Psalm 23 (NRSV) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
We get to the most beloved of all the psalms. I have prayed this countless times with the sick, right after they have received the body and blood of their Lord.
My now-sainted friends Elwood and Clarence, farmers in Michigan (Elwood later became a pastor) both explained to me that being sheep is not all that great. They would tell me that sheep were stubborn and not quick-witted. Elwood said a sheep could die of thirst fifteen feet away from a pond. We all know the story of the shepherd who leaves the 99 in the wilderness (with other shepherds, I hope) to find the one that wandered away and needs finding. It is not like Little Bo Peep’s sheep that will come home a waggin’ their tails behind them.
What a wonderful picture of God, who seeks the lost. God looked for Adam and Eve and looked (looks) for us. David was a shepherd before he became king and kings are often likened to shepherds. They look out for their flock. They seek verdant pasture and clean water. They watch for the threats. They “have their back.” Sometimes we see shepherds leading, sometimes following. It depends on circumstances.
Notice the movement in the psalm. The first and last part are more like proclamation about what God has done. The middle part is a direct address to God, acknowledging that he is with us, as with David. But God makes sheep into shepherds. We are each entrusted with a flock of people in our life, to love and guide and bring back to the Great Shepherd for nurture. May we rejoice in our transformation through Christ.
Pastor Tom Trapp, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XVIII, Number 1, August 2016)