#Good shepherd

[thewordfortheday]

The LORD is my Shepherd; therefore, I shall not be in want. Psalm 23:1

I shall lack nothing, because I have the best possible shepherd taking care of me. He makes me lie down in green pastures. (Psalm 23:1-2) Our Shepherd leads and feeds us. Our Shepherd guards and guides us. Our Shepherd is good and gracious to us forever. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep and then rose again victorious over all our foes. With our Good Shepherd beside us, we have no evil to fear and every good to look forward to! Hallelujah!

#bible verse #daily devotional #christian quotes #bible quotes #inspiration #daily devotion #christian quote #christian life #scripture #bible #good shepherd

[jessicalprice]

adventures in christian opinions about judaism

(reposted from Twitter)

So a while back I started writing a thing on the trio of parables that ends with the prodigal son (which I still need to finish) and like MAN OH MAN do Christian commentators insist that Jews hate shepherds.

Like, I can't even count the number of commentaries that insist that shepherds were "despised figures" for first-century Jews and the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin were designed to insult the Pharisees by comparing them first to a shepherd and then to a woman.

So, as is my wont whenever Christian commentators make a claim about what was normal for first-century Judaism, I decided to try to hunt down their source on this.

As I've said many times, when it comes to Christian parable interpreters' claims about what attitudes/beliefs/etc. were normal for first-century Jews, get used to the phrase "no sources are cited."

I mean, first off, as a 21st-century Jew, the insistence that 1st-century Jews hated shepherds rings odd, given that <checks notes> Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, all of Jacob's kids (the founders of the tribes), David, etc. were all sheep-tenders. The image of God as a shepherd is pretty consistent throughout the Tanakh. That image reappears in the Qumran texts, which as far as I know, are one of the few Jewish sources we have from 1st-century Judaea.

The term "despised" gets used a lot, so I decided to dig into that one.

When I was able to find citations, I traced them back to an 1882 commentary by a guy named Frederic Farrar.

Farrar cites Heinrich Meyer as a source for this, but when I looked up THAT citation, it's Meyer saying that shepherds were a "lowly but patriarchally consecrated class" -- in other words, poor, but with a distinguished history and status.

So that's why everyone's tossing the term "despised" around--because Farrar just made it up. But what about primary sources? I went back on the hunt.

Surprisingly, in a number of reference works, like glossaries and Jeffers's "Greco-Roman World of the New Testament," I found similar assertions about the common attitude toward shepherds, for which they cited...

<drum roll>

Aristotle. You know, the Greek guy who lived 300 years before Jesus? Definitely a reliable source for Jewish attitudes of the time.

Some people cited Philo's On Agriculture. Okay, Philo was at least Jewish and lived when Jesus would have, although he was a wealthy Hellenized Jew living in Alexandria rather than a Pharisee living in the Galilee. But okay, at least it's the right culture and time period. (The reference in Philo turns out to be talking about the section of Genesis in which Joseph's brothers come visit him in Egypt. It talks about how they were proud to be shepherds, and criticizes (gentile) kings who look down on shepherds.)

Then we've got Mishnah Kiddushin, in which a bunch of rabbis are having a debate about which professions make you trustworthy vs untrustworthy, and one rabbi lists everyone from camel-drivers to herders to barbers to shopkeepers as untrustworthy. Another rabbi comes back and is like, nah, all those people are fine upstanding folks; it's doctors and butchers you've gotta watch out for. So they're citing one cranky dude with a LONG list of people he doesn't like, who immediately gets shot down, as evidence of the normative attitude for Jews about a century earlier.

Oh, and we've got a citation of Midrash Tehillim which says that God-as-shepherd doesn't have any of the failings of humans-as-shepherds, which... sure. Also, it was codified in the 1300s?

The most compelling citation is from the Talmud (Sanhedrin 25b), in which the rabbis discuss who's qualified to be a legal witness. They exclude shepherds, because shepherds graze their animals on other people's land, which some of the rabbis see as a type of theft.

The Talmud is a record of debates, but this passage definitely makes it sound like this is a majority opinion. (It should be noted that the passage disqualifies all KINDS of people, from those who lend with interest to those who fly pigeons, as having conflicts of interest.)

But the important thing here is that the Talmud includes records of debates from as late as the 4th or 5th centuries CE (300-400 years after Jesus's time), and the passage makes a point of noting that the disqualification of shepherds as witnesses is a later development.

So in other words, the idea that the Pharisees hated shepherds and would have been insulted by Jesus telling a story in which the protagonist was a shepherd is based either on Greek attitudes that are 300 years too early or Jewish ones that are 300-400 years too late.

But people will twist themselves into citation knots (or just not bother citing a source at all) to insist that this was a common attitude so they can position the Pharisees as hating those charming humble shepherds and their fuzzy little lambs.

As to WHY this idea seems to be so important to them, well, you cannot read about Luke 15 without encountering the word "outcast" roughly 90 times per page.

The framing is Jesus was friend to The Outcasts while the Pharisees despised The Outcasts and the Lost Sheep, Coin, and Sons are all parables about accepting The Outcast.

Never mind that neither the sheep, the coin, nor either of the sons got kicked out of their communities. The sheep wandered off, as sheep are wont to do, the coin was lost by its owner, and the younger son decided to leave to go on a spending spree while the older son declined to attend the welcome back party for him after his dad managed to hire a band and caterers but never thought to let his own son know what was going on and he had to find out from a hired hand.

Moreover, the term "outcasts" gets used as a synonym for "tax collectors and sinners." Tax collectors were usually pretty well-off because they ran a protection racket for the Romans. Outcasts? I mean, I guess? But hardly in the "marginalized and powerless" sense.

As far as "sinners," the NT doesn't usually bother telling us what, exactly, they did to "sin," but on the rare occasions when it does offer that context, it's almost always wealthy people.

But why talk about that when they can present the objection the Pharisees had to Jesus's dining with "tax collectors and sinners" as the Pharisees despising lowly outcasts, and insist that the Pharisees hated the idea of such people repenting and returning, and so Jesus was tweaking their noses by comparing them to shepherds and women.

As if, you know, teshuvah wasn't something the Pharisees were ALL ABOUT. If you want to actually understand, consider that the iconic tax collector in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector shows no inclination to STOP being a tax collector.

The objection wasn't you're having a friendly dinner with poor lowly outcasts for whom we have contempt. It was you're having a friendly dinner with people who are extorting their neighbors on behalf of the invaders who kill us for looking at them funny and have expressed no intention to stop doing that.

Now, there's a good discussion to be had about whether shunning Trump lawyers and Marjorie Taylor-Greene donors or inviting them to dinner and trying to win them over with compassion is more effective, more ethical, more compassionate (to whom?), etc.

But presumably we can see why people of intelligence and goodwill might disagree on which of those approaches is the right thing to do, and why such people might might object to the strategy they don't agree with.

But what really gets me is that Christians have the utter fucking NERVE to paint the Pharisees as inhumanly awful for not wanting to have dinner with tax collectors while viewing Corinthians as Holy Writ:

I mean, Paul's all YOU MUST SHUN ALCOHOLICS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE GREEDY and Christians are like yes, that makes sense, but if the Pharisees are like, no, I don't want to have dinner with that guy who narced on my cousin and got him crucified, Christians are like, they're monsters.

Cool, cool.

Anyway, this has been your weekly edition of Christians Need To Stop Just Making Shit Up About Jews And Then Citing Each Other Like It's Fact.

And there were a lot of "I've never heard anyone say Jews of Jesus's time hated shepherds..." responses: Maybe you haven't, but that doesn't make it uncommon.

Sources in which I've found it:

Craig Blomberg (Denver Seminary, Society of Biblical Literature, Tyndale House, NIV translation committee)

Jared Wilson (professor at multiple Baptist seminaries)

Stephen Wright (Spurgeon College (British evangelical college))

Arland Hultgren (Luther Seminary (ELCA))

Kenneth Bailey (Presbyterian/Episcopalian)

Joachim Jeremias (Lutheran, cited EVERYWHERE)

Bernard Brandon Scott (Disciples of Christ, the Jesus Seminar)

Klyne Snodgrass (Evangelical Covenant Church)

Barbara Reid (Catholic Biblical Association)

That particular trope spans denominations, decades, etc. It's not a fringe viewpoint.

#christian exegesis #antisemitism #jumblr #citational politics #bad methodology #parables #pharisees #first century judaism #second temple judaism #good shepherd #prodigal son #why are christians like this?

[apenitentialprayer]

I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well.

Samwise Gamgee (J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King)

#Christianity #Catholicism #Good Shepherd #Jesus Christ #Adam and Eve #Lord of the Rings #Samwise Gamgee #J.R.R. Tolkien #Parable of the Good Samaritan #suffering #compassion #icon #redemption #grace

[hopethroughscriptureministries]

The Parable of the Lost Sheep:

Redemption and Restoration

In the parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus conveys a deep message about the relentless pursuit of redemption and the boundless grace of God. Let us delve into this timeless story and explore its significance in our lives today.

A certain shepherd had a hundred sheep, yet one of them strayed from the fold. Undeterred by the ninety-nine, the shepherd embarked on a relentless search for the lost sheep. He scoured the hills and valleys until, at last, he found the wayward sheep, weary and alone.

Filled with compassion, the shepherd tenderly lifted the sheep onto his shoulders and rejoiced, calling together his friends and neighbors to celebrate the sheep's return. In the same way, Jesus explains, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Luke 15:3-7).

This parable reminds us of the depth of God's love and his unwavering commitment to seek out and restore the lost. Just as the shepherd pursued the lost sheep, so too does our Heavenly Father pursue each one of us with relentless love and compassion.

No matter how far we may have strayed, God's arms are always open wide, ready to welcome us back into His embrace. His grace knows no bounds, and His forgiveness is freely offered to all who humble themselves and turn back to Him.

The parable of the Lost Sheep challenges us to reflect on our own lives and consider those areas where we may have wandered away from God's path. It beckons us to return to the fold, to repent of our sins, and to experience the joy of reconciliation with our Heavenly Father.

Just as the shepherd rejoiced over the lost sheep's return, so too does God rejoice over each one of us when we turn back to Him. Our repentance brings joy to heaven, and our restored relationship with God brings fulfillment and purpose to our lives.

Broader context:

Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7):

This is the main passage where the parable is found.

God's Pursuit of the Lost:

Ezekiel 34:16 - God seeks out the lost and brings them back to safety.

Isaiah 53:6 - We all, like sheep, have gone astray, but the Lord laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all.

Matthew 18:12-14 - Jesus' teaching about the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one lost sheep.

Psalm 119:176 - Like a lost sheep, seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

God's Rejoicing over Repentance:

Luke 15:10 - There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Luke 15:32 - It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.

God's Unfailing Love and Faithfulness:

Psalm 23:1-3 - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

Psalm 36:5 - Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 136:1 - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Lamentations 3:22-23 - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The Shepherd's Role as a Metaphor for Jesus:

John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Hebrews 13:20 - Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant.

Call to Repentance and Restoration:

Joel 2:12-13 - "Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments."

Revelation 3:20 - Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The Joy of Salvation:

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Psalm 51:12 - Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Questions:

Have I strayed from God's path, and if so, am I willing to humble myself and turn back to Him?

Do I fully grasp the depth of God's love and His relentless pursuit of me, even in my moments of wandering?

How can I share the message of God's grace and redemption with others who may feel lost or disconnected from Him?

What steps can I take to deepen my relationship with God and experience the fullness of His joy and restoration in my life?

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your unwavering love and grace, demonstrated to us through the parable of the Lost Sheep. Give us the courage to humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and return to you with open hearts. May we never forget the depth of your love for us and the joy that comes from being reconciled to you. In Jesus' name, amen.

#ParableOfTheLostSheep #Redemption #Restoration #GodsLove #Grace #Repentance #Reconciliation #Joy #Sermon #Prayer #christian blog #christian faith #compassion #christianlife #christianity #jesus christ #salvation #jesus #god #biblestudy #holy bible #bible verse #bible scripture #christian #bible study #bible #biblicalteachings #biblical studies #lost sheep #good shepherd

[dramoor]

"Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken. These lambs are called 'bummer lambs.' Unless the Shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the Shepherd does?

