Ep 246: Wicked Shepards and Lost Sheep: Luke 15, Jeremiah 23, and Ezekiel 34

In this episode I explore the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:1-7 in which Jesus, directly responding to his critics, explains how his audience would leave ninety-nine sheep in the pasture to find one who had wondered from the flock, rejoicing when the wayward sheep is found. Jesus isn’t telling a simple pastoral parable about God’s grace, but drawing on powerful imagery from the Old Testament prophets, particularly Jeremiah 23:1-2 and Ezekiel 34, about the wicked shepherds of Israel who had led God’s people astray and the promise that God would rescue his people from the curse of the covenant by sending a good shepherd, the promised son of David, to rescue the whole house of Israel. Luke believes the promises are being fulfilled in Jesus, the son of David bringing about the kingdom of God. I also discuss the need for Christians to keep wicked political leaders, modern false shepherds, at arm’s length and how the modern nation-state called ‘Israel’ only comprises members of two of the twelve tribes of Biblical Israel, meaning it is in no way a fulfillment of God’s promises in the prophets. 

Media Referenced:

Mark 10 and Political Assumptions: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-244-mark-10-wrecks-modern-economic-and-political-assumptions/

Government is God’s Servant: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-243-government-is-gods-servant-romans-13-isaiah-10-and-jeremiah-25/

Old Testament Prophecy w/ John Walton: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-109-understanding-old-testament-prophecy-with-john-walton/

 The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!