“I am the Good Shepherd.” Jesus

We just finished celebrating the Son of God, Jesus, taking on human flesh through Mary.

We don’t know when, but we do know where. Scripture revealed centuries earlier that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), which in Hebrew means house of bread.

During that same time, within the Temple in Jerusalem, would be a table with 12 loaves of fresh bread placed on it every Sabbath. This table of bread was called the Table of His Presence or literally, the Table of Faces. The word is plural.

Scripture is giving us a hint as to what took place in that manger. The Father (one face) loved us so much that He sent His only Son (one face) conceived through the Spirit (one face) to bring us into His presence.

The Son of God showed up in Bethlehem, which was literally surrounded by Shepherd’s Fields (pictured) to later reveal Himself as the Bread of Life and the Good Shepherd. He didn’t come to rip us off, but to lay His life down to bring us life through being in the very presence of God.

Your Shepherd is good. He offers to bring you life. Do you want this life for yourself? Or, are you holding God at arm’s distance? This may be caused by a distorted image of both God and the Father due to past hurts and disappointments either self-inflicted or put there by others.

I pray that you make 2024 the year that you let the Good Shepherd get you past those images to experience the life He came to give you.