Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11–16, ESV)Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
It is pure gospel. Tucked between the law, proclaimed against the faithless shepherds and faithless sheep. God does what God does. He saves. Right after harsh judgment on faithless shepherds and wandering sheep, right there comes this Gospel. It is sheer grace. Behold I, I myself will do it. He doubles up on the subject. I…I will do it. It isn’t just a way to fill up the text, it is divine emphasis. It is a conventional oath. God is at center stage. In every verb, the subject is God himself. Ten times God’s I will echoes out from the text. He is the searcher. He is the shepherd. The sheep don’t act. It is God alone.
God says,
Behold! I, I myself will search; I will seek them out; I will rescue them; I will bring them out; I will gather them; I will feed them; The verbs, seek, rescue, bring out, gather and feed, are given in the imperfect tense. That means ongoing, continuous action by God. It doesn’t stop. It isn’t a one-time action. Whenever the sheep are lost, he finds them with his active pursuit. Whenever they are in danger, he rescues them. Whenever they are bound in chains, he brings them out. Whenever they are scattered, he gathers. Whenever they are hungry, he provides rich pasture. You are seeing the very heart of God, the searcher. Grace in action. He seeks me, his sheep, whenever I stray.
And God continues,
I myself will be the shepherd; I will seek the lost; I will bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured; I will strengthen the weak. I will feed with justice. Again, we see God’s tender heart. Continually, God never abandons the lost; he heals wounds with forgiveness; he gives courage to face the harsh world; and he protects the vulnerable.
And yet, God says it’s true. But… the news. Instead of safety, you hear about a Christian man shot on campus, attacks on churches, workers dismissed for their confession of Christ. It is a steady drumbeat of opposition. Satan himself, and the broken world, want the sheep to think they are alone, lost, abandoned, scattered, harassed and helpless. God speaks louder than the news. I, I myself will search, I, I myself will bind. I, I myself will save.
The natural question is: When? Where? How does God do all this. It seems the world is winning. Ezekiel gives the verbs. The Gospels show the face of God, in Jesus. I, I myself will search. I, I myself will shepherd. The invisible God has become visible in Jesus. He comes into the world, not as a king, but with nail scared hands.
The presence of evil remains. The wolves prowl around the flock, licking their chops. Persecution, hatred, bloodshed. If the shepherd has come, why is this still true? Ezekiel spoke it clearly. Jesus warned of it. “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” But the power of evil is broken. Evil is met at the cross. The jaws of death are crushed. He still growls. He still bites. But he is done in. His real power is destroyed. He only lashes out in desperation. His end is sure. And he knows it. The shepherds word still stands: “I Myself will seek, I Myself will bind, I Myself will save.” In His presence—right in the middle of evil—we are not abandoned, not alone, not helpless. We are His, and nothing will snatch us from His hand.
He [Christ] is the image (eikōn) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15Every question asked is answered in the I, I myself will…
I (I, I myself) am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11Every question you ask is answered in Jesus. When does God search?
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4–5, ESV)Where does God bind up the broken? The cross. The shepherd takes the wounds of the sheep on himself, into his own flesh.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5The healing isn’t abstract, either. He is wounded for us. Jesus, the I, I myself, is bruised, beaten, and torn. Our injuries are laid on him. His wounds become our medicine. The news tells us of violence that wounds and scatters, but the Gospel proclaims the violence Christ bore that heals and gathers. His stripes are your healing. His death is your life. His blood is the Shepherd’s binding for the broken.
How does God save? In Jesus. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29The I, I myself of Ezekiel takes on human flesh. Jesus Christ comes into the world to seek and save the lost. The verbs of Ezekeil take on human flesh. Jesus became the very words of God. He searches, rescues, binds and strengthens. He searches out Zacchaus, he rescues the demon-possessed, he binds the wounds of the broken. He strengthens the weak in faith. In the end he lays down his very life, so that the lost, broken, and condemned, are secure forever.
For you, He has done it—for you, the lost and condemned creature. The Shepherd became the Lamb. He was pierced for you. He bore the stripes that heal, for you. He laid down His life and rose again, for you. Jesus is the “I Myself” of Ezekiel in human flesh. Every verb—search, rescue, gather, feed, bind, strengthen—lives and breathes in Him. The news may roar with violence, hatred, and death for those who bear His name, but Christ has already crushed the wolf’s jaws. He is stronger than death, He has defeated Satan, He has won the victory—and that victory is already yours. Behold, I Myself will search. I Myself will bind. I Myself will save. That is our Savior. That is Jesus. He has done it, and He will do it forever. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment