Will Hathaway's Blog, page 3

Miracles, Signs, and Wonders.....Where Did They All Go?

As a kid growing up in church, one of my great desires was to see a miracle on par with something mentioned in the Bible.  I specifically remember a Sunday School class as a child where we learned that the Israelites turned from God and began worshiping a golden calf they had made when Moses failed to return from the top of Mt. Sinai within the time frame they felt appropriate.  What is amazing about this, is it took place immediately after God had brought them out of Israel through a series of 10 supernatural plagues and a parted ocean.  
I remembered my young mind thinking, I would never have doubted God after seeing all that!  As I got older and continued attending church, there was a little part of me that was jealous of those in the Bible that got to see these amazing things.  While I was pretty sure about Christianity, the Bible, Jesus, and God, I was certain all I needed was one solid miracle in my life to lock it all in and remove all doubt.  Fortunately, I eventually grew up and became a pastor where this craving to see and experience a supernatural anomaly finally...........got worse.  
For upon obtaining the title of pastor, I not only wanted to see one, I wanted to have one performed through me!  After all, what better way to be certain of your walk with God than to have the Almighty perform a few miracles through you?  I’m not proud of it...but somewhere in the deeper chambers of my heart, those feelings actually lurked.  
Over time, as I prepared hundreds and hundreds of lessons, bible studies, sermons and the like, I began to notice a disturbing pattern in regard to those in the Bible experiencing miracles.....that being....when it came to faith, it didn’t seem to matter.  Over and over again the Bible tells stories of God’s presence being displayed through miracles, signs, and wonders only for many of those closest to these events to remain unconvinced.  
Jesus concluded the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus with, “If they don’t LISTEN to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31).  Jesus would later prove this true on multiple occasions as even after bringing back people from the dead (one of which was also named Lazarus) and even after rising Himself, there were still people who didn’t buy it.  
Is it possible that the primary message of Christ...the message of love...is so obvious, so clear, and so undeniable that if people can’t see its power then even miracles won’t be enough?

If everyone on Earth were to buy into the single notion of loving our neighbor as ourself, we could have a utopian world......tomorrow!  That one concept.....that one truth, LOVE.....could instantly transform the world.  Perhaps that’s why Jesus would bristle at times when asked to perform a sign...for Jesus knew better than anyone, if you can’t see the power of love, then even a man rising from the dead won’t be enough.   And you know what???  He was right.....

Christian Bakers and Gay Weddings

With the recent Supreme Court Ruling in regards to the Christian baker and the gay wedding cake, I have to admit it has roused in me a number of conflicting emotions.  This is one of the few instances where my emotional mind and my rational mind clash.  
As a Christian myself and as an Ordained Minister, my personal position would be to have made the cake.  Now, that is just my personal opinion and I know the Bible well enough to know a case could be made for either position the baker had decided to go with on this matter. 
That said, should the baker have the ability to refuse to make a cake for an “activity” he doesn’t approve of its use in?  Assuming he’s willing to serve everyone equally, regardless of their race, religion, orientation, gender, etc, which appears to be the case, at what point should a private business owner legally be able to discriminate in regards to the service they provide?  It was argued that it wasn’t the orientation of the couple for which he was refusing to make the cake but the activity for which it was to be used.  
With this in mind, proponents of the position that the baker should not have been able to deny service should be leery of the foundation a ruling in their favor would lay for if this baker can be forced to provide a service for an activity in which he doesn’t approve, then the stage becomes set for the same rules to be applied to an entire nation.  
Sometimes we should be careful what we ask for as we just might get it.  For had this legislation passed, then any gay owned bakery or business may also be put in a position where they too may lose the ability to refuse to provide a service for something they don’t believe in.  If the Westboro Baptist Church were to stroll into a gay owned bakery and begin asking for cakes to be made for an event they wanted to hold that was defamatory to gays, the business would not be able to refuse that service either.  The same would go for any other group that would seek to harass those who possess opposing values.  The KKK asking for racist slogan T-shirts from a minority-owned print shop for instance.
In a nation like ours we must always remember when we demand laws or rules against those with whom we disagree, those laws and rules are double edged swords that can come back to haunt us as well.  For if a government can make one group have to compromise their values it can certainly do the same to others.  Remember, this was not a government owned bakery, but a private business.  
But where is the balance?  Had the government not intervened, we might still have segregation and businesses might still be able to refuse service to people due to their ethnicity.  It was too much “liberty” by business owners that lead to the oppression of others in past generations, but as the government intervened, the pendulum swung.  The key to pendulums is they don’t keep going on forever in the same direction, should they go too far in one direction, the need will arise for a correction to the opposite direction until they settle into a comfortable middle ground.
If businesses adhere to the anti-discrimination rules currently in place and don’t discriminate based on the current criteria, then they are unable to shift too far to one side, creating hostility to certain customers of their choosing.  But to say a business is not able to refuse service for certain activities or beliefs is also dangerous as it can swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme to where certain customers can harass and create hostility for the business owners.  
We are all people, both business owners and customers alike and as such, both need a middle ground to protect the rights and interests of each side in a balance of tension that allows for a functioning free society.  To agree or disagree with the bakers decision is one thing, but to force him to act would have created a dangerous setting for all business owners of every persuasion.  

