Scripture: Psalm 23; John 10:11-18
The love of God was manifested in the life and death of Jesus Christ. He came to magnify the word of God, to give it understanding. In his mission, he provided clarity to the commands and the teachings in the bible. The synagogue teachers had become doers of the word with a spirit of self-righteousness and lack of love. Love is the reflection of the word of God because he is love.
Jesus taught in metaphors and parables to relate things/objects that were familiar with the people. In the gospel of John, Jesus identified himself as I AM, just as God the Father did when he spoke to Moses in the burning bush. The role of a shepherd is so meaningful in our relationship with him, that even David believed God to be his shepherd.
In Psalm 23 and in the teaching of Jesus, the shepherd is the key person who provided care for the sheep. To understand the shepherd concept consider the natural life of a shepherd and the spiritual fulfillment of Christ as our good shepherd.
In the natural, the shepherd takes care of the sheep. He is compassionate, patient, and wise with his flock. He is familiar with each sheep in his flock. He will protect from wolves and other dangers that would harm. Sheep are timid and tend to be followers. They don’t function well on their own. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” They need guidance and nurture. In the spiritual, Christ is the shepherd and the believers(church) is the sheep. He provides all things. “I shall not want.” Christ and the Father are one. God the Father gave Christ all power to take care of the church.
Jesus, the good shepherd, is present to protect us, correct us, provide for us and feed us with the living bread, which is the word of life. He showed how much he loves his flock, “I lay down my life for the sheep”. He completely saves us and gives us the promise of redemption. He will lead(give direction), guide (show the way) and direct (take charge) of his people. He will keep us until we make that change from mortal to immortality. His compassion, joy and love is do us good at all times.
Listen to this entire educational message on “The Good Shepherd” on our Facebook page.
From the Path of Righteousness Church in Christ.
Comments