I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal…
Since my teenage years, I have always been attracted by the beauty and simplicity of Byzantine iconography. This is one of the earliest forms of Christian art that emerged from Eastern Christianity. Some years ago, during my traveling days, I acquired a splendid icon in Athens of Christ seated in Glory as King of the Universe. In Greek, this classical depiction of Christ coming in glory at the end of time is referred to as Cristos Pantocrator. The image exudes the sovereign power and majesty befitting the Lord of Creation. The Lord is surrounded by a host of angels as he comes to judge his creatures at the end of time. It is the visual depiction of the story we find in the Gospel today taken from the 25th chapter of Matthew on this Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe.
When we think of a King, it is only natural for our mind’s eye to go directly to one who exhibits unlimited power. Ancient kings were absolute in their power. How paradoxical, then, that on this Feast that conjures absolute power, that our first reading today should speak of shepherds and sheep, the very antithesis of Kings and their subjects.
Within that paradox, my friends, stands the reality of the Lord’s true sovereignty over all creation. Not the capricious and arbitrary power of a narcissistic potentate but, rather, the image of the simple and loving shepherd whose life is given over for his sheep – to seek out the lost, bind up the wounded and heal the sick.
The Feast that brings to a close our Liturgical Year, a year that we will never forget, speaks of our Eternal Shepherd who will judge our hearts at the end of time precisely on how well we, too, have been there for others who were lost, abandoned, sick, imprisoned, the homeless, the naked or broken in anyway. Christians will ultimately be judged, not for their theological brilliance or deft moral reasoning but simply how well they have recognized Christ in one another and reverenced that divine presence in one another.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal…