the good shepherd - dr. timothy laniak - 2010

8/9/2019 The Good Shepherd - Dr. Timothy Laniak - 2010

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The Good Shepherd:

The Identity of Jesus in Light of an Old Testament Tradition

Dr. Tim Laniak, Dean of the Charlotte Campus and

Curator of the Robert C. Cooley Collection

The perennial questions in Jesus studies are the same ones the Lord posed to his disciples in

Caesarea Philippi: Who do people say the Son of Man is? and Who do you say I am? (Matt.16:13, 15). These identity questions have been answered in a variety of ways discussed in the

Cooley lectures and in this newsletter. In this brief article, I will look to the First Testament for

one of several prototypical or archetypal categories that shaped the anticipations of those who

listened carefully to the sacred scriptures. The question of Christ in the Old Testament, as oddas it sounds, is, for both historical and theological reasons, an appropriate place to begin

understanding the biblical portrait of the incarnate Son of God.

Not surprisingly, God is introduced first as a Divine Shepherd in the account of the Exodus and

Wilderness sojourn. Here, in a desert setting, this image becomes fundamental to understandingYHWHs leadership as provider, protector, and guide. In the song of Moses and Miriam, God is

praised for his pastoral commitment to take his people to their new home. In your unfailing loveyou will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy

dwelling (lit., pasture. Exod. 15: 13; cf. Deut. 32:10-12).iThe prophet Hosea quotes the Divine

Shepherd: I led them with cords of human kindnessand bent down to feed them (Hos. 11:4).

The psalmist employs the pastoral metaphor in an extended summary of Israels history: But hebrought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert. He guided them

safely, so they were unafraid (Ps. 78:52-53). The familiar but less common image in Ps. 23:1 of

the Lord as my shepherd is balanced by more frequent references to God as the shepherd of his

collective flock. We are the sheep of his pasture (Ps. 100:3).

Most biblical representations of God as shepherd are connected to the story line or meta-

narrative of Gods leadership of his people out ofbondage, through the wilderness, and to the

Promised Land. In fact, the prophets likened captivity in Assyria, Babylon and Egypt to the

communitys earlier experiences in Egypt. In Isaiahs messianic fortieth chapter, the voice

calling in the desert prepares the way for the one who will tend his flock like a shepherdgather the lambs in his arms and carry them close to his heart; gently leading those that have

young (Isa. 40:11). Jeremiah blames a community for not asking, Where is the Lord, who

brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of desertsand rifts, a land of drought and darkness? (Jer. 2:5-6). God describes an alarming irony in this:

My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam

on the mountains [they] forgot their own resting place. Whoever found them devoured them;their enemies said, We are not guilty, forthey sinned against the Lord, their true pasture (Jer.50:6-7).

Ezekiel shares Jeremiahs perspective on the exile. In an extended parable this prophet describesa community left for prey by negligent and self-serving leaderseven insinuating that they were

behaving like the Egyptian task-masters. God promises personally to search for my sheep and

look after themI will rescue them I will bring them out from the nationsI will bring them


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to their own landI will pasturethem on the mountains of IsraelI will tend my sheep and

make them lie downI will shepherd the flock with justice (Ezek. 34:11-16). After this seriesof passionate personal promises is stated, the Sovereign Lord declares that he will place over his

flock one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend themand be their shepherd (Ezek.34:23).

Ezekiel simultaneously predicts Gods personal intervention to rescue and lead his flockandhis

appointment of David to be their shepherd. Here is a beautiful both-and in messianic

expectation. God had once before led his flock directly and also chose David his servant andtook him from the sheep pens, from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his

people JacobSo David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led

them (Ps. 78:70-71; cf. 2 Sam. 7:5-10).ii

The Divine Shepherd and his ideal, appointed

shepherd-ruler both form prototypes for the coming Messiah.

The gospels are full of evidence that Jews expected a Davidic king to come and save them from

their oppression.iii

What they didnt realize was that the Divine Shepherd would come himself to

save them and lead them out of bondage. Jesus was both God and David.

Matthew presents Jesus as a Davidic shepherd, emphasizing his roots in Bethlehem, and his

compassion for the harassed and helpless crowds whom he viewed as sheep without a

shepherd (Matt. 9:36). This description of Jesus is embedded in a summary statement of hisministry of preaching and healing. It is followed by his charge to the disciples to serve the lost

sheep of Israel (10:5-6). The parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 balances theportrait of the Messianic shepherd as both healer and judge.

Marks presentation of Christ emphasize his ministry to needy people (especially feeding them)

in the desert and deserted places, clearly echoing Gods pastoral provision in the wilderness

sojourn. These terms (along with bread) are disproportionately prevalent in the first section ofMark (6:30-8:26).iv This segment begins with Jesus viewing a large crowd with compassion,

because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34). As in Matthew, this phrasesuggests both prophetic criticism over poor leadership and the promised arrival of the Divine

Shepherd.

Luke has his own perspective on Jesus as shepherd. The lost sheep parable (which also appears

in Matthew) is situated in the large middle section that climaxes with the story of Zacchaeus.

These two stories share a similar setting: Jesus is criticized for dining with sinners. His

explanation goes to the heart of his pastoral identity: The Son of Man came to seek and to save

what was lost (Luke 19:10). After this episode, Jesus faces Jerusalem for his Passion.

Johns presentation of Jesus orients his readers to the deliberate choice of the good shepherd tobecome the paschal sacrifice. This is explained explicitly in the well known parable in chapter

10, but it begins in chapter 1 when John the Baptizer announces that Jesus is the Lamb of Godwho takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The sequence of events in the Lords three

year ministry is then organized around three Passover occasions. As with the other gospels, thedeath of Christ takes place during this festival which commemorates Gods liberation of Hispeople from captivity. Other gospels writers also turn their readers attention during the


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crucifixion to Zechariahs prediction of a struck shepherd and scattered flock (Zech. 13:7; cf.

Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27; John 16:32). John adds the three-fold charge to Peter to feed my

sheep (John 21:15-17).

The image of Jesus as the Divine Shepherd climaxes in the New Testament with the visions of

the Apocalypse (Revelation). There the slain Lamb who sits on the throne will spread his tentover his people... For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd (Rev. 7:15,17). Here is a beautiful vision of pastoral care with Jesus leading his own to springs of living

water in a world without suffering.

Who is Jesus? Among many answers the Bible provides, one of the richest is, The Shepherd of

Israel (Ps. 80:1).

(For a thorough treatment of the biblical use of shepherd imagery in the Bible and an extensive

supplementary bibliography, see Dr. Laniaks Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral

Traditions and Leadership in the Bible, InterVarsity Press, 2006).

_______________________________________i All citations are taken from the NIV unless otherwise specified.iiCompare the reference to God leading his people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron in Ps. 77:20.

iiiIn the Synoptic Gospels Davids name appears 15 times in Matthew, 7 times in Mark, and 12 times in Luke. Ten

of the occurrences in Matthew use the phrase Son of David.iv

The word artos (bread) is used 15 times in these three chapters.Eremos (desert), appearing 3 times in this section,

is used 6 times in Marks prologue to set the stage for Jesus ministry.

the good shepherd - dr. timothy laniak - 2010

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