Christ reigns in his Church as a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock. He commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to their beloved Shepherd, whose voice they know so well. He rules by the force of love and the energy of goodness.
His reign is intensely practical. Scripture says: "He shall stand and feed." The great Head of the Church is actively engaged in providing for his people. He does not sit upon the throne in empty ceremony, or hold a scepter without wielding it in government. No! He stands and feeds.
The expression "feed" in the original is like an analogous one in the Greek, which means to shepherdize—to do everything expected of a shepherd: to guide, to watch, to preserve, to restore, to tend, as well as to feed.
His reign is continual. "He shall stand and feed"—not "He shall feed now and then, and leave his position." Not "He shall one day grant a revival, and then next day leave his Church to barrenness." Never! His eyes never slumber, and his hands never rest. His heart never ceases to beat with love, and his shoulders are never weary of carrying his people's burdens.
His reign is effectually powerful: "He shall feed in the strength of Jehovah." Wherever Christ is, there is God. Whatever Christ does is the act of the Most High. Oh! It is a joyful truth to consider—he who stands today representing the interests of his people is very God of very God, to whom every knee shall bow.
Happy are we who belong to such a shepherd, whose humanity communes with us, and whose divinity protects us. Let us worship and bow down before him as the people of his pasture.
Closing Prayer
Whatever burden you're carrying today, remember: your Shepherd is standing, not sitting. He's working, not resting. And he's doing it all in the strength of the Almighty. You are that well cared for.