Saturday Easter Week Four -- May 10
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Meditation
Saturday of Easter Week Four lessons addressed sheep. Not many of us today understand about sheep. City-dwellers and non-agrarians probably know more about sheep from the Bible than other sources. But in Old and New Testament times, sheep were to them as sports’ talk is to us.
The lessons hold true today, even as they did back then.
The Psalmist talked of a good shepherd taking care of his flock—leading them to good pasture, still waters (did you know that sheep won’t drink from rushing water? They’ll die unless they drink from calm water), leading on a precarious path where marauders lurk to pounce and eat them, or preparing a table (that would be the field. Sheep are not smart to recognize poisonous plants, so the shepherd would have to prepare the field for them to graze by removing all risky plants) in front of my enemies (sheep will panic in the face of enemies and will freeze. They won’t eat and could die before they relaxed. So a shepherd who makes a field ready and the sheep are so relaxed because of the assurance of his protection that they will eat in front of actual enemies spoke to the incredible trust in the shepherd and the shepherd’s powerful skill). These lessons I learned 30 years ago from reading a great book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.
We lived in the Middle East and watched shepherds tend their flocks on the hills, and lead them back to their corrals at night. Quite different from the way other countries manage flocks, but very consistent with the Scripture’s view. A shepherd must lead, not follow a flock.
The Old Testament lesson in Ezekiel, indicted the leaders of Israel. Shepherds were not caring for their flocks. The leaders were killing the fat sheep to eat and using the wool and skins for themselves, but many of the flock were hungry, weak, injured and scattered.
God was harsher talking about the leaders to Ezekiel, just as Jesus was harsh with the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were pretending faithfulness, but inside they were selfish and cruel. But God’s love for the children of Israel and determination not to let them be lost forever and scattered injured and sick, victims of predators, resulted in God’s promise to become the shepherd for them. God would be the shepherd, i.e. Jesus became the shepherd.
When Jesus came, his words appealed to the wounded, the sick, the scattered, the alienated and the leaders criticized him for it. “He eats with sinners and tax collectors.”
Tax collectors were considered vile moochers. They served the invading government by collecting taxes from their own people. But not only collecting the tax, they also added a chunk of change as their own take. So if the tax was 20% of your flock, the tax collector would charge 50% of the flock and pocket the rest. They were vile and cruel people, as a rule. Usurers, they were called, akin to today’s loan sharks.
These were the people Jesus ate and spoke with. For the Pharisees, who had standards to maintain, they ridiculed Jesus as being impure.
Years ago, a couple’s Sunday School teacher had been teaching about the importance welcoming everyone into the church and not judging people by their appearance. After months of teaching, he asked a distant friend to come to his class one Sunday, dressed in a white leather mini-skirt, a low cut blouse and white go-go boots. Excessive make up finished the look.
She arrived and sat in the front row, so she would be visible to everyone. In a class of over forty people, not one person greeted her or sat within three chairs of her. The teacher taught the same lesson of ‘not-judging’ and issued the call to reach out. His class nodded animatedly and he waited while people greeted each other. The teacher resumed the class and said, “I’d like to introduce a friend of mine, who agreed to conduct an experiment of how well we are implementing the Word of God into our lives.”
He held his hand out and she stood up. The class gasped and the teacher explained his long-time Christian friend had deliberately dressed like a prostitute, to test whether the church was truly welcoming of anyone—especially the lost—or still acting like a country club for saints.
Lesson learned.
Jesus explained that when there is one lost sheep, a good shepherd will do everything to find it and bring it safely into the flock. If there are any lost sheep around us, are we doing everything to win their trust? Are we welcoming of those homeless folk, who may smell if they sit next to us in church? Are we reaching out to those who are injured, sick or need assistance? Or do we shy away?
The lesson today was directed at the leaders, but we just spoke of the priesthood of all believers, so regardless of where we are in the range of leadership to newbie, we are a part of the team to welcome the lost. And when we help bring a soul to Christ, the angels are cheering—imagine the largest stadium in the world filled with fans (angels) cheering for you, because you helped a lost person find hope in Jesus—and then multiply it by infinity.
