God Values the Little Ones (Mt 18:10-14)

God Values the Little Fella (Mt 18:10-14). Disciples Don't Despise Dispensable Disposable Deplorables, for Jesus the good shepherd is the model for his disciples [SWS 4/26/2020; Ps 116; Lk 24 lectionary texts. Song: The Overwhelming Never Ending Reckless Love of God Coming After Me].

• [1] These Little Ones (Mt 18:10a)
• [2] My Father in Heaven (Mt 18:10b)
• [3] 100 Sheep One Lost (Mt 18:12a)
• [4] Leave & Search [for the little one] (Mt 18:12b)
• [5] One Found 99 Never Strayed (Mt 18:13)
• [6] My Father in Heaven (Mt 18:14a)
• [7] These Little Ones (Mt 18:14b)

Notice the rhetorical structure in this chiasm (ring composition) composed of 7 inverted units:

• the beginning [1], middle [4] and end [7] focus on "the little ones" (Mt 18:10, 12, 14), while
• [2] and [6] are a pair of my/your "Father in heaven" (Mt 18:10, 14), and
• [3-5] are a parable on finding the one lost sheep (Mt 18:12-13) with
• [3] and [5] focusing on "the one and the many" while
• the climax in the very center [4] displays the willingness of the shepherd to risk leaving the 99 "on the hills" to go after the one that went away (Mt 18:12b).

Questions for Reflection:

1. Who are "these little ones" (Mt 18:10a)? Why might one little one wander away (Mt 18:12a; 16:24; Lk 14:26; 1 Jn 2:15-17)? Is the sheep misled or does it go astray? Is it the fault of the sheep or the shepherd?
• Might Peter denying Jesus, doubting Thomas, the 10 disciples who ran off in the garden, and the "Jerusalem street" (Lk 23:35, 48; 18:13) be among "the little ones" who strayed and went astray?
• What was Jesus "still doing" on the cross with "the little ones" (Lk 23:34)?
• Who did Jesus say is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 18:2-5)? 
• What does the disciples' question about the greatest show about them (Mt 18:1)? 
• Was Jesus speaking of children in general or of this particular child (Mt 18:4)?
• What does the change from "child" (Mt 18:5) [paidion] to "little ones" (Mt 18:6; 10:42) [ton micron] tell us? 
2. Why does Jesus caution/warn his disciples to "not despise/look down on" [neglect, ignore] the little ones (Mt 18:10a) [to treat others with scorn or contempt]? Why? [See Q. 3.] 
• Does this challenge the leadership of the church in every age?
• Do people/organizations/"churches" tend to despise the dispensables /disregard the powerless /overlook the non-contributors? [Or declare an interest in them as a power play?]
• Do you desire/wish to be in what C.S. Lewis calls "The Inner Ring"? [What's the motivation?] Should you not rather be a "sound craftsman"?
3. What does it mean that "the little ones" (believers) have angels before "the face of my Father in heaven" (Mt 18:10b; Ac 12:15; 1 Cor 4:9; Heb 1:14; Ps 17:8; Rev 2:1, 8, 12; 3:1, 7, 14)?
4. What does Jesus exemplify in the center/climax of the chiasm [3,4,5] (Mt 18:12-13)?
• How does the world regard the weak, the powerless, the poor, the nameless?
• Why do people not want to bother with the one sheep who couldn't keep up?
• Can the lost, the one who wandered off, find their own way home?
• What is the shepherd willing to endure in order to look for the one who is lost/went astray (Lk 15:4, 8; Jn 10:11)? How does this strengthen and encourage the 99? 
• What is the tendency of [church] leaders with regard to 1/99? 
• How might we want our [church] leaders to act?
5. What does the shepherd rejoicing over finding the lost sheep teach us about repentance (Mt 18:13; Lk 15:5-6,9; 19:10; Jn 4:32)?
• Who is the celebration and rejoicing about (Lk 15:6, 9, 24, 27, cf. Lk 15:30)? 
• When the lost one is found were they blamed, rebuked, shamed and exposed as a "bad sheep," made to feel bad?
6. Despite the intention of the Father in heaven (Mt 18:14) and the shepherd (Mt 18:12), what could still happen? Is there the possibility of failure?
7. What was Jesus expecting of his disciples (Mt 25:40; Jn 20:21; 1 Pet 5:2)?

Reference: Bailey, Kenneth E. The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament. IVP. Downers Grove, IL 60515. 2014.

The Climax Center of Feeding the 5,000

Mark 6:34-46 is a chiasm/ ring composition/ inverted parallelism format that is in Psalm 23 and Luke 15 with the account very carefully recorded. A series of ideas/events are presented, come to a climax and then are repeated backwards. Usually the center of such a rhetorical ring composition is either the climax of the passage or at least a point of special emphasis. Here that center includes three units (Mk 6:38-41a).