Sanitizing History

With the recent decision of the American Library Association to rescind the Wilder’s Medal for Excellence in Children’s Literature due to “...dated cultural attitudes toward indigenous people and people of color,” reflected in the work of the award’s namesake, Laura Ingalls Wilder, I fear we take another step in the dangerous direction of repeating the very history these actions seek to avoid.  While the American Library Association has every right to create or rescind any award they would like, it is concerning with the recent emphasis of silencing offensive historical content, we also risk silencing some of the most important parts of history.  

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn has again been the subject of criticism, a book written and set in pre-Civil War America due to it containing offensive and derogatory terms.  The troublesome element of Twain’s censorship is we may be throwing the baby out with the bath water.  In rejection of these offensive terms we also reject how bold of a statement Twain was making in his day by humanizing a slave and making him one of the heros of his book.  
In the case of Wilder, to remove an award in her name, due to “...dated cultural attitudes...” is equally dangerous as we must then begin to embrace the fact that if certain attitudes were “cultural” and “dated” then it would be unwise to ever honor anyone, as their memory and accomplishments will always be subject to the evolving views of future cultures.  We must be careful when sanitizing history’s unpleasant elements, for as we tear down statutes and memorials dedicated to people who were viewed as the heroes of their day but the villains of today, we also tear down their memory. In doing so, it's possible we will also tear down the opportunity of future generations to understand why these figures were so controversial. 

If history has taught us anything, it's that it is repetitive.  Should the prevailing mindsets of past generations ever come back around, shouldn't we have preserved all of history, both the negative and positive?

Statues don’t honor people.....people honor people.   But statues can help us to remember people -- and even evil and flawed people are worth remembering.  In fact, evil people may be the most important of all to remember!  For if it is forgotten history that is more likely to be repeated shouldn't we seek to never forget history's most troubling or uncomfortable elements? Lest future generations recreate the very things we erased. 

The Lost Art of Debate

I’m quite a few years removed now from both high school and college, but to this day one of the greatest educational experiences of my life was my senior year in high school government class.  Our teacher was Mr. Thomson.  Every year Mr. Thomson would take us to a statewide competition where, for some reason, our school always seemed to place second.  But our perennial second place finish was never due to a lack of effort and commitment on his part to prepare us.  

When it came to politics, the Constitution, and a variety of other civic issues, Mr. Thomson did not simply encourage us to examine and discover our own personal positions on issues, but would also challenge us to publicly present views of issues in opposition to our own.  He would have us prepare in such a way that we often were able to argue and present an issue from multiple perspectives to the point that should we encounter someone who had an opposing view we could often argue their position better than they could.....even if it wasn’t the position we supported.  
It wasn’t until much later in life that I came to the realization of what a great gift Mr. Thomson gave the Nogales High School Senior Class of 1995.....and many senior classes before and after.  He taught us to not just take an emotional position on an issue, but to take the time to understand an issue from every perspective, so as to be able to identify the pros and cons of multiple angles.  
In today’s battle station culture, where immediately upon hearing of an issue we retreat to fortresses of preconceived thought, the ability to slow down and examine a topic has become a lost art. 
George Bush said it therefore its good because I’m a Republican or bad because I’m a Democrat. 
Barack Obama said it therefore it is good because I’m a Democrat or bad because I’m a Republican.
Go on down the list....Reagan, Bush Jr, Hillary, Trump, Bill Clinton...name your team and the decisions are already decided.  We are no longer provided news in which we make our own decisions , rather thanks to our modern Left vs Right outlets we are told WHAT to believe by our team’s purveyors of information......and sadly.......we tend to eat that information right out of their hands.  Education and intellectual thought are under attack in our society where even things as basic as the world being round is now called into question.  Basic biology such as the validity of the anatomical differences between male and female are scrutinized.  If a society can be convinced to question things as universally undeniable as whether the Earth is round or if male and female exist, then that society can be taught to question anything and everything.  And a society that learns to examine issues through emotion rather than reason will begin to derive truth by the emotions topics cause to well up from within them.  
Mr. Thomson did us a great favor in 1995...he taught us to look at situations from perspectives in which we didn’t WANT to see them, having to push past our resistant emotions to examine a position that didn’t “feel” right in order to better understand things.  As a result, occasionally our emotions would change with better understanding and sometimes they didn’t but either way....there was always better understanding....so for that I say......Thank you Mr. Thomson.   

