I
will look for Thee my God
When
I am oppressed;
I
will look for Thee
When
I am unloved;
I
will look for Thee
When
I am wronged;
I
will look for Thee
When
I can walk no more;
I
will look for Thee
And
I will find Thee
Who
waits for those who call
To
mount them up with wings as eagles,
To
renew their strength
To
save them from their fall.
-
CATHRYNE
ALLEN
“Each of us
lives on a kind of spiritual credit. One day the account will be closed, a
settlement demanded. However casually we may view it now, when that day comes
and the foreclosure is imminent, we will look around in restless agony for
someone, anyone, to help us….
“Unless there
is a mediator, unless we have a friend, the full weight of justice untampered,
unsympathetic, must, positively must, fall on us. The full recompense for every
transgression, however minor or however deep, will be exacted from us to the
uttermost farthing.
“But know
this: Truth, glorious trust, proclaims there is such a Mediator. ‘For there is
one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5). Through Him mercy can be
fully extended to each of us without offending the eternal law of justice. This
truth is the very root of Christian doctrine.”
-
Boyd K. Packer, “The Mediator” General Conference April 1977
Like a bird in flight
My sins ascend to Thee;
Rising from the ashes of mortality,
They seek Thy love to set them free.
- Cathryne Allen
When
You rose from Your grave
With
healing in Your wings,
Did
I live on in Your heart
As
you ascended to Your throne
To
seal my destiny?
Did
You carry us all in Your bosom
With
the crucible of the cross
Forever
etched in Your memory?
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
Sometimes
we make such a mess of our lives that we have to admit it. The parable of the
Prodigal Son is the best example of this (see Luke 15). I see in this parable an
analogy that could apply to all of us.
To recap, a
man had two sons. Imagine you are the younger and you wanted to leave home and
make your own way in the world and perhaps sow some wild oats. You plan to part ways with your family so you
ask your father for your inheritance. The plan was to have some fun and even
gamble and maybe make some speculative investments to double your money. You
are sure there is an easier way to make it than your father tilling his fields.
The father
obliges and sends you out into the world. No doubt he can see that you could
learn a few lessons. Much like our Father in Heaven who had sent us down to
earth not just to learn a few lessons but to eventually become like Him and
enjoy the riches of eternity.
The older
brother in the Parable, the heir of all his father had, was pretty much of the
opinion that his brother deserved all the misfortune he got. This brother never sought him who was lost, despite
the kinship, despite the brotherhood, despite the father's sorrow over his
loss.
Our older brother, on the other hand, knowing from the beginning that He alone would inherit all the Father has, had a very different approach to the situation. Knowing that none of us could come back home by our own efforts, in essence said: ‘I will pave the way, I will seek them and I will bring them back.
So
you the prodigal, with your inheritance spent are now reduced to the lowest
form of poverty and misery that the world can offer. You find yourself sleeping
and eating the husks with the pigs in your service. Imagine
such degradation and suffering as eating and sleeping with pigs, especially for
one of an honorable parentage who was raised in wealth and was attended to by
servants.
Your
suffering is extreme, you can sink no lower. You reflect on the home of your
youth and the security and safety you had there and how well you were provided
for. If only you could go home to the Father who loved you! But you have no means to make your way back. And
you are in agony of remorse for what you have done. The guilt and shame is
consuming you.
And then,
the unthinkable happens. Your older brother finds you and tells you he will pay
for your way home and he will redeem you from all your debts and he will even
share his inheritance with you. There are some conditions that will have to be
met to ensure your return but you will be saved from the failure your life has
become. It is almost too good to be true and you hesitate in your weakness.
And then
the hope and courage is born to follow your brother home! You would go home to
the father who loved you and would surely forgive you and allow you to serve
him. You would go home to the father who would lift you out of the misery and
hopelessness you had fallen into. You would go home because there was a path of
return, with a price paid to cover all your debts.
What
exquisite hope his father was to the prodigal! How that hope would have lifted
him out of the mire he was in and propelled him to return home! And what courage
was given him by his brother who sought him to bring him home! He was not
forgotten and he was wanted!
So here some of us are, like the prodigal,
eating husks with the swine for this is not much more that this world has to
offer. What hope our Father must have had when He sent us out into the world that
we would remember the splendour we came from, that we would want to run home.
And so a great sacrifice was made for our return. The Son who came to guide and to seek us to bring us home climbed the hill of Calvary so that we could in our lowest earthly moments say:
For
me Your body was broken,
For
me Your blood was spilt,
For
me Your death was offered
That
I might live with You still.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Modern Prodigal Son by Liz Lemon Swindle)
Be
still my soul
And
know that He leads you
By
the voice of His heart.
He
beckons and He calls
Your
spirit to ignite
To
truth and godly path.
His
love will find you,
He
will lead you and save your soul,
He
is the Shepherd
Who
will answer your call.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art by AI)
“There are two kinds of faith. One of them functions
ordinarily in the life of every soul. It is the kind of faith born by
experience; it gives us certainty that a new day will dawn, that spring will
come, that growth will take place. It is the kind of faith that relates us with
confidence to that which is scheduled to happen.
“There is another kind of faith, rare indeed. This is
the kind of faith that causes things to happen. It is the kind of faith that is
worthy and prepared and unyielding, and it calls forth things that otherwise
would not be. It is the kind of faith that moves people.
“It is the kind of faith that sometimes moves things….It
comes by gradual growth. It is a marvelous, even a transcendent power, a power
as real and as invisible as electricity. Direct and channeled, it has great
effect….”
-
Boyd
K. Packer, “What is Faith” in FAITH [1983] p 42-3
For now I walk unsteady steps
On this earthly soil beneath my feet
But one day I will run to You
With perfect faith in waves of deep.
And when in distance Your glory beckons,
When You come to take me home,
I will run into Your arms
And forever be Your own.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Focus On Me, Not the Storm by Brent Borup)
One of the
most emotional stories of the Old Testament would have to be the reunion of
Joseph of Egypt and his brothers. The story usually evokes the injustice
perpetrated on Joseph and his ensuing benevolent forgiveness. Very seldom do
we, however, recognize the remorse and recompense of his brothers in this
scenario.
This heart
rendering story begins with the brothers coming to Egypt and being recognized
by Joseph who is unwilling to offer forgiveness so quickly. At Joseph’s
accusation of spying, the brothers immediately recognized it was pay-back time
for what they did to their brother. As the thread of reconciliation began to
unravel, Joseph heard their guilt and wept unseen (Genesis 42:21-24).
In his
clever plot to deepen his brothers’ guilt into remorse, Joseph imprisoned
Simeon and requested the brothers bring back Benjamin. This request was too
much for Jacob who lamented he was bereaved of his children (Genesis 42:36-38).
So affected
was Reuben by his father’s grief that he offered him to ‘slay’ two of his sons
if he doesn’t bring Simeon and Benjamin back to him (42:36,37). This is the
point of the story that seared my heart. I could feel Reuben’s genuine love for
his father and the remorse for what his sons had put him through. What is even
more heart rendering is that Reuben, the oldest of the brothers, was the one
who averted the brothers’ murderous plot by persuading them to lower Joseph
into a pit so he could rescue him later (37;21,22). He was the least guilty yet
he offered the lives of two of his sons in recompense.
The second
least guilty was Judah who suggested the brothers sell Joseph to the
Ishmaelites rather than kill him (37:26,27). He too stepped forward to pay the
price. He promised his father that he will remain in Egypt as collateral for
Benjamin and he will ‘bear the blame for ever’ (43:9)
When Joseph
saw his brothers back in Egypt and Benjamin with them, the self-restraint could
only be placated with his weeping (43:30)
The straw
that broke the camel’s back came through Joseph’s attempt to keep Benjamin in
Egypt through deception. Judah begged to be kept behind instead so that he
didn’t have to see the sorrowful demise of his father (44:32-34).