1. Mk 6:34 - A Crowd, Gathered, good shepherd needed

2. Mk 6:35-36 - All Need To Ead (no food)

3. Mk 6:37 - You Feed Them (we can't)

4. Mk 6:38 - Five Loaves Two Fish

5. Mk 6:39-40 - Ps 23:2

6. Mk 6:41a - Five Loaves Two Fish

7. Mk 6:41b - You Feed Them (they can)

8. Mk 6:42-44 - All Eat All Filled (food left over)

9. Mk 6:45-46 - A Crowd, Dismissed, good shepherd takes charge  

The Good Shepherd (Psalm 23 to Mark 6)

Psalm 23	Mark 6:7-52
"The Lord is my shepherd"	Mk 6:34ff: Jesus had compassion of them
"He settles me down in green pastures"	Mk 6:39: He commanded them to recline in green pastures
"He leads me in paths of righteousness"	Mk 6:34: He taught them many things
"I walk through the valley of death"	Mk 6:24-29: John was killed
"I will fear no evil"	Mk 6:50: He told them, "Have no fear, I am!"
"…your staff comforts me"	Mk 6:8: "Take nothing…except a [shepherd's] staff"
"You prepare a table before me"	Mk 6:41: Jesus prepared a banquet of life
"…in the presence of my enemies"	Mk 6:21-28: Herod, an enemy, was "watching"
"You anoint my head with oil"	Mk 6:13: The disciples "anointed many with oil"
"I shall not want"; "my cup overflows"	Mk 6:42: They were "filled" with "12 baskets full of broken pieces"
He rests me "beside still waters"	Mk 6:51: "the wind ceased and they crossed over"

The classical account of the good shepherd from Psalm 23 to Mark 6:7-52

Ps 23:1-6	Jer, Ezek, Zach	Lk 15:4-7	Lk 15:8-10	Mk 6:7-52
God is the good shepherd	God is the good shepherd	Jesus is the good shepherd	Jesus is the good woman	Jesus is the good shepherd and the new Moses
Lost sheep (no flock)	Lost flock	Lost sheep & lost flock	Lost coin	Lost flock
Incarnation implied	Incarnation promised	Incarnation realized	Incarnation realized	Incarnation realized
Price paid: bring back	Price paid: search, save, bring back	Price paid: search, find, carry back	Price paid: light lamp, sweep, search, find	Gather, order, feed, lead flock, confront Herod
Repentance is return to God (shuv)	Repentance is return to land (shuv)	Repentance is return to God (metanoea)	Repentance is return to God (metanoea)	The "flock" accepts to be found
A meal for the psalmist	__	A celebration with friends	A celebration with friends	A meal for 5,000
A good host(ess?) and a meal	__	A good host and (offered food)	A good hostel and (offered food)	Jesus produces a meal
Opponent: death and enemies	Bad shepherd	Bad shepherd loses a sheep	Careless woman loses a coin	Herod: bad shepherd and murderer
Story ends in the house	Story ends in the land	Story ends in the house	Story ends in the house	At the end, people go home.

Who represents Who in Luke 15

Why the shepherd (Lk 15:4-7), woman (Lk 15:8-10) and father (Lk 15:11-32) in Luke 15 are symbols for God and Jesus.

Allegory reigned supreme for many centuries as a method of interpretation, and the fatted calf in the parable of the prodigal son became a symbol for Christ because the calf was killed. Through allegory, interpreters were able to locate their favorite ideas almost anywhere, and confusion and finally meaninglessness conquered. This is probably why parables ceased to be sources for Christian faith and were limited to ethics.

In reaction to the fanciful exaggerations that the allegorical method produced in past centuries, across the twentieth century there was a stream of scholarship that argued for “one point per parable.” Others allowed for several themes in a parable. The purpose was to protect interpretation from adding meanings to the text that could not have occurred to Jesus or his audience. 

But if the great parable of the prodigal son has “only one point,” which shall we choose? Should the interpreter choose “the nature of the fatherhood of God,” “an understanding of sin,” “self-righteousness that rejects others,” “the nature of true repentance,” “joy in community” or “finding the lost”? All of these theological themes are undeniably present in the story and together form a whole that Kenneth Bailey calls “the theological cluster.” Each part of that cluster is in creative relationship to the other parts. The meaning of each can only be understood fully within the cluster formed by the entire parable. The content of the cluster must be controlled and limited by what Jesus’ original audience could have understood.

Simply stated, our task is to stand at the back of the audience around Jesus and listen to what he is saying to them. Only through that discipline can we discover what he is saying to any age, including our own. Authentic simplicity can be found the other side of complexity.

Reference: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey.

Jesus Redefines Repentance (Luke 15:1-7)

Jesus Redefines Repentance and Salvation (Luke 15:1-7)

  "…in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7).

The sheep brought back by the shepherd is a symbol of repentance.

The characteristic feature of the parables in Luke 15 is the Divine Love that goes out to seek the sinner before he repents.

• What is repentance? [As we discuss the questions consider how Jesus redefines repentance.]