If you support DACA, ending child/parent separation, and gun control.....you should also support the wall

For a generation now, the issues of border security and immigration have been talking points on both sides of the political aisle.   
Recently the headlines have been ablaze with the revelation that parents and children are being separated at the border, an existing policy recently enforced by the Trump administration. 
Since Trump began his election bid, one of his very first proposals was to put a wall along the US/Mexican border. His detractors immediately began to ridicule the idea as ridiculous and pointless as it would have no effect and would not work. Build a 20-foot wall and somebody will have a 21-foot ladder was one of the often-used replies. 
When Trump threatened to deport hundreds of thousands of Dreamers it was viewed as inhumane to separate these people from the only nation they have ever known. Now Trump's enforcement of a policy separating children from their parents upon detainment at the border is also viewed as inhumane.  Yet for some inexplicable reason there is resistance among Trump’s opponents to grant him a wall that "will not matter" in exchange for ending these deeply inhumane practices that do matter!   
If Trump's request for a wall is silly and pointless, then exchanging it for things of such profound importance, things that have such a huge impact on the lives of so many should be a no-brainer.  Yet the resistance continues. 
In addition to this, there have been outcries from the newest generation of Americans pleading for gun control. And when examples such as Chicago are given as places with the most strict gun control, yet the highest gun crime, the immediate retort is that the guns used in Chicago come from outside areas with lax gun control laws, thus the need for nationwide gun control measures.  But if guns are able to move into Chicago from areas less secure, then naturally if the entire United States were to have the same type of laws, guns could also come into the United States from other areas. 
According to that logic, if Chicago possessed a secure border with its neighboring areas it would be able to prevent guns from moving back-and-forth into the area allowing it's gun control laws to work to their full capacity and violent crime in Chicago would significantly decline. 
If the United States was to have strict and efficient gun control measures implemented, then a secure border would be paramount in ensuring that the same problem occurring in Chicago did not occur nationwide, which means secure borders would be needed.
This is what is so confusing about those who oppose Trump in their positions. By all measures, they should give him his wall if doing so would ensure the freedom of hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and end the cruel process of having children separated from their parents at the border. A bonus benefit would be taking a step towards ensuring that, should their desired strict gun control measures ever be implemented nationwide, those laws aren't undermined by an unsecure border allowing for the free flow of weapons the way they are in Chicago and other areas with strict gun control measures in place.  
It can be argued that Trump is a monster for using the Dreamers and the separation of small children from their parents as a negotiating tool to get a wall.  
But it is just as bad to stand in the way of a wall if it would end these practices, and contribute towards creating the necessary circumstances for America to have the gun laws that Trump's opponents say they desire.  
If the wall won't matter.......then why not give him his stupid wall in exchange for things that do matter!!   And if they really do believe that the reason current strict gun control laws in certain areas of the country don't work is because they are undermined by the ability of guns to come in from outside areas, then there is no excuse whatsoever not to give him his wall!!   A wall that would create a more humane nation while at the same time taking steps to ensure that if gun control legislation ever passes, it will not be undermined the same way it is in Chicago and other areas.   
Trump may in fact be a monster, but at least he is a monster who openly reveals himself as such, unlike his opponents who hide under the cloak of compassion while actively taking steps to ensure the compassion they proclaim is never realized… making them the most dangerous monsters of all… monsters that are concealed as friends.  

