Psalm 23… “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;” vss. 1-2
While the scribes who gathered the psalms and placed them in various collections believed that this was a psalm of David, it was obviously written from the viewpoint of a sheep. And reading it from that perspective brings particular delight as we imagine ourselves being totally devoted to a shepherd we trust to not only bring us to green pastures and still waters, but to protect us in every time of danger. Of course a sheep would never imagine anticipating a banquet in the presence of their enemies with overflowing cups, but we can! In fact that’s one of the things we look forward to as we make our way through life. We’re accustomed to thinking of feasting in Paradise with our Lord, and Jesus regularly used the metaphor of a great banquet to which all people are ultimately invited. But the best news this psalm offers is the promise of goodness and mercy as our lifelong companions. We hear this psalm frequently in the course of our liturgical year, and that’s a good thing. There is no better good news than being assured regularly that the Lord is our Shepherd, and even the wandering sheep will be forever safe in his arms. Early Christians celebrated this and one of them painted a picture of Jesus as a shepherd on the wall of the catacombs. He has a lamb across his shoulders and they’re heading home!
Thought for the Day: What would the life of a sheep be like?
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