The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake... Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalms 23: 1-3, 6 NASB)

In this world-renowned depiction of our Shepherd and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ there are several key representations which are made. First, there is a flock of sheep surrounding Jesus as He walks and leads… this is representative of our daily walk with Christ and that He is always with us. Secondly, the infant which is in His arm, held closely to His chest, is me. This little creature is all of us who have just begun our walk with Christ-all us new believers who have found ourselves attracted to this man and His everlasting and eternal Truth. He is nurturing us with the Word, teaching and maturing our hearts and spiritual condition. And if we look a little closer it can be seen that behind Him, in the middle of the group is a black sheep, this shows that there is no man, woman or child who is so lost that they cannot be saved by Him and His unfathomable Grace and Forgiveness.

It also shows His love for all of us, regardless of what we look like on the outside, and that He is only concerned with what we look like on the inside. In addition, you also see one that is walking, yet looking up at Jesus, as if hanging on at every word Christ has to say… which is an example for all of us Christians to follow… hanging on every word of the Word.

Finally, and one of the most interesting and thought provoking is the group of sheep laying beside still waters. What does this show? First, it represents, quite literally, verse two. Secondly, and most profoundly, it shows this: there are two groups of sheep, (1) the group walking with Christ in their progressing sanctification and (2) the group laying beside restful waters who have been fully sanctified.

The most significant point behind this entire painting is it shows us ourselves, where we are and where we are going, yet it doesn’t show us where we have been, because our past has been forgiven by Him who is leading us.

Kevin McKanna
August 6, 2009