Three Kinds Of Sheep

Jesus does not look at a hurting world and offer merely technical solutions. He sees the deeper wound, speaks to the heart of it, and sends ordinary people to carry hope into ordinary places. In Matthew 9:35–10:8, Jesus shows us three kinds of sheep: the harassed and helpless, the lost, and those sent among wolves. At every intersection of life, this passage asks us to decide who we will be.

In this episode, Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation about Jesus’ image of three kinds of sheep as a way of understanding the spiritual crossroads many of us face. They discuss shepherdless sheep who feel harassed and helpless, and lost sheep who may be surrounded by faith language yet still feel untethered from meaning and the good news. From rising despair to uncertain truth, the conversation lands squarely in the realities many of us know well—especially when life seems to be moving faster than our spiritual resources can keep up. Together, they consider how Jesus meets people at the point of their deepest need and sends ordinary people to carry hope into a weary world.

Then they turn toward the sent sheep. They reflect on what it means to be commissioned under Jesus’ authority, sent like sheep among wolves, and called to public witness that can carry real consequences. Bishop Wright offers a practical image of a “script” that works like jazz: a clear melody for discipleship with faithful improvisation shaped by the moment, your workplace, your family, and your community. Listen in for the full conversation. 

Read For Faith, the companion devotional.

Transcript

Jesus Speaks To Real Life

Bishop Wright 0:00

You gotta love that about Jesus. Jesus never finds us in situations and circumstances that he has nothing to say about. And he's not just a talker. He has something to say that gets to the heart of it all. Um he never in if you talk in terms of leadership, Jesus is never kibbitzing in technical solutions, you know, just changing the color on the chairs that are on the deck of the Titanic. Jesus never is found doing that. He's always wanting to talk about what is really adaptive, what is really transformation.

Three Kinds Of Sheep

Melissa 0:55

Good morning, Bishop.

Bishop Wright 0:57

Good morning.

Melissa 0:58

So this week's devotion you called three kinds of sheep based off of Matthew chapter nine, verses thirty-five through chapter ten verses eight through twenty-three.

Bishop Wright 1:11

There you go. Well, here's what occurs to me. Jesus speaks of three kinds of sheep here: the shepherdless sheep, the lost sheep, and then the sent S-E-N-T sheep. The sheep without a shepherd moved Jesus to compassion because they were harassed and helpless, he says, without a guide to provide or a protector. Then there are the lost sheep, those who, despite being immersed in their faith tradition, are lost. Somehow they don't know the good news, neither do they realize that the kingdom of heaven is near. Lastly, Jesus speaks of the sent sheep. These sheep are us. We are sent into the world under Jesus' authority. We know that the world is dangerous. We know that the government and religion are hostile to truth-telling, neighbor-loving, justice, thirsty, active faith. And yet we're sent. We live for Jesus and partner with him in his purposes.

Melissa 2:34

Okay. So lots of sheep there, Bishop.

Bishop Wright 2:37

Lots of sheep.

Melissa 2:39

Well, yes, and you had other you had other choices. And so what about these sheep is really calling to you today?

Bishop Wright 2:47

Oh my God. I mean, I think this is where real life and the Bible are perfect partners.

