The Journey Continues: Green Pastures
"Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number." - John 6:10, ESV
One of my all-time favorite drives is a narrow road that meanders through the hillsides of the Santa Lucia Mountains along the California Central Coast. The drive is especially memorable in the late winter or early spring. At this time of the year the slopes, vales and streambeds are a verdant green, lush and dotted with wildflowers. It is a peaceful place, where, on occasion, sheep can be seen grazing.
In perhaps the most beloved of all the Psalms, David evokes the image of the Good Shepherd, who leads His sheep to a place where they may rest and be fed. We may miss that context in the light of the centuries that have passed. But for those in Israel, which has a similar climate to southern California, they understood that green pastures, much like our seasonal hills along the Central Coast, were temporary.
The connection between Psalm 23 and Jesus' feeding of the five thousand goes beyond John's mention of the green grass. In Mark's account, Jesus sees the people and has compassion on them "because they were like sheep without a shepherd." (Mark 6:34b, ESV). Just as David declared, "I shall not want," the people sat down, ate, and were satisfied by the care of the Good Shepherd.
There is another detail in John's account that is easy to overlook. John tells us there was "much grass" in the place where Jesus had the people sit (John 6:10). That isn't simply an observation about the landscape. It calls to mind the words of Psalm 23. The weary crowd had come to the Good Shepherd, and there, upon the green grass, He caused them to sit down before feeding them until they were satisfied.
David's words were no longer just a beautiful song. They had become a living picture. The Shepherd was leading His sheep to green pastures, just as David had sung centuries before.
The same Shepherd continues to do so today. Though the green pastures in our lives may sometimes seem seasonal, His care never is. He still knows where to lead His people, still provides what we truly need, and still invites us to rest in Him.
Soli Deo Gloria
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