Articles
The LORD is My Shepherd
The LORD is My Shepherd
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 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” (Psalm 23:1-3).
David’s most well-known Psalm is not only peaceful poetry, it also describes the ultimate Shepherd that Jesus would be for us. Jesus resembles the Shepherd in Psalm 23 in His shepherding acts at the end of Mark 6.
Mark 6:34-43 — Green Pastures
“Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass” (Mark 6:39).
Throughout Mark’s gospel, Jesus is trying to show His disciples that He is God and He will take care of them. In this passage Jesus feeds the 5,000 with just 5 loaves and 2 fish. He shows Himself to be the ultimate Shepherd by showing compassion on the people, “because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34). How does Jesus shepherd His sheep? He has them sit down in green pastures just like Psalm 23, but His true shepherding comes from His teaching. The same compassion He feels for the multitude of people like sheep without a shepherd is the same compassion He has for us today. He shepherds us through the preservation of His words. Jesus performed many miracles, but He was primarily a preacher. He took care of the physical needs of the multitude with a miracle, but this was to allow them to be present for the spiritual blessing of His teaching. If you find comfort in the words of the 23rd Psalm like so many do, realize that our green pasture to lie down in is the Word of God. That is how Jesus shepherded the multitude, and that is how He shepherds us today.
Mark 6:44-52 — Still Waters
“And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out… Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased” (Mark 6:49, 51).
The disciples are in a boat that is stuck in a storm. Like the Shepherd in Psalm 23, Jesus leads the disciples to still waters. What is amazing about this is Jesus stills the waters just with His presence. It is not a task that the disciples must accomplish that will still the storm; it is just Jesus getting into the boat with the disciples that causes the winds to cease. The disciples had not understood the lesson of the loaves (Mark 6:52), so they are amazed that Jesus is able to calm the storm for them. Like the disciples, I quickly forget what God has already shown me, so I focus on the storm instead of the Shepherd. Jesus’ words to His disciples remind us of the good news of His presence in our lives that lead us out of the storm to still waters: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50).
Mark 6:53-56 — Restored Souls
“And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him” (Mark 6:54).
The disciples had not learned from their previous interaction with the Shepherd, but the people in the land of Gennesaret did learn from what they knew about the Shepherd. The people recognize Him, and immediately show their faith that they can be healed just by touching the hem of His garment. “And as many as touched Him were made well” (Mark 6:56). With just His presence, He restores the people’s health. The faith they place in Jesus and His ability to heal surely restored much more than just their health, but also their souls.
Next time you read Psalm 23, reflect on more than just the poetry. Reflect on Jesus our Shepherd who makes us lie in green pastures with His teaching and leads us beside still waters and restores our souls with His presence.
--William Speer
