Jesus, our Great Shepherd
Psalm 23:1-6. February 4, 2023 - Saturday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time
No better image describes God in the Bible than the shepherd. "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want (Ps 23), we hear in Psalm 23. Psalm 95 states that the Lord “is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand" (Ps 95). And prophet Isaiah says that “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 go 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).
Three qualities characterise the shepherds and all of them can be applied to our Lord. There are constant vigilance or God’s providence, fearless courage or God’s saving love, and patient love for the flock or God’s compassion.
The shepherd of Judea were tough men protecting their flock from wild animals and thieves. Like those shepherds, the God of the Bible is the one who protects us from wild animals of this world. He watches over our coming and going, and leads us into 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; He listens and answers the prayers of the least and the lost.
We are all familiar with David’s story of slaying Goliath. But, to convince king Saul to let him fight with that giant Philistine, David shared his experience of tending his father’s flock. “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him” (1 Sam 17:34-35). Such fearless courage becomes the image of God's saving love for his people. God is ready to fight for us. The moment we are attacked by lions and bears, the moment we are carried off from the flock, God is going after us, 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.
God's compassion is a constant theme of the Bible and it has become the main theme of the Gospels. Jesus came to save the sinners, 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 their burden. He went even further when he offered his life for you and me. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16).
The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote this powerful statement: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebr. 13:7). Jesus continues to love us with the same love of the Great Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep.