#DailyDevotion Jesus Is The Good Shepherd Who Is God And David
Friday Easter 4
John 10:11[Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
In this passage from John, Jesus is no doubt thinking about Ezekiel chapter 34. In that chapter, particularly the first part the Lord talks about Israel’s shepherds. The Lord condemns the shepherds for two main things: eating the sheep and letting them become prey for others. The shepherds of Israel were the ruling princes, the priests and the prophets. Since these did not trust in the Lord or listen to him, they used the religion of the Lord for their own profits. They used their position to take advantage of the people instead of leading them and helping them all prosper. They took advantage of the poor, the widow, the orphan and the foreigner living among them. They also allowed false prophets to arise in their midst who led them astray to follow foreign gods and to worship them.
In that chapter the Lord says this; Eze 34:15 “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.” Eze 34:23 “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” So the Lord with be their shepherd and his David will be their shepherd, yet there will not be two shepherds but one shepherd. The Lord himself promises to be join himself to the house of David, becoming one in the flesh with them. The Lord, through the flesh of the Virgin Mary, becomes a descendant of David and in that flesh, the Lord provides one shepherd who is both Lord and David, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the good shepherd that Ezekiel prophecies about. It is he who gathers the lost sheep of Israel and rescues them from the mouths of those who would devour them. Jesus does this by laying down his life. He stands between us and the devouring mouths of death and the devil. Now death and the devil can harm us no more. Jesus our shepherd leads besides the quiet waters of baptism. He brings us the verdant pastures of his supper and feeds us his body and blood. Jesus leads us in the paths of righteousness through the word he teaches. Jesus brings us into his home as one flock and has us dwell with him and the Father for all eternity. He has done this for us through the laying down of his life for us, for you.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your son, our good shepherd, to lay down his life for us that we may no longer be devoured and led astray. Grant us faith always to look to him as our good shepherd and to expect all good things from his hand. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.