Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

Psalm 23

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23 is the most familiar psalm in the Bible.

Because of that, it’s easy to take its beauty for granted and forget that it is, in fact, a poem.

Like all poetry, it contains rhyme, wordplay, and artistic creativity in the way its words and ideas are assembled. And like all poetry, something is always lost in translation.

For the most part, the important things remain intact in our English Bibles. But one beautiful detail is missing—and it’s found in the first line of verse three:

“He restores my soul.”

It’s easy to read this line and connect it with the verse before: “He leads me beside still waters.” Especially in translations that say, “He refreshes my soul.”

In the heat we’ve had these past few weeks, we know how refreshing a cold drink of water can be. So the logic seems to flow: drinking water restores us.

They are connected, but not the way we think.

What we are missing is the word the poet uses, the word shoove.

Which literally means “to return” or “put back”

In Genesis three, after Adam and Eve sin, God tells them

Genesis 3:19 ESV

19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

In the Old Testament, it is often the word used for repentance. In Isaiah 1:27, God says,

Isaiah 1:27 ESV

27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.

The word does not directly mean repentance, but it can be used to communicate the idea of repentance because repentance is about return.  

It literally translates to “he returns my soul.” Why is that significant? Because the metaphor is a shepherd. And what do shepherds do? They lead their sheep out during the day and then return them safely at night.

This “returning” links verses two and four under one act. In verse two, He leads us to green pastures to eat and still waters to drink. In verse three, He returns us.

In verses three and four, He leads us through safe paths of righteousness and even the valley of death—and again, He returns us.

The Shepherd in the NT

This picture of return runs throughout Scripture and into the New Testament.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of a shepherd who takes his one hundred sheep out to graze for the day. At sundown, he returns and counts them as they enter the pen.

Realizing one is missing, he runs back into the wilderness—racing the sun—knowing that if he doesn’t find the sheep before nightfall, predators will certainly kill it. When he finds it, he lifts it onto his shoulders and joyfully carries it home.

In John 10:11 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”

And maybe you’ve never thought to ask: why is the word good even necessary? Aren’t all shepherds good to their sheep?

What makes Jesus good is the length he is willing to go to protect his flock. He says,

John 10:11 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

A typical shepherd would return a sheep for monetary reasons—losing one is costly. But no farmer would consider an animal worth his own life.

That’s the point Jesus is making: just as it would be absurd for a shepherd to die for a sheep, it is astounding for God to lay down His life for one person.

And that’s what makes Him so good. He goes above and beyond to ensure that His sheep—you and I—are brought home.

Verse three of Psalm 23 is a picture of a shepherd guiding his sheep back to the pen—back to where they belong.

Whether he leads us to green pastures, still water, straight, easy paths, or valleys of death and difficulty, or we get lost along the way, or a situation requires ransom for our lives, the shepherd will always bring us safely back home.

The Catacombs

This image of the Shepherd wasn’t just a poetic line—it was the central picture of Christ for the earliest Christians.

When you think of Jesus, what characteristic image rises to the surface first?

-Do you see Him robed as the High Priest, standing in the presence of God on your behalf?

-Or crowned as the King, ruling with justice and mercy? -Perhaps you picture the Lion, fierce and unshakable. -Or the all-powerful Judge, whose eyes see through every pretense. -Or maybe you see the crucified Sufferer, bearing the weight of the world. -Or perhaps it is the image of a conquering general, you picture a man coming in clouds of glory.

A.W. Tozer is credited with saying, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Of course, refers to what we believe regarding God’s character and power. Still, the first image that comes to mind matters because it becomes the filter for all the images that follow.

For example, to picture Him first as Father and then as King—or the other way around—makes a difference. Both are entirely true; neither is more valuable than the other. Yet because of our human limitations, leading with Father will profoundly shape how we relate to Him as King. Therefore, I genuinely want you to answer the question. And I do not want you to dig for the correct answer, but genuinely ask yourself, “What characteristic image first comes to my mind when I think of Jesus?”

In the late 19th century, the Christian catacombs from the first four centuries in and around Rome were being uncovered and studied.

It was during this period that Philip Schaff was composing his eight-volume History of the Christian Church. In the second volume, he delves into what was being discovered and its meaning.   While reading Philip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church, I was struck by his description of the Roman catacombs.

He describes them as a window into the underground Christianity of the early, pre-Nicene centuries—a church that lived in the presence of death yet clung to the promise of eternity.

The winding tunnels, humble epitaphs, crude artwork, and traces of worship and martyrdom speak of a community marked by poverty, perseverance, and deep devotion.

Schaff, quoting a scholar, another scholar says,

“He who is thoroughly steeped in the imagery of the catacombs will be nearer to the thoughts of the early church than he who has learned by heart the most elaborate treatise…”[1]

The catacombs revealed artwork that fascinated the Christian art world. Because prior to this discovery there were no depictions of jesus that dated before constantine. He says,

Roman Catholic cemeteries are easily recognized by crosses, crucifixes, and reference to purgatory and prayers for the dead; Protestant cemeteries by the frequency of Scripture passages in the epitaphs, and the expressions of hope and joy in prospect of the immediate transition of the pious dead to the presence of Christ.

