OUR LEADER, OUR SHEPHERD
MATTHEW 2:4-6 NKJV
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 '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.'"
King Herod was disturbed when he heard the wise men inquire about the one born King of the Jews. These men had come into Jerusalem and stirred up the whole city with their inquiry. Scholars think Jesus was about two years old when the wise men showed up. And yet everyone had missed His birth.
So, Herod asked the religious leaders of the day where the Christ, the Messiah, was going to be born. And the scribes and Pharisees answered back, Bethlehem. They were not taking wild guesses or making logical assumptions. These men were basing their answer on what the prophet Micah spoke hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem on the authority of one isolated scripture in the fifth chapter of Micah. And we know that was the correct answer. God's word, spoken hundreds of years earlier, was still in effect.
But another interesting note about that prophetic scripture was how it partially defined the role Jesus would fulfill. He was to be a Ruler and one who would shepherd God's people. The King James Version says that Jesus was to be a Governor who would rule God's people. But the word Governor is rendered to be a leader, a chief, to go before, to go first. The word rule in King James is the word for shepherd. To shepherd means to care for and provide.
This is not a picture of one who dominates us and dictates to us. This picture of Jesus is one who will lead the way for us. He will shepherd His people with care and provide for His people out of love.
The world that does not know Jesus, and really has no idea of who He is and how good He is.
Jesus referred to Himself in the book of John as the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd is one who cares for the sheep. Jesus cared so much that He gave His life for His sheep. Jesus contrasted Himself with our enemy Satan when He said Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
And Jesus is the One who led by example. He was Lord of all, yet He served those under His care, even washing the feet of His disciples on one occasion. Jesus contrasted His leadership with the world's leaders. Worldly leadership leads from the top. Christ-like leadership leads from the servants' place. Big difference!
APPLICATION:
One of the biggest differences between Christianity and other world religions is the leadership of the founders. Jesus came to lead as a servant and care as a shepherd. No other religion has that. No other religious founder comes close.
And, of course, the biggest difference is that no other religious founder is alive today. Jesus is alive and still leading and shepherding His people. We are so blessed to have Him in our lives!
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord, for being my ruler, leader, and shepherd. Thank you for caring and providing for me. And thank You for being my risen Lord!