When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he came as a Shepherd/King. His triumphal entry hymn is the hymn of David (Ps. 118:26): “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jesus is the new David coming to Jerusalem to give his life for the sake of his people. He is the true Shepherd of Israel (Ps. 80:1).
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
When the psalmist says, “You shall not want,” it’s not a promise that we shall never lack materially, rather it’s a promise that Israel’s shepherd will give his entire body for the sake of his people. Jesus gives himself entirely at the cross, meaning our salvation lacks nothing.
We are not like the pagans wanting or needing to atone for ourselves through worthless sacrifices; no. We are true Israel covered and protected by the total Christ. We shall not want.
Prayer: Blessed Christ who gave himself for us on a tree and atoned for our sins, we praise your name and beseech you in times of trial. Teach us your ways and conquer our hearts daily so we may truly know that we lack nothing. We pray this in the Name of our great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, amen.
Notations
My encouragement to modern readers of the Bible is to pick up a Leithart book…any book. Read it, and let me know whether or not you leave more enthralled with biblical and theological history. Leithart is creative in the orthodox sense. He builds on the Bible with “speculative courage.” He’s not trying to make the Bible say things that are not present but instead connecting the Bible with the already-present ingredients. His Theopolitan Liturgy is a great example of such a pilgrimage to common sense. He argues that creation is a cosmic temple (005) and that heaven is a liturgical clock (005), and that the pieces of creation enter into the liturgical dance (005). Among them, his image-bearers are the finest examples of creation’s furniture. We adorn the holy place and make it holy.
I received a copy of Aaron Renn’s new book, Life in the Negative World. Aaron and I are acquaintances having met at #natcon in Miami last year and operating in small political discussion groups. I will be interviewing him on Friday for the podcast and am working my way through his book, which is filled with sociological gems. He notes that we live in an age where Christians who are intentionally engaged in the public square and those who are merely engaged with culture “experience the same fate at the hands of secular society” (xv). The book seeks to help American evangelicals (distinct from mainline Protestants) to better adapt to the negative world, which is a world antagonistic to anything Christian.
There are so many highlights in Father Calvin Robinson’s latest piece, but I want to note three:
a) He notes that the Christian faith is exclusive and that universalism is a heresy, which is being advocated both in mainline Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism.
b) Christianity is still the majority, with 2.2 billion faithful worldwide, but Mohammedanism is closely behind.
c) There is a rapid decline of ministerial candidates in Anglicanism. The numbers say that priestly vocation is falling by 40%.
Let me encourage you to read this insightful piece and subscribe to Robinson’s substack.
Eschatology Matters added another great thinker to the list, Dr. Joe Boot. This is going to be a delight, and I am humbled to be with these fellows:
Sermon Short from III John Series:
What Am I Reading?
From the Past
Lenten Cheers,
Uriesou Brito