Jesus, the Good Shepherd
By: Jason Wall
Psalm 23; John 10:9&11
June 20th, 2004
This morning we are going to look at one of the most treasured passages in all of scripture, the 23rd Psalm. Echoed in every imaginable context throughout the ages, these verses are always appropriate and never fail to resonate with relevance. I am going to recite them to you from the King James Version and if you know this passage by heart I would like to encourage you to recite these words out loud along with me…
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Like many of the Psalms in our scriptures these soulful words come directly from the heart of King David. Drawing upon an earthy agrarian metaphor David calls out to God in this prayer-song and compares his relationship with God to that between a sheep and his shepherd.
David’s words embody a measure of contentment, security and hope that we long to embrace within our own turbulent lives. There is a sense of peace that radiates from his convictions. Is it any wonder that even after three thousand years these words still reflect the deepest longings of our souls?
The 23rd Psalm takes on even deeper significance when considered alongside Jesus’ words recorded for us in the Gospel of John chapter 10 verse 11. (Roger read this passage for us earlier in the service). Jesus said…
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Proposition: When we read the 23rd Psalm in the light of Jesus Christ we begin to understand that from the begging to the end of our lives the Good Shepherd: provides for us, protects us and promises to welcome us home when our journey is done.
Did you ever have a chance to see the film Cool Runnings? This movie is several years old now and it was based around the true story of the first Jamaican bobsled team. The Jamaicans made their inaugural appearance in this winter sport in the 1988 winter Olympics hosted by Calgary. The late John Candy stared as a former American gold medallist in this high-speed sport. He would become the coach and the inspiration for the motley Jamaican bobsled crew. They are enthused by his past experience; they grew from his expertise, and they would affectionately refer to their coach as the “sled-god”.
However as the story progresses a dark secret emerges from the coaches checkered past. The coach had been an Olympic gold-medallist. But when it came time for him to defend his gold medal he was caught breaking the rules by adding extra weight to the U.S. sled, thus bringing disgrace to himself, his team and his nation.
This revelation stunned his protégés. One of the young Jamaicans expressed his amazement at why anyone who had already won a gold medal would cheat. His confidence in the man he once looked up to completely dissipated and yet he asked for his coach to explain…
“I simply had to win,” he replied. “I learned something from that experience. If you are not happy without a gold medal, you won’t be happy with it either.” (Phaneuf)
You and I may never have the opportunity to represent Canada in the Olympics, but at some level I’m sure we can all relate to this story. We can spend our every last breath and every ounce of our energy trying to get more and to acquire happiness in life. But if we see contentment as a destination that lies at some point in the future we will never arrive.
It’s like the age-old trick of motivating a donkey to pull a cart by dangling a carrot from the end of a string that is attached to a pole in the hands of the driver. The carrot may only be two feet in front of the donkey’s nose, and it doesn’t matter how fast he runs or how far he moves the donkey will never get one inch closer to his goal. The contentment, peace and joy we find in the things of this world is only temporary, but…
1. When Jesus is my Good Shepherd he will always provide for my needs and in him I will find true contentment.
David is speaking of this spiritual truth in the first verse of the 23rd Psalm. “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.”
Since its Father’s Day I would like to share with you two things that you will never hear a man say on Father’s Day. You would never hear a father say to his son, “…here are the keys to my brand new truck, and here is my platinum Master Card… go wild!” And you would never hear a father say to his wife, “Honey I have the urge to go shopping, let’s spend all afternoon at the mall… I’ll even carry your purse!” (Foxworthy)
These analogies are obvious. In the same way, when we hear David say, “I shall not want” does this mean our Heavenly Father will give us everything we want? On the contrary, when we have a relationship with the Good Shepherd, Jesus sets us free from wanting and chasing after the temporary things of this world that have no eternal significance.
The Good Shepherd gives to us a new appetite for true spiritual contentment. David poetically describes the kind of provision the Good Shepherd offers to us in verses 2 & 3…
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The Good Shepherd knows his flock and he knows what we truly need. Bill Hybels once wrote that, “When Jesus is your Shepherd, every major issue in your life has been settled. You know who you are, where you’ve come from, (you know) where you’re going when you die and what you’re going to do with your life in the meantime…”
Today, Christ welcomes us to lie down in the green pastures forgiven of sins and Jesus beckons us to drink deeply of the still waters of salvation that he has poured out for us.
Phillip Keller, a real life shepherd, once noted that sheep will not lay down unless:
· they are absolutely liberated from all fear,
· at peace with the other members of the flock,
· free from pests and parasites
· and of no need for food because each has eaten its fill.
Like restless and wandering sheep not one of us will ever “lie down” and rest in contentment until we recognize that everything we truly need is found in Jesus Christ.
