The Good Shepherd

 

A Psalm Of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23 ESV).

 

Psalm 23 is credited to King David, who tended his father’s sheep when he was young. David was a shepherd who became Israel’s king. That was fitting, for in the biblical world, leaders were thought of as shepherds. They had a responsibility to protect and provide for their people. To say “The Lord is my shepherd” is to say that God is the ultimate source of safety and well-being.

 

Jesus calls himself “the good shepherd.” In other words, he is the true king over God’s people. But he is a different sort of king. Traditionally a king would take up a sword and raise an army to defeat the enemies of his people. That’s what David did. That’s also what some people expected Jesus to do.

 

But Jesus didn’t defeat great enemies by slaughtering them with weapons of war. He defeated them by being slaughtered himself. He let sin and death and all the powers of evil do their worst. And they did. But they had no power over Jesus, and death could not hold him. Jesus rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven where He now sits enthroned waiting to exercise final judgment and transformation of the world.

 

The very basic truth about Jesus applies in so much of our lives. When we find ourselves lost and without a clear direction, He is our good shepherd. He leads us. When we find ourselves in danger, He is our ultimate source of safety and well-being, now and forever. Whatever our needs are, He is the source of all good things. Like the perfect Shepherd, He provides, protects, and guides His flock.