Broadcast
The Good Shepherd - Part 4
Ezekiel 34:15
04/18/2024
15 ``I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I
myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord
GOD.'' (ESV)
Ezekiel, as inspired and instructed by God, told the exiled
children of Israel about God's rich love and mercy. He spoke of
the restoration of Jerusalem, the return to Israel. This is the
work of God, not of the corrupt, ineffective rulers and leaders
of the people.
God told Ezekiel to say: ``I myself will be the shepherd of
my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord
GOD.''
Part of the heritage of the exiles were the songs of David,
which they knew by heart. Ezekiel's words echoed the description
of the Shepherd of the Twenty-Third Psalm. Even today, many
people who know nothing of God's rich grace and mercy, of His
desire that we should not perish but have everlasting life, know
the words of David. ``The LORD is my Shepherd,'' is used at
countless funerals to bring the hope of the resurrection.
God calls us to Himself through the proclaimed Word, the
Gospel of reconciliation. He shows us His love by sending Jesus,
His Son, to pay the price of our sins, a price that we are
absolutely unable to pay. His message is not of our works to
appease an angry God, but a message of pleading to allow Him to
care for us.
What does God call the sheep to do? To lie in green
pastures, to feed upon the very body and blood of the sacrificed
Son of God, to bathe in the waters of baptism. We are privileged
to reflect the love which we receive. God seeks the lost sheep.
The one who is tangled in the briers, who has cuts and bruises,
who cannot care for himself, that is the sheep that God rescues.
He rescues sinners who are in despair, and gives them comfort and
hope. May our Lord grant that we recognize, know, and trust in
the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Amen.