Thanks be to God.¬¬
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Season of Easter Art
Saturday, Easter Week Four
Psalm 23
Ezekiel 34:1-16
Luke 15:1-7
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Psalm 23
King James Version (KJV)
23 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.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
Luke 15:1-7
King James Version (KJV)
15 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, forgive us for our judgment of others and our failure to protect the injured and sick, while ignoring the lost. Help us to shine as a beacon of hope in our communities and world that your name will be praised. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Saturday of Easter Week Four’s lesson was shop- talk about sheep. But the images of a shepherd willing to do anything for our protection gave hope to any believer. And it presented a vision of how leaders should behave toward the flock and the lost.
We must self-check again, since any believer can be counted as a leader (priesthood of all believers). Are we doing what we ought to reach out to the sick, the injured, and the lost? Maybe we are the sick, the injured and the lost…waiting for someone to help. God promised Ezekiel to become the Shepherd and sent Jesus, to be the good Shepherd for us. Jesus is only a prayer away from healing and being found. Jesus is trustworthy like the Psalmist’s shepherd.
Wherever you are, there is hope in Jesus. If you are a ‘leader’ and feel clueless, the Word (Jesus) of God can give you the direction to go, the words to say, and even change your feelings of revulsion to ones of love for the unlovely. If you are the injured and lost, Jesus stands at your door, waiting for you to open yourself to his healing power.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Saturday of Easter Week Four lessons addressed sheep. Not many of us today understand about sheep. City-dwellers and non-agrarians probably know more about sheep from the Bible than other sources. But in Old and New Testament times, sheep were to them as sports’ talk is to us.
The lessons hold true today, even as they did back then.
The Psalmist talked of a good shepherd taking care of his flock—leading them to good pasture, still waters (did you know that sheep won’t drink from rushing water? They’ll die unless they drink from calm water), leading on a precarious path where marauders lurk to pounce and eat them, or preparing a table (that would be the field. Sheep are not smart to recognize poisonous plants, so the shepherd would have to prepare the field for them to graze by removing all risky plants) in front of my enemies (sheep will panic in the face of enemies and will freeze. They won’t eat and could die before they relaxed. So a shepherd who makes a field ready and the sheep are so relaxed because of the assurance of his protection that they will eat in front of actual enemies spoke to the incredible trust in the shepherd and the shepherd’s powerful skill). These lessons I learned 30 years ago from reading a great book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.
We lived in the Middle East and watched shepherds tend their flocks on the hills, and lead them back to their corrals at night. Quite different from the way other countries manage flocks, but very consistent with the Scripture’s view. A shepherd must lead, not follow a flock.
The Old Testament lesson in Ezekiel, indicted the leaders of Israel. Shepherds were not caring for their flocks. The leaders were killing the fat sheep to eat and using the wool and skins for themselves, but many of the flock were hungry, weak, injured and scattered.
God was harsher talking about the leaders to Ezekiel, just as Jesus was harsh with the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were pretending faithfulness, but inside they were selfish and cruel. But God’s love for the children of Israel and determination not to let them be lost forever and scattered injured and sick, victims of predators, resulted in God’s promise to become the shepherd for them. God would be the shepherd, i.e. Jesus became the shepherd.
When Jesus came, his words appealed to the wounded, the sick, the scattered, the alienated and the leaders criticized him for it. “He eats with sinners and tax collectors.”
Tax collectors were considered vile moochers. They served the invading government by collecting taxes from their own people. But not only collecting the tax, they also added a chunk of change as their own take. So if the tax was 20% of your flock, the tax collector would charge 50% of the flock and pocket the rest. They were vile and cruel people, as a rule. Usurers, they were called, akin to today’s loan sharks.
These were the people Jesus ate and spoke with. For the Pharisees, who had standards to maintain, they ridiculed Jesus as being impure.
