Eleventh Day of Lent

Eleventh Day of Lent

Monday, March 13, 2017

Strike the shepherd and the flock will be scattered.

Zechariah 13:7b

I’ve read so many stories about sheep and how absolutely mindless they can be, but once a shepherd has won the trust of his sheep, they stay with him – no fences, no restraints. He talks to them, sings to them, comforts them, and they feel secure. They trust him – as much as a sheep can trust. That is, until the unexpected!

An unexpected animal, a threatening noise, or, heaven forbid, something happens to the shepherd, and they are suddenly helpless. They just scatter everywhere, aimlessly wandering and unprotected.

Strike the shepherd and the flock will be scattered. The unexpected happened! Jesus was crucified, and his closest friends fled. Even today Jesus is being struck from every direction, and unfortunately many of us scatter!

Though he has given specific instructions about how we are to live, others challenge his words as old fashioned and irrelevant. We believe them instead of him, and we scatter.

We think we are so smart; the Bible’s message appears out of touch, written for another generation. We select those portions that we think apply to us today. Books are written telling us that there is no such thing as sin; we determine whether or not something is good or bad. The Book of Judges warns, Everyone did what seemed right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 and 21:25). True then, true today! They have struck our shepherd; often we scatter!

Prayer: Father, all we like sheep have gone astray! Forgive us and return us to the security of our Shepherd who leads us into an eternally safe relationship with you. Amen.

And He Set His Face toward Jerusalem. . . .

A Lenten Devotional Guide
prepared for Homosassa United Methodist Church, Spring 2007,
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator