The Truth is the Light
By Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
Isaiah 40:11 says, “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” What is it about shepherds that make them special? Well, for one thing, the staff they carry is the only protection the sheep have against bandits and killers. A very special characteristic of a good shepherd is that they never leave their flock. The shepherd must always be with his sheep because if he leaves, the flock is left unprotected.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ often referred to himself as our Shepherd. Jesus, our Shepherd, is always with us. Jesus, our Shepherd, does the leading and we must follow. What good is a Shepherd if we don’t follow Him? Aren’t we defeating the purpose of having a Shepherd in the first place, if we leave the Shepherd’s presence and wander off to do our own thing?
What good is our Shepherd to us if we worship Him on Sunday but raise hell on Monday? For what reason would we need a Shepherd if we pray on Wednesday then spew bitterness, hostility, and anger until next Wednesday? It is silly, in my opinion, to declare that we need a Shepherd, confess our sins on Sunday, and work to rack up some more before Friday.
Our Shepherd is not someone we drop in on from time-to-time. Jesus, our Shepherd, is always with us. He promises to never leave us. Even those times when we wander off in another direction thinking He doesn’t notice, our Shepherd is right there. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will leave the 99 to go after the one who is getting away. Wherever we are, He is there! If we are hanging out in the club or gossiping on the phone, Jesus—our shepherd—is there. He never leaves us, even when we leave Him.
Isaiah prophesied on our Shepherd more than 700 years before His arrival and said, “He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd.” What does that mean? How would Jesus Christ feed us? It is good to sort out what our Shepherd does for us and talk about the benefits we receive from our Shepherd as it may prevent someone from leaving His presence.
As our Shepherd, Jesus is our Provider. He is our limitless resource for salvation and sustenance. Jesus reminded the disciples in John 10:11 and wants us to know as well, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”What more could Jesus Christ our Shepherd do for us than to sacrifice himself for our sins and create for us a path of reconciliation to His Father!
Jesus Christ our Shepherd had a passion for His people that was greater than His love of life. Jesus is our Shepherd, we shall not want. Our Shepherd could overcome the sins of the flesh by the power of His Father, and once and for all, pay the price for our salvation.
The Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., is the pastor of Pine Grove AME Church in Columbia, South Carolina.