He takes that rejected little one into His home, hand-feeds it and keeps it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to His chest so the bummer can hear His heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the Shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.

But that sheep never forgets how the Shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the Shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to Him first?

That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows His voice intimately. It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the One who loves it and has experienced that love one on one.

So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.

I am a bummer lamb adopted and loved by The Good Shepherd!"

~Author Unknown (via Twitter)

#bummer lambs #Good Shepherd #Lord Jesus Christ #love #agape #Christian #saved #rejected

[jenfoundabug]

Ants in the genus Formica defending their aphid farm on the underside of some wildflowers in Tahoe National Forest (Sierra Mountains), California. Many ants in this genus feed primarily on honeydew, a sugary substance excreted by aphids. The ant colony takes care of their livestock, moving aphids to new locations if they need more food and protecting them from predation. Outside of humans, ants are some of the only animals that grow and tend their own food.

And here's a slightly better photo of the aphids:

#ants #aphids #ant farm #ants tending aphids #nature #bugs #nature photography #biodiversity #animals #inaturalist #arthropods #bugblr #entomology #insect appreciation #hymenoptera #formica #hemiptera #farming #good shepherd #livestock #homesteading #agriculture #wildlife #sierra mountains #tahoe national forest #high sierra #wildflowers #macro photography

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Lord is My Shepherd

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. — Psalm 23 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Deuteronomy 20:1; 2 Samuel 22:19; Psalm 5:8; Psalm 16:5; Psalm 19:7; Psalm 25:7; Psalm 25:10; Psalm 36:8; Psalm 46:4; Luke 7:46; John 10:11; Philippians 4:19; 1 Peter 2:25; Revelation 7:17

#Lord #Good Shepherd #safety #provision #sheep #guidance #security #love #deliverance #enemies #Psalm 23 #Book of Psalms #Old Testament #KJV #King James Version #Holy Bible

[lionofchaeronea]

The Good Shepherd, James Tissot, between 1886 and 1894

#Eastertide #lectionary #art #art history #James Tissot #religious art #Biblical art #Christian art #Christianity #Good Shepherd #parables #gouache #British art #English art #Anglo-French art #Victorian period #Victorian art #19th century art #Brooklyn Museum

[momentsbeforemass]

What are you so worried about?

(by request, my homily from Sunday)

What are you so worried about?

My first thought, when someone asks that, is “how much time do you have?”

Because I’ve got a list. Stuff I’m worried about. Stuff I should be worried about. Stuff I forgot to be worried about - that’s going surprise me later when I remember it.

There may be different things on it, but every one of us has a list like that. We’ve got a lot to be worried about.

That’s where you and I are at, when we hear today’s Psalm,

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.”

It’s a breath of fresh air – compared to everything that you and I are worried about. One that sounds great, if you’re a sheep.

I grew up grain farming with my dad. We didn’t have livestock. So, I didn’t know much about sheep.

We had some cousins who raised sheep a few miles up the road. I’d always see the sheep standing out there in the pasture when we drove past.

Watching how they moved in one big bunch, seeing how the sheep followed my cousins around, they never struck me as being very bright animals.

But seeing sheep from a car window for a few seconds as you drive past? That doesn’t give you the whole picture.

I found this out the first time I actually worked with sheep.

It turns out that what Jesus is saying in the Gospel about who sheep will follow is right.

Sheep won’t follow just anybody. In fact, they won’t follow anybody – until they get to know you.

If you go out in the pasture and start calling sheep that don’t know you, they’ll just look at you.

They don’t waste their time with people they don’t know.

Sheep are very peaceful animals.

If you get upset and start yelling at them, they’ll just walk away.  

They don’t waste their time with people who are upset and agitated.

As it turns out, sheep do what they do, because they know what they want.

And what they want is to be at peace.

And they do what they do - to get that. Because peace doesn’t happen by accident.

You and I can’t wait to have peace when our list of things to worry about runs out. Because every day, something else adds itself to the list. Truth be told, we’ll never get to the end of that list.    

That’s why if you and I want peace, we can’t wait for it to happen. Because peace doesn’t happen by accident.

We need peace right in the middle of it all. We need peace, even though we’ve still got a list.

