How Christians view Jesus
determines what they do. If you have been reading our articles and newsletters for
very long, then you know there is a big difference between the Jewish Jesus we read about in the
Synoptic Gospels and doctrinal Jesus
created by generations of church theologians. The primary difference between
the two is that the Jewish Jesus
focused on what people are to do now, while the doctrinal Jesus focuses on what people will do in the hereafter.
One of the most revealing
teachings of the Jewish Jesus is that
he has come to fulfill the role of Ezekiel’s “Good Shepherd.” Pay close attention to what Ezekiel wrote about
what the Good Shepherd will do.
The word of YAHWEH came to me: “Son of man,
prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them:
“To the shepherds – thus says YAHWEH; “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have
been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you
slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep![i]
The leaders of Israel were
destroying the lives and quality of life of the people they were supposed to be
guarding and protecting. They were predators instead of the shepherds.
You have not strengthened the
weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought
the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them. They were scattered because they had no shepherd,
and they became food for every wild beast. My
sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were
scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching
for them.”[ii]
The political and religious leaders were predators that
used force to rule their people, instead of using their power to meet needs of
the people. They were completely disconnected from the people and saw them only
as ways to satisfy their appetites, desires and longings.
Shepherds, hear the word of YAHWEH! `As
surely as I live, declares YAHWEH,
my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There
was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed
themselves and did not feed my sheep.[iii]
Isaiah addressed the same situation centuries before
Ezekiel was born.
See how the faithful city has become a
prostitute! She once was
full of justice; TZEDAQAH (righteousness) used to dwell
in her — but now murderers! Your silver
has become dross, your choice
wine is diluted with water.
Your
rulers are rebels, partners
with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the
fatherless; the widow’s
case does not come before them. . . I
will restore your leaders as in days of old, your
rulers as at the beginning. Afterward
you will be called the City of TZEDAQAH, the
Faithful City.”[iv]
The predator political and religious leaders “chase after bribes” instead of “pursuing TZEDAQAH” (righteousness). They
were partners with thieves instead of defenders of the weakest members of their
nation. Their justice system took care
of those who bribed them, but ignored those who could not pay them. Obviously,
the justice system which they controlled turned a blind eye to their crimes. Isaiah’s
words reminded me of a recent interview aired by the CBS program 60 Minutes with Jack Abramoff, the notorious former lobbyist who was at the center of
Washington's biggest corruption scandal in decades and spent three years in
prison. Pay close attention to what Abramoff said:
I think people are under the
impression that the corruption only involves somebody handing over a check and
getting a favor. And that's not the case. The corruption, the bribery, call it, because ultimately that's what it is.
That's what the whole system is. . . In my view. I'm talking about giving a gift to somebody who makes a
decision on behalf of the public. At the end of the day, that's really what bribery is.
But it is done every day and
it is still being done. The truth is there
were very few members who I could even name or could think of who didn't at
some level participate in that.[v]
Sounds like Americans are facing the same problem today. But
there is a major difference between ancient Israel and America. We have a way
to change things. The ancient Israelites didn’t have the power to vote and
participate in choosing who their leaders would be. We do! Now let’s return to
Ezekiel’s prophecy.
Shepherds, hear the word of YAHWEH! This
is what YAHWEH says: Look, I am
against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I
will no longer let them be shepherds; the shepherds will not feed
themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, so that
they will no longer be food for them.[vi]
How will YAHWEH do the things above? The answer
was well-known to the people living in Israel at the time of Jesus. Ezekiel’s prophecy
fueled Second Temple messianic expectations.
I will set one shepherd over
them, and he will feed them – namely, my servant David. He
will feed them and will be their shepherd. I, YAHWEH,
will be their ELOHIYM, and my servant David will be prince among
them.[vii]
King David had been
dead for centuries by the time of Ezekiel. So, obviously the prophecy wasn’t
about him. A descendant of David will be the Good Shepherd. Jesus made it very clear that he saw himself in the
role of fulfilling this prophecy when he said, “I was sent only to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel,”[viii]
and “for the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.”[ix] Jesus
also taught about a “Covenant of SHALOM”
which was also based on Ezekiel’s words.
I will make a covenant of SHALOM with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live
securely in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods. I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a
blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers
that bring blessing.[x]
Then they will know that I, YAHWEH
their ELOHIYM, am with them, and that they are My people, the House
of Israel, declares YAHWEH. And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are My
people, and I am your ELOHIYM,
declares YAHWEH.[xi]
This is the “Covenant of SHALOM” that Jesus declared
would be fulfilled as he taught on the mountain that day. He saw himself as the
“Good Shepherd” and his disciples as
co-creators of SHALOM (wholeness
& completeness). There is no doubt that the leaders of the Jewish nation
were aware of the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel. What do you think they
thought as the words of Jesus made their way back to them? Jesus was redefining
the popular messianic expectations of the Jews. Instead of being the Anointed One that would drive out the foreign
oppressors of the people, his focus was freeing them for their own leaders who
were predators.
I seriously doubt that the
leaders would have cared about what Jesus was doing if he had simply been
teaching people that what he wanted them to do was believe the correct
doctrines about him so they could go to heaven. What would happen if the focus
of today’s followers of Jesus decided to do what Jesus taught and become the
Good Shepherds of their generation? What would happen if every church on the
face of the earth taught that their goal is to fulfill the above words of
Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jesus? Do you think St. Peter will welcome those who were
the Good Shepherds of their generation or those with “good doctrines?”
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