Verse three reveals another yet another way the Good Shepherd provides for us. Jesus loves and cares for us so much that we are not left to wander and drift in the wilderness following in the direction of our old way of life. In him our souls find restoration and… “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Again, Phillip Keller points out the precarious position sheep are in when they are allowed to graze just anywhere without guidance or direction. Like many people, sheep have a tendency to stick to one spot. They are creatures of habit and prefer the area where they are most familiar and comfortable. If left to themselves, in a very short time the paths the sheep have formed in the pastureland become deep and dusty ruts. The grass, once lush, is grazed all the way down to its roots, irreparably damaging its ability to grow back. Worse yet the sheep get parasites from their own waste and they soon become thin and sickly.
Just as a flock of sheep needs to be rotated through their pastureland, we also need to be directed in the right paths of our Lord. We should always be stretched into new pastureland when it comes to our relationship with God. To help us along the way our shepherd has promised us the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to be our strength and our guide in the right paths we are meant to follow.
Throughout our journey of life our shepherd is: leading us, strengthening us, guiding us, correcting us, rebuking us, transforming us, shaping us, teaching us, carrying us, encouraging us… through each step of every day…
2. When Jesus is my Good Shepherd he assures me of his protection
However, this promise of protection is no “get out of jail free”. The protection of our Lord is not an escape from the often-painful realities of this life we are called to live. Just consider the fourth verse of the 23rd Psalm…
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The protection that Jesus offers to us is not freedom from adversity or pain. Clearly, when David wrote this verse he was in the thick of the deep and dark shadow of the valley of death.
How is it that in the midst of his challenges David can proclaim, “I will fear no evil”? The answer is found in the next five words, “For thou art with me.”
No longer do we have to fear. In our deepest, darkest and most difficult hour God is with us granting us protection and strength like a rod and a staff.
The fears of this life are many, threatening us at every pass. We are afraid for the future, afraid of our past, afraid of the unknown, afraid of that we do know. We are afraid to step out in faith, afraid to be still, afraid to take a chance, afraid to hurt someone’s feelings and afraid to serve the Lord. We worry ourselves to death… what if something happened to my child or my spouse? What if I lost my job, my house, or my health… what if, what if, what if? Fear. It has the power to paralyze us if we give it the chance. (Hybels)
The greatest people I know are not those who have escaped hardship. The greatest people I know refuse to be held captive by fear. The Good Shepherd does not promise to protect us from tragedy, loss, persecution or hardship in his name… but he does promise to protect us from fear as we are assured by these words, “I am with you.”
In verse five David says, “you annointest my head with oil”. This is a symbol of God’s very presence with us, his abiding Holy Spirit to give us strength.
It is in our most desperate moments that we are most aware of our need for the grace of God. It is when we recognize our weakness that we encounter the power of God. As Keller observed… did you ever notice that water flows at the bottom of a ditch, channel or valley? The same is true for the Christian life. The blessings of God are found in the valleys of our lives, carved and cut by excruciating experiences.
3. When Jesus is my Good Shepherd he promises to welcome me home.
At the end of the 23rd Psalm David chooses a new metaphor to describe his relationship with God. He moves on from the image of the provision and protection a shepherd gives for his sheep and God becomes the host and David takes the place of a welcomed guest.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
When Jesus is your Shepherd you can be assured that a great feast awaits you when you come to your final resting place. To be a guest at the Lord’s banquet table is so much more than an evening out. When God becomes our host we are welcomed into permanent residence in the house of the Lord. These verses portray for us an intimate image of fellowship and joy that lasts for eternity.
Does it seem strange to you that this meal is prepared in the presence of our enemies? On that day when we sit at our Master’s table even our greatest enemies are put to shame and the occasion of our trial will be changed to victory.
Ultimately, the greatest enemy that threatens each member of the human race is death itself. Though we may not always be conscious of its clear and present danger, its shadow is a constant reality. We can delay it, deny it, stall it, mask it and run away from it but one day we must all face it.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Through Jesus Christ eternal life has been made possible. When Jesus rose from the grave death was pushed to the sidelines, humiliated, defeated and made to look on as we join in the feast of celebration in the house of the Lord.
As Jesus said, 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:11 & 9)
How is it possible to have contentment and to be free from want and worldly pleasures?
How can we have calm confidence and assurance amid life’s darkest valleys?
How can we have guidance and direction in the right paths when so many roads lay before us?
How can we embrace the promise of hope of life beyond what mortal eyes can see?
The answer to all these questions is found in Psalm 23:1. “The Lord is my Shepherd”. David does say the Lord is the shepherd or the Lord is a shepherd. David recognizes that if he is going to enjoy all the benefits described in the 23rd Psalm the Lord must be his Shepherd.
And so this morning I ask you, “Is the Lord your Shepherd”? Would you like him to be…
Reference List:
Foxworthy, Jeff. The Foxworthy Countdown (Radio broadcast). June 19th, 2004.
Hybels, Bill. Jesus: Seeing Him More Clearly. (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI: 1997).
Keller, Phillip. a shepherd looks at Psalm 23. (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI: 1970)
Kidner, Derek. Psalms 1-72. (Inter-Varsity Press, Downwers Grove, Illinois: 1973).
Rowell, Edward K. Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997) cited in… Phaneuf, David. Our Confidence in God. (www.sermancentral.com).
Westermann, Claus. The Living Psalms. (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI: 1984).
