The Gospel of the Christ

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11-16 ESV)

God spoke these words to Ezekiel, and Christ is in these words. It is Jesus whom God sent to search for God’s lost sheep. Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He rescued humankind from sin and death by shedding His blood on the day of the crucifixion. The thick, dark clouds covered the bright sky over Israel on that day.

God feeds us. He provides for us, clothes us, and teaches us with His Words. God is our Shepherd. Jesus, the son of God, one in being with the Father and the Spirit, came to earth and professed He was our shepherd who came to gather the elect from all peoples.

It is Christ who restores us. It is He who binds up our wounds. It is He who strengthens our weakness. His wrath will devour the greedy, the proud, and those of the world. The evil they bring upon the weak He shall feed to them in 10 times the amount they have left on others.

This is the Gospel of Christ. He came as a human and a God, sinless, borne of a virgin. He preached the good news that heaven had come to earth. To believe and profess faith in Him, to be baptized as a sign of that devotion, was all one needed to pass from death to eternal life. He was beaten and nailed to a tree so that He would endure the punishment for our sins, cleansing and absolving us through our faith in Him. He restores our relationship with God. He died a physical death on that tree. The true son of God was buried in the ground for three days. On that third day, He rose in a new eternal body witnessed by many. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the Father’s right hand. He is our mediator with God. It is He and He alone that forgive our sins past, present, and future. His kingdom is eternal, as are we who are in Him.

I’d say He fulfilled the prophecy found in Ezekiel 34:11-16. Wouldn’t you?

Peace and Grace!