Stay Close to the Shepherd!

 March 23, 2024

“May the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

The God of peace is the one who raised Jesus from the dead. That’s the miracle and muscle of our faith. If he can do that, there is no problem so big that he can’t handle it. Some people say that if you have a sexual disorder, you can never change, or if you are an addict, you’ll always be an addict. You may be telling yourself that your relationship is too broken to repair, or you will always hurt this bad, or there is no hope. Don’t believe it! If God can bring a dead man back to life, he can breathe life into the deadness and hopelessness you feel inside. 

He does this through Jesus, the Great Shepherd. We are far removed from this imagery that would have been easily understood by the first century Jew. The shepherd was an important part of ancient Jewish life. Sheep were a staple of life, from their wool, to food, to the religious sacrificial system. The first-century Jew would have seen layers of meaning when Jesus was seen as the great Shepherd. I’ll give you just one: sheep are pretty stupid. Which means they are vulnerable to wild animals and their own herd instinct. Without a shepherd to care for and protect them, they wouldn’t survive. We don’t like to think of ourselves as stupid, but most of us can be. We almost by nature engage in behavior destructive to ourselves and others. 

Additionally, we are more vulnerable than we realize to the tricks of Satan. Without the continual protection of God, none of us could stand. We need the great Shepherd to protect and guide us to those places where we are safe and nurtured. I’ve watched too many people who are smarter, more talented, and stronger than I crash and burn because they thought they could handle life on their own. They couldn’t; I can’t; you can’t. If he can come back from the dead, he’s been through it all; there is nothing he cannot guide you safely through. So stay close to the Shepherd!