  

Outrage!!

Outrage......we see it all the time in the headlines.  (Fill in the Blank) sparks outrage!  It could be anything really.  An athlete kneeling during the National Anthem, a statement by the NRA, anything spoken by a politician, a prejudicial statement by a celebrity, an act of aggression by the police...or toward the police....it was something yesterday, something different today, and there will be yet another thing tomorrow.  
As a society, we love our outrage.  For some reason we are obsessed with the fiery emotions that well up within us, and thanks to social media, we now have an outlet to scream those emotions to the world like we’ve never had before.  
But does expressing our personal outrage to the cyberverse do much to actually help society grow and improve?  Or does it simply make me feel a little better while transferring those hostile emotions to someone of an opposing view?  Does it bridge gaps or drive further wedges into the already broadening chasms that divide us as a society?  
While there are some things that should always warrant a social backlash, to draw personal anger at another person’s opinion is not a position of liberation. It's a position of slavery...leaving the keys to my happiness continually in the hands of another, dictated by their personal position on subjects for which I feel passionate.  And these feelings of angst are often ones that we must seek out by actively entering into a social media forum through our phone or computer, rather than something blindly thrust upon us.  

As I write this, I’m in my backyard, watching the sun rise after a night of soft rains.  The device with the power to pull me from this tranquil status sits a foot away on the table.  A place it will remain for now, as there are no political or controversial statements scrolling across the sky, the birds have not broken from their usual morning chatter to debate stances on issues.  Perhaps one if the easiest ways to defeat outrage is to spend less time with the things that cause it. With that, I have a sunrise to finish watching.......   

Does Proving the Bible Increase Faith....or Remove The Need For It?

There was once a shepherd boy who was watching his sheep in the countryside when he decided to have some fun with the members of his village.  “Wolf!” the young boy cried. “There’s a wolf chasing the sheep!”
Hastily the villagers came running to assist the boy only to find him laughing and giggling at his prank.  Annoyed, the villagers returned to the village scolding the boy for his antics.  Later that day the boy repeated his prank and the villagers returned to aide him but again only found laughter and delight to their response.  After another scolding, the villagers grumbled back to their chores.  
We all know what happened next, as a real wolf arrived and the boy’s desperate cries for help went ignored, all the villagers dismissing him now as a liar.  
The moral of this story has been passed down for generations in regards to its lesson about lying, that even the truth is seen as a lie when spoken by a proven liar.  But imagine if someone were to question whether or not the story was historically accurate?  And what if that person then concluded if the story didn’t happen.........then the moral in regards to lying is completely irrelevant since it isn’t literally true?  Imagine if someone began telling lies for pranks, and when cautioned with the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, simply dismissed it, accusing it of being a made up fable and therefore pointless.  
Would the practical reaction to such a skeptic be to launch archaeological expeditions in an attempt to discover if the account actually took place and bring validation to the moral of the story?  And, should no proof arise supporting it as a real event, would the point of the story in regard to not telling lies be rendered hollow and of zero benefit to society?  Or is it more likely that people would dismiss any attempt to prove the literalness of the story as a sheer waste of time...for should anyone lack the ability to see the clear moral of this story, then it is unlikely even proof of the actuality of the account would be enough to convince them anyway.  
Many see the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf as something that could have happened but probably never did.  Yet even if it didn’t, the wisdom and moral it contains is so profoundly clear, it doesn’t really matter if it took place or not.  There may be some people who may have “faith” that the event is literal, while others might openly acknowledge their skepticism regarding the validity of the facts of the story.  Yet, in that instance, people of both positions should be able to agree on the POINT of the story and its caution in regards to lying.  
For some reason, when it comes to the Bible, this bilateral clarity is not often sought or agreed upon when it comes to some of the events depicted in the Scriptures.  Rather than seek out the point of the stories and the messages contained in them (some of which are harder to see now that thousands of years have removed us from the culture of the day), we instead attempt to prove the literalness of the events.   
To attempt to prove the Earth was made in seven days is not only difficult, it also detracts from the true focus of the story of Genesis, explaining man’s propensity to reject one’s self in pursuit of attempting to obtain status and power.  To focus on “proving” the resurrection of Christ detracts from His overwhelming message of the transforming power of love and forgiveness.  While as Christians we may believe certain elements of our Bible to be literal, to expel energy attempting to “prove” them is not an attempt to increase our faith but actually an effort to dispel our need for faith all together.  For once something is “proven” to be true, then faith is no longer needed and can be replaced with certainty.  
If the moral of the Boy Who Cried Wolf can be seen so clearly in regards to lying that it can be appreciated by both those who find it literally and allegorical alike.......then why can’t the overpowering message of the Bible in regards to the benefits of love, forgiveness, charity, patience, and service be seen the same way?  Why can’t these principles also be agreed upon universally by both those who accept the literalness of the Scriptures and those who don’t?  

