Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

the hope that we build on Him of our own resurrection, but further they assure us that He is unchanged. They shew that passing through death has made no alteration in Him, or in His mind towards us-that He is still the same-still merciful and gracious-still with a feeling for our infirmities-still the friend and Saviour of His brethren.

For, think how this is seen in all those several interviews recorded by the Evangelists.-Think how considerate, how kind, how forbearing He was towards His disciples-He talked with them—He journeyed with them -He sat at meat with them-He spake comfortably to them-He gave them His peace-He instructed them out of the word of God. By every "gesture and deed" that He did among them, "He declared His goodwill towards them "-shewed as strongly as it could be shewed, that He had their welfare at heart as much as ever-that although He was on one side of the grave, and they on the other, the link was not broken that had tied them together that He was still their loving Friend, and most dear Master, occupied as He had been of old in doing them good, and consulting for their welfare in all things -Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, to-day and for ever!

And how thankful should we feel for this! What encouragement does it give us-what boldness in drawing nigh unto our Lord-in going to Him for counsel, for comfort, for instruction in righteousness, for the pardon of our sins, for grace to serve God acceptably!

We were not on earth when He died and rose again. We were not present when He came suddenly, the doors being shut where the disciples were assembled, and shewed

them His hands and His side: we did not hear with our own ears those gracious words-Peace be unto you : neither did we walk by His side with those who journeyed that day to Emmaus, and hear Him with His own mouth expound the Scripture: we were not by when Thomas so nobly confessed Him-but we read of all these things in the Gospel, and we give them a place in our hearts. We see and value the proofs which they afford of the Lord's unchanged care and love for man. We see, that they were written, that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing we might have life through His name!

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

ST. JOHN X. 11.

I am the good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

-

THESE beautiful words are taken from the Gospel for this Sunday. They contain our Lord's own description of His office towards man - of the love and care He has for us-love and care that stopped at no sacrifice, that made Him ready even to die on our behalf-1 am the good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

The good Shepherd-that is the figure chosen by Christ to convey to us some just notion of what He is to

usward.

The more we dwell upon it, the more we shall be struck with its peculiar fitness to our Lord.

For what was the shepherd's work in that country of Palestine in which He lived while on earth?

It was hard work, anxious work, constant work. The man who was a shepherd there, had to be always on the alert. Neither by night nor by day could he take any long rest. For the country was an open, unenclosed

country-not divided into fields by hedges and fences, as with us-neither was it like our wide smooth downsbut it was a rocky, steep country, full of pitfalls and precipices-barren too, and dry-with only here and there a solitary well, out of which the shepherds had, with much labour, to draw water for their flocks.

Then, besides, there were dangers attending the care of sheep in Palestine, of which our shepherds know nothing-dangers from thieves, from armed plunderers, who, if not guarded against, would carry off whole flocks -dangers from wild beasts, from the wolf, the lion, and the bear, which haunted those rocky hills, laying down in their dens by day, and sallying forth at night, seeking whom they might devour.

You will see from this, what anxious, harassing work, keeping sheep must have been in that land in which our Lord lived. You will see that it was a work, for which special qualifications were needed. You will surely think that not every one, but rather a very few, would be likely to make good shepherds.

A hireling—a man engaged for money to tend the sheep-could hardly be expected to imperil his life, or even risk his limbs, on behalf of the flock: seeing the wolf coming, he would run and save himself, while the wolf caught and tore the sheep,

A man afraid of hard work, of a delicate frame that shrank from exposure to the weather, he would not do for the office for the shepherd had to bear the extremes of heat and cold-as Jacob urged in his remonstrance with Laban—the drought consumed him by day, and the frost by night.

Again, a man who wanted patience, who was soon put out and made angry, would not make a good shepherd— for the flocks often strayed long distances, and had to be sought, whole days together, in that rugged country.

Neither would he be a good shepherd who was hard and cruel-for the sheep are tender things, and require to be gently handled. In cases of accident, as when they had fallen down a crag, or had been bitten by the wolf, and yet life remained in them, it would make the greatest difference in their recovery whether they came under the care of a feeling or unfeeling shepherd.

Now, observe from this, the force of the words before us when applied to our Lord-Jesus said unto them, I am the good Shepherd. Is there not every quality which we have seen to be necessary to the making of a good shepherd, combined in Him?

For, first of all-Jesus is no hireling. The flock He feeds, He feeds not by constraint,-it is His own flock, purchased by His own Blood! Not one is there of all the number in whom He is not interested, and for whom. He does not care. Every sheep is precious in His sight -not one can be in danger, but He hastens to its rescue —not one can be gone astray, but He instantly misses it, and takes steps to recover it-goes after it Himself, and tracks it in all its wanderings, till He finds it. And when He hath found it-when the great love of Christ has sought out the erring one-how does He deal with it? Most tenderly, most lovingly-He lays it on His shoulder rejoicing, and bears it back to the place from whence it had roamed.

Again. The good shepherd, we have seen, must be

« EdellinenJatka »