• How did John the Baptist and Jesus preach repentance (Mk 1:14; Mt 3:2; 4:17; Lk 3:3; 15:1-5)?

• How did Peter preach repentance (Ac 2:38)?

• How did Paul teach salvation (Ac 16:31)?

• How do you help others to repent?

• What do you emphasize when desiring others to repent/change?

• Do you help others repent like Jesus or like the Pharisees leaders? What's the difference?

• Do you stress and smash the sinner or support and supply strength to the sinner to repent?

• Does Jesus/Do the Pharisees/Do you place the burden of repentance on the shepherd or the sheep?

1. How is the parable of the good shepherd (4-7) related to Psalm 23/O.T. (Ps 23:3; Jer 23:3; Eze 34:16; Zach 10:10)?

2. Did Jesus host outcasts (Mt 4:13; Mk 2:1; Jn 1:38-43)? Why would Jesus' loving welcome/eating with tax collectors and sinners upset and anger the Pharisees (Lk 15:1-2; 7:39)? [Their anger eventually led to them killing Jesus.] {Contrast the haberim [friends/elites] with the amhaarets [people of the land/lowest stratum of society].}

3. What is "this parable" (3) that Jesus told? How was this a subtle rebuke (4a; Eze 34:4)? Who are the friends (6)? How are shepherds regarded by the Jews?

4. What is the cost for the shepherd to leave the 99 sheep to go search for one lost sheep (4-6)? What does a sheep do when it realizes that it is lost? What is their only hope? Is the shepherd and sheep active or passive or both (4-5a)?

5. Who are the "99 righteous persons who do not need to repent" (7; Isa 53:6; Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:23)?

6. "..in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.." (7). What does "the same way" teach about repentance? How is Jesus' teaching about repentance "different" from how the Pharisees think?

7. How is this first of three parables a response/an answer to the Pharisees' murmuring (2)?

When the Lord is Your Shepherd (Psalm 23)

• Nothing I Lack (Psalm 23:1-2).
• Only God Can Bring Me Back (Psalm 23:3).

• The Valley of Darkness (Psalm 23:4). 

• Blessed in the Presence of My Enemies  (Ps 23:5).

• Followed by Goodness All My Life (Ps 23:6).

1. In Psalm 23 God is a shepherd (Ps 23:1). How else is God described in the O.T. (Ps 18:1-3; Ps 103:13; 131:2)? How did Jesus similarly portray images for God (Lk 15:4, 8, 11-12)?
2. What does it mean practically that "the Lord is my shepherd" (Ps 23:1a; Prov 3:5-6)?
3. What is it to "lack nothing" (Ps 23:1b; Phil 4:11-12)? What are the basic wants that the shepherd provides for his sheep (Ps 23:2-6)? How might commercials and advertising affect our wants? How does beginning (Ps 23:1), end (Ps 23:6) and middle (Ps 23:4a) of this psalm affirm the deepest needs of the psalmist?
4. What does the shepherd need to do before any sheep will lie down (Ps 23:2)? What is provided for the sheep [and the guest (Ps 23:5)]? What kind of life is this (Phil 4:7; Jn 14:27)? Did David know peace in the midst of his turbulent life?
5. English translations say "He restores/refreshes/renews my soul" while Eastern translations say "He brings me back" (Ps 23:3a)? What does the latter translation suggest about our human condition (Isa 53:5)? About what needs to be done (Jer 23:3; Eze 34:16; Zech 10:10; Lk 15:4; Mt 18:12)? What does it mean that she sheep is led in "paths of righteousness" and "for his name's sake" (Ps 23:3b)?
6. Why must the sheep pass through the valley of darkness/death (Ps 23:4a)? Why is there no fear in doing so (Ps 23:4b)? Why is this the center and climax of Psalm 23? What is the role of the rod and staff (Ps 23:4c)? What is the sheep's unique problem?
7. What is the change in metaphor from Ps 23:1 to Ps 23:5 (Isa 42:13; 43:14)? Who usually prepares the table/the meal (Prov 9:1-5)? What is meant by "in the presence of my enemies" (Ps 23:5a)? How is this similar to the story of Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10)? What is the meaning of anointing (Ps 23:5b; Mt 26:7; Mk 14:3; Lk 7:38; Jn 12:3)? Of "my cup overflows" (Ps 23:5c)?
8. How does it generally feel to be followed? What is "goodness" and "mercy" [hesed] (Ps 23:6a)? [David personifies them like people who follow him.] "...the length of days" can mean both "my days" and God's days (Ps 23:6b). How could David be so sure and confident of this (Ps 23:1, 4a)?

Hear & Know God's Voice (John 10:3b-4)

"The sheep hear his voice … for they know his voice" (Jn 10:3b-4).

Literally sheep know the voice of their good shepherd. So when they hear his voice, they will follow him.

To hear is to listen and obey. We will hear, listen and obey someone we know. If we do not know (trust) that person, we'll not hear them out, and disregard or ignore what they say.