Homily for December 10th, 2013: Matthew 18:12-14.
Jesus
introduces this little story about the stray sheep with a question: “What is
your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and on of them goes astray, will he
not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and to in search of the stray?” The way
the question is framed, with the word “not”, suggests an affirmative answer –
‘Why sure, of course that’s what the man would do.’
Suppose, however, that Jesus had
framed his question differently, leaving out the “not”. Then he would have
asked: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he leave
the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of he stray? The obvious answer
to that question is: “No way would he do that. That would risk turning a small
misfortune – the lost of a single sheep – into a major disaster: dispersal of
the whole flock.
Jesus tells
the story to illustrate how God treats us. Unlike the shepherd, God’s love for
us is not measured, calculating, or (by our human standards) prudent. God is
willing to go to any lengths to prevent the loss of a single one of his
children.
In
the second part of the story Jesus tells us that when the shepherd has
recovered the one stray sheep, “he rejoices more over it than over the
ninety-nine that did not stray.” That certainly seems unreasonable – until we
ask: Who are these ninety-nine who have never strayed? We all stray at times –
even the saints. None of the saints was perfect – except for the Lord’s Mother,
Mary. The saints are people whose efforts at perfection were heroic.
Jesus
told this story to assure us that God’s love or us is without limits, and
without end. That is the gospel. That is the good news.
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