Honestly, if someone is unable to see the benefits of how the power of love can transform the world, then is proving the Earth was made in seven days likely to be the tipping point in their ability to embrace that truth?  Is it possible one of the obscuring elements to the message of the Bible can actually be a result of its very followers?  Who instead of focusing on the wisdom it presents, sometimes spend great amounts of energy attempting to prove the events rather than attempting to live out its precepts?  
Is it possible that faith can actually provide us a time and energy saving tool to remove our need to prove every element of the Bible, and instead exert that energy learning to apply these tenets?  It is likely that the most convincing evidence for the validity of the Bible will not be unearthed by an archaeologist’s shovel but will be unlocked by a life of love lived out in its followers.

Celebrate Similarity

I’ve seen it around multiple places....on bumper stickers, billboards, social media posts, all over really.  It’s often placed against different back drops but the key words are still the same........Celebrate Diversity.
At face value is seems like a beautiful and enlightening slogan.  But on a practical level, is it really that good of a concept to focus on?  Maybe I’m splitting hairs here but in order to celebrate diversity the first thing one must do is identify what ways someone is different.  Then, once those differences are identified.......to celebrate them.  While this seems nice, in all actuality its not exactly practical based on human nature.  When was the last time you were drawn to someone due to how different they were than you?  
We are currently living in one of the most fractured societies in the modern era, where people are more divided than ever.  Is it any wonder that a society that focuses on how different they are would struggle to unite when fixated on all the ways in which they are not alike?
So what if we tried something different?  What if we instead sought to “Celebrate Similarity?”
What if we placed the emphasis not on how different we all are but rather how alike we are?  I might be naive, but I’m of the belief that no matter how different two people might be, due to the fact that we are human, we are still more alike than we are different.  In all honesty, its difficult to get excited about things we don’t have in common with someone else, but to the contrary, if celebration is what is sought, then perhaps the path to take is the one that is more likely to lead to positive feelings, such as this positive feelings that often emerge when we realize we have something in common with another person.  

For a society so focused on differences......maybe the path to to unity is not to look for all the ways in which we are different...but to look for all the ways in which we are the same. 

