The Thief Who Frees the Sheep

I’ve been wondering why many younger people today seem more open to the things of God than some generations before them. I have a theory: They’re entering adulthood with less chance of owning capital — homes, investments, land — than their parents or grandparents. They’ve watched a corrupted capitalist system enrich many but leave them at a disadvantage. They also see the anxiety of older generations whose peace rises and falls with the markets.

Into that anxiety, Jesus speaks in Luke 12: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Sheep don’t store up for tomorrow. They have no capacity to hoard grass for winter. They receive the gift of pasture from the shepherd, consume it, and then trust Him to lead them to the next one.

And maybe that’s what Jesus is getting at just a few verses later when He says He comes like a thief. What if He isn’t stealing our possessions but stealing us away from the hold our possessions — and the systems that promise them — have on us. His kingdom interrupts our grip on status, reputation, and stuff, setting us free to live lightly and give generously.

Charles Dickens paints a vivid picture of this in A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future — each one prying him loose from the false security of his wealth. It’s as if the spirits “steal” him away from the counting-house, the ledger, and the cold comfort of his possessions so he can see the chains they have wrapped around his soul. Only by being taken from them is he freed to accept love and live generously.

So we have to ask: what treasures are quietly fastening their chains around us? Where might Jesus already be breaking in to loosen our grip? If we let Him, He will carry us away from them — and when He does, it will feel like the most daring rescue of our lives.

Perhaps younger generations already know this. The rest of us may need to relearn it: that the greatest freedom is not in what we keep, but in what the Shepherd can take from our hands so He can fill them with something better.