Let’s
think about Jesus and the Lord’s supper as seen in the 23rd Psalm.
The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want;
He makes me lie down
in green pastures;
He leads me beside
still waters.
He restores my soul.
Who is
this shepherd? Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his
life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He exemplified the good shepherd of the psalm one
day when thousands followed him to a lonely place near the Sea of Galilee. Mark
says that when Jesus saw them, he was moved with compassion because “they were
sheep without a shepherd.” Like the psalmist’s shepherd, he had them recline on
green grass. Then he fed them. In his description, Mark uses the same four Eucharistic verbs that he used to describe the last supper. Jesus “took” the
bread, “blessed it,” and “broke” it, and “gave it” to them. Thus, they were
nourished for their journey.
The
psalm goes on:
He leads me in paths
of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil.
For you are with me.
Your rod and your
staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head
with oil; my cup overflows.
Jesus,
the good shepherd, often ate in the presence of his enemies. When he dined with
Simon the Pharisee, with Zacheus the tax collector, and with others, his
critics watched. But some were more than critics. Some wanted him dead.
The
Lord knows full well that today we must make our journey through the dangers of
dark valleys and through the wilderness of this world in the presence of many
enemies. Paul names them in Ephesians 6. He
calls them “the spiritual hosts of wickedness.” But our shepherd-host
defies them. He prepares a table before us and invites us to share in the meal that
commemorates Him and His victory over those very enemies.
And so
we partake of the broken bread, his body, and of the cup, his blood shed for
us, and then we leave, firm in the assurance of the psalm’s closing words:
Surely, goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in
the house of the Lord forever.
1/27/2019
