Daily Devotion

3 Apr (Thursday) – Shepherd-ology II

Audio

Prepare

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is the thirtieth day of Lent, Thursday, the 3rd of April. Let us continue to keep out Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, holiness and service.

Psalm Reading

We begin by listening to Psalm 86, verses 14 to 17.

¹⁴ O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.

¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant.

¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Scripture Reading

We continue reading today from the New Testament, John 10:22-42. Here we read verses 24 to 34, and then 37 to 38.

²⁴ So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” ³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “ … ³⁷ If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; ³⁸ but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Reflection

“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

The Jews were waiting for someone, and they had a suspicion that this Jesus could be him whom they had been waiting for.

The word “Christ” is a title. It means “the Anointed One”. And the Anointed One refers to the Person who will come to save the world. The whole of the Old Testament, all of the Law and the Prophets, point to this Saviour, or the Messiah in the Hebrew language. They give us clues about Christ – where he will be born, of what tribe and lineage, what he will do in his earthly lifetime, how he will suffer death, how his rule will triumph and his kingdom be everlasting. Clues to help us, and the Jews in 1st century Judea, to recognise him when he comes.

The Jews had waited for this Christ for centuries. Is this why the claim of Jesus – “I am the good shepherd.” – as we read yesterday, was startling? Because there was a recognition. He is the One they had been waiting for. Or is he lying? Insane? Demon-possessed? The question was as critical as the answer itself – are you the Christ?

In 21st century Singapore, we hardly experience waiting, or longing. We do not suffer separation from loved ones, the way, say, the families of the hostages taken by Hamas on 7 Oct 2023, do, not knowing if their loved ones would ever be returned to them, alive or dead. We do not long for fathers, sons and husbands to return from the frontlines of battle, the way, say the Ukrainians, Russians, and now, even the North Koreans do. And if they returned alive, would they recognise their home and family; would their loved ones recognise them?

The Return (2024) depicts the last sections of Homer’s Odyssey where the lead character, Odysseus, finally returns home after twenty years away, at war. He discovered how his rule and realm had fallen into decline – his son did not know him, his wife harassed by a plethora of suitors all telling her to remarry because Odysseus must be dead. He finally proved who he was through the authenticating act of shooting an arrow through twelve eyes of the twelve axe-heads using a bow that could only be strung by the one who knows its secret; he knew the secret because the bow was his.

Is this also what Jesus meant when he replied to the Jews: “… if I do [the works of my Father], even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”? To paraphrase – If you do not recognise me by what I say, then authenticate me by what I do, the works of my Father.

Beloved, who are you longing for? Would you recognise Him when he comes again? By what sign, mark, or authentication? His voice? His words? His scars? Would you know him? Would he know you? Would he find you faithful, or in the arms of other love(r)s, because you tire of waiting?

Collect

Let us respond with the Collect traditionally prayed on the Third Sunday in Lent:-

Heavenly Father, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look with compassion upon the heartfelt desires of your servants, and purify our disordered affections, that we may behold your eternal glory in the face of Christ Jesus; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even So – Terry MacAlmon

Even so
Come Lord Jesus come
Even so
Take your bride away
How my soul
Longs to be with you my Lord
Even so
Even so
Come Lord Jesus come

Link to song

Link to today’s Morning Office