Christ the Lord tells us that he is the Good Shepherd. What does this mean? For many, the image of Christ the Shepherd evokes the image of green rolling pastures and a quiet bucolic countryside, free of care and worries. Christ is the Lord of a Christianized version of the Elysium fields, the master of a retreat and respite from the troubles of life, the gentle presider over a safe space of comfort and security. Such musings are coupled with an understanding of the Lord Jesus that is entirely meek and mild, very much like the lambs over which he watches. However attractive this image of Christ the Shepherd is to us, it fails to capture the biblical imagery, which the Lord Jesus calls forth in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. The image of a shepherd is, biblically speaking, coded language; it’s a metaphor, not simply for…
Source: Word on Fire Blog