Despair Rising And Truth Thinning

Bishop Wright 2:53

Um, you know, some people wonder if uh on Sunday we're inviting people into some delusional world, some some um some sort of fictional sort of uh world based on some mythical perfect place or perfect reality. Not at all. The Bible's power, Jesus's power, is because he has something to say to the real world and to the state, the condition of us, of our souls, of our relationships, of our lives, of our longings. And so to me, that's why he's still worthy to be listened to. And so uh I mean, as I look around and read the headlines, just like anybody else, I don't have any special knowledge, but I realize that the despair is on the rise. Um, I realize that uh, you know, a lack of truth abides. Is it real or is it artificial? Um, you know, I realize as I talk to young adults in particular, um, you know, there is a lostness. And so Jesus sees people who are struggling with being lost, um, not connected, untethered uh to any real sense of meaning and purpose, and he has something to say about it. I I think that that message transfers nicely, perfectly, uh right into our own times. And then there are the uh um, you know, the lost sheep of of his faith tradition. He speaks specifically uh about his own faith tradition. So it is possible to have religion, um, but to to be lost in terms of one's spiritual connection to the divine. So, so certainly as someone who works in the church and is involved in faith and spirituality, uh, that gets my intent as going too, which is how is it possible to say the words on the Sabbath day and then to somehow not be uh not have the resources, uh spiritual resources necessary to live Monday through Saturday? Um so I'm curious about that. He he sees people uh not just as a crowd, crowds can be dangerous and brutal, problematic. He sees people in crowds, and he notices Jesus is always a great seer. Uh he sees to the heart of us, he sees our condition, he never looks away awkwardly from our real circumstances, and he sees that people are harassed, and he sees that people are helpless, and he wants to he wants to speak into that. You gotta love that about Jesus. Jesus never finds us in situations and circumstances that he has nothing to say about. And he's not just a talker, he has something to say that gets to the heart of it all. Um He never, and if you talk in terms of leadership, Jesus is never kibbitting in technical solutions, you know, just changing the color on the chairs that are on the deck of the Titanic. Jesus never is found doing that. He's always wanting to talk about what is really adaptive, what is really transformational.

Sent Under Authority With A Script

Bishop Wright 5:43

And then there's the scent sheep, the last sheep set of sheep. Uh, and that is uh, yes, we're all sheep, we're all in need of a shepherd. Uh, and you know, nowadays when you say sheep, people uh automatically connect that with a negative idea, like not having uh any uh agency or being ignorant or weak uh or easily manipulated. Uh, but I think they're missing the point altogether. I think uh we have a lot in common with sheep, whether we like it or not. Uh, and I think it's easy for us as human beings to sort of just be down, focused on the parts, you know, the sort of parcel of grass in front of us to the exclusion of lots of other things, even our own self uh self-benefit. So Jesus says, well, the best remedy for the sheep then is to be sent, to join God in God's purposes, and God's purposes for the benefit of the world. And so that's who we are, not under our own steam, because he says, When I send you, I send you out under my authority, that is, to be commissioned under my power, uh, with a script, uh, so to speak, uh, that doesn't do violence to your individuality, but actually gives you some notes. And here we can think about jazz. You know, I love that jazz uh that uh that has a given melody, but then it takes flights as the circumstances and the situations and the audience uh requires. And so we're given a script, we're given authority, and we're given a never failing relationship to go out into places uh that need sent sheep more than anything.

Melissa 7:15

You know, it strikes me I this is nothing prophetic. The gospels are filled with sheep and shepherd imagery.

Bishop Wright 7:23

Sure.

Melissa 7:24

And I'm also reminded of the verse, is it in Luke 10 where he where Jesus says, I'm sending you out uh like sheep among wolves?

Speaker 7:32

Right.

Melissa 7:34

You know, I think a lot of people miss the fact that we are sent. So we're not shepherdless, we have a shepherd.

Bishop Wright 7:40

That's right.

Melissa 7:41

And when we know better, we do better.

Speaker 7:43

That's right.

Melissa 7:44

And so how how do we, I guess, concern ourselves less with a shepherd less and really focus in on the pain and the woundedness of the world?

