Sheep In The Mall

Commenary To The Sabbath School Lesson

At first glance, the picture in this week’s lesson seems to depict a city or town. But, no, upon closer examination, the buildings all have steeples-church steeples. So what is depicted is not a city or town, but a grouping of religious structures or houses of worship. Something about the illustration was unsettling to me, and that’s when I noticed that there were no steeples of mosques or temples. Why, I wondered is that? Is the lesson trying to suggest that “Christ’s Other Sheep” are all Christians, and that they are to be found in other churches? Have you ever seen a sheep in a church?

I haven’t. But neither have I seen one in the Mall either. Of course we know that Christ is using sheep to illustrate human characteristics. He uses several texts to demonstrate our nature, and describe our typical behavior- that of wandering (and perhaps wondering too) away-- to us. Through the prophet Isaiah, God says: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53:6) So by nature, we tend to go our own way. We wander away from where we’re supposed to be, and we get lost. But Jesus says that the one defining characteristic of His sheep, ‘whom He knows,’ is that “ ‘they hear His voice, and they follow Him.’”

So its possible isn’t it, for Christ’s Sheep to be anywhere, in any sort of religious organization, as long as they hear His voice, and listen to Him with a willingness to do His bidding. If they do, they will be following Him wherever He goes, and not wandering away. Christ said, “I came to do the will of Him who sent Me.” How about us, do we hear His voice, do we listen to Him with a willing heart and mind, or are other pastures greener?

Christ is calling His human sheep out of Babylon—out of confusion, and unbiblical thinking. After all to be in a false church (synagogue or temple) and hold false doctrines, is to think false thoughts. Is it possible to have a false belief system, and yet be in the ‘right church’? Is it possible that we, individually, might be in Babylon?

A secular sociologist discussing World War II stated that it changed the face of America. He stated, “there was a brain drain in Europe, more Europeans migrated to the United Sates, women stayed in the workforce, more people had more jobs in government, and the Religion of America became consumption.” Imagine that? America’s religion could no longer be classified as Protestant, but as Consumption.

Apparently, the Religion of Consumption is composed of these elements:

- Hyper-consumption

- Shopping and Entertainment Centers with a magical element to attract or draw large numbers of people

- Buildings modeled after churches / synagogues/ cathedrals

According to the sociologist, more Americans are more likely to go to a mall on the weekend than to church. And thus Malls are the churches of Consumption. And so the question is, are there Sheep in the Malls? Have we inadvertently become Sheep in the Malls? Through John the beloved, Jesus states in John 9:31:

Now we know that God doesn’t hear sinners (those with iniquity hidden in their hearts- Ps. 66:18): but if any man be a worshipper of God, and does His will, him He hears.

Jesus also states in John 10:14,15: “I Am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and Am known of mine. And other sheep have I not of this fold, them I must bring, and they shall hear My voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”

When the rich young ruler came to Jesus he asked what he should do to have eternal life. You probably remember the story. He approached Jesus calling Him, “Good Master.” Jesus answers him with the question “why do you call Me good—there is none good, save God.” Do we often find ourselves saying “so and so is a good person, he does…? The young ruler equated goodness with doing too. But here we see Christ equating goodness with God’s character of love.

Let’s look at the text together. In John 19:18-26-- Jesus says, “if you will enter into life, keep the commandments,” and then He recites them. The young man says, this I’ve done from my youth. Then Jesus says, “if you’ll be complete in Me, go and sell all you have, give to the poor, and you’ll have treasure in heaven. But, hearing this, the young man went away sorrowful.” How about us, do we become sorrowful hearing this message too? Do we find loving others too difficult to do? Are we relying on our own strength?

Jesus said in Matt. 13:22 …the deceitfulness of riches (and possessions), choke the word, (choke love out of the heart) and the follower of Christ becomes unfruitful / unloving. In Mark 10:22, Jesus states- those who trust in riches shall not enter into heaven. I’m sure that we’ve all said, then who can be saved? Jesus answers that in Mark 10:27… “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” In other words, being His sheep, hearing Him speak, following Him, loving as He loved is possible with Him.

Jesus’ Sheep, wherever they are right now, are listening to hear His voice. They are willing to be made willing to do His bidding. They may not have all the truth, but they are following Him, and He is leading them in the paths of Righteousness for His name’s sake. All the law hangs on two principles: love to God supremely and love to others as He has loved us—Matt. 22:40, John 13:34. In verse 35, Jesus says, … by this unconditional, self-denying love, all men shall know you are My disciples. Jesus’ Sheep hear His voice, and like Him, they depend on their Father for the power, and they lay down their lives in love. Are you in the Mall listening to Jesus?


Maria Greaves-Barnes

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