So, what do sheep have to do with that?

For animals that want to be at peace, sheep are sitting ducks for pretty much anything that wants to get them.

They can’t run fast. They don’t kick very well. They don’t have claws or sharp teeth.

Sheep are basically defenseless. Sheep know this. That’s why they rely on the shepherd to take care of them.

And the shepherd does. The shepherd makes their peace possible.

When a storm’s coming in, the sheep will follow the shepherd to shelter.

When they hear wolves or coyotes, the sheep know the shepherd will fight their battles.

That is what the sheep do. What the sheep don’t do - is worry. No sheep has ever worried and “what-iffed” themselves into a sleepless night.

Because they know that as long as they’re with the shepherd, everything will be fine.

That’s what the 23rd Psalm is telling us – “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”

That’s what Jesus is telling us in today’s Gospel. Making it clear that there is no limit to what the Good Shepherd will do to protect His sheep.

If you and I want peace, we need to be like sheep.

As much as we may not like to admit it, there’s not much that you and I can do to stop most of what wants to be on our list of things to worry about.

And even when we can stop some of those things, you and I can’t stop everything. As hard as we try, there will always be something that finds its way onto that list.

Which is why you and I need to be like sheep.

Don’t waste your time thinking about your list of things to worry about.

Instead, think about the Good Shepherd who is watching over you. And stay in peace.

The God who has always loved you, from before you were born, is guiding you and protecting you. Even now.

That doesn’t mean that life will become magically trouble-free and nothing bad will ever happen, if you don’t focus on all the reasons to worry.

We all know from experience that sometimes the only way out is through.

But instead of looking at everything that’s on the list, instead of focusing on the reasons to worry in life, look to God.

The Good Shepherd who makes our peace possible.

When the storms come in, be like sheep.

When you hear wolves and coyotes, be like sheep.

As long as you’re with the Shepherd, everything will be fine.

This is the lesson from the sheep.

Stay in peace. Trust the Good Shepherd. Be like sheep.

Sunday’s Readings

#Trust God #Peace #God #Jesus #Catholic #Christian #Church #Stay in Peace #Worry #Worrying #Sheep #Good Shepherd #Moments Before Mass

[ad-crucem]

I am the Good Shepherd: and I know My sheep, and Mine know Me, alleluia.

Christ as the Good Shepherd, unknown artist (Bavaria, 1750)

#catholic #jesus #good shepherd #easter #bible #art #painting #good shepherd sunday #german art #bavarian art

[mysimpleservant]

#jesus #god #love #truth #motivation #god’s truth #insperation #faith #strength #thank god #sin #redemption #saviour #christ #holyspirit #jesusistheway #jesuschrist #godislove #godisgood #good shepherd #praise #hallelujah

[jt1674]

#jorma kaukonen #good shepherd

[joschka-vanderlucht]

The Shepherd 🐏🐑

#lego #afol #legophotography #toy photography #lego photography #sheep #toy #photography #oc art #good shepherd #lego minifigures #minifigs #animals #nature

[dramoor]

"Like a newborn in the arms of his mother, you are loved before you can do any good.  Indeed, like the newborn, we tend to make a mess of things without seeming to have any control.  A mother does not stop loving her child when a diaper needs to be changed.  Our Father does not stop loving us when we make a mess of things when we sin."

~Troy Kroening

#Good Shepherd #Christian art #Lord Jesus Christ #Savior #Redeemer #agape #love #you are loved before you can do any good

[wiirocku]

Rainbow over The Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

#nature #rainbow #church #good shepherd #Lake Tekapo #New Zealand #outdoor #travel #photography #landscape

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Good Shepherd

Then I will place one shepherd over them, my servant David, and he will take care of them. He will take care of them and be their shepherd. — Ezekiel 34:23 | God's Word Translation (GWT) The Holy Bible, GOD’S WORD® Translation Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Cross References: Psalm 89:49; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 3:15; Jeremiah 23:4; John 10:11; John 10:16; Revelation 7:17

#Jesus #Good Shepherd #appointed #servant #David #sheep #fed #Ezekiel 34:23 #Book of Ezekiel #Old Testament #GWT #God's Word Translation #Holy BIble #God's Word to the Nations