“The Shepherd Who Is Present”
Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Part 6
(Psalms 23:5-6 and Selected Scriptures)
The Greenhouse ~ 24th Sunday after Trinity
As we come to the end of our exploration of Psalms 23, we have seen a series of truths about Jesus as our Good Shepherd. He is the one who provides, the one who provides peace, the one who leads us on right paths, the one who protects, and the one who pursues. Today we explore the Good Shepherd who is present.
One of the phrases that jumps out to me from this psalm is the statement: you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Presence has already been a theme in this psalm in verse 4. “Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me.” The Shepherd protects from within the fold—He is with us, and He is there as a protector. In fact, what becomes clear throughout this psalm is that the Shepherd’s provision, peace, leading in right paths, protection, and pursuit are all possible only because He is first with the sheep. Though enemies pursue the psalmist, the Shepherd protects the psalmist from all danger. In fact, in a situation that should be fraught with peril—the pursuit by one’s enemies—the Shepherd prepares the blessings of a feast in their presence. Rather than fear one’s enemies, the Shepherd makes it possible to sit down at the table and eat in peace.
Not only does the presence of the Shepherd make all the rest of these promises possible, but it is in fact the culmination of all promises—"I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live” (v. 6). Taken in a merely historical context, we see the promise of the Shepherd’s presence to provide, bring peace, lead us on right paths, protect, and pursue us, surely not small things in this life. But in the context of the Psalms as a whole, this promise takes on additional significance. Not only will we dwell in the house of the Lord as long as we live, but because the Shepherd has conquered death, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever because we, too, will continue to live. We are transferred from the presence of our enemies to the presence of the Lord on account of the reality that the Shepherd is always present with and among us.
This future hope is expressed beautifully in the passage we read from Revelation 7:15-17. “The Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; he will guide them to springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (v. 17). This promise to “wipe away every tear from their eyes” is echoed later in Revelation 21 to speak of the New Jerusalem, our eternal home. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new’” (vv. 4-5). Notice in both passages the reference to the one on the throne (the Lamb) and the promise to wipe away every tear from their eyes. He is making all things new! What a glorious promise! But the promise hinges upon the promise of verse 3 that precedes it: “Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.” God’s dwelling place is with man and God Himself will be with us as our God. The hope of the New Jerusalem rests upon the presence of God. The promise of newness is the promise of the presence of the Lamb. Interestingly, the reference to Jesus as the Lamb obviously echoes His role as the sacrificial, Passover Lamb killed on our behalf. But according to Revelation 7, the Lamb is also the Shepherd. The Shepherd becomes like us, the sheep, but remains always and forever the Shepherd. But as a Lamb, it reminds us that He does not lead from far away, but rather from among us. He is present with us. Over and over again the biblical witness to the Good Shepherd is that He is present with and among His sheep.
Too often our hopes for heaven are materialistic. Streets of gold, mansions, good food, and more. None of these things are bad in themselves; in fact, they are indeed images (whether literal or metaphorical) of heaven. But the hope of these promises always takes a secondary position to the good news that heaven is the dwelling place of God, and as Revelation 21 reminds us, the dwelling place of God is with man. If we want to understand what it means for us to dwell in the house of the Lord forever, to understand the presence of the Shepherd in the presence of our enemies, then we must learn to practice the presence of the Shepherd.
One of the more impactful books I have read is a little work by Brother Lawrence called The Practice of the Presence of God. In this book, he describes how it is possible for us to practice God’s presence in such a way that He is as, or more, present with us as we wash the dishes as He is when we are kneeling in prayer. If the Shepherd is always with us, then we must always learn to discern His presence.
I want to return briefly to the verse I spoke of early on, “you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Sometimes we lose sight of the presence of the Shepherd because our enemies are close at hand, causing us to lose focus on the Shepherd. How do we learn to practice His presence when our focus is on the enemy in front of us? Because if we are honest, the “enemy” in front of us is often much more visible and concrete in the moment than the presence of the Shepherd. Perhaps more candidly, how can we trust that He will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies? Here the story we read in Mark 6:30-43 becomes so central. Remember, the gospel tells us that Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He became a Shepherd for them, and in the verses that follow, He turns five loaves and two fish into more than 5000 meals! The Shepherd who can prepare a table for 5000 from five loaves and two fish can certainly prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
I confess that at this point, I find myself somewhat at a loss for words. I know certainly that the depth of the biblical witness to this Shepherd and how He leads us goes well beyond the short analysis we have been able to explore in the past six weeks. And yet, so much is contained in Psalms 23 alone, that even though we have directed much of our attention on that short psalm during the course of our series on Jesus, the Good Shepherd, I feel as though we have barely begun to discover the depths of how Jesus leads us, yet I feel inadequate to say more. In six weeks, covering six verses of Psalms 23, and a handful of other supplemental Scriptures, we can see a beautiful picture of the lengths to which God has gone to love and care for His sheep. Like the crowds in Mark 6, I often feel harassed and helpless; the past few years have been especially difficult, and I often feel lost, confused, hurting, and hopeless. But so often in these moments, I feel Isaiah 40:11 come alive, as the Good Shepherd protects me, gathers me in his arms, and carries me in the folds of His garment back into the sheepfold. And despite all the trials, the peace that comes in those moments from the Good Shepherd remind me that Psalms 23:6 is a promise I can cling to yesterday, today, and tomorrow: “Surely goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Amen.
Discussion Questions
How do you experience God’s presence?
When is it hardest to feel God’s presence?
What verses, passages, or sermon points have stood out to you as particularly encouraging or challenging these past several weeks?
Feature Image: The Good Shepherd Window in the Cathedral of St. Paul, Birmingham, AL. Accessed https://magiccityreligion.org/2020/11/18/the-good-shepherd-window/.
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