President Trump...One Thing his Detractors and Supporters Should All Agree On

Ever since Adam and Eve reached out for that forbidden fruit in attempts to shed their human limitations and obtain divinity, mankind has been obsessed with power.  Be it emperors, popes, kings, dictators, or even celebrities the common thread in our history is fame, fortune, control, and ultimately power.  Sometimes it is more subtle, maybe something as simple as getting to stand in the VIP line.  However it materializes, it's hard to deny one of the greatest temptations for humanity is to be the envy of others.   Few things stroke the ego more than the idea of knowing others wished they were you.   
With this theme, we've watched over and over in history how the siren’s call of glory has led countless before us to their demise.   The famed phrase, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" may be more than a simple saying, it may as well be one of the universal laws of existence, on par with the law of gravity.  
Our founding fathers were on to something when they designed a governmental system that diluted the power of the individual by spreading it out among many, creating a structure where no one person could hold too much power and in turn use that power to control the masses.   History has clearly taught us that over time, man will drift toward oppression of one another if given the opportunity.  In a nation like ours in which the power is dispersed, the path to tyranny will be found in the slow consolidation of power, where over time fewer and fewer people hold it.  
This past election resulted in perhaps the most controversial president of all time, and while many love and hate him, what he represents is an undeniable break up of the consolidation of power that was quietly taking place, cloaked behind the curtain of party politics.  Had Hillary Clinton won the presidency, America would have been in a situation where out of 350 million citizens....4 of the last 5 of its presidents would have come from only 2 families.  Had Jeb Bush won it would have been even more pronounced.  
We must be careful America, for as much as we might like certain candidates, it's brand name political loyalty that could allow us to unwittingly grant greater and greater power to fewer and fewer people.  A pattern that began when Thomas Jefferson changed the rules of the vice presidency, having candidates choose running mates rather than the previous tradition where the loser of the election took the position of vice president, a decision ensuring parties would no longer have to work together they way they had in the past. 
If we look at the Bush and Clinton families together a concerning pattern will emerge.  George Bush Sr. became the vice president of the United States in 1981. If Hillary Clinton had won the presidency for a presumed two terms, taking us to the year 2025 then either a Bush or a Clinton would have held a position NO LOWER than Secretary of State from 1981 to 2025.  That is a 44 consecutive year period in a nation under 250 years old.   Basically 20% of the entire time America has been in existence!   
No matter your thoughts on our current president, his election may have unintentionally broken us from a very dangerous pattern that was taking place unnoticed right before our eyes, where the power of a nation was drifting into the waiting arms of only two families.  
We must always keep the future in mind when making decisions about our nation and if history has taught us anything it is that the greatest threat to freedom is the consolidation of power.  For if we allow power to be shrunk to a few....even if it’s a few we may currently trust...then we set the stage for future generations to shrink it even more until we have returned to the very thing mankind has proven over and over again it will do.....consolidate the power base setting the stage for a single tyrant to rise to power.  While who is in power might be concerning to some, how few are in power should be concerning to all.  

Christianity.......Is It Destined to Fail?

Recently we once again had the proclamation of a specific date which was to usher in the Biblical “End Times” a series of events including 7 years of world tribulation and the snatching of the true followers of God in a Heavenly rapture.  Once again, as it has every single time before, the day passed without incident and the world continued on.  
What is it about the Christian faith and our huge emphasis on exiting this realm?  We preach longingly about a heaven we will someday depart this world in which to enter into.  We romanticize about being caught up in God’s rapture and the second coming of Christ.  But why?  Could it be that we have subconsciously already written this world off like a sinking ship?  Therefore we scramble to convince as many of our friends as possible to join us in the life rafts of faith?  

Was this really what Jesus had in mind when He left us with His final words: 
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””    Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
I’m going to be transparent here and reveal an emotion I have that might not be popular in some of my Christian circles.  And that’s this.......I don’t like the Book of Revelations and I don’t like the idea of the second coming of Christ.  It’s not that I don’t want to see Christ some day or have some sort of lack of faith.  Its quite to the contrary actually.  

