Jesus said he was sent to “the lost sheep of the house of
Israel”. If we want to know who the lost sheep are, we have to study who Jesus
spoke to. We know as Jesus continued healing people, the crowds following him
grew very large, but those might not have been the only sheep Jesus was sent
to. After studying the split that occurred during the Maccabee/Hasmonean era we
have a new perspective on who the lost sheep are. If you are just joining this
series, you can catch up on much of the back story starting at the end of
January 2016. In a short review, we see by the time Jesus is on the earth, there
are several antagonistic groups of people residing in Israel. About 160 years
before Jesus’ birth, people rose up against the Seleucids, and Jonathan Apphus
(one of the Maccabees or “hammers”) was appointed as high priest in the temple.
He was not an heir of Aaron, and Antiochus had no legal right to appoint him,
but Jonathan played the game well and accepted the offer. That caused a split
among the Jews, just like any other church split we see today. One group left
and moved on, and the other group rationalized that since Jonathan reinstated
service in the temple that even though they didn’t like him they would stay and
serve. Eventually, the group that left became known as
Essenes/Nazarenes/Therapeutaes; they were descended from the prophets and the Holy
Spirit remained in or on them. The other group later became known as the
Pharisees, the ones who worked in temple service and were keepers of the law.
They lost the Holy Spirit in/on them. There were no prophets among them either.
The group that left Jerusalem kept the Holy Spirit in/on them, while the group
that stayed in Jerusalem lost the Holy Spirit in/on them. While neither group
liked the change of temple leadership, the one group who rationalized that the
temple was more important than anything else made the temple an idol and it
became a hill to die on.
Matt 15:24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. AMP
Nearly 200 years after the Maccabean revolt, the Messiah
came to save the lost sheep. This was the group that Jesus spoke to regarding
the law, pointing out that they were not actually following the law. But before
we look at some of the things that Jesus re-defined as truer aspects of the law
(that they were not keeping), let’s look at the lost sheep. Who are the lost
sheep? Some have speculated that there is a lost tribe; but that has been
disproven as in Jesus’ time all the tribes were represented in Jerusalem. Some
believe that the ones keeping the law were the saved ones and the other people
who were not keeping the law were lost. That is not exactly true either. The lost sheep lost the Holy Spirit. The lost
sheep lost their way because they clung to their traditions. The lost sheep
lost their spiritual ears and disregarded the prophets. Jesus came to call
those sheep home. He would give his sheep eternal life. Only His sheep hear his
voice, so even though some of the discourses that Jesus had with the religious
leaders seem contentious, there were sheep there, and they were listening and
changing their direction to follow Jesus. The people needed a more permanent
way to have and keep the Holy Spirit in and on them.
Matt 18:11-14 For the Son of man came to save [from the
penalty of eternal death] that which was lost. 12 What do you think? If a man
has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray and gets lost, will he not
leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost?
13 And if it should be that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more
over it than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost. 14 Just so it is not
the will of My Father Who is in heaven that one of these little ones should be
lost and perish. AMP
Even when Jesus spoke to a crowd and it seemed as if no one
believed him, if only one person changed direction to follow Jesus, then that
one is who Jesus came for. From our point of view, we don’t see the people in
the background who heard and wondered and believed in their hearts. We cannot
tell from the writers’ accounts how many people believed that Jesus was the
Messiah, but we know the crowds following him continued to grow.
In the Gospel of John we have the context of the hireling, the false pastor who runs away
at the first sign of trouble. But we know that the true shepherd lays down his
life for his sheep.
John 10:10-13 The thief comes only in order to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in
abundance (to the full, till it overflows). 11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good
Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep. [Ps 23.] 12But the
hired servant (he who merely serves for wages) who is neither the shepherd nor
the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and
runs away. And the wolf chases and snatches them and scatters [the flock]. 13
Now the hireling flees because he merely serves for wages and is not himself
concerned about the sheep [cares nothing for them].
Just as there are false prophets, there are false
pastors/shepherds. The lost sheep recognize Jesus. Jesus has other sheep
besides the ones in Israel which would join him. But if the shepherd doesn’t
call out to the sheep, how will they heed His call?
