Christ The King / Proper 29
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
-- Ezekiel 34:16
One can see this passage as the foundation for several of Jesus' parables, as well as the church's understanding of who Jesus was. When you hear, "I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out," the parable of the lost sheep comes to mind (Luke 15:3-7). When you read, "I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep," one sees the basis for Matthew's parable of the separation of the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). John's image of Jesus as the good shepherd surely is based on this passage, as well. Ezekiel was speaking to a people who had lost all hope. The nation had been destroyed, and the people had been carried into exile. The human possibility of the people regaining their status as a nation seemed almost as impossible as the ancient Abram and Sarai having a child. All depended on the miraculous intervention of God.
Yet, as always is true, some had profited from this tragic situation. Even as they prayed for God's intervention, there was the realistic understanding that God's restoration would not be good news for everyone. "I will seek the lost ... but the fat and the strong I will destroy." God's presence among us is both a sign of hope and of uneasiness. As we celebrate Christ the King Sunday and God's presence among us in Christ, we are faced with the challenge of God's concern for the weak and the injured. In Ezekiel's words, when God comes among us, "I will judge between sheep and sheep." Strong churches and successful Christians must wonder at God's words, "I will feed them with justice." Perhaps we need to pay more attention to helping our weaker churches if we want to be prepared to meet our Lord.
-- Ezekiel 34:16
One can see this passage as the foundation for several of Jesus' parables, as well as the church's understanding of who Jesus was. When you hear, "I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out," the parable of the lost sheep comes to mind (Luke 15:3-7). When you read, "I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep," one sees the basis for Matthew's parable of the separation of the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). John's image of Jesus as the good shepherd surely is based on this passage, as well. Ezekiel was speaking to a people who had lost all hope. The nation had been destroyed, and the people had been carried into exile. The human possibility of the people regaining their status as a nation seemed almost as impossible as the ancient Abram and Sarai having a child. All depended on the miraculous intervention of God.
Yet, as always is true, some had profited from this tragic situation. Even as they prayed for God's intervention, there was the realistic understanding that God's restoration would not be good news for everyone. "I will seek the lost ... but the fat and the strong I will destroy." God's presence among us is both a sign of hope and of uneasiness. As we celebrate Christ the King Sunday and God's presence among us in Christ, we are faced with the challenge of God's concern for the weak and the injured. In Ezekiel's words, when God comes among us, "I will judge between sheep and sheep." Strong churches and successful Christians must wonder at God's words, "I will feed them with justice." Perhaps we need to pay more attention to helping our weaker churches if we want to be prepared to meet our Lord.
