on her. He loves Jack and Jill, two-year-old twins who will find any hole in the fence and run away. Joshua will leave the other ninety-eight to find those two.

Joshua and his hired hands know and appreciate the complexities of sheep. Sheep can be slow, silent, and dumb. But when it is time to catch and shear them, they can suddenly become quite quick and noisy. Although, they remain pretty dumb.

If a predator gets into the sheep pen, they have no way of defending themselves. They have no clue the dangers they face when they wander away through a broken fence.

But Joshua cares for them all very well. Joshua is so successful as a sheep rancher that he even owns more sheep ranches in other places.

The neighbors around the KP Ranch are envious of Joshua’s success. Sure, Joshua is a great guy. Friendly. Popular. Always giving away his profits to help the less fortunate.

He’s making all the neighbors look bad.

Lou is the ringleader of the neighbors. He used to own the land before Joshua bought it and created his KP Ranch. Lou hates Joshua with a passion! At least once a month, Lou will instruct one of his henchmen to knock down a part of Joshua’s fence so his sheep will wander away. Or he will have his henchmen catch a wild coyote and let it loose in the KP Ranch to create havoc.

But nothing seems to stop Joshua’s success.

So one spring day, Lou and the other neighbors create a story that the KP Ranch is a criminal enterprise and Joshua is a crime boss. The authorities don’t quite buy the story. They’ve always known Joshua to be a fine, upstanding citizen of the community. Still, Lou and the other neighbors are very persistent. They cause quite a stir. So, the authorities arrest Joshua and put him in jail to await trial.

Lou is able to get one of his henchmen arrested and placed into the jail with Joshua. While they are lining up to eat dinner, Lou’s henchman sticks a homemade shiv into Joshua’s side, killing him.

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We are Sheep

By now, you’ve figured out that Joshua is Jesus. Joshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus. Jesus owns the KP Ranch, which is short for the Kingdom of Paradise. He took the land from his neighbor, Lou – short for Lucifer. Lou plotted with his henchmen, the demons and Jewish religious leaders, to have Jesus arrested, convicted, and crucified.

You have also figured out that you and I are the sheep and lambs on the KP Ranch. Sometimes we are like friendly Ben (a real sheep I used to enjoy as a kid on our family farm. I loved that sheep). More often, we are like Molly (another real sheep who came at me any time I turned my back on her. I despised that sheep). And we are most certainly like the twins – Jack and Jill – trying to escape Jesus’ protective care every chance we get. (They were like pretty much any other sheep we ever owned).

Being pictured as sheep isn’t terribly flattering. But it is terrifically accurate.

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Like sheep, we can be mean – biting and head-butting each other whenever we are ornery or obstinate. We are prone to wander, following every false path, chasing down every poisoned plant and polluted puddle. And we are not very bright by nature when it comes to the words and will of our Good Shepherd.

Today we continue with our series on “What do we do when our Plans Fall Through?” It is timely that God’s Word pictures us as sheep because sheep don’t want to listen. … And neither do we.

Because of our individualistic nature inherent in us as Americans, we don’t like to listen to authorities. Because of our rebellious nature inherent in our Old Adam, we don’t want to listen to anybody. Including Jesus.

For the first month of dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, we listened to the government and medical authorities about sequestering ourselves and shutting everything down. I’m sure you’ve noticed that in recent weeks, people aren’t sure who to listen to, whom to believe, or what to do. Some authorities and experts are opening things up and inviting people to be active again. Other authorities and experts are ordering people to stay sequestered and practice social distancing.

What we are seeing and hearing right now just reinforces how sheepy we all are. Everyone going his or her own way. Doing whatever he or she wants to do. Only listening to those who agree with us. Biting and headbutting those who disagree with us.

While it is embarrassing to think of ourselves as sheep, it is even more dangerous to deny our sheepiness. We need to admit we are sheep.

Confess that we don’t want to listen. Recognize how we try to hurt one another. Confirm that we aren’t following our confirmation vows of being faithful until death. Declare that we are over-confident in our abilities, vulnerable to the wolves, and unable to find our way home. Humbling ourselves to accept our sheepiness and our need for the Good Shepherd.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

While there is a cacophony of voices vying for your attention, there is only one voice to follow.

This is the voice that says: “I am your shepherd. I bore your sins in my body. I died that you might live. I created you. I redeemed you with my blood. I named you at your baptism. I never forget a name. You are mine, and I love you.

“I love each of you equally. I love you when you are sanctified and when you are sinful. I come looking for you when you are lost, and I rejoice over you when you are found. I will discipline you when you need it, and I will bandage your wounds when you’re hurt. I will use my rod and staff to protect you.

“I have other sheep who are not of this sheep pen. I will gather them together with you in the perfect Paradise of my Kingdom. I will settle you in the green pastures and quiet waters of my heavenly home. I will give you all that you need for this life and the life to come.

“One spring day, I allowed Lucifer and the Jewish religious leaders to stir up the crowds against me. I allowed them to pierce me for their rebellion. I allowed them to crush me for their guilt.

They thought they had won. But my death was their defeat. My resurrection was their destruction. My greatest victory was laying down my life for my sheep.”

Fellow sheep, that’s the voice we need to be listening to.

Whether you have been laid off or have been working steadily the past few weeks. Whether you are shut in or you’ve escaped outside. Whether your plans have fallen through or you have more to do than before. Your Good Shepherd is calling you. By name. Trust him. Follow him. Listen to him.