When I read Christ’s challenge to His followers to go out in to the world and preach the good news to every nation, and then turn to the end of the Bible and read about a horrible apocalypse where Jesus has to return to a world of complete chaos, destruction, hatred, and evil....it tells me something.  It tells me we fail.  We fail in fulfilling His desire to reach the world with the gospel.  How can a world that has been touched by the profound love taught and demonstrated by Christ decline into such horrific disarray?  Is it possible the reason for the second coming of Christ could be very near the reason for His first coming?  
When Jesus told the parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15, he told a story that would have resonated powerfully (and offensively) to the Pharisees with whom He shared it.  In the story, a shepherd leaves his 99 sheep in a field and goes out to find a lost one and bring it back.  The story is deeply rooted in several Old Testament passages.  The first of which is Psalm 23, where the Lord is represented as a shepherd.  If you are familiar with the famed 23rd Psalm you are probably familiar with verse 3 which states “He restores my soul.”  The word “restores” that we use in English is actually better translated: He “repents” my soul.  Which means, “he brings my soul back”. The imagery David conveys in this passage is the idea of a lost soul being retrieved and brought back by God.  
As experts of the law, the Pharisees listening to Jesus share His parable would have immediately started making connections to various Old Testament references of shepherds and sheep.  Another passage they would have mentally jumped to would have been Jeremiah 23 with says the following:  
““Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” Jeremiah 23:1-3 NIV
In this passage, God is condemning the shepherds responsible for His flock for not only failing to care for the sheep but actually driving them away!  The Pharisees would have known that the “shepherds” in this passage were the religious leaders of the day.....basically.....them!  This concept is further pushed in Ezekiel 34 which conveys very much the same concept...that the shepherds have failed and therefore it is God himself that will retrieve them and bring them back! 
In telling the story of the lost sheep the way Jesus shared it, He would have been playing on the Pharisees knowledge of the Scriptures to convey the point that they were the faulty shepherds and since they knew the Scriptures they also knew the person who would come to retrieve the lost sheep would be God Himself!  The religious leaders of Jesus’s day would have sat dumbfounded...blinking in disbelief....as Jesus told this story because in telling it, Jesus was conveying the point that He was here to now retrieve the lost sheep....a task that was to be performed by God Himself!!
Part of the reason for the first coming of Christ was due to the failure of the shepherds (religious leaders) of the Old Testament era to care for the flock of God.  As Jesus leaves this Earth, he offers a similar challenge to those He leaves behind, to care for and grow the flock.  Yet when we turn to the end of the Bible and read the story we see again it will be God Himself returning to retrieve His flock and set the world right.......this means.......for the second time.........the shepherds must end up failing. 
And is it any wonder?  I hear often preachers proclaim that the “church” of Christ is compromising to the point that we look like everyone else in the world.  No convictions, no obedience, no willingness to stand up and call right right and wrong wrong.  But if we are honest.....that’s also how most other religions look as well.  Believe in our God and you can go to our version of heaven, defy him and you will go to our version of hell.  We’ve made Christianity about faith.  Faith in Christ.  But other than the subject matter being Christ, how is that different than other religions that claim you must have faith in their system to enter heaven?  I fear Christianity has become more about what we “think” than it is about what we “do”....a place were theology and faith have risen above love as the primary message.  
If one were to Google “The Sinners Prayer”, the prayer we lead people to recite to become a Christian and enter into “salvation” you will see the words: “sinner” “believe” “forgiveness” “trust” “follow” as key themes.  But the one word that is lacking is absolutely mind blowing to me.  Jesus taught that the greatest commandments were: 
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ””Luke 10:27 NIV
How is it possible that the word “LOVE” the most important concept in the world to Jesus, doesn’t even make it into the prayer Christians have come up with as an expression of devotion to Christ????  
Is this where Christianity has gone awry?  That in our pursuit of miracles, doctrine, and faith we have become like every other religion out there.....therefore becoming just another voice in the screaming crowd of religions?  Systems that are built primarily upon “faith” and “trust” and “belief”?  
The modern Christian church identifies itself primarily by faith.  But it was Jesus Himself who proclaimed in John 13:35 that His disciples would be known by their LOVE!  
The apostle Paul told us in the famed love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 of three great things: Faith, Hope and Love......but the greatest is LOVE.  I’ve actually heard Christian pastors proclaim that if we just focus on loving people and not converting them to Christ, then we are going to “love them straight to hell.”  I’ve heard that!!  Those words!!!  And NOWHERE in the Bible do I see or heard Christ saying anything like that!!  
I’ve come to the conclusion that it is impossible to “love someone straight to hell.”  If that is true then that would mean that hell is one of the destinations that Love leads to.  Perhaps this is why Paul places faith one step below love?  Perhaps it requires great faith to love and trust that love will be enough to get the job done...that at the end of the day it isn’t our theology or brilliant interpretations of the Bible that reaches people, its not our powerful and unwavering faith.....perhaps the loudest most powerful influence is love.  
I fear it is a faith that focuses on hell that will be tempted to make conversion the highest priority, a noble pursuit out of concern for others, but a pursuit ultimately motivated by fear.  The fear of not reaching people before they die and go to hell.  Yet the Bible also teaches in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out all fear.  If that is true....then we are left with no choice but to acknowledge if I am trying to convert someone out of MY fear of them going to hell.......then I cannot be motivated by “perfect love”.......for if fear exists....then perfect love must not. 
Is this why there is a need for the apocalypse?  Is this why God Himself needs to return again?  Could it be that the shepherds once again lose our way, and in our desperation to reach the sheep we actually drive them from us.  Is it possible that in our pursuit of faith we actually demonstrate a lack of it by failing to trust that love by itself is enough and that if we commit to master the call to love that God will do the rest?  For as it stands now, especially through our countless divisions, doctrines, and denominations, we have made it clear to the world around us that Christianity cares more about what people believe than it does about who they are.  There is a long list of things we are known for.....and sadly.....like in our “Sinners Prayer” the one word often missing on that list.....is love.