I Am the Good Shepherd (2)

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd.”  John 10:11

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010,%20Psalm%2023&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.10 and http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Ps.23

 

Jesus told his followers “I am the Good Shepherd,” and they immediately understood he was referring them to a description of GOD.

The LORD is my Shepherd.

The Hebrews understood that the LORD, the God of the Universe, is a loving Creator; not a thunderbolt-throwing, maniacal Zeus.

          I shall not lack anything.

By making this connection between himself as shepherd and God as shepherd, Jesus is telling people that HE IS GOD, and he is highlighting the wonderfully appealing aspect of God’s nature as caregiver, nurturer and protector.

Has Jesus made good on this claim?

Centuries later Phillip Keller*, a shepherd himself, gives this testimony of Jesus:

I am completely satisfied with His management of my life. Why? Because He is the sheepman to whom no trouble is too great as He cares for His flock. He … loves them for their own sake as well as His personal pleasure in them. He will … be on the job twenty-four hours a day to see that they are properly provided for…

Personally, I am still not convinced!  How can Keller, or anyone else, say all their needs are taken care of.  I HAVE A LOT OF NEEDS!

Keller says we can learn a lot about God’s provision for our needs by looking at sheep and shepherds.  

It is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met:

·        They refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear.

·        Sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.

·        Only when free of … pests can they relax.

·        They must be free from hunger.

And since sheep are basically helpless creatures, “only the sheepman himself can provide release from these anxieties.”

I hate to be compared to a helpless sheep, but can I really argue with God’s opinion?

I am a sheep.

And Jesus really has made good on his claim to be my Good Shepherd:

·        Whenever I pray to Jesus, he calms my fears. 

·        When I ask for help in difficult relationships with others, he gives me great wisdom. 

·        When I seek him for protection because illnesses and other circumstances are attacking me, he gives it. 

·        When I’ve prayed for clothes, a job, food, or a car, I’ve gotten it.

My story is the same as Phillip Keller’s:

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Is he yours?

*Keller, W. Phillip, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1970.

John 10 -- I Am the Good Shepherd (1)

“I am the good shepherd.”  John 10:11

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010,%20Psalm%2023&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.10 and http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Ps.23

Jesus gives us another great comparison: “I am the good shepherd.” 

A comparison is supposed to help us understand something, but I don’t know any shepherds and I’ve only held a baby lamb once.  How am I supposed to get it?

I don’t personally know any shepherds, but I do know a lot of people with pets.  I myself have a cat.  We run up our grocery bill feeding them, we really go into debt on vet bills when they get sick, we inoculate them against diseases they might get in the future, we even buy them toys!  Pet owners work hard to make sure their animals are healthy, safe, and full-of-life.  We delight in their delight.

On the other hand, you may have seen the ads on TV that beseech us to help the animal victims of cruelty and neglect.  Picture after picture of emaciated, bedraggled, sad-faced pets call out to us from the screen.

It is very obvious to us who are the bad pet owners and who are the good pet owners.  It’s the same with sheep and shepherds.  Jesus chose a shepherd comparison because these were familiar to his audience at the time.

But unless you live on a ranch, this analogy may need some explanation.  A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 was a book published by a shepherd, Phillip Keller, in 1970.  It is a rich-textured description of Jesus as a good, versus a bad, shepherd:

He is the owner who delights in His flock. For Him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing His sheep contented, well fed, safe and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very 'life.' He gives all He has to it. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His.

He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed, and clean water. He will spare Himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from ruthless enemies and the diseases and parasites to which sheep are so susceptible.*

So it is with our Good Shepherd.

Would you like that kind of care?

*Keller, W.Phillip, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1970.

NO LONGER BLIND! (3)

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”  John 1:4

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

In my last devotional I asked:

Why do both John the baptist and Jesus see a relationship between LIFE and LIGHT?

“All life originates and develops under the influence of …light…”  according to Goethe.  The connection between life and light has been observed for centuries, but in this last century, the experiments of John Ott made real breakthroughs.  He discovered that healthy plant and animal development only occurs under full-spectrum light – what we also know as natural light – that which comes from the sun.  So true light leads to life.

I have been asking the question: How does the life in Jesus become light for mankind?  Maybe I was just thinking of “light” in too narrow of terms.  Light is not just what enlightens and leads mankind, it is actually what gives all life and health to mankind. 

Voilá!

Jesus is the LIGHT of the world.

The true light.  The full-spectrum light.  The only light that is life-giving.

Other interesting quotes:

“All the energy we take into our bodies is derived from the sun,” – Nobel Laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

“…light is the primal nourishment for life.”  - Jacob Liberman

“The body is a biological light receptor, the eyes are transparent biological windows designed to receive and emit light, and all physiological functions are light dependent. … Light guides the eyes, physical movement and physiological function, hence light and life are inseparable, …”– Jacob Liberman

“My studies have indicated that light is a nutrient, similar to all the other nutrients we take in through food, and that we need the full spectrum range of natural daylight.” – John Ott

"If human skin is not exposed to solar radiation (direct or scattered) for long periods of time, disturbances will occur in the physiological equilibrium of the human system. The result will be functional disorders of the nervous system and a vitamin-D deficiency, a weakening of the body's defenses, and an aggravation of chronic diseases."  - from a 1967 paper presented by three Russian scientists to the International Committee on Illumination

“…when we experimentally place plants, animals, or humans in a darkened environment and notice that their life force gradually diminishes, bringing life to a halt.  Without light there is no will to live, we are robbed of the spark that propels our spirit…” – Jacob Liberman