The Third Sunday of Advent, December 15

SOMEONE LEADS: THE COMING SHEPHERD

Ezekiel 34:11-31                     John 10:1-18

     If you have ever had the chance to see a real shepherd in action, you would agree that it is an amazing thing.  My aunt is a shepherd, and she has a flock of about 50 sheep.  These sheep know the shepherd’s voice.  They can be at the other side of the pasture, going about their lives, but as soon as my aunt yells “Sheep, Sheep”, the entire flock takes off towards the barn, eager to be fed.  They know that she will take care of them.  She does more than just feed the sheep, however.  She is constantly tending to the flock, fighting diseases, caring for injuries, and mending broken fences.  She even counts the number of sheep every day, making sure all are present.  If any sheep is missing, she immediately starts searching for the sheep, not stopping until it is found.  She obviously cares about her flock, and she doesn’t want any single sheep to be lost.

     In the first Scripture we are looking at today, Ezekiel tells us about a shepherd who is coming to lead his flock with justice and mercy.  Who is this shepherd mentioned in this Scripture?  It is Christ Jesus, the Sovereign Lord.  Who are the sheep then, you might ask?  The sheep are God’s people, the people of Israel.  Here we see that Jesus is coming to seek out His scattered flock and bring them into a place of safety.  He promises to feed them and care for them and to put them into good pasture.  He also promises to judge the flock, and to root out the fat sheep, who have hoarded all of the food to themselves, and who have hindered others from receiving.  He desires to see His flock grow, and He will do what He needs to do to see this happen.

     This Scripture in Ezekiel isn’t the only place where we find Jesus being called a shepherd.  In fact, in John 10, verse 11, Jesus even says “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”  That’s right, He will even go as far as to lay down His life for His flock!  I would like to see just any shepherd give up his or her life so that their sheep could live – fat chance!  The sheep He is referring to in this Scripture aren’t just the people of Israel, either.  He is referring to the followers of Christ, or the Church.  The Bible tells us that He suffered and died on the cross, so that, whoever believes in Him, could be free from sin.  We have to let Him be our shepherd, to submit to His leadership, and to allow Him to rule our lives.  We have to recognize His voice, and hear Him when He calls us to come near to Him.  He will not force us to be part of His flock, but He cannot offer us safety if we are not under His leadership.  My aunt’s sheep would not have a very good chance of making it on their own if they had no shepherd to take care of them.  If predators did not kill them right away, then they would probably die of disease.  We must realize that we cannot make it on our own, either, and then, come to Him for His guiding.  Satan is a predator, and he is out to destroy us any way that he can.  We must see that Jesus is willing to protect us, but the question is:  Are we willing to let Him?

~ Eric Frantz