Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/87

Contributor - Rev. Cor G. Bons

Title - Lent 1987

Topic - Lent

"The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. " (John 1 0:1 1)

The Christian faith is built on a mighty rock, on a sure salvation and triumphant liberation, which has been brought about by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It is wonderfully reassuring to have this certain knowledge of such a powerful and victorious Lord and Saviour. It gives us every reason to go through this life rejoicing with our heads held high, since He is our Leader and we are His people who share the victory and will receive the crown of glory, regardless of our present circumstances.

However, in this Season of Lent, we do well to realize the high cost of this ultimate result. A major part of all four Gospels in the New Testament is devoted to the sufferings and the death of Jesus Christ. Especially John's Gospel makes that very clear; in the very first chapter, John writes, "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not." (vs. 10, 11)

In John 10: 1 - 1 8 Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who calls His own sheep by name, leading them out, and going before them, who also has other sheep who need to be called to follow Him and become one flock with one Shepherd. That is not only very nice and romantic picture-language, it is a tremendous claim and a description of a horrible assignment which would be accomplished through self sacrifice and death.

You might look at Jesus' suffering as an occupational hazard, the inevitable result of His complete faithfulness to His profession as the Christ; or you might want to see His sacrifice on the cross as the highest expression of His love for mankind. But if you do, you are still missing the point, no matter how warm your feeling for this Jesus would be.

When the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep, He certainly did so, because "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son"; and indeed His sacrifice on the cross was an act of complete faithfulness to His assignment. But it was more, much more than all the above.

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, has written in his prophecy, Chapter 53, about Jesus Christ, and I believe he has given us the right interpretation of His suffering and death.

"Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, upon his was the chastisement that made us whole and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

In this Season of Lent we need to realize and admit that Jesus Christ, when He suffered and died, was charged and convicted for all the monstrosities of the human race, all the crimes of every individual and every crook, every mistake, and every thoughtless word or act of you and me, and every insensitive decision ever taken or ever to be taken by any one of us.

By His sacrifice we are being led out of the hopeless situation we find ourselves in, if we only accept and believe in Him.

This mighty Lord and Saviour also has other sheep who need this great salvation. You and I, the people of Jesus Christ, the sheep of His flock, are placed in this world and in a particular situation in order to search for those "other sheep" and show them what Jesus Christ means to us, and could mean to them.

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