Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Hermann Jess, 1904. (Friedenskirche in Hanau, Germany)
The Good Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 6
THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN May/June 2020
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by Jim Chimirri-Russell
uch is the 23rd Psalm, and it is one of the most well-known passages in the Scriptures. It is so well known, in fact, that if someone knows nothing else of the Bible, they will likely have heard this passage. It is a staple at funerals, and apart from John 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer, it is the most widely heard and read passage in the Bible. It is also important for us to remember this passage when we think about Jesus referring to himself as the Good Shepherd. We so often forget that the people of Israel were very well acquainted with what we call the Old Testament—much more so than we Christians are today. When Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, He is tying himself into something bigger and more important than just making an illustration or metaphor about Himself. So what is Jesus saying when He calls Himself the Good Shepherd? He is calling Himself God, by using language God uses about Himself. When David talks about the Lord in Psalm 23, in words that would echo down through the centuries, He does so by talking about the Lord as shepherd: one that will save, comfort, and protect His sheep. But while the 23rd Psalm is the best known of the passages about the Lord as Shepherd, it is not the only one. There are more, and they are more pronounced.
