Feed
My Sheep
The scriptures right down below, in this message,
are from the Gospel of John, just prior to Jesus
restoring Peter with the command to "Feed My Sheep".
John 21:17b KJV
"And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith
unto him,
Feed my sheep."
This teaching can be shared with the entire Body of
Christ, the Church, however I'm writing it now, as
the Lord gives light, for the Shepard's of the flock
- for those who love Jesus and have answered the
same call Jesus gave to Peter, in the scripture
above - to Pastors, Ministers, Apostles, Priests,
Bishops, Deacons - basically all who are called to
be the Lord's servants, in their respective work,
within the Body of Christ.
If we look at the preceding events, before the
command given to Peter, all would know what had
transpired, as
John 3:16 has been expressed in the
Passion, Obedience and Sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross.
The resurrection of Jesus is now the eternal living
Person of Christ exploding into space and time with
the reality, Light and Life contained in that most
famous scripture verse.
Now, for over two thousand years, those who have
decided to count the cost of
Luke 14:26-35,
and have heard the call to follow the living Way,
Truth and Life - the Life lived out by the Son of
the Almighty God, creator of the heavens and the
earth, in the lowly servant-Saviour form of the
creature.
Jesus in the form of our very own human kind - those
whom God is mindful of - to our ever astonished
inability to comprehend this mystery. The mystery of
the God to man relationship.
So as the call is received by the few with ears to
hear, an arduous journey begins in each, with
wide-eyed wonder, drooling mouths and anticipation
that unseats worldly comforts and self - for eternal
purposes.
Let's honestly say then, after some time
ministering, that the - shall we call it, "servant
syndrome",
eventually sets in with the weary burden of
constantly "feeding the sheep".
The heavenly call, the celestial ideals and the
transcendent joy, that leaves not a speck of earthly
dust upon our very beings - may at any point (or at
several points along the journey), fade from the
wonder of that initial call.
The reasons are many, which wear down the faithful
servant - the cruel, evil world alone never seems
the arena where service will flourish. The sheep are
wayward, the pastures seem sparse and fallow too
often and the very system of earthly life seems to
resist the very best efforts in serving.
Need we even give "ink" to the unholy lies,
deception and distractions of the enemy of both God
and man?
Psychology has coined the phrase "cognitive
dissonance"
in relatively recent years, which may well voice the
experience of the disillusioned Christian servant of
our day, and most likely those generations before,
defined as follows:
"A conflict or anxiety resulting from
inconsistencies between one's beliefs and one's
actions or other beliefs and one's present reality."
Now we could continue to talk volumes on the
stresses and strains of the ministry vocation, yet
surely our heavenly Father was not slumbering on
this vocational hazard, when the Word was spoken and
recorded.
Surely, not a single soul called to serve, would
dare to utter an Adamic accusation to Almighty God,
with the same echo of Adam himself?
Genesis 3:12 KJV
"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
Would we dare to echo in like manner: "The calling
You gave me!" to God in utter, sinful denial?
The error cannot be repeated, in those born again,
as the Obedient Son of God, Jesus, has forever
restored the lost Eden of ages past, at the cross,
with His very own blood sacrificed.
So then dear servant, caretaker and feeder of the
Lord's sheepfold, we need to seek for the light to
progress on the path of our calling.
The Biblical answers are surely plentiful, yet for
this short writing, the focus is on the few
resurrection (earthly) days, of our Lord Jesus,
prior to His return to Heavenly Glory, at the right
hand of God the Father.
John 21:3-13 offers a very practical look at the
disciples of then confronted by Jesus, and surely we
too will be confronted by Jesus now, as we take a
look at the specific recorded event in the gospel of
John.
Let's just read it through to remind ourselves of
this encounter the disciples had with the
resurrected Christ.
John 21:3-13 KJV
"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They
say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth,
and entered into a ship immediately; and that night
they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning was now
come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples
knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus saith unto
them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him,
No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the
right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for
the multitude of fishes.
7 Therefore that disciple
whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.
Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he
girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,)
and did cast himself into the sea.
8 And the other
disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not
far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,)
dragging the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they
were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there,
and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith
unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now
caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to
land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and
three: and for all there were so many, yet was not
the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and
dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who
art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus
then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and
fish likewise."
Some notes to ponder:
Note-1:
We can notice from a brief reading the "fleshy" urge
of Peter to go fish and the "fleshy" agreement of
the rest of the disciples.
Almost in an agitated atmosphere to "just go do"
that which most knew best, before Jesus had called
them - the three plus years before - to follow Him
and become fishers of men.
In viewing this text, we should surely take caution
from the live parable unfolding in the scripture.
How often do we get to the point of just needing to
"do something"? Even worse is needing to do from the
pattern of our past life - before being called.
A futile night of "fleshy" labour brought no gain
and as we know of the time, fishing work was done at
night. It is just too much, to go into the symbolism
of that right now, but worth each of us going away
to consider.