John 10:14-17 I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and
recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me — 15 Even as [truly as] the Father knows Me and
I also know the Father — and I am giving My [very own] life and laying it down
on behalf of the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep [beside these] that are not
of this fold. I must bring and impel those also; and they will listen to My
voice and heed My call, and so there will be [they will become] one flock under
one Shepherd. [Ezek 34:23.] 17 For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I
lay down My [own] life — to take it back again. AMP
If we remember, the Nazarenes/Essenes/Therapeutaes were
expecting the Messiah, and they believed that Jesus was the Messiah; they
watched him grow up, they schooled him, and they protected him until he was
ready to call the lost sheep. But the regular people who were not Nazarenes,
Essenes, Therapeutaes, or prophets, had followed the teachings of the Pharisees
and Sadducees. Those that didn’t hear Jesus’ voice were not His sheep.
John 10:24-26 So the Jews surrounded Him and began asking
Him, How long are You going to keep us in doubt and suspense? If You are really
the Christ (the Messiah), tell us so plainly and openly. 25 Jesus answered
them, I have told you so, yet you do not believe Me [you do not trust Me and
rely on Me]. The very works that I do by the power of My Father and in My
Father's name bear witness concerning Me [they are My credentials and evidence
in support of Me]. 26 But you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because
you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine]. AMP
The Father gives Jesus His sheep, and the sheep receive
eternal life.
John 10:27-30 The sheep that are My own hear and are
listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them
eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To
all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to
snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and
mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the
Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are One. AMP
But Jesus had to show people where they were missing the
mark, which is the job of the shepherd. So Jesus makes a series of clarifications
to the laws that they had all heard in the synagogues. He is changing the laws
to be more detailed.
Matt 5:21-24 You have heard that it was said to the men of
old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to
escape the punishment imposed by the court. [Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17; 16:18.] 22
But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with provoke his brother or harbors malice
(enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the
punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and
insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment
imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed
idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire. 23
So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your
brother has any [grievance] against you, 24 Leave your gift at the altar and
go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your
gift.AMP
The original Greek says provoke
as in “intentionally exacerbate or enrage” rather than someone who is simply
angry with his brother. This is different because it is not merely about
someone being angry, but about someone provoking another to anger. So if you
provoke someone you will not escape the court, or if you speak insultingly
against someone you will be punished before the Sanhedrin. But if you call someone
a “moron” you won’t escape Gehenna.
Jesus is adding some strict rules to the law, which regard the heart, not just
the actions. This starts to make following rules virtually impossible to
achieve salvation because one’s heart has to be pure. Let’s think about this
practically. If there is no redemption or salvation by grace, and no redeemer,
then the rules that one has to follow are far more stringent, but who is able
to enter the Kingdom by their works, especially when their heart is revealed?
Very few. Again, Jesus tries to show them where they are missing the kingdom.
Matt 5:27-30 You have heard that it was said, You shall not
commit adultery. [Ex 20:14; Deut 5:18.] 28 But I say to you that everyone who
so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye serves as a trap to
ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and
throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your
whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna). 30 And if your right hand serves as a
trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, cut it off
and cast it from you. It is better that you lose one of your members than that
your entire body should be cast into hell (Gehenna). AMP
In verse 27 the text reads a little different.
Matt 5:27G191You
heard G3754 G3754that G4483it was
said G3588to the
G744ancients,
G3756You
shall not commit adultery. G3431 28G1473But I G1161 G3004say G1473to you
G3754that, G3956all G3588 G991looking
at G1135a wife
G4314for G3588 G1937lusting
G1473her, G2235already
G3431committed
adultery with G1473her G1722in G3588 G2588his
heart.
The laws spoken to the ancients have to be updated for the
times. The word for lust means to “set
your heart upon”. So if one sets his heart upon something or someone, that
person has already committed adultery in his/her own heart. Once again Jesus
points out that the idea of simply living under a set of rules to enter the kingdom
doesn’t actually work, as one might be able to control one’s own actions, but
one’s heart may be wrong. As we saw with the Letter of Aristeas that was written in the second century BCE, the
idea of clean and unclean animals was a lesson in behavioral instructions, not
actually clean flesh or unclean flesh. The idea that Jesus is trying to present
is not just behavioral, but for correcting the internal thought process.
