A little over halfway into his Gospel Luke records Jesus telling this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 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.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15.3-7)
This is a story that we generally call “The Story of the Lost Sheep.” And, in fact, I expect that most if not all of you reading this are familiar with this story. However, I am wondering how many of you have ever heard “The Story of the Lost Monkeys”?
Once upon a time some monkeys lived in a very dangerous land called Zoofree. It was so dangerous and scary that the monkeys never had any fun. All they did every day was huddle close together in their tree and hope nothing dangerous happened to them. They were so scared that they did not even leave the tree at night but continued to be huddled together.
However, on some mornings when they awoke a monkey would be missing from the group. No-one knew what happened to the monkey and no one was brave enough to go looking for the lost one. They just continued to stay huddled together in fear. And the missing monkeys never returned!
And believe it or not, some days were scarier than others. On the really, really scary days they would hear the loud roar of a lion just over a hill to the west. The monkeys never saw the lion. They only heard his mighty roar. They pictured him to be huge and ferocious while they prayed that he would never come over the hill toward their tree.
Then one day while the monkeys were still huddling together in their tree, they saw movement in the tall grass to the east. They could not see what was making the grass move, but there was no question that, whatever it was, was working its way toward their tree. Closer and closer it crept. And the closer it came, the more terrified the monkeys became. Soon their shivering had the whole tree shaking.
Suddenly, from the west, they heard the mighty roar of the frightful lion. And then the roar started to get louder and louder. It was obvious that the lion was coming straight for their tree.
What were the monkeys to do? Danger was approaching them from the east. The lion was approaching from the west. There was nowhere for them to run or hide. So, in the tree they huddled and trembled.
The next thing they knew the lion came bursting over the hill with a mighty roar. He was running faster than they had ever imagined, and straight for their tree. With the loudest and fiercest roar they had ever heard … he ran straight past their tree and toward the tall grass to the east. The unidentified monster in the grass immediately sensed the lion’s desire, stopped dead in its tracks, turned around, and started a fast retreat in the opposite direction.
Soon the only movement that could be seen in the tall grass was grass was that of the lion slowly walking back toward the monkeys’ tree. And now that the monkeys could finally get a clear look at him, he didn’t look near as scary as they had imagined. In fact, he had a gentle and friendly smile on his face! The lion strolled, without a single roar, to the base of the tree and laid down. He looked up at the monkeys and smiled before lowering his head to rest.
After a little while he looked up at the monkeys again. This time he spoke, but his voice was gentle and kind as he asked, “Why are you all huddled close together and trembling so in your tree?” The monkeys soon discovered that they had nothing to fear while the lion was around. In fact, at the end of the day, he invited them to spend the night in his cave, a much safer place said he that their tree.
And so a new, and much happier pattern emerged. Every morning the monkeys would walk with the lion to their tree. They would play and have fun all day while he lay at its base. Whenever the tall grass to the east would start moving, the lion would simply raise his head and utter one of his mighty roars – which, by the way, were no longer so scary to the monkeys. The unseen monsters of the grass would quickly turn away and vanish. Then, in the evening, the lion would lead the monkeys back to his den, make sure every one was safely inside, and then spend the night guarding the doorway.
All was well until one evening as the monkeys were entering the cave the lion noticed that two of the monkeys were missing. So the lion told the rest of the monkeys to stay safe in the cave while he returned toward the tree to find the two missing ones. The sun was barely visible on the horizon when he finally found one of the monkeys. His tail was caught under a stone and he was scared. The lion freed the little monkey and then said to him, “I am glad that I found you, but we cannot go back to the cave yet. There is one more monkey for us to find. Will you please help me in the search?” Of course, the little monkey was more than happy to help.
It was soon becoming quite dark and the search was seeming to be futile when suddenly the little one spotted his friend caught in a branch. “There she is,” the little monkey joyously exclaimed to the lion. The lion quickly removed the snag and soon the threesome was happily on their way home to the cave. Upon their arrival, there was a great celebration.
St. John writes, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered.” (Revelation 5.5) Mighty is his roar, but he is “gentle and lowly in heart, and (with him) you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11.29) “He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121.7-8) We rejoice with our monkey friends because “The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19.10) Yet, after being found, we hear that others remain lost and “the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” (Isaiah 6.8)
And the question is, will we just keep monkeying around or say with Isaiah, “Here I am! Send me”? (with the privilege of being chapel leader at St. John’s Lutheran school in Fraser this week, I told them this tale)
