The True Shepherd
Ezekiel 34
Ezekiel showed that the responsibility for the people of Israel going astray was on the greedy and cruel kings and priests. In this chapter Ezekiel sees a vision of the future Shepherd, the true shepherd.
A shepherd was one who took care of the flock. We see Israel in the very beginning of a nation was shepherds and throughout even today they still have shepherds that play an important role. As the shepherd is responsible for the well being of the flock, they would feed them and protect them. David was a shepherd before he was king and he protected his flock. The shepherd cared for his flock so much that they would not want anything to happen to even just one. But in this chapter the kings and the priests served as shepherds over the people of Israel and in verses 4-5 we see that they did not care for the people, they allowed them to stray, they have been lost and were not sought after, and because of the lack of the shepherd they became food for all the wild beasts.
The True Shepherd
In verse 15 we see that Ezekiel was able to see the True shepherd the one who truly cares for his people, Jesus Christ. In verse 22-23 we see that Jesus as shepherd will rescue the flock and they will be feed. As Ezekiel prophesied this hundreds of years before Christ we see what Jesus has done. The kings and priests were to lead the people closer to God but instead pushed them further away. Jesus being the true Shepherd is the WAY, TRUTH, and the LIFE, no man can come to the Father except through him (John 14:6). In Mark 6:34 Jesus comes along the shore and sees a big crowd waiting for them. It says that he had compassion on them because they were sheep without a shepherd. He is the shepherd, the one who shows us, leads us, protects us, and guides us. How exciting this must have been for Ezekiel to see, we have even greater news, Jesus did come and is alive today! He is the shepherd that protects his flock. You do not have to wait for future events, this is now. Are you part of Jesus’ flock? I would not want it any other way.
