Jesus Restores our Grief: He is our Good Shepherd
- Good Mourning with Marilyn
- Sep 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 15
"For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them (Ezekiel 34:11).
"You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 34:31).
Ezekiel is a prophet active after the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon and is among the captives taken (Ezekiel 1-24). He foretells the restoration of the Israelites, God's people, to their city (Ezekiel 36). He also predicts the reconstruction of their temple, which occurs in 70 BC (Ezekiel 41-46). Additionally, he prophesies the coming of the Future Messiah, Jesus, from David's lineage (Ezekiel 34) and the Final New Jerusalem (Ezekiel 47).
God through Ezekiel paints us beautiful pictures of Restoration.
Inner transformation with new hearts & new spirits: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:26).
Rebuilds the places around us: "...This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited" (Ezekiel 36:33).
Renews our Support systems: "...Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep" (Ezekiel 36:37).
Creates New Life: "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!...I will put breath in you, and you will come to life" (Ezekiel 37:4).
God Restores our hearts and spirits.
God Restores our places.
God Restores our people.
God Restores our lives!
Now, let's move ahead to the New Testament.
God Restores us through His son, Jesus.
Jesus is the one who mends our wounds, our sorrows, and our souls.
In each parable Jesus shares, He is always pursuing us.
Henri Nouwen puts it this way, "
“Jesus is the woman who lights the lamp (Matthew 25:4),
sweeps the house and searches everywhere for her lost coin until she finds it
(Luke 15:8),
He is the father who watches and waits for His lost children (Luke 15:11-32),
and He is the Good Shepherd who goes looking for His lost sheep (Luke 15:1).
He leaves the 99 to seek out the 1 and calls them each by name (Luke 15:4)"
(Henri Nouwen).
He lifts us out of the pit ,
“If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out" (Matthew 12:11).
Carries us close to His heart,
"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young" (Isaiah 40:11).
Opens the gate for us and leads us by name to green pastures
"The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3).
What happens in these green pastures?
In David's Psalm 23 we see Jesus:
Reestablishes Order by showing us right paths
Resets our Lives with His comfort
Remembers us with His Anointing Oil and Overflowing Cup
Renews us with His Goodness
Restores our Lives
The Restored Principles unfold before us in Psalm 23.
(see this post about the 5 R principles that help us work through our grief process)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
He Reestablishes order in our lives
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
He Resets our expectations and He comforts us
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
He Helps us Remember His Ways Overflowing our Cups
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
He Renews us By Following us with Goodness All our Remaining Days
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23).
Jesus Restores us from grief and conquers death to bring us new life:
"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy" (Psalm 126:3-5).
He truly is Our Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep"
(John 10:11)
In Genesis, God called Adam long ago in the Garden.
“Where are you” (Genesis 3:9).
The Good Shepherd calls to us again today,
My Beloved, "Where are you?"
God calls out to you and to me.
God's gentle hands are seeking each of us.
He longs to give us restoring green pasture.
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