Note-2:
We can then take note that by the morning, the
wasted "fleshy" work of night was confronted with
Jesus, unknown to them in the moment, asking them if
their labour bore fruit.
The amazing Grace of Jesus as he calls His beloved
disciples "children", gives us a clue that Jesus was
there for them in this unfolding living parable to
correct their "fleshy" efforts.
How often do we perhaps have our fruitless labour
confronted by the same Stranger asking how we have
been doing so far and do we have any fish?
Can we answer with a same perhaps frustrated, but
honest "No"?
I wonder how often we fluff up earthly dust to avoid
the honest answer of unfruitful labour?
Note-3:
We then see a clear and precise instruction given by
Jesus.
The instruction followed, brings instant results -
beyond imagination, with awe inspiring abundance and
by minimal effort, as the Stranger is obeyed.
Now we may have just received a beam of light to
glimmer on our past efforts, if we consider all the
vocational moments of the past. Those moments with
inhumane, human struggle, and then also in contrast
those in humble obedience.
Surely our cheeks are aglow as we think this
through?
Note-4:
John was the first to notice in the moment, as he
looked at the miraculous catch, that His beloved
Messiah had given the instruction.
John, the youngest, beloved disciple and seemingly
most perceptive here - could smell his Master's
fragrance and identify His hand at work. Although
John, a "son of thunder", as Jesus called John and
his brother James - his youth may have not given him
a sure voice to hear, but it was heard as he told
Peter: "It is the Lord".
We all perhaps do well to hear the lessor voices
telling of Jesus in our midst. Should we perhaps
even aim to be the lessor voice?
Peter, as a "type of us all", jumps straight
overboard to get to his Saviour, butt naked! Oh, how
often we forget ourselves in the moment that Jesus
is seen in our midst. How often at those times may
we also find ourselves exposed?
The rest hold their heads together and drag the
catch to the shore, almost unaccredited in this
living parable. Definitely unaccredited to those who
have not read all the Gospel to discover their
names.
Note-5:
We see that even before the disciples struggle the
catch to the shore, that Jesus has prepared a fire
with cooking fish and bread. (Hmmm ... wonder where
He got that bread?).
Jesus' detailed guidance brought abundance, yet He
Himself was ready to supply and then astonishingly
perhaps, have the disciples bring in their now (and
I'll be cautious here), "sanctified" labour for a
small reunion breakfast.
There is so very much to see in this moment of this
living parable - the resurrection life, the grace,
the reward, the reunion, the meal, the supply, the
prophetic implications to study and so much more.
Think of the unbroken net in verse 11, that Peter
drew in too and perhaps launch a study on all the
implications. The neatly packed verse may well bring
forth a catch of unfolded volumes, that may surely
fill many pages.
Wouldn't we all do well to dig in here - to this
holy breakfast?
Note-6:
We can see a very significant part of this entire
encounter, the disciples had with Jesus, at the end
of the account.
First we do need to see it is a pattern for service,
a lesson for the call Peter would soon hear directly
from Jesus' mouth, that same day and an echo for the
generations of faithful, who hear the call to
surrender all, to serve in the resurrection Way,
Truth and Life, revealed in the Gospel accounts. It
is a lovely, humble and lowly calling to live
Galatians 2:20 for the benefit of those God wants to
reach through human agency - surrendered vessels
unto His glory.
Hebrews, as a study, will reveal that many of the
Old Testament faithful did not receive their reward
on Earth, yet now Jesus bid the fisher's of men to
come and dine. Verse 12 of John's 21st chapter, is
clearly a prophetic foreshadowing of the dinner yet
to come, but more than that alone, as we grasp that
present moment of sober reality - that which unfolds
in the physical world too as the hand of Jesus
offers refreshment.
The work of the flesh, unproductive (a shadow of the
prior covenant), now had the specific command from
Jesus directly - to produce visible abundance to be
shared, as Jesus requested those who would soon feed
His sheep to eat with Him the reward of obedient,
spiritual labour of the new covenant. Notably this
was after the labour of the night was completed
obediently.
The provision was twofold in the miracle catch and
the already prepared fire, fish and bread by Jesus
own hand.
Verse 13 again:
"Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth
them, and fish likewise."
The significant symbolism of bread, fish and the
Messiah giving the workers all they need to restore
their spent efforts, is a point to mark in bold
that:
Servant, your Master will take care of the weary,
weathered, hungry need of your own body, soul and
spirit as you minister His gift of salvation to the
least of them so tirelessly.
Take note of the pause, after work, the open
fellowship of Jesus being given to you after each
day of labour and dine with the Lord before heading
out again.
Gather fellow workers with you, as Jesus gives
supply from Himself and your labour alike, all in
His timeless command that we have heard - with those
before us and surely those after too.
Let's receive nourishment daily from Jesus hand and
keep listening and serving, as we hear the voice of
Jesus say:
"Feed My Sheep".
Much love in Christ our Lord,
Bernard
Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Cape Town, South Africa
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