Take a seat.

Matthew 15:19
“Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.”

The 23rd Psalm is probably one of the best known writings in all of the Bible. Kids learn it when they are young and carry it with them all their lives. It’s a comforting passage, often times read at funerals. It was written by David as an expression of his feelings toward God. Being a shepherd himself, David used the analogy to describe how God acts in our lives. He wrote this passage so that even the commoners of the time would understand how incredibly loving and protective their God was.

How fitting, then, that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was born in a stable. As He grew it became obvious that the leadership qualities He possessed were unlike any other. Everywhere He went, people followed. He provided for them with healing, teaching, wisdom, knowledge, and food. Like any good shepherd, He was even willing to lay down His life for their salvation.

Often times we read the accounts of Jesus’ miracles and miss some of the hidden fulfillment of prophesy. Sometimes we read prophesy without even knowing that it’s a prophesy. I grew up knowing the 23rd Psalm; I never read it as a prophesy until this week. I’ve read this passage before with the understanding that it’s about God and with the knowledge that Jesus is God, but I never saw it as a prophetic passage to be fulfilled by Christ on a hillside somewhere near the Sea of Galilee. I didn’t see it in that light until this week.

There’s Jesus on a hill with His disciples. They’ve come to tell Him that the people are hungry and they don’t have any food to give them. They’ve come to tell Him, “Send them home!” But Jesus’ response is simple. He ordered them all to sit down in the grass. Then He took the food, blessed it, and passed it out to the crowd. Everyone ate, and they took up the left overs at the end. I read that verse and thought, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3) It would have been easy for Jesus to tell His disciples to have all the people form a line. It would have been convenient to dole out the fish and bread that way, but it wouldn’t have been shepherd-ly! Jesus, our Good Shepherd, wants us to sit, to know that He is in charge, and to receive the overabundance of grace that He has for us.

I bet you’re going to read the 23rd Psalm tonight!