Day 20: Smite the Shepherd. Scatter the Sheep.
by From the Pastor's Desk on March 20th, 2013
0
Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Mark 14:26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Mark 14:26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
Jesus rightly proclaimed Himself as the “good shepherd (John 10:11, 14). The sheep find a sense of security and protection in their shepherd. The shepherd becomes a part of their livelihood, their identity as a flock. The disciples of Jesus Christ were very much the same way with their Master, their Teacher. His vision to a certain degree became their vision. His teachings became their teachings. His authority became their authority.
These men had abandoned what they had known as their own personal lives and began to follow Someone they had just met. They were fed by Him. They were enlightened by Him. They knew that His words were true. However, they had their own perception of how what He was saying to them was going to be fulfilled. Some, if not all of them had some sort of socio-political agenda in mind with regard to Israel being liberated from the rule of Caesar.
But they were wrong. They were way off! What was to happen was going to be something that was unsettling to all of them. Even though Jesus told them it would happen, they were taken aback when it finally happened.
When they came to arrest Jesus, their sense of security was shattered. Their identity was taken (in their eyes). Their Teacher was captured. Surely it was the end of all they had hoped for. Their faith was shattered. The thing they had given their lives too, rearranged their lives for, had come to naught. It did not pan out the way they could handle. They ran!
This is what happens when the Shepherd is smitten. The sheep lose their sense of security. Their protection is gone. They are vulnerable. Their reality is shattered.
In hindsight, was their hope really dashed to pieces? Absolutely not! But they abandoned Him for what it looked like. It looked like the end, but looks are deceiving. Dear friend don’t abandon our Lord, because your hopes seem shattered because things did not pan out the way you thought God would’ve handled it. Remember, God is the real object of hope. If we believe the truth, that Hope is shatterproof!
These men had abandoned what they had known as their own personal lives and began to follow Someone they had just met. They were fed by Him. They were enlightened by Him. They knew that His words were true. However, they had their own perception of how what He was saying to them was going to be fulfilled. Some, if not all of them had some sort of socio-political agenda in mind with regard to Israel being liberated from the rule of Caesar.
But they were wrong. They were way off! What was to happen was going to be something that was unsettling to all of them. Even though Jesus told them it would happen, they were taken aback when it finally happened.
When they came to arrest Jesus, their sense of security was shattered. Their identity was taken (in their eyes). Their Teacher was captured. Surely it was the end of all they had hoped for. Their faith was shattered. The thing they had given their lives too, rearranged their lives for, had come to naught. It did not pan out the way they could handle. They ran!
This is what happens when the Shepherd is smitten. The sheep lose their sense of security. Their protection is gone. They are vulnerable. Their reality is shattered.
In hindsight, was their hope really dashed to pieces? Absolutely not! But they abandoned Him for what it looked like. It looked like the end, but looks are deceiving. Dear friend don’t abandon our Lord, because your hopes seem shattered because things did not pan out the way you thought God would’ve handled it. Remember, God is the real object of hope. If we believe the truth, that Hope is shatterproof!
Posted in not categorized Tagged with no tags
0 Comments
Leave a Comment
Search
Subscribe