Therefore, in context the sheep have to clean up their hearts’ as well as
behaviors. Hence the need for a savior, for grace, and the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit. This is the entire point of receiving the Holy Spirit on the day
of Pentecost, so that by grace we can have an internal compass to clean our
hearts and help us enter the kingdom of God.
Notice that Gehenna
is the place of everlasting punishment, it is not the temporary place of Hades.
Jesus opened the way of paradise for the redeemed, but the unredeemed go to Hades
awaiting the end of the Millennial Kingdom and the white throne judgement.
Jesus says that it is better to enter the kingdom without an eye or a hand
rather than ending up in Gehenna. As the Essenes would suggest, it would be
better to just do our best to live well with a clean heart, accepting the
Messiah, rather than to be caught up in mans’ judgment.
Matt 5:31-32 It has also been said, Whoever divorces his
wife must give her a certificate of divorce. 32 But I tell you, Whoever
dismisses and repudiates and divorces his wife, except on the grounds of
unfaithfulness (sexual immorality), causes her to commit adultery, and whoever
marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery. [Deut 24:1-4.] AMP
Jesus specifies that there are no grounds for divorce
except adultery. Anyone who divorces another unjustly causes them to become an
adulterer. That means that all the divorced people in our world who were
wrongly divorced are now adulterers. We see the need for a savior here as
people marry and divorce for all kinds of reasons. Even in the church we ignore
this section of scripture because we believe a person’s happiness is more
important than staying in an unhappy situation. This is why we need a savior as
no one can live under these terms. How many preachers and rabbis are divorced,
but continue to push the law. If you push the law over grace, if you beat
people over the head with the law instead of leading people to Jesus, and if
you teach people that they have to follow the law instead of the Holy Spirit,
you will cause them to end up in Gehenna along with the divorced rabbi and
preacher. Recognize, that there are some people who reject Jesus, they are not
his sheep. But those who hear his voice are his sheep. Those people are the
ones to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Matt 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to the
men of old, You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to
the Lord [as a religious duty]. 34 But I tell you, Do not bind yourselves by an
oath at all: either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 Or by the earth,
for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the
Great King. [Ps 48:2; Isa 66:1.] 36 And do not swear by your head, for you are
not able to make a single hair white or black. 37 Let your Yes be simply Yes,
and your No be simply No; anything more than that comes from the evil one. [Lev
19:12; Num 30:2; Deut 23:21.] AMP
Again Jesus makes a clarification to the ancient sayings.
Don’t swear and make oaths that you cannot keep. Only the evil one will attempt
to trick you into swearing and making oaths. Don’t perjure yourself by not
keeping your word or swearing falsely or falsely speaking against someone. Simply
say what you mean. Now Jesus speaks about retaliation. If we remember the
context of the times, there was a lot of civil unrest, Zealot Fascists rising
up, spiritual leaders fighting, and Roman oppression. The spiritual people led
by the Holy Spirit were not in Jerusalem any longer. The lost sheep were left
in Jerusalem without a shepherd. Jesus gives them instructions for their
situation.
Matt 5:38-42 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an
eye, and a tooth for a tooth. [Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21.] 39 But I say
to you, Do not resist the evil man [who injures you]; but if anyone strikes you
on the right jaw or cheek, turn to him the other one too. 40 And if anyone
wants to sue you and take your undershirt (tunic), let him have your coat also.
41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two [miles]. 42 Give to
him who keeps on begging from you, and do not turn away from him who would
borrow [at interest] from you. [Deut 15:8; Prov 24:29.] AMP
How could these people living at that time survive if they
tried to fight against everyone around them? Jesus would later give instruction
regarding leaving the city when it was surrounded, one instance being when the
Idumeans came to support the Zealots and surrounded the city, otherwise the
sheep would not endure to the day of Pentecost. That is what Jesus was gearing
the sheep towards. Pentecost would change everything. After Pentecost the sheep
could be led by the Holy Spirit.