Compassion Before Condemnation

Bishop Wright 7:59

Well, I mean, if here we take a we take a sort of line right out of Jesus' own mouth, right? He saw them that they were harassed and helpless. I mean, he he doesn't see all the blemishes, at least he doesn't begin there. And he doesn't begin with, you know, uh this temptation to condemn uh, you know, and castigate. It is immediately to be responsive to the needs of the world, to the pain of the world. And then Jesus does this amazing piece of work of delegation. Here, Jesus is sharing his own ministry, right? And so we go as ambassadors on his behalf. I think that's what we have to concern ourselves with. And being ambassadors can take you into dangerous situations. So I think there's another centeredness that pops up here that's implied here, and that is if Jesus is actually the shepherd of your life, then you can be a little less concerned with yourself. I mean, he sends them into hostile uh environments, he sends them into situations where just speaking words of love uh can be uh and and support for people, the respecting the dignity of lots of different kinds of people can be dangerous and even fatal. And yet we're sent nevertheless. And the truth of the matter is uh this luxury that you and I are enjoying this morning by sitting here and having this conversation was won for us by people who went like sheep into dangerous places and uh and and and won the privilege of being able to sit here and talk about Jesus uh in safety. Um but that's not true everywhere in the world, even in this moment. Uh I met people uh when uh when lots of bishops were gathered together in England some time back who had to relocate their families. Uh and uh, you know, because they knew that uh, you know, the community knew that um that they were the wife or the children of this pastor or of a pastor or of a bishop, and that uh that made this vocation very dangerous. So they had to relocate the wife and children to other places as they went about doing their ministry, or in other places in the world right now, just to wear a cross around one's neck uh is dangerous. And yet, uh and yet, how change happens in Jesus' economy and in the world is by people who go into situations with an otherworldly boldness, an otherworldly courage, an other centeredness. Uh, I think this is what Jesus is commending. Uh that changes things. Um, here again, we're in Atlanta, and my mind immediately goes to all the men and the women who said the prayers, did the work, sung the songs, uh, went to dangerous places, litigated, uh paid lawyers' fees, et cetera, so that you and I could have the privilege of walking around in middle and north Georgia or in Florida where you are and saying out loud that we love the Lord and we want to follow Jesus Christ. And so, and so, how else will the kingdom uh be able to be sort of realized unless kingdom bearers, sheep, walk around with it and take it to all the corners that we find ourselves uh uh in.

Love As Public Witness With Costs

Melissa 11:37

Bishop, I heard a quote the other uh last week uh by Herbert McCabe, uh which is in Faith Within Reason. It goes like this it says, if you do not love, you will not be alive. If you love effectively, you will be killed.

Bishop Wright 11:55

Well, I mean, Christian history tells us this, doesn't it? Um and you know, I think, you know, what what you bring me to is an interesting uh I think that I think is happening nowadays. With the world being as it is, I think uh some folks are looking for personal piety. They're looking for, you know, uh uh, you know, the ability to be sheep without any consequences for being sheep, uh, followers of Jesus without any consequences. Uh we're looking to hear somehow mystically that we're good people, uh, or by doing X, Y, and Z that we're good people. And that's never on the tip of Jesus' tongue ever. It's always about public witness. It's always about bringing the community round to the understanding that God is near. And that work takes bearers, right? So word bearers, love bearers. And uh, you know, I'm reminded of the James Baldwin quote, which is said, you know, it's never been, love has never been a majority sort of work or institution. It's always the remnant, it's always held together by a few people who have a big enough love that incorporates loss of people. And that will have consequences. And yet, somehow, inch by inch, uh, you know, love overthrows everything that is not love. And so we have to take the long view. And so let's come out of this sort of uh uh high-mindedness and come down to the grassroots. And so uh, number one, uh, Jesus is the love of Jesus, uh, the worship of God, uh, and the partnership of the Holy Spirit has got to drive us inch by inch where we find ourselves day to day, right? Because we can get into these mystical magical conversations and uh and people are sitting there, yeah, but what do I do at work? Or what do I do in my marriage or my child rearing or my own local community? Uh well, I I think it is is to realize that you are an emissary, you go under someone else's authority, you are a representative, uh, you're called to be light. Uh, none of us are perfect. Uh so we get up every day, we run the faith experiment, uh, we may fall down, uh, but then there's a new mercy, it's called tomorrow, and we get a chance to do that all over again. And and this is how the advances in the kingdom are actually made. You know, sort of one sheep at a time doing the Jesus work where they find themselves.

Melissa 14:21

One day at a time.

Bishop Wright 14:23

One day, look, let me tell you something. I was telling a friend of mine the other day, uh I I uh I remember hard seasons in my life when I was just trying to put it together one hour at a time. To survive a day, to get to the end of the day, was a major success. And there are people out there who have their back against the wall just in their own personal life. Uh, and so, you know, this is not something you have to fix your own personal life and get after. I mean, this is why this Jesus invitation is all encompassing. You know, we're running, you know, these trains on two tracks, right? So I am, my whole life is is is invested uh in the following of Jesus. And so it is at home, it is also public, it's all these things. And somehow, in in the sort of in the genius of the Holy Spirit, uh, as I begin to, you know, as the as the old hymn says, forget about myself and concentrate on him, uh, somehow over time and fidelity, uh, things work together for good. Um, and that is our plot, that's the promise that we have in Christ Jesus, uh, that we will, if we'll abide with him, stay connected to him, work, join him in his purposes, uh, do our level best over what we have some control over, then we will see that the Lord is good.

Melissa 15:46

Amen to that. Bishop, last question. I imagine I'm confronted with a choice.

Bishop Wright 15:52

Sure.

Melissa 15:52

And living day to day, moment by moment. Um, how do I put that choice into effect? How do I put that choice right in front of me? Like, what is the lived reality of how I choose to be a scent sheep in the craziness of the world today?

Daily Focus: Allegiance And Prayer

Melissa 16:10 Bishop Wright 16:10

Well, you know, here this is this Matthew gospel stuff that we're doing right now. You know, uh for nine chapters, Jesus is doing the things. He's telling us who he is, he's teaching us how to pray, he's reminding us not be afraid. And then we get to, you know, the back end of nine and now into the tenth chapter of the gospel, and he's saying, go, go, go to these places. And I think it's it's really will sound simplistic to some, but it really is more about focus than simplicity. Uh, I think that's what it is. It is uh, where are my ultimate allegiances? You know, who do I belong to, in other words? Um, who do I serve? And and I think that some somehow in the enlightenment sort of understanding, and we're sort of in post-post-enlightenment, where we think that all reality can be comprehended in our own little brains, uh, despite that the world tells us that that is not true. Um, I I think uh we've got to just decide that I happen to be a follower of Jesus, and that is my primary identifier. And everything else is downstream, and everything else is shaped by that. My ambitions are shaped by that. My definition of prosperity is shaped by that. Uh my calendar bears the marks of that. And so my partnerships come out of that. And I think that that's what the world is actually crying out for. Look, uh, people are getting really down in the chin about the world as it is right now. And I think, and I get that. That's totally legitimate, by the way. I so I totally get that. But then look at it the way that Jesus looks. Like so, Jesus looks out of this situation, he sees opportunity, and so he sees kingdom opportunity for this. He sees that laborers might be few, but harvest is plentiful, right? So he's trying to engage people into doing this. And here's the here's the beautiful thing about this. When you come and join Jesus with more focus, perhaps, than you've ever done before, you start to find out that you have life now, you have buoyancy now, you can fend off both fear and despair. And then we begin to be witnesses. Desmond Tutor said, What are we if we are not witnesses? He's got the right answer, right? So witness is not something we can do occasionally. It is the totality of who I say I am. If I understand to be made in myself, to be made in the image of my neighbor as well, then that is my guiding, governing sense of myself and also how I use my life, right? Is to put it in God's hands and say, God, this morning, how can I serve your righteous purposes? Which is a different way to pray. It's not God, give me, right? It's not God, you know, and that's legitimate. Jesus said, make your petitions. And it's not pray for others. That's also legitimate. That's intercession. God knows we need to be praying for each other, but it's another prayer. It is, God, you are the only one who is deserving of worship. And you know best, God. And the best thing I can do today is to offer myself to your righteous purposes. Uh, I think that sends us out in the world uh with a spirit that the world can neither give nor take away.

Melissa 19:20

Well, that'll preach. Therein lies our following. It lies in our sentness.

Bishop Wright 19:26

Sentness, yes indeed.

Melissa 19:28

I love that. Bishop, thank you so much for a great conversation

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Speaker 3 19:31

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