2014 articles 2013 articles 2012 articles
Daniel highly recommends God Comes to Still the Wind
2014-05-11 Daniel Daring
(Comments welcome here)
Jesus, the Good
Shepherd
Acts 2:14.36-41; 1 Peter 2:20-25; John 10:1-10
There is no better image that describes God in the Bible than shepherd: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want” (Ps 23); “He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Ps 95); “God tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:11).
In the New Testament Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20). He leaves the ninety-nine on the hills and goes to look for the one that wandered off (Matt 18:12). Without him the sheep are scattered and frightened, but with him everything is well again (Matthew 9:36).
The
shepherd and his qualities:
1. Constant vigilance (God’s providence)
“On some moor, across which at
night the hyenas howl, when you meet him, sleepless, far-sighted,
weather-beaten, leaning on his staff and looking out over his scattered sheep,
every one of them on his heart, you understand why the shepherd of Judea sprang
to the front in his people’s history; why they gave his name to their king,
and made him the symbol of providence; why Christ took him as the type of
self-sacrifice” (George Adam Smith). Like the shepherd of Judea, the God of
the Bible is the one who protects us from the hyenas of this world, who watches
over our coming and going, and leads us in green pastures and beside quiet
waters. God’s providence, his constant vigilance, is concrete and immediate.
He cares for all, from the least things to the great events of the world and its
history; He listens and answers the prayers of the least and the lost.
In Palestine, the sheep were kept
for their wool. So it often happened that they were with a shepherd for years.
They knew the voice of their shepherd and they even had names; a shepherd was
able to recognize each one of them. The people of the Bible had a constant
experience of God’s providence over them. They knew their God. They were aware
that God called each one of them by name and that He had a wonderful knowledge
of each one of them. They trusted him. For us, Christians, Jesus Christ is the
Lord of the history of the world and the history of our lives. He is the one
“who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens” (Rev 3:7). He
calls us to put our trust in God’s providence, because God knows all our
needs.
2.
Fearless courage (God’s saving love)
There is a famous story about the
fight of David with Goliath. David in order to convince the king Saul that he is
able to defeat Goliath tells about his work as a shepherd. He says to Saul:
“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear
came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and
rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair,
struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear;”
(1 Sam 17: 34-36). David, the shepherd, was defending the flock of his father
against any beasts and robbers.
This fearless courage is the image
of God’s saving love for his people. God is ready to fight for and defend his
people. He rescued them from the slavery in Egypt; he defended them from other
nations; he brought them back from the exile in Babylon. Every time the people
ran into troubles because of their sins, the very moment they called upon his
name, God came to their rescue. Nothing has changed since then. He is also our
God and we are the sheep of his pasture. The moment we are attacked by lions and
bears, the moment we are carried off from the flock, God is going after us, in
order to rescue us from the power of the enemy. Jesus, the Great Shepherd is our
defender and protector, and everyone who calls upon his name will be saved.
3. Patient love for his flock (God’s compassion)
There is a Jewish legend that
explains why Moses was chosen to be the leader of his people. “When Moses was
feeding the sheep of his father-in-law in the wilderness, a young kid ran away.
Moses followed it until it reached a ravine, where it found a well to drink
from. When Moses got up to it he said: ‘I did not know that you ran away
because you were thirsty. Now you must be weary.’ He took the kid on his
shoulders and carried it back. Then God said: ‘Because you have shown pity in
leading back one of a flock belonging to a man, you shall lead my flock
Israel.”
God’s compassion is a constant
theme of the Bible. Jesus came to this world to show how deeply all of us are in
the heart of God. He came to save the sinners, to heal the broken hearted, to
give hope to those who lived meaningless lives. He looked with compassion on the
people, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus never rejected anyone who came to him with his/her burden. Whether it was
a tax-collector, a prostitute, a blind man, a sick woman, parents worried about
their children, Jesus was listening to them and brought a new life to all of
them. John in his first letter speaks about love and points to the example of
Jesus. Love is shown not through words, but through action. Jesus has given the
greatest proof of his love, the moment he offered his life for us. “This is
how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John
3:16). Today, as yesterday, Jesus continues to love us with the same love of the
Great Shepherd who is willing to leave ninety-nine sheep on the hills and go in
search for the one that wandered off, who is willing to lay down his life for
you and me.
Conclusion
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.” But you may say that you still want so many things in
life; you do not enjoy your life; there is no satisfaction or happiness; you are
confused and fearful; and goodness and love do not follow you all the days of
your life. And you ask: why is it that way?
Let me ask you a question: Is the Lord truly your shepherd? Or maybe you follow the lead of “someone” else, who wants to rob you of happiness and destroy your life? William Barclay says: “When we try to live our own lives, life is a dull, dispirited thing. When we walk with Jesus, there comes a new vitality, a superabundance of life.” So, do not try to live your own life. Follow the lead of Jesus, the Great Shepherd, who cares for you, protects you and loves you.