The Lord Jesus likens Himself many times in scripture to a sheep herder or shepherd, in fact we are constantly referred to as His flock or sheep, which signifies many things that we will expound upon.
The Lord Jesus uses the expression 'Shepherd' as a metaphor to bring to light certain truths about Himself and us. A sheep herder would take great care of his flock ensuring their safety by protecting them against predators, and as Jesus is our Shepherd He too protects us from predators, namely wolves. Sheep for the most part are unaware of the dangers that surround them and can do little to protect themselves, our Lord also knows that we are unaware of the invisible spiritual dangers that surround us and He realizes that without a shepherd, much like the sheep, we would be unable to protect ourselves from the enemy.
Furthermore, we must consider the context of the Lord's words, a sheep herder would consider each sheep as valuable as the other due to the monetary return a sheep would bring to the herder. The Lord Jesus also considers each and every sheep that belong to His flock as an extremely valuable and worthy individual that can bring glory to the Shepherd through the good deeds we wrought to both those who are inside and outside the flock.
Considering that a shepherd is ultimately a servant who ensures that the sheep are cared for, fed and stay within sight of the shepherd, it becomes evident what Christ was articulating when stating the following -
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15 NKJV)
Although the Lord Jesus is the King of kings, Lord of lords, true God of true God and the Creator of the cosmos, He humbled Himself to the point of servitude literally becoming a shepherd in order to find His sheep who strayed from the flock to bring them back to the sheepfold. Jesus stood amongst wolves and did not waiver, they struck Him but He did not flee, He voluntarily gave His life to save His flock and by so doing He has conquered sin and death forever with an everlasting victory, and because of such an act of love and servitude those who are of the sheepfold and stray not away from the flock will always be in the arms of the loving Shepherd.
Jesus also makes clear that He is not merely a shepherd but that He is the good Shepherd because it was only Jesus who could redeem us and repair the broken image of man, no other prophet, king or judge could redeem us and reconcile us with the living God.
St John Chrysostom states -
A great matter, beloved, a great matter it is to preside over a Church: a matter needing wisdom and courage as great as that of which Christ speaks, that a man should lay down his life for the sheep, and never leave them deserted or naked; that he should stand against the wolf nobly. For in this the shepherd differs from the hireling; the one always looks to his own safety, caring not for the sheep; the other always seeks that of the sheep, neglecting his own.
Beloved, Jesus did not consider himself when being led like a lamb to the slaughter, like a true good shepherd He considered His sheep before He considered Himself, all praise and glory be to His name, let us also become servants and shepherds bringing lost sheep back to the sheepfold being the Church so that they too can be lead by the good Shepherd, Jesus the Christ.
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Live the Holy Scriptures
It is prudent and beneficial that as Christians we make ourselves familiar with the Holy Scriptures by regularly reading and meditating on them. By so doing we are exposed to the wonderful fear and reverence that the patriarchs and apostles of the faith held for God and in His Son Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we become acquainted with the Lord by reading and relating to His mercy for sinners, His justice for sin, His love of a sinner, His hate for sin, His compassion towards the oppressed and His anger toward the oppressor. We further learn that God's love for humanity is not only a set of words, principles or beliefs, but rather that He took action and became like us so that we could become like Him.
What I am inferring is that many falsely believe that reading scripture and even memorising scripture is a pathway for salvation, but simply knowing what is written within the Holy Bible is not sufficient in and of its own to save a soul. This reading must be coupled with a willingness to become what sacred scripture teaches, it is prudent to learn what humility is but it is far more excellent to become humble, it is beneficial to know that we must 'Love thy neighbour' it is far more excellent to feed the hungry. God did not simply speak of His love for humanity whilst resting comfortably in the glories of Heaven, He rather became as one of us in order to free us from sin, death and satan because of His love. By so doing, God has purposefully portrayed to us how we ought to be.
But if reading the Bible and coming to church isn't enough then what are we to do? In Second Peter 1:1-4 we read -
1Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust
As stated by the blessed Apostle, we must become partakers of the divine nature by not only knowing and understanding sacred scripture but by living it through constant vigil, prayer, fasting, alms giving and practising all manner of righteous virtues in order to receive the grace of God that are His energies, and which will transform your heart, soul and mind. The Grace of God will purify and illuminate you so that you no longer live for yourself but count yourself as dust considering all others before you. This only occurs through action, lip service is not desired by God, He looks into the heart and desires to dwell there and we must ensure that the temple of God (your body) remains clean and holy. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 -
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Woe to us when we desecrate our body whilst the Spirit of the Most High God resides within us, and Praise His name for His mercies and His constant calling for repentance. Let us desire more than biblical knowledge, but let us yearn to acquire wisdom that stems directly from God, let us thirst for the love that is God so that we can love our fellow man and let us hunger for righteousness by destroying our passions and being regenerated by the presence of the Lord within us.
Let us not only read scripture but let us live it, breath it and be it. We must all be a walking, living image of the gospel by the grace of God so that through our light we can bring men to repentance through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What I am inferring is that many falsely believe that reading scripture and even memorising scripture is a pathway for salvation, but simply knowing what is written within the Holy Bible is not sufficient in and of its own to save a soul. This reading must be coupled with a willingness to become what sacred scripture teaches, it is prudent to learn what humility is but it is far more excellent to become humble, it is beneficial to know that we must 'Love thy neighbour' it is far more excellent to feed the hungry. God did not simply speak of His love for humanity whilst resting comfortably in the glories of Heaven, He rather became as one of us in order to free us from sin, death and satan because of His love. By so doing, God has purposefully portrayed to us how we ought to be.
But if reading the Bible and coming to church isn't enough then what are we to do? In Second Peter 1:1-4 we read -
1Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust
As stated by the blessed Apostle, we must become partakers of the divine nature by not only knowing and understanding sacred scripture but by living it through constant vigil, prayer, fasting, alms giving and practising all manner of righteous virtues in order to receive the grace of God that are His energies, and which will transform your heart, soul and mind. The Grace of God will purify and illuminate you so that you no longer live for yourself but count yourself as dust considering all others before you. This only occurs through action, lip service is not desired by God, He looks into the heart and desires to dwell there and we must ensure that the temple of God (your body) remains clean and holy. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 -
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Woe to us when we desecrate our body whilst the Spirit of the Most High God resides within us, and Praise His name for His mercies and His constant calling for repentance. Let us desire more than biblical knowledge, but let us yearn to acquire wisdom that stems directly from God, let us thirst for the love that is God so that we can love our fellow man and let us hunger for righteousness by destroying our passions and being regenerated by the presence of the Lord within us.
Let us not only read scripture but let us live it, breath it and be it. We must all be a walking, living image of the gospel by the grace of God so that through our light we can bring men to repentance through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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