Lessons from the Good Shepherd

In the Old Testament, when God talks about the shepherds of Israel, it is not good news. God says in Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 50:6
"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray."

He says the same in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 34:1-4
"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.”

God's solution to this problem is to shepherd Israel Himself.

Ezekiel 34:11-12
Thus says the Lord God: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day."

Ezekiel 34:23
"I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God."

Fulfillment of the Scriptures
That one true Shepherd is Jesus Christ, who came from the line of David, according to the flesh. (Romans 1:3).

In the Psalms, David himself knows that God must be the Shepherd of His people:

Psalm 23:1-4
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (I have everything I need). He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, 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."

Later, Matthew confirms that the promised shepherd is Jesus; the root and the offspring of David. (Revelation 22:16).

He says:

Matthew 2:5-6
"Thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

The Good Shepherd
Jesus Himself says that He is the Shepherd the prophets spoke about.

He says:

John 10:11, 14-16
"I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd."

God promised Israel through the prophets that:

Ezekiel 34:13-15
"I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down," says the Lord God.

When Herod killed John the Baptist, Jesus went alone to a quiet place. But a crowd followed Him there.

Mark 6:34
When He came out, He saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

So, He decided to show them that He was their Good Shepherd. After teaching them a lot, He chose to feed them. One difference between the Good Shepherd and other shepherds is that the Good Shepherd is the Bread of Life. To show this, Jesus fed over 5,000 people, not counting women and children.

So, He asked Philip:

John 6:5
"Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"

Don’t Answer
When the Lord asks you this kind of question, don’t rush to answer. Throw the question back to Him. Look at Ezekiel’s example at the valley of dry bones:

Ezekiel 37:3
(The Lord) said to (Ezekiel), "Son of man, can these bones live?" So (Ezekiel) answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Ezekiel was saying, in effect, "The bones can live if You want them to live. But if You don’t want them to live, they will not live."

Ezekiel was a mature prophet. But Jesus' disciples were still learning at this point. So, when asked how to feed over 5,000 people, Philip took out his calculator and started calculating.

John 6:7
Philip answered Him, "Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

In short, it is impossible.

But that is exactly Jesus’ point. It is impossible to feed 5,000 people in the middle of nowhere. But what is impossible for man is possible for God.

Lunch at Continental Hotel
It sounds crazy to take all the members of Healing Wings Church, including women and children, for lunch at the Continental Hotel, one of Lagos' most expensive hotels. But the Lord has done this twice. I want to thank God for the help of Jide Akintunde the first time Jesus, our Good Shepherd, asked us to do this.

It is a Setup
God knows that the challenge you are facing is too much for you. He knows because He is behind it. He is the one who set the challenge. He wants to see what you will do. Will you keep thinking? Will you start running around? Or will you ask God for help?

I went to Alausa with a pastor to register a fellowship. We went from office to office. When it was time to leave, I could not find the bus key. We searched everywhere. We returned to every office we had been to, but could not find it.

I stood outside the main building, confused. How are we going to get back?

Then I heard the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit: "Femi, why don’t you ask Me?" I replied, "Lord, I am sorry, I am sorry."

Suddenly, a man shouted to us from inside a parked Molue. "Is this what you people are looking for?" He was holding up my key. Problem solved. The Holy Spirit is our Helper. Don’t forget to ask Him for help.

Jesus says:

John 15:5
"Without Me you can do nothing."

1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Never forget that what is impossible for man is possible for God. Indeed, what seems impossible for man is a simple matter for God.

Ephesians 3:20
"(God) is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think."

Out of the Mouth of Babes
The disciples had no answer for feeding over 5,000 people in the middle of nowhere. But:

Matthew 21:16
"Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants (God has) perfected praise'?"

Suddenly, a little boy made a strange offer:

John 6:8-9
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?

Inadequate is Adequate
How far will they go?

1 Samuel 14:6
Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few."

Gideon won against the Midianite army with just 300 men. (Judges 7).

Zechariah 4:10
"For who has despised the day of small things?"

The little boy’s offer of just five loaves is important. Why did Jesus need any loaves at all? Why not call for bread to fall from heaven?

God Will Not Do Without Man
Remember: although God can do without man, He will always involve man.

1 Corinthians 3:9
"We are God’s fellow workers."

We are laborers together with God.
So, Elisha asked the widow:

2 Kings 4:2
"What do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil."

That was it. A jar of oil is not "nothing." The jar of oil was enough. The oil kept flowing until she ran out of containers. Bring whatever you have to Jesus with gratitude. It is more than enough.

Like the small boy who had something that seemed small. He had five barley loaves. Barley loaves are the cheapest bread. They are for the poor who cannot afford wheat bread.

He also had two small fishes. But what seems small is always enough with God. With God, the weak become strong.

Joel 3:10
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’