Matt 5:43-48 You have heard that it was said, You shall
love your neighbor and hate your enemy; [Lev 19:18; Ps 139:21,22.] 44 But I
tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [Prov
25:21,22.] 45 To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in
heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the
rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. 46 For if you love those
who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?
47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do
not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect
[growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having
reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is
perfect. [Lev 19:2,18.] AMP
This is another huge heart issue. We have a city
approaching the time of civil war, yet Jesus says to love the enemy and pray
for the ones persecuting you. Jesus tells his sheep to be perfect by loving
when it seems better to hate.
Later, Jesus’ miracles were becoming better known. The
sheep were repenting and following Jesus, and yet there were some regions that
rejected him. The problem with rejecting Jesus means that one ends up in Hades.
Matt 11:20-25 Then He began to censure and reproach the
cities in which most of His mighty works had been performed, because they did
not repent [and their hearts were not changed]. 21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to
you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes [and their
hearts would have been changed]. 22 I tell you [further], it shall be more
endurable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you,
Capernaum, are you to be lifted up to heaven? You shall be brought down to
Hades [the region of the dead]! For if the mighty works done in you had been
done in Sodom, it would have continued until today. 24 But I tell you, it shall
be more endurable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you. 25
At that time Jesus began to say, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth
[and I acknowledge openly and joyfully to Your honor], that You have hidden
these things from the wise and clever and learned, and revealed them to babies
[to the childish, untaught, and unskilled]. AMP
The ones who spent their lives studying the law rather than
fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit were heading to Hades. That seems the
opposite of what we have been led to believe. We thought the religious men were
following the law to be saved, but as we have studied, those religious men
rejected the Holy Spirit. It seemed to the religious men that Jesus was a
reckless law breaker, but they forgot their history.
Matt 12:1-8 AT THAT particular time Jesus went through the
fields of standing grain on the Sabbath; and His disciples were hungry, and
they began to pick off the spikes of grain and to eat. [Deut 23:25.] 2 And when
the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, See there! Your disciples are doing
what is unlawful and not permitted on the Sabbath. 3 He said to them, Have you
not even read what David did when he was hungry, and those who accompanied him
— [Lev 24:9; 1 Sam 21:1-6.] 4 How he
went into the house of God and ate the loaves of the showbread — which was not
lawful for him to eat, nor for the men who accompanied him, but for the priests
only? 5 Or have you never read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in
the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath [breaking it] and yet are
guiltless? [Num 28:9,10.] 6 But I tell you, Something greater and more exalted
and more majestic than the temple is here! 7 And if you had only known what
this saying means, I desire mercy [readiness to help, to spare, to forgive]
rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims, you would not have condemned the
guiltless. [Hos 6:6; Matt 9:13.] 8 For the Son of Man is Lord [even] of the
Sabbath. AMP
Something greater, more exalted, and more majestic than the
temple is here. The temple wasn’t there for long, less than forty more years,
and then it was destroyed. The temple became an idol. The temple became the
hill to live and die on. The temple took the people away from the Holy Spirit.
The temple became the focus of devotion rather than cleaning the hearts of men.
Today, there is no temple, so thankfully we are now the temple of the
Holy Spirit. But if they had only known or recognized Jesus as Messiah, they
personally would have been restored. Dealing with the hearts of men, Jesus says
that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Jesus had just
mentioned that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven, he then
says this:
Matt 12:34-37 You offspring of vipers! How can you speak
good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow,
the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man from his
inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner
evil storehouse flings forth evil things. 36 But I tell you, on the day of
judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking)
word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and
by your words you will be condemned and sentenced. AMP
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is attributing the works of
the Holy Spirit to the devil, or to magic, or to something else other than the
Holy Spirit. By your words you will be justified and acquitted, or condemned
and sentenced. Instead of knowing the temple, the temple service and all the
laws, it is better to know the Holy Spirit. People have been rejecting the Holy
Spirit since before the exodus. Look at Isaiah’s lament in the Greek.
Isaiah 63:10 10G1473But
they G1161 G544resisted
persuasion, G2532and G3947provoked
G3588 G4151[2spirit
G3588 G391his
holy]. G1473 G2532And G4762[2turned
G14733against
them G29621 the lord]
G1519for G2189enmity;
G1473heG4170waged
war against G1473them
Again Isaiah’s lament in context.
