I’m not an artist but I enjoy good art. But what is good art? If you’ve ever watched a show like the Antiques Roadshow, you realize that “good” art depends on things other than the actual picture, right? Some of the artwork that’s valued at thousands, or even millions, of dollars is oftentimes something for which I wouldn’t have paid a dollar. I don’t know about you but the art I consider “good” is artwork that speaks to me in some way. Maybe it’s a beautiful setting or it evokes a memory or an image that stirs my heart. At least to a degree, I think artwork that "speaks" to us is what helps us to decide if the artwork is good. That’s probably why there’s truth in the saying “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
That being said, the picture you see was in a friend’s post on Facebook and boy, did it grab my attention. I mean it really spoke to me. It stirred my heart. I immediately recognized the imagery, but this picture is very different from the picture I’m used to seeing of the Good Shepherd and His sheep. You know the picture I’m talking about….the one where Jesus is standing in a lovely, bucolic setting among a flock of very clean, attentive, docile sheep as He lovingly carries a little lamb. Some sheep are encircling Him while the others are following closely behind. Jesus appears so very calm and serene as He cares for His sheep. I remember this picture hanging in one of my Sunday School classrooms when I was child. It’s a beautiful image!
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me.” (John 10:14)
Yes, Jesus is our Good Shepherd! And these verses (as well as that picture from my early days) portray an accurate image of Jesus. But what about the sheep? If I’m totally honest, I could never relate to the sheep in that picture. They all looked so content and so obedient. And they actually looked like they knew the Shepherd and were ready to follow wherever He led them. I wasn’t any of those things. I may have been content in the moment, but it was usually temporary. I obeyed what I needed to, but tried to get away with as much as I could. As for knowing or needing a Shepherd, aka Jesus, well I “knew” He wouldn’t think much of me and it wasn’t likely that I’d ever measure up to being a part of THAT flock!
But when I saw the picture you see above, something struck a chord in me. The reality of who I am and who Jesus is was revealed in a brand new way. This revised version of our Good Shepherd was so much more real to me. Not because the previous description of our Good Shepherd was inaccurate, not at all. But there was something very different about this picture of the Good Shepherd. The little lamb in the forefront…now THAT is a sheep I can relate to! A little lamb who is very lost, very scared, defenseless, alone, dirty, confused, tired, and not even looking for its Shepherd.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way. (Isaiah 53:6a)
But, enough about me because there’s another difference. Take a close look at the Good Shepherd in the background. He’s in hot pursuit of His lost lamb. Our Good Shepherd is running to rescue us. He’s not calm or serene. He’s focused and on a mission. He’s sweating and breathing heavily as He runs for us. He’s not running across a beautiful meadow, rather thorns are likely cutting his ankles and grabbing at His arms as He runs off the beaten path in pursuit of us. He knows it’s dark in those woods. He knows we’re scared and defenseless, so He’s running hard and fast to rescue us, so we can feel safe and secure, so we can feel loved, and so we won’t be hurt or killed by anything that wants to harm little lost lambs like ourselves.
“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16a)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)
Yes, Jesus is our Good Shepherd! And these verses portray another accurate image of Jesus, as the Shepherd who cares for the sheep who are lost, the ones who stray, the ones who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The One who laid down His life for us. He searches for us because we are not inclined to look for Him. The days of clouds and darkness cause us to scatter in search of the joy, fulfillment, peace, and love that only He can give us. Without our Shepherd, we are broken, we are weak, and we’ve been hurt. But when He finds us, He brings us back to the fold and He binds up our brokenness and becomes our strength and protector.
Some of you can’t relate to this revised picture of our Good Shepherd, and that’s okay. Some may have been born into the flock and know the blessing and care of the Shepherd from a young age on. Some may have never wandered too far. But others of us experienced life without a Shepherd for a long time. We were sheep who know what it's like to be away from the flock. We were sheep who know the fear of feeling alone in the woods. We were sheep who got very muddy. We were confused sheep who had grown so very tired from running away from the Shepherd that we didn’t even know we needed...but Who was running after us the whole time.
So, yes, this revised picture of the Good Shepherd spoke volumes to my heart. I could relate to that little lamb. But even more than that, I saw the urgency of my Good Shepherd to save me, and to save all of His sheep. I knew it was His choice, not mine. I knew it was His strength, not mine. I knew it was based on His love for me, not on my love for Him. I saw my own helplessness, and His faithfulness. Now, all I know is I am His, and He is mine; I am His sheep, and He is my Shepherd. That’s the way it’s been and that’s the way it’ll always be….
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. (Psalm 23:6a)
