Observation: In relating the Lord's prophesies, Zechariah uses the metaphor of the shepherd. However, instead of this being about a 'good shepherd', it is instead about the reality of an 'earthly shepherd.' In such a context, the sheep are raised for slaughter. The shepherd ultimately sells the entire flock for prophet, and celebrates that profit as a blessing from God. Those who buy the sheep are then allowed to butcher them because that is just the way of it.
This is very different from the image of shepherds used by Jesus, and exemplified by people like David. Good shepherds raise the sheep, treating them as prized children. They will search for them when lost, and protect them from deadly danger. They lead them through valleys to the choicest field, calling them to follow, and the sheep know the voice of their loving shepherd and find confidence and comfort from him.
This metaphor isn't just a matter of timing, juxtaposing the care of the flock against its final destination. It is about the heart of the shepherd. As Zechariah says, this is a matter of compassion. One type of shepherd loves the sheep, and his goal is to keep them safe. The other type of shepherd loves payment, and his goal is to deliver them for a price. One shepherd has his heart with the present lives of the sheep, the other has his heart with the future death of the sheep.
Application: When we think about how to love others around us, one of the 'traps' is that we care about their salvation - or specifically their lack of eternal life - first and foremost. Yes, the curse of death that is upon non-believers is the most important element of their lives to address. However, telling them about eternal salvation with God doesn't seem valuable to a person who doesn't believe God exists. What they often need is someone to say ... you are loved, right here and now, the way you are, in your current circumstances.
Jesus did that a lot, dropping what he was doing to reach into the immediate issue of someone's life and simply show them they mattered, were seen, and are loved. That is the compassion our world of lost sheep needs. We need to spend all our time focused on how the flock is cared for now, and not about how we may be paid later.
Prayer: Lord, this is the mindset I wish to have in loving others, that I love them enough to simply be loving and kind and caring toward them as they are, this day. You do the saving anyway, not me. May I just be Jesus' hands and feet and heart with the current everyday world. Amen.
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