Title: Feed my sheep!" (John 21:15-17)
"Feed my sheep!"
John 21:15 17 (see Jeremiah 23:1 4)
May 6, 2001 Sunday Worship
For the past few weeks, we've been looking at God's ultimate love together. Especially in the last time, haven't we looked at the grace of God who is always with us and helps us? So, are we going to just keep receiving that love? It can't be! Shouldn't we be able to share the love we received with someone else? With joy.....
In the Bible, the word shepherd is often used to mean a king or leader of a people. In Israel, the king had a completely different character from the kings of other countries. In Israel, the idea of God's sovereignty developed from an early age. The idea is that only God is king, so that God Himself rules over Israel.
For this reason, it is true that there was very strong opposition when the first king was elected in Israel. Nevertheless, they elected a king. In order to effectively block the aggression of neighboring powers, he established a king saying that there was nothing he could do. So, what kind of person should the king of Israel be? Of course, you must be a good shepherd who takes good care of the people on behalf of God. But as time passed, the kings of Israel forgot their duties and became tyrants like the kings of other nations.
The kings took the lead in serving the idols that God hates the most. There were also bad kings, like Ahab, who forcibly took the vineyards of a powerless people. Even without the prophet Jeremiah's point of view, we do know that leaders' injustice and iniquity are as important as idolatry as they are an important factor in receiving God's judgment.
Indeed, God never overlooked such actions of the leaders. Didn't you rebuke the leaders harshly? “Woe to the shepherd who destroys and scatters the flock of my pasture, saith the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, to the shepherd who feeds my people: You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and have not looked after them. Behold, I will recompense you for your evil deeds, saith the LORD!" (Jeremiah 23:1-2)
However, God speaks the word of hope to the people who are relatively victims. “I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which they have been driven, and I will bring them back to their fold... It means that God Himself will gather His flock. That is, God Himself wants to be the shepherd. Because God is a merciful shepherd, the flock will flourish again. Because the shepherd does not live for himself, but for his flock.
Indeed, God is a merciful shepherd. All who have been in pain, sickness, and danger all experience and confess this fact. Isn't that typical of David's confession? “The LORD is my shepherd, I have no regrets. He makes me lie down on green grass and let me play and lead me to the waters to rest, and this weary body is full of vitality. His name is the Shepherd. Even if it passes, don't be afraid because the Lord is with me. He guides you with a stick and a staff. Don't worry. He sets a table as if to see your enemies, and pours oil on my head. My cup overflows. This blessed body will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6)
God's firm promise to gather his own flocks eventually leads to a prophecy about Christ. "Behold, the days are coming, saith the LORD, that I will raise up a righteous branch in David, and he will reign wisely, and will do justice and justice in the world, and in his day Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in peace, and his name shall be called the Lord our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
That's right! He who is to come is not a tyrant, but a merciful shepherd-like King. He will rule with fairness and justice, and through His guidance all people will be saved. Indeed, just as the prophet prophesied, God sent his only begotten Son to be the shepherd of his flock. He bent down and even washed the disciples' feet with his own hands. Not only that, He even died on the cross for the sheep.
After the resurrection, the Lord appeared to Peter and asked him one last time. "Feed my sheep!" The Lord first asked him. “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He answered in a low voice. "Lord, it is so..." the Lord asked again. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He hesitated and answered. "Lord, it is so..." Then the Lord asked again. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
When he asked the same question three times, Peter became very anxious. Why was he worried? He knew the reason, and the Lord knew it. He couldn't possibly give the answer the Lord wanted, so he had to ask and answer the same question three times over and over again. In a way, Peter's anxiety and conflict were the most natural result. It was also quite natural that the Lord confirmed his love again.
Why did the Lord repeatedly confirm his love? It was to ask, "Feed my sheep!" It is not easy to take care of the Lord's flock. It's easy to fail if you have some sincerity. While entrusting him with such an important mission, the Lord had to check his heart's attitude. The Lord even gave His life on the cross for that very sheep. Without such love, it is impossible to take care of the Lord's flock. But Peter was not very confident in his answer. Because that kind of love that is willing to give even one's life is required...
However, if we look at the words of 1 Peter 5 today, we can see that Peter, who could not answer confidently before the Lord, cried out in a wonderfully transformed form. What is he shouting to the leaders of the church, especially the elders? “Take care of the flock that God has entrusted to you. Take care of them, not by compulsion, but voluntarily, according to God’s will, and not with greed for unjust gain, but with a joyful heart. Do not try to dominate the flock that has been entrusted to you. Rather, be an example for them.” (Cotranslation 1 Peter 5:2-3)
He clearly knew the position of himself and the leaders of the Church. He didn't say it was his flock. Isn't it clear that they are the flock of God? He was reborn as a genuinely kind and humble shepherd. Also, we can see that he has become very much like the Lord over time. In fact, feeding sheep is not something you have to force yourself to do. The most effective way is for the shepherd to set an example. To do this, you must love the flock and be prepared to lay down your shepherd's own life for the sheep.
We should not try to satisfy the shepherd's own stomach or make a profit through the sacrifice of the flock that the Lord has entrusted to us. A shepherd must only love his flock. You must love it, but you must be able to lay down your own life for the sheep. If you do, the Lord Himself will reward you with a precious reward in the future. What does the apostle say? “And you will receive the crown of glory that will not wither when the Chief Shepherd appears!” (1 Peter 5:4)
Dear saints! Now it's your turn! The Lord's love and grace toward you are so abundant that it is hard to bear! Now, isn't it your turn to repay the Lord? If you have been loved, you deserve to be loved too!
The Lord is earnestly asking you now! To do the work of a shepherd in the world, tending the flock of the Lord...
I sincerely hope that we can become good shepherds who feed and care for the flock of the Lord with love just as the Lord did, so that when the Chief Shepherd appears in the future, all of you will be rewarded with the crown of undying glory!