Carrying the Sheep Back

Luke 15:5

And when he [the shepherd] has found it [the lost sheep], he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Kenneth E. Bailey, The Cross & the Prodigal

After finding the lost sheep the shepherd’s hardest job was still before him because he had yet to carry the heavy beast back to the flock. . . . The shepherd takes his heavy burden “rejoicing” and accepts this backbreaking task happily. . . . When the lost is found, the task of restoration has barely begun. . . . [This] is a crucial theme within which lies the cross (31-2; emphasis original).