The Good Shepherd II

When Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10), the Jews hearing his words knew that he was referring to Ezekiel 34; they had studied the Scriptures since childhood and knew them intimately---Scripture was (and is) to them LIFE itself.  We are not as fortunate, so Jesus' words tend to fall into a vacuum for us; we have no context---even for the image of sheep and shepherd, much less any historical background to hear what Jesus is saying to us today.

If we read Ez. 34, our hearts should break at its truthfulness, even today:

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel:  This is what the Sovereign [Yahweh] says:

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves!  Should not shepherds take care of the flock?  You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.  You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.  You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost.  You have ruled them harshly and brutally.  So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals...They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them....

For this is what the Sovereign [Yahweh] says: 

I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.  As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep.  I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness....I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements of the land.  I will tend them....there they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture...I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign [Yahweh].  I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.  I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak....

If we do not know these words from Ezekiel, it is hard to know the heart of God, the Good Shepherd, who Himself will take on the task of "binding up" and "strengthening" the flock of Israel, His people--and not only of Israel, of course, but of all who belong to Him.

Last week, I met a young woman from Japan aboard a cruise ship.  She was very wise in the ancient healing arts of acupuncture and Oriental medicine/ herbs.  I sought out her wisdom about balance in my own body, since I had experienced cancer and was interested in whatever inbalance might be going on as a result.  In our conversation, she determined circulation problems, which I have known about all my life---but she also seemed to think I might suffer from stress and anxiety as a result.

When I told her that I spent time in prayer and meditation daily, her eyes opened wide.  She was amazed that I am not taking any medicine at all, given my medical history, and she was ready to attribute that to my habit of meditation, as well as to the fact that I spend a great deal of time gardening.  However, she told me that in Japan, there is no God.  "We believe in the spirit," she told me, "but not in God."  She believed that my practice of meditation strengthened the spirit in me, which in turn strengthened the body.

I do not discredit her belief in any way; I have a great deal of respect for Oriental wisdom and discernment, believing that our Western world still has much to learn from the East.  However, after I left her, I began to grieve in my spirit for all those who may never know/ experience the tender care of the Good Shepherd.  I, too, believe in the spirit she was talking about----and of course, the teaching of Buddhism is that we must all care for our "inner man."  But so many people will never get there----I know, because there was a time when I tried with everything in me to nourish the spirit in me:  I tried yoga, meditation, Unitarianism, questioning and listening to yogis, thinking positive thoughts, etc.  I have to say that all these efforts were in vain the moment I left that quiet space and deep breathing practice.  Unlike Buddhist monks and practioners, I did not have the luxury of remaining in nirvana, of shutting out the rest of the world.  I needed to be attentive to a household, a husband, and young children---though God knows I did not do a very good job of that either.  However, God Himself saw my search and sent someone to give me what I was looking for---a young 20-year old girl who was willing to share with me her own search and the answer she found.

It was only when she prayed for me to receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit flowing from the heart of God through the ministry of His only Son, that I found the joy and peace that I could not give myself, but that only God could give to me.  At last, I began to learn that everything is "received," not "achieved."  He Himself is the Shepherd of the sheep; only He can make us lie down in green pastures. 

Sheep are dumb, even when it comes to finding their own food, and defending themselves against enemies.  In A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm, the author (now forgotten) applies every line of that psalm to the reality of sheep and shepherding; what a revelation of how much care we need and how little equipped we are to do for ourselves what needs to be done!

My heart breaks for those who do not know the Good Shepherd, not because I think they will not "go to heaven" or "be saved," not because I think they are evil or "lost," but only because I know from experience that everything they do for themselves must come from their own efforts---and I know how hard it is to maintain those efforts.  We are all weak, and in a sense, dumb, when it comes to knowing how to take care of our own spirits.  It is so good to be able to "cast your cares upon the Lord, for He cares for [us]."  It is so good to be able to truly say with Jehoshaphat, ...we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you (2 Chronicles 20: 12).

I have heard many times, "God helps those who help themselves," and I grant that saying is practical---we might even say "country"---wisdom.  However, it is not Biblical wisdom.  Biblical wisdom says that God helps those who cannot help themselves, those who seek, those who ask, those who knock---to them, the door is opened.