Years ago, a couple’s Sunday School teacher had been teaching about the importance welcoming everyone into the church and not judging people by their appearance. After months of teaching, he asked a distant friend to come to his class one Sunday, dressed in a white leather mini-skirt, a low cut blouse and white go-go boots. Excessive make up finished the look.
She arrived and sat in the front row, so she would be visible to everyone. In a class of over forty people, not one person greeted her or sat within three chairs of her. The teacher taught the same lesson of ‘not-judging’ and issued the call to reach out. His class nodded animatedly and he waited while people greeted each other. The teacher resumed the class and said, “I’d like to introduce a friend of mine, who agreed to conduct an experiment of how well we are implementing the Word of God into our lives.”
He held his hand out and she stood up. The class gasped and the teacher explained his long-time Christian friend had deliberately dressed like a prostitute, to test whether the church was truly welcoming of anyone—especially the lost—or still acting like a country club for saints.
Lesson learned.
Jesus explained that when there is one lost sheep, a good shepherd will do everything to find it and bring it safely into the flock. If there are any lost sheep around us, are we doing everything to win their trust? Are we welcoming of those homeless folk, who may smell if they sit next to us in church? Are we reaching out to those who are injured, sick or need assistance? Or do we shy away?
The lesson today was directed at the leaders, but we just spoke of the priesthood of all believers, so regardless of where we are in the range of leadership to newbie, we are a part of the team to welcome the lost. And when we help bring a soul to Christ, the angels are cheering—imagine the largest stadium in the world filled with fans (angels) cheering for you, because you helped a lost person find hope in Jesus—and then multiply it by infinity.
Thanks be to God.¬¬
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Season of Easter Art
Saturday, Easter Week Four
Psalm 23
Ezekiel 34:1-16
Luke 15:1-7
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Psalm 23
King James Version (KJV)
23 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.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
Luke 15:1-7
King James Version (KJV)
15 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, forgive us for our judgment of others and our failure to protect the injured and sick, while ignoring the lost. Help us to shine as a beacon of hope in our communities and world that your name will be praised. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Saturday of Easter Week Four’s lesson was shop- talk about sheep. But the images of a shepherd willing to do anything for our protection gave hope to any believer. And it presented a vision of how leaders should behave toward the flock and the lost.
We must self-check again, since any believer can be counted as a leader (priesthood of all believers). Are we doing what we ought to reach out to the sick, the injured, and the lost? Maybe we are the sick, the injured and the lost…waiting for someone to help. God promised Ezekiel to become the Shepherd and sent Jesus, to be the good Shepherd for us. Jesus is only a prayer away from healing and being found. Jesus is trustworthy like the Psalmist’s shepherd.
Wherever you are, there is hope in Jesus. If you are a ‘leader’ and feel clueless, the Word (Jesus) of God can give you the direction to go, the words to say, and even change your feelings of revulsion to ones of love for the unlovely. If you are the injured and lost, Jesus stands at your door, waiting for you to open yourself to his healing power.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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Replies
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I enjoyed the story of the friend coming to Sunday school dressed so revealing and everyone shunning her. Many years ago there was a man who walked through the neighborhood I lived in dressed in a white robe and carrying a type of towel over his arn, he was walking barefoot through the neighborhood. A Christian friend bought him into the Sunday school class I was visiting at a Church of God. She introduced him but no one talked with him. It was very strange. By the time the Sunday school class was over he left to go on his journey. To be truthful I had put my name on a card to be called by the pastor to pursue a possible membership but no one ever called me. The odd part of the man who looked like Jesus walking that road was, several young people had been killed in a,terrible car accident that Saturday night than the man who looked like Jesus came walking through i believe that the fundamentalist Christians in that church May have been alarmed at what was happening and idid nothing. Of course I am guessing. My friend nor I ever went back to that church. I believe many time we entertain angels unaware. Someday I will know why that man walked that neighborhood. Yes, Jesus like a shepherd leads us.0
