The Cost of Restoration
“And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'” (Luke 15.5-6)
Main Point: True restoration requires the shepherd to bear the full weight of what was lost, pointing us to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
The shepherd doesn’t just point the lost sheep toward home – he carries it on his shoulders. This restoration has a cost. The search is exhausting, but bearing the weight of restoration is even more demanding. As one scholar notes, “Without the shouldering of this burden, there is no restoration.”
This beautiful image points us directly to Christ and His passion. Our Good Shepherd didn’t call to us from a distance when we were lost in sin. He came searching, found us, and carried us home on His shoulders – all the way to the cross, where He bore the full weight of our lostness, our sin, our death. This task He accepted with joy, enduring for us.
When we reach out to those who have wandered – making that phone call, sending that text, showing up at their door – we participate in this costly work of restoration. It requires time, energy, patience, and sometimes bearing emotional burdens. But this is the way of the cross, the way of love that our Shepherd has shown us.
Reflection: Restoration always comes at a cost, ultimately paid by Christ on the cross. Questions for Meditation: How has Christ carried me when I was unable to return on my own? What cost am I willing to pay to help restore others?
Prayer: Savior, thank You for carrying the full weight of my sin and lostness to the cross. Help me willingly bear the smaller burdens involved in reaching out to others who need Your restoration. Through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Responses