Jesus did what a good shepherd ought to do. Jesus fed the sheep and strengthened them. He bound up the broken, healed the sick, sought the lost, and brought the lost home. Jesus commandment His disciples to follow His example. He commanded the believers to preach the gospel in all the world. Por qué? To seek the lost and bring the lost home and reconcile them with God and be part of His flock. But do the believers still bring the lost home?
The shepherds of the house of Israel had caused the sheep to go astray and scattered them
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers (Jeremías 50:6-7)
Although the leaders of the house of Israel had a lot of knowledge, through tradition, they didn’t know God and His ways. Because they didn’t know God and His ways, they walked in ways that were not God’s ways and they preached things that didn’t lead to righteousness and life, but to sin and death.
Through the deceiving words and the behavior and lives of the leaders, who had deviated from God, the people of God had deviated from God (Leer también: El espíritu de Elí).
The sheep were scattered and went their own way, just like their leaders went their own way. They got involved with the pagan nations and adopted their idols, pagan practices, Rituales, y hábitos.
Through their ignorance and lack of knowledge of the truth, they thought they were walking on the right path and pleased God (Leer también: Toda cultura desaparece en Cristo.).
The shepherds had forsaken their task. They were too busy with themselves and didn’t care about the sheep and their well-being. Therefore they left the sheep to their own fate.
They didn’t care when a sheep erred and drowned in water, fell into the abyss, or was wounded or killed by a wolf. And so the flock became smaller and smaller (Leer también: Muchos pastores están llevando a las ovejas al abismo).
The shepherds of the house of Israel didn’t listen to God and His prophets
God saw everything and tried to reach the shepherds through His prophets, but the prideful and stubborn shepherds didn’t want to listen to the prophets and be corrected by the words of God. And they certainly didn’t want to humble themselves before the Lord. Por lo tanto, they brought the prophets to silence by killing them, so that they would not hear the admonishing words of God (Oh. Ezequiel 34, Mateo 23:31, lucas 11;47).
Once in a while, someone arose, who would listen to the words of the prophets and cause the people of God to return to God and walk on His ways. But then after some time, others arose, who became unfaithful to the words and the law of God and left God and took the people with them.
John brought the lost back home
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: porque el reino de los cielos está cerca. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, dicho, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight (Mateo 3:1-3)
Before Jesus took on His role as Shepherd and fulfilled His mission, John came to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus.
En el desierto, separated from the people of Israel, John was equipped and prepared by God for his task and the message he would preach, a saber, the coming of Jesus the Christ, the call to repentance, y el bautismo of repentance.
John was the precursor of Jesus and with his message, which he preached with such a formality, gravity, and authority that the people had to listen to and obey, he called the people to repentance and brought many of the lost of the house of Israel back home (Mateo 3:1-12, Marca 1:1-8, lucas 3:1-20, John 1:19-34).
Except the leaders, who were prideful and stubborn. They refused to repent and be baptized. John saw their wickedness and because of his boldness, he didn’t shy away from telling them the truth.
Despite the criticism and resistance of the leaders, John continued his work, wherefore he was appointed by God and brought the lost home (Leer también: Juan el Bautista, the man who didn’t bow).
Jesús, the Good Shepherd
Y así sucedió en aquellos días, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: And there came a voice from heaven, dicho, Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased (Marca 1:9-11)
In contrary to the leaders of the house of Israel, Jesús, quien fue circunciso on the eighth day, humbled Himself under the mighty hand of God, by giving heed to the call of John and being baptized by John. God saw it, and He was well pleased with His Son and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus (Oh. Mateo 3:13-17, Marca 1:9-11, lucas 3:21-22).
Jesus received the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness. En el desierto, Jesus was prepared for His task for which He was appointed, and the work, He had come for.
Para 40 días, Jesús fue tentado por el diablo.. But Jesus was not tempted by the words of the devil. Jesus resisted the devil by refuting his words with the truth of God (Oh. Mateo 4:1-11, Marca 1:12-13, lucas 4:1-13 (Leer también: Te daré las riquezas del mundo.)),
Después 40 días, Jesus began His mission in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus preached the Kingdom and called the people to repentance. By His words and works, Jesus fed the sheep, nurtured the sheep, bound up the broken, healed the sheep, sought the lost sheep, brought the lost sheep home, y finalmente, Jesus gave His life for the sheep (Leer también: El sufrimiento y la burla de Jesucristo).
Jesus brought the lost home
I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, dice el Señor Dios. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment (Ezequiel 34:15-16)
Soy el buen pastor: el buen Pastor da su vida por las ovejas (John 10:11)
Because of His words and works, Jesus proved that He is the Good Shepherd and that He and His words are reliable. Jesus was moved with compassion and cared for the sheep and didn’t leave them to their fate (Leer también: Jesús un hombre de compasión).
Jesus fed and nurtured the sheep with His truthful, correcting, and admonishing words, que vino del padre.
The people listened to Him and were astonished at His doctrine, for Jesus taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes (Mateo 7:28-29).
And so Jesus restored the flock and brought the lost home.
Jesus commanded His disciples to follow His example.
Before Jesus returned to His Father, Jesus gave this responsibility to His disciples and commanded them, entre otros, to preach the gospel in all the world and bring the lost home and feed them with the truth of God; the uncompromised words of God and to make them disciples of Jesus Christ, who walk in His way (Oh. Mateo 10:27-28, Marca 16:15-18, lucas 24:46-49, John 20:21-23).
The disciples brought the lost home
Lo que te digo en la oscuridad, que habláis en luz: y lo que oís al oído, que predicáis sobre las azoteas. Y no temáis a los que matan el cuerpo, pero no son capaces de matar el alma: Temed más bien a aquel que puede destruir el alma y el cuerpo en el infierno (Mateo 10:27-28)
Id, pues,, y enseñar a todas las naciones, bautizándolos en el nombre del Padre, y del hijo, y del Espíritu Santo: Enseñándoles a observar todas las cosas que os he mandado.: y, mira, estoy contigo siempre, incluso hasta el fin del mundo. Amén (Mateo 28:19-20)
The disciples of Jesus, los creyentes, took on this responsibility. They were obedient to the words of Jesus and did what Jesus had commanded them to do (Leer también: Los oyentes versus los hacedores).
After they had received the Holy Spirit, they went into the world, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and the way of salvation; the gospel of salvation and they brought the lost home.
And this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the way of salvation has not changed. The words and the commission of Jesus Christ have not changed either. They still apply to all believers, who are born again in Christ by faith and have become a new creation; un hijo de dios (esto se aplica tanto a hombres como a mujeres), and belong to God and live as obedient sons of God and do His will.
Do believers still bring the lost home?
Every believer ought to preach the gospel and the unfeigned words of God, so that lost souls be saved. Because without the preaching of the gospel, many souls shall be lost (Leer también: Si los cristianos callan, que pondrá en libertad a los cautivos de las tinieblas?)
If souls are not saved, they shall be lost and shall go to hell. And on the Day of Judgment, when all the people are judged according to their works, they will be cast into the lake of fire. Porque todo el mundo, who is not written in the Book of Life, will be cast into the lake of fire, cual es la muerte segunda (Revelación 20:11-15).
And of their blood, some shall be held accountable, because they didn’t do what Jesus has commanded them to do.
'Sé la sal de la tierra’
