Who Leads The Sheep To The Good Shepherd?
Good Morning Friends,
In today’s devotional we explore the role of a good shepherd and a good sheep. As we wait for Jesus to return, we read about the messianic King, the new Shepherd and His covenant of Peace in the book of Ezekiel and in John and Matthew how it is resolved. And as we read and wonder one question jumps out to confront us. Who Leads The Sheep To The Good Shepherd?
Scripture: Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in the woods securely. I will make them and the region around my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. The trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on their soil; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be plunder for the nations, nor shall the animals of the land devour them; they shall live in safety, and no one shall make them afraid. I will provide for them splendid vegetation, so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the insults of the nations. They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God.
Ezekiel 34:20-31 (NRSV)
So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:7-11 (NRSV)
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Psalms 95:7 (NRSV)
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:34-40 (NRSV)
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:5-6 (NRSV)
Message: Yes the prophet was writing about, not only bad shepherds, the leaders of the day who fleeced their flocks, the ministers and priests of the day, but also the bad sheep. Ezekiel spoke about fat and happy pagan rams that oppressed the flock… sheep that today might sit in the pews grumbling or actively plotting ill. Ezekiel also wrote about what today might be the bad shepherds behind the pulpits, failing to gather the lost sheep, feed and protect them. Now before you get caught up in blaming the leaders, the ministers and priest for our concerns, read first the passage through the eyes of individual responsibility. That is what this scripture is about. For grace here is to be found when we bring it, not just receive it. We are to have hope, but we are to also become a kingdom of priests. We are to combine roles of both good sheep and good shepherds. We will be judged not only on how good we are as sheep but equally important, how good we are at being shepherds, making disciples, ministering to the poor and lame, evangelizing to the lost sheep and bringing back those who have strayed from the path. We are to worship Him, follow Him, praise Him, listen to Him, keep our minds on Him so we can become like Him, the Good Shepherd.
The Davidic king, the good shepherd Ezekiel writes about, is Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He is a king with all the attributes of a good shepherd. A king not concerned about restoring vanished glories, but a king who heals the sick and binds up the injured and leads the lost home. So too we are called as a kingdom of priests, to minister to the needs of others, to be not just good sheep but also Good Shepherds.
Pray we are not goats. Pray we realize that Christ is our Shepherd King. Pray we become as sheep together. Pray we are not only smart sheep but also good sheep. Pray that we are ready when God puts opportunities before us. Pray that we live life beyond ourselves. Pray we lead as we dare to care. Pray that we have a heart for the lost sheep. Pray that we discover we are ministering to Christ when we respond to those in need with the dignity, intimacy and knowledge that we are serving…suffering with Christ himself. Pray we walk in grace and live in the love of Shepherd so that others might follow as well. Pray we do something about the love we have received.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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