Do You Know The Shepherd?
BRD REFLECTIONS
2 Corinthians 11 and Psalm 89:1-29 (NIV)
(Alvin Tay, Chairperson, Local Church Executive Committee)
READ:
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NIV)
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
OBSERVE:
The above passage records the sufferings that the Apostle Paul went through to share the Good News of Jesus to all. Paul, as we would have read in Acts 8, used to go from house to house, dragging off both men and women and putting them in prison (Acts 8:3). He was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (Acts 9:1). He was a persecutor of the church. Until he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-19). Then he became a man persecuted because of his concern for all the churches.
When I read the account in Acts, I am convinced that Paul must have encountered and known Jesus in a personal way to have that kind of transformation – from being a persecutor of the church to being persecuted for the love of the church. Just as I am convinced that the disciples must have seen Jesus after his resurrection. For they were afraid when Jesus was crucified but many of them went on to become martyrs for Christ after the resurrection.
Several versions of the story of the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm can be found on the internet. The message is the same, so let me just quote one: “A story is told about a dinner party where the guests were expected to stand after the meal and recite something for the group. A famous actor was present, and he recited the twenty-third Psalm with great dramatic flair and emotion, and sat down to great applause. Then a very simple man got up and began to recite the same Psalm. He wasn’t very eloquent, so at first people thought it was a little funny. But his presentation was straight from his heart, so when he finished the group sat in respectful silence. It was obvious that the simple man’s presentation was more powerful than the actor’s, and afterwards the actor told him: “I know the Psalm, but you know the Shepherd.”1
That was the difference between Paul and the so-called super-apostles mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:5. Paul knew Jesus intimately and thus preached the Word of God with conviction, and without fear or favour. He spoke from the heart and was willing to suffer much for Jesus.
APPLY:
In the 28-week Companions in Christ spiritual formation course, I particularly like the segment where this question is posed to the participants before the sharing of insights from the daily exercises: “Where do you sense God’s presence in your life this past week?” From the sharing, I could sense God’s presence in our individual lives in so many different ways and situations. For we serve a living and loving God.
There is a session in CIC on ‘Studying Scripture as a Spiritual Discipline’, during which we learn about meditation where we seek to enter into God’s presence, to listen to God’s voice, and to respond in faithful and loving action.
Yes, I want to know the God of the Word, and not just the Word of God. I want to know the Shepherd in a personal way, and not just be able to recite Psalm 23.
DO:
I will seek to know God more intimately by:
1. Studying His Word more diligently, and more importantly, obeying what it says.
2. Speaking to Him daily through prayer, sharing all my concerns and joys, and thanking Him for His blessings.
3. Spending quiet time each Sunday to reflect on the week just past and discern God’s presence in my life.
PRAY:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace and love for me and my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for working in and through our lives. Yes, Lord, we want to know you in a more personal way. We want to deepen our relationships with you. Help us to hear you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more closely. For we want to know the God of the Word, and not just the Word of God. In Jesus’ name I pray.
1. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-corinthians-11/