Isa 63:10-14 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
therefore He turned to become their enemy and Himself fought against them. 11
Then His people [seriously] remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people
[and they said], Where is He Who brought [our fathers] up out of the [Red] Sea,
with [Moses and the other] shepherds of His flock? Where is He Who put His Holy
Spirit within their midst, 12 Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right
hand of Moses, dividing the waters before them, to make for Himself an
everlasting name, 13 Who led them through the depths, like a horse in the
wilderness, so that they did not stumble? 14 Like the cattle that go down into
the valley [to find better pasturage, refuge, and rest], the Spirit of the Lord
caused them to rest. So did You lead Your people [Lord] to make for Yourself a
beautiful and glorious name [to prepare the way for the acknowledgment of Your
name by all nations] AMP
The dilemma of mankind is recognizing our spiritual nature,
cleaning up our hearts, and receiving the Holy Spirit. The sheep are lost
because they rejected the Holy Spirit for the idol that is the temple. At the
time of the split during the Maccabean age, what seemed right, logically
speaking, was to protect the temple. Solomon’s temple had been destroyed,
Nehemiah’s temple had been partially destroyed, and Herod had rebuilt the
temple. Now an opportunity to reinstate temple service came about with Jonathan
Maccabee, but that was the wrong decision. Those who left Jerusalem faired far
better than those who stayed. That split cost many generations of people their
redemption, both before Jesus came and after Jesus came. Many people will end
up in Hades awaiting the white throne judgement; the time that their works will
be assessed as to eternal life or Gehenna. As we noted last week, It used to be
that living a pure life was key to keeping and maintaining the Holy Spirit in
and on an individual. After Pentecost, grace makes it available for those who
believe on Jesus as Messiah to receive the Holy Spirit before one cleans their
heart and life. The Holy Spirit enables the internal cleansing so that one does
not have to live as the Pharisees did, judging with the law the standard for
good and bad. Instead, we live like the Essenes, striving for the best that we
can. This is why Jesus pointed out the flaws in following the laws, the heart
was never changed. Solomon writes this, keeping in mind the time is before
Pentecost.
Wisdom 1:3-7 For froward thoughts separate from God: and
his power, when it is tried, reproveth the unwise.4 For into a malicious soul
wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin.5 For
the holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and remove from thoughts that
are without understanding, and will not abide when unrighteousness cometh in.6
For wisdom is a loving spirit; and will not acquit a blasphemer of his words:
for God is witness of his reins, and a true beholder of his heart, and a hearer
of his tongue.7 For the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world: and that which
containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice. KJV
The requirements for having the Holy Spirit in/on a person
were tough to live out. As sin grew more prominent in the world, the harder it
became to keep the Spirit of Wisdom/the Holy Spirit in/on people before
Pentecost. Remember Jesus’ word from John regarding the mission of the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit is now sent to all who believe.
Wisdom 9:16-18 And hardly do we guess aright at things that
are upon earth, and with labour do we find the things that are before us: but
the things that are in heaven who hath searched out?17 And thy counsel who hath
known, except thou give wisdom, and send thy Holy Spirit from above?18 For so
the ways of them which lived on the earth were reformed, and men were taught
the things that are pleasing unto thee, and were saved through wisdom. KJV
Again Solomon writes from before Pentecost. We can see why
some groups have rejected the Wisdom of Solomon, because they rejected the Holy
Spirit. So our goal is to look at the people who lived right, the prophets, the
Essenes, the Nazarenes, and the Therapeutaes. The lost sheep hear Jesus’ voice.
Jesus came for the lost sheep. We don’t know how many actually believed, but as
Jesus is quoted in Luke as saying to the people, all they needed to do was ask
to receive the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:10-13 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking
receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks
and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened. 11 What father among you, if
his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a
fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he asks for an egg,
will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give
good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more
will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to
ask Him! AMP
The sheep no longer have to be lost. Although there will be
those who reject Jesus and reject the Holy Spirit, not all people will. One
needs Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit today. It is simple. Then the one who
receives Jesus as Messiah becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit.