The catacombs have a character of their own, which distinguishes them from Roman Catholic as well as Protestant cemeteries. Their most characteristic symbols and pictures are the Good Shepherd, the Fish, and the Vine.

These symbols almost wholly disappeared after the fourth century, but to the mind of the early Christians they vividly expressed, in childlike simplicity, what is essential to Christians of all creeds, the idea of Christ and his salvation, as the only comfort in life and in death.

The Shepherd… suggested the recovery of the lost sheep, the tender care and protection, the green pasture and fresh fountain, the sacrifice of life: in a word, the whole picture of a Saviour.[2]

To this, he adds a footnote that says

“What was the popular Religion of the first Christians? It was, in one word, the Religion of the Good Shepherd… They looked on that figure, and it conveyed to them all that they wanted. As ages passed on, the Good Shepherd faded away from the mind of the Christian world, and other emblems of the Christian faith have taken his place.[3]

We think we know a lot about Jesus. Still, Scaff says, go into these Catacombs which hold the bodies of the first Christians who lived before Rome became a Christian nation, before there were written creeds, before there were neatly outlined statements of beliefs, doctrine, and organization. And they will judge how well you really know Christ.

You won’t find crosses, crucifixes, crowns, saints, the apostles, angels, or even Mary. What you will find is three simple images: the Shepherd, the Fish, and the Vine.

Together, the Shepherd spoke of care and salvation, the Fish declared identity and confession, and the Vinesymbolized life in Christ—all messages early Christians wanted to preserve and proclaim, even underground.[4]

But the leading characteristic image was the Shepherd. Within this image, everything the heart needs daily is found.

Perhaps the early Christians knew something we’ve forgotten—that the image we hold first in our hearts shapes every other image of Jesus we carry.

The Application

It’s possible that when we read Psalm 23, we understand the shepherd metaphor in our heads—but our imagination isn’t strong enough to really sit with the image of God shepherding us day by day.

Because we are often so “head-heavy,” we tend to apply it mainly to things like God leading us to propositional truths, protecting us from cultural deceptions, or guiding us in career and family decisions.

Those are real and important—but the image of the Lord as our Shepherd goes far beyond metaphor.

For us, the “pen” is not just a physical place. It’s the return to peace when our hearts are anxious, sad, or broken. It’s the return to clarity when our minds are scattered. It’s the return to safety when our souls feel exposed.

Think about your past week.

How many of us experienced moments of great joy—laughter, celebration, a mountaintop moment that lifted us up from our resting place? In other words, all the feelings of green pastures, still waters, and straight paths.

And how many of us experienced anger, stress, resentment, confusion, jealousy, envy, judgment, pride, comparison, restlessness, or sadness? Those feelings can pull us away from our peace—the same way the dark valley feels far from the pasture.

The truth is, the Lord leads us through all of it, day by day. We feel the highs and the lows. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s all part of being nourished by our Shepherd.

Sometimes the food and water are a straight and easy path in front of us.

Other times, it is on the other side of the darkest valley.

And the thing about returns is that you must come back the way you came. If you arrive at your nourishment through the valley, you will return home through that same valley.

But the promise our good shepherd makes is that no matter the journey, inconvenience, or your mistakes, he will always get us home safely.  

Reflection:

It’s easy to hear this and think only of the distant future:

“One day, God will lead me home. When Jesus returns, He’ll bring me to Himself.”

And that’s true.

But my friend, the Lord is also your Shepherd today—and every day.

Sheep need food and water daily. That means this psalm isn’t just about the end of the story; it’s about right now. From the moment you open your eyes in the morning to the moment you rest at night, your Shepherd is leading you.

So, I want to invite you into an examen—a prayerful look back over your week—to notice where He has been shepherding you.

Let’s take a moment to look back over our week prayerfully. We’ll walk through three questions together—listening for how our Shepherd has been leading us.

Step 1 – Become Aware of God’s Presence

Take a deep breath.

Remember: your Shepherd is here with you—loving you, leading you, and watching over you.

Pray quietly: Lord, help me notice where You’ve been with me this week.

(Pause 10–15 seconds)

Step 2 – Reflect with the Shepherd

Question 1: Where did I notice God simply with me—quietly present in my ordinary moments?

(Pause 15 seconds)

Question 2: How did I sense God leading me—whether toward rest, through challenge, or back to what is good?

(Pause 15 seconds)

Question 3: Looking back, where can I see God “returning” me—bringing me back when my heart or mind wandered?

(Pause 15 seconds)

Step 3 – Respond to the Shepherd

Thank Him for the ways He’s led you. Be honest about where you’ve struggled to follow.

Pray quietly: Lord, I give You my gratitude, my honesty, and my trust. Keep leading me tomorrow.

(Pause 10 seconds)

Closing:

Whether He’s leading you to green pastures, through dark valleys, or back from wandering, your Shepherd He will return you home.

[1] Philip Schaff and David Schley Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 2 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910), 306.

[2] Ibid 308.

[3]Ibid

[4] Ichthys In Greek the word for fix was an Acronym that spelled out “Jesus Christ of God Son Saviour).