Seeing the
lengths his brothers would go to in payment for what they had done, Joseph knew
the time for forgiveness had come. As he revealed himself to his brothers ‘he
wept so loud, the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard…..and he kissed all
his brethren and wept upon them….’ (45:2,15)
The
absolution came as Joseph openly gave credit to God claiming that it was He who
sent him to Egypt to preserve his brothers ‘posterity in the earth and ‘to save
their lives by great deliverance’’ (45:5-8).
Sometimes the path to repentance and absolution is like that....rough and unforeseen.
Joseph paid
a high price so he can physically save the House of Israel….a prototype of
Christ who paid an even greater price to save the entire human family for
eternity. When He comes again, the repentant shall weep at His feet in gratitude
for the price He paid at Calvary’s hill while the wicked will weep for their
rejection of their Saviour and their King.
Will
the sinner for whom You suffered,
Who
rejected and reviled Thee
Weep
in the end for Thy pain and Thy sorrow?
Will
his heart understand
When
he kneels before Thee
The
debt he owes for the existence
Of
his tomorrow?
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Home by David Bowman)
I was
riddled with guilt for many years following my divorce because my children no
longer had a father in the home. I felt their every hurt, every mishap, every
difficulty, every wrong choice was my fault. Then a wonderful friend shared her
experience of parenthood and it helped change my perspective. This is what she
said:
“I have
often thought of my parental failing in the middle of the night. One night as I
was thinking of these failings I thought that one day I will have to pay for
them. I wanted to pay for them but as I thought that, the Saviour’s voice came
into my mind: “I have already paid for them.” Tears of comfort whenever I think
of this.”
I realized when
I read this that there are sins and actions we cannot truly repent of or apply
restoration to because they are in the past and cannot be changed. If we could
not go back in time to fix things, and yet accountability would still stand,
our whole salvation would be at peril. But luckily the Saviour’s Atonement
covers it all and makes the salvation possible for each one.
When the
Saviour appeared to the Nephites post resurrection, He invited them to feel His
wounds ‘one by one’ because He died for each one individually and not for the
masses collectively (3 Nephi 11:15). It was as if He was saying to them: I see
you, I know your individual lives, personalities, strengths and failings, you
each matter enough to deserve the price I paid.
Many years
ago I sat in Stake Conference and while we sang “Redeemer of Israel” I saw
myself in my mind doing missionary work in my pre-mortal life. I knew then that
I was one of the Saviour’s strongest supporters. I know I was very converted to
the Plan of Salvation and that I wanted exaltation. I knew beyond a shadow of a
doubt that the Saviour could and would give me both. I was convinced of it and
I was excited about it.
Now that I
have experienced the fall of my nature, the difficulties of mortality, the
isolation from God, the suffering, the sorrow, my inadequacies and insufficient
strength to rise to above them, I have perfect clarity and understanding of
what exactly the Saviour has done for me: the payment to justice, forgiveness of
all my failings, mercy and power of grace to raise me to perfection of my soul,
and to bridge the gap of time and space between me and the Father. Some days I
get so overwhelmed by it that I lack the ability to express the magnitude of my
gratitude for His infinite sacrifice which grants me life eternal, a promise of
which I carried deep within my heart so long ago.
The closer
I get to God, the keener I feel my inadequacies. I have reflected on many
situations in my life and I know I cannot fix the past. I can only be better
today and tomorrow. And I can do one more thing, the most important thing…..I
can live in the deepest gratitude of my soul each and every day for the Saviour’s
redemptive power and I can express it with love in my heart for Him, a desire
to follow Him and commitment to honour Him.
I
worshipped You in heaven
As
my Saviour and my King,
I
knew Your holy suffering
Would
pay for everything.
Now
I am here in my mortal frame
I
am amazed at the price You paid
For
the value of my name!
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: The Good Shepherd by Gabriel Heaton)
I
had occasion yesterday to reflect on the sad history of the House of Israel and
for the first time, instead of the suffering of the people, I saw the anguish
and the sorrow of their King. He who had chosen them to be a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a peculiar people witnessed with heaviness of heart their
Egyptian slavery, the Assyrian conquest of The Ten Tribes, the Babylonian captivity
of the House of Judah, Rome’s sacking of Jerusalem, the diaspora of the Jews,
the holocaust, the wars of the nation of Israel…… it all testified of their
suffering, the loss of lives and most especially their disobedience that
brought upon them their demise from greatness.
One
of my favourite ancient prophets is Jeremiah. The theme of his entire book in
the Old Testament is ‘backsliding Israel’. The Lord himself gave this name to
His covenant people that He once called a holy nation (Jeremiah 2:19;
3:6,8,11,12,14,22; 31:22; 49:4) because they were ‘bent on backsliding from
Him’ (Hosea 11:7). Think of the tragedy of that. When Jeremiah importuned the
Lord for their forgiveness, he admitted their ‘backslidings were perpetual’
(Jeremiah 5:6; 8:5; 14:7).
The
House of Israel has had its share of suffering for their backsliding but this
is what affects me the most….the betrayed and rejected Christ watching in the
shadows their unfaithfulness to Him who devised their glorious destiny.
If
you want to understand the Saviour’s mercy and love for the House of Israel,
study the Allegory of the Olive Tree as found in Jacob 5 of the Book of Mormon.
It attests to His suffering caused by
the very people He calls His own. I am not talking about the Atonement but His
care despite the dejection He must have felt throughout the history of this
world.
In
the Allegory of the Olive Tree, the Saviour is represented as the Lord of the
vineyard who grieves, preserves, labours, watches and tends to His vineyard
constantly. His frantic efforts to ensure the divine destiny of the House of
Israel, as represented by the olive trees in His vineyard, can be seen through
repetitious declarations of His love and long-suffering:
His
desire to preserve the vineyard is mentioned in the parable 11 times; at least
15 times the Lord expresses His desire to bring the vineyard and its' harvest
'unto my own self'; 8 times He says 'it grieveth me to lose the trees of my
vineyard'; and 3 times He asks with anguish, weeping, 'what could I have done
more for my vineyard?' All this despite the backsliding.
This
is the promise of the Holy One of Israel that He will never recant: He will be
merciful to the House of Israel and He will ‘heal their backsliding’ (Hosea
14:4). Jacob who engraved the Allegory on the golden plates put it well: "....how merciful is our God unto us, for
he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches
forth his hands unto them all the day long….. (Jacob 6:4)
We
live in the best period of time of this earth. Ancient Israel are the roots and
we, the modern Israel, are the branches. We are the ones through whom the
promise is being fulfilled. The scattered are being gathered. We are the posterity of the backsliders but
the backsliding stops with us.
We
are the strong of the House of Israel and we will spread the truth that will
heal. We are the children of the promise. We are the manifestation of His love
and His mercy. We are the chosen, we have the royal priesthood upon us. We will
ensure our divine destiny so freely given by the Shepherd of Israel who would not see us lost,
who rescued our souls never counting the cost……
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Artist Unknown)
“I have
been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had
nowhere else to go”. – Abraham Lincoln
There comes
a time in life when you know that God is your only answer……for comfort, for
understanding, for help, for healing. I can testify of His efficacy because I
have experienced it in my life. It’s a time when you know nothing and nobody of
this world could come to your rescue and fix what seeks to destroy you. When a
storm so big and so violent and so soul crushing comes into your life, and you
cry out for help, the Saviour comes to do what He alone can do, He comes to
save.
I think of a
great moment in His ministry when Jesus showed His capacity to do so. Whilst preaching
in Capernaum, His fame had spread so far and wide that ‘multitudes from Galilee,
and from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan,
and they around Tyre and Sidon’ came unto Him’.
They pressed upon Him to touch Him and ‘even unclean spirits, when they
saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God’(Mark
2:7-11).
So great was
the multitude who were by the sea on the land that the Saviour had to enter a
ship to preach to them (Mark 4:1). When they had dispersed, and evening had
come, the tiredness had overcome Him and He slept through a violent storm. This
is the moment of His humanity that sears my heart. I cannot fathom how intense
that three-year mission was for Him as He traversed the dusty roads of Galilee
and Judea on foot with no doubt little rest.
And this is
the moment when the Saviour showed His saving power. As the storm increased it
became obvious to His disciples that it was beyond their power to control the
vessel they were in. And this is something significant. They were experienced
fishermen who knew how to handle a boat in the storm but they called upon
Jesus, the carpenter.
They
knew that He was the only answer in an unbeatable storm and there was nowhere
else to go. And this is how they knew. When Jesus proclaimed Himself as the
bread of life, many of His followers stopped following Him. When Jesus asked
the Twelve, “Will ye also go away?”, Simon Peter answered: “Lord, to whom shall
we go?.....we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God.” (John 6:66-69)
He
arose and rebuked the roaring winds
and the raging sea.
He,
who with His word
caused
the earth to be,
Spoke
to the Galilean tempest:
“Peace,
be still”.
He
who has all things
under
His command,
Calmed
the troubled sea of dismay
in
the souls of men.
He,
who holds all humanity
in
the palm of His hand,
Caused
the waves of the sea
to
whisper His name.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Coming to Save You by B. Laura Wilson)
“Remember
the shepherd who left the ‘ninety and nine’ to go in search of the one (Luke
15:4)? When I was younger I always felt bad for the ninety-nine who were left
behind while the shepherd paid so much attention to just one. Now I realise
that by caring so much about the one, the shepherd was also communicating his
love for the ninety-nine. By seeking the lost sheep, the shepherd helped all
the others feel more secure.
“What if
the shepherd had said, “Hey, I’m not going to take time to go find that dumb
lost sheep! He has a big nose and frizzy wool anyway.” Even if the ninety-nine
laughed, they probably would have been thinking, “Is that how he is going to
act when I get lost?”
-
(Brad Wilcox, “Gospel Answers About Maturation
(Bookcraft, 2000, pp 29-30
When I
joined the Church I was only 18 years old. I had been a good Catholic girl. I
was also a little self- righteous and I thought that the ninety-nine sheep were
overlooked and under-appreciated because they were good. I saw quite a few
Young Adults straying when I joined the Church and I couldn’t understand how
they could just come back, everybody made a fuss and everything was forgiven
and forgotten. Over the years I came to understand there was much more to
sinning and repentance.
When I read
this quote some years later, I understood it had a much deeper meaning: if I
went astray and was lost, the Saviour would abandon everything and all to find
me too. I would matter. By going after the one, He was showing the ninety-nine
that He would do the same for them.
This led me
later to see also a deeper meaning of the Prodigal Son parable. In the
beginning I could identify with the older righteous son who never went away and
remained with his father in faithfulness. I thought he was overlooked when he
missed out on the fatted calf. I felt his father had taken him for granted and did
not appreciate him..
Then one year as we studied the New Testament,
I saw this. I saw the Saviour in the older son, but with a huge difference. The
parable's good son never sought him who was lost, despite the kinship, despite
the brotherhood, despite the Father's sorrow over his loss. Whereas the
parable's good son was reluctant and fearful he would have to share his
inheritance with his brother, the Saviour, in the beginning said: “I will seek
them that are lost and I will bring them back and share with them all that I
have.”
I identified
with the prodigal son that year. Even though I had not committed any grave sin,
I realised that I, like him have made unwise decisions in my life, not
exercising the power of foresight when I made them which affected many aspects
of my temporal life.
Because
every decision carries with it consequences and repercussions, I have suffered
over the years because of them. For more years than I care to admit, these
decisions had exhausted my feelings of self-esteem perpetuating my lack of
self-forgiveness.
But there
is redemption from all imperfection. The Atonement covers all sin and all
foibles of mortality and its ensuing suffering, even that of bad decisions. It
means all our sins, our bad choices and our unwise decisions can be swept away.
It means the Saviour goes after the prodigals so they can return. It means the
one sheep that gets lost can rejoin the ninety-nine. It means we are lost
without Him. It means He is our everything….
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Green Pastures by Yongsung Kim)
This is a personal story. I have viewed this mortal
existence with dread my entire life. I have endured many trials and experienced
much pain from a young age so my overall assessment of life has not been a very
favourable one. So much in fact that I have always looked forward to my
departure. It is just now, in my sixties that I am learning the sacred purpose
and privilege of my life.
Some months ago I had a very personal revelation, the
nature of which I will not fully disclose but I will say something of it that
might help anybody who is struggling to understand their life. It was revealed
to me that Heavenly Father wanted to exalt ME and that this was the reason He
sent me to this earth. Not that he sent His children to mortality because He
wanted to exalt them, but ME, personally.
Even though it is true that He wanted to exalt ALL His
children, this was a uniquely personal message. He wanted to exalt ME because
He knew me, loved me, appreciated me and wanted me to have the riches of
eternity. Even though I am not the only one He wished this for, the nature of
this revelation was a personal message to me so I could start to appreciate my purpose
here. It was a stamp on my life I had to have.
Of course, with such a revelation comes a greater
understanding of one’s responsibility to rise to one’s potential. The second
feeling I have lived with all my life is that I am not good enough and never
will be. I have often felt weak and stripped of dignity as I have navigated
what I call my ‘earthly indignities’.
I thought I understood the Atonement pretty well as I have
gained a personal testimony of its’ effectiveness years ago but a small thing happened
after I received the abovementioned revelation that helped me accept my earthly
incapacities and has given me hope that I can rise to Heavenly Father’s
expectations of me.
I randomly opened my scriptures one day when I was
seeking some comfort regarding myself. The page that rested in my view had one short
and impactful sentence highlighted. It simply said: “I will be merciful unto
you” (D&C 64:4).
Since that day I have obtained a deep understanding of
how the Saviour can raise me up in forgiveness of my lack of appreciation for
my mortality and give me power to meet my potential in this life.
Imagine if you discovered what God’s expectation of
you was and you were left to your own mortal strength to meet that. The
feelings of failure would be so strong every day that you would beat yourself
up constantly. But this doesn’t have to be so.
My deep gratitude, my overwhelming love and my
adoration is double fold….for the Father who wants me back and delights in my
being and for the Saviour who deemed me worthy of His suffering and His power
to raise me up. Without Him my life would not be possible and my exaltation
even less so. Without Him to get me to my final destination, all that I am
would be wasted. Without Him, I would not be.
I worshipped You in heaven
As my Saviour and my King,
I knew Your holy suffering
Would pay for everything.
I rejoiced in heaven
When I heard Your sweet cry
In the warmth of the stable,
The beginning of Your journey
To the sacrificial table.
I awaited anxiously to see
All that you would do,
And I wept bitterly
When the cross claimed You.
But when You returned in triumph
With trumps echoing Your fame,
I was amazed at the price You paid
For the value of my name!
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Be Healed by Chris Brazelton)
I imagined
this morning during my reverie, how I would feel seeing the Saviour at the
completion of my earthly life. I saw myself bowing before Him in my mind and an
immense magnitude of His Atonement flooded my soul. I wept with gratitude at
the understanding that I did not really know the impact this life would have on
me before I was born, even though I was so supportive of The Plan…..but now I
understand.
I have been
what you would call a ‘good girl’ my whole life. I have never committed a ‘big’
sin of any kind but I am very aware of my ‘lesser’ sins, of every unworthy
thought, feeling and action that might have been offensive to God. In other
words, the natural man I am experiencing here.
Whilst
bowing before the Saviour in my mind, all the earthly scars of my experience
flooded me and I really and truly understood the impact the Atonement will have
on my life on Judgment Day….how it will cover all my un-godlike behaviours and
wipe away all my embarrassments and godly sorrow I have because of them.
I
understood so well the blessing of the sanctification process I will go
through. And all because of the suffering of one man who will step before me on
Judgment Day to answer for my sins. This is the power of mediation, the power
of intercession, the power of advocacy of a God who volunteered to save my soul.
I bow now
and will bow always before the magnitude of such power and love…..all glory be
His now and forever and ever…..
With what heavy steps
You approached the garden’s gate!
You suffered, You atoned,
You hung lifeless on the cross,
As you met Your appointed fate.
I waited for my turn on earth
And watched with angels
Your rise from the darkened tomb
That could not contain
The magnitude of You.
I saw Your glory that shone so bright
Defeating death and making all anew
And I wept for the greatness of hope
That rose with You.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Encircled In The Arms of His Love by Eva Koleva Timothy)
When I
posted Part 1 of The Divine Plan, I inserted just a detail of this picture
which I found on the internet without knowing who the artist was. A couple of
readers pointed out to me that the picture was not complete and advised me of
the name of the artist. One reader told me the entire picture had a broader
meaning and when I found it, I understood why. I read the artist’s story behind
the art but to me this painting has a broader meaning.
The
symbolisms surrounding Christ’s birth were plentiful and subtle. This painting
brings to light two of them: the shepherd and the lambs, both of which
represent the baby in the womb of the virgin Mary travelling to Bethlehem for
the birth of the ultimate shepherd and the ultimate sacrificial lamb.
Jesus
Christ is often called the Good Shepherd (see D&C 50:44; John 10:7-18; Alma
5:38-60; Helaman 7:18). Is there a more tender proclamation of this title than
the one that fell from the Saviour’s lips: “I know my sheep and they are
numbered” (3 Nephi 18:31). Consider the reality of this:
“By day and
by night the shepherd is always with his sheep…as he is always with them, and
so deeply interested in them, the shepherd comes to know his sheep very
intimately. One day a missionary, meeting a shepherd on one of the wildest
parts of Lebanon, asked him various questions about his sheep, and among others,
if he counted them every night.
“On
answering that he did not, he was asked how he knew if they were all there or
not. His reply was: “Master, if you were to put a cloth over my eyes, and bring
me any sheep and only let me put my hands on its face, I could tell in a moment
if it was mine or not.” (George M. Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs, [n.d.],
33, 35)
A shepherd knows
his sheep and cares for them out of love. There are so many facets about the
relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. It’s very worth learning about
it to better understand why the Saviour used this metaphor when He described His
relationship to us.
I would
like to share here one that I find most important. I do not know the source of the
following information but I want to share it because this is the greatest thing
a shepherd can do for his sheep:
“Sheep can get
their head caught in briers and die trying to get untangled. There are horrid
little flies that like to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which
turn into worms and drive the sheep to beat their heads against a rock,
sometimes to death. Their ears and eyes are also susceptible to tormenting
insects. So the shepherd anoints their whole head with oil. Then there is
peace. That oil forms a barrier of protection against the evil that tries to
destroy the sheep.”
This is the
ultimate work of the Good Shepherd. He saves. He saves those who go astray and
he saves those who get tangled in impossible situations and he saves those who
are tormented by evil of this fallen world. He can anoint our heads with the
oil of peace and protection to ward off the enemy of our souls.
King David wrote
Psalm 23 titled “The Lord Is My Shepherd”, paying homage to Jehovah who would
one day sit on his throne. He acknowledged that it was He who ‘anointed his
head with oil’ and for that his cup of gratitude ‘ran over’. King David knew
and understood all about sheep because before he was king, he was a shepherd…..another
connection, another symbolism.
How
grateful to know Your voice
In
this world of utter despair
And
hear it echo
In
Your loving tender care.
How
fiercely You watch,
How
tenderly You care,
How
safe You make me feel
Knowing
You are ever there.
How
grateful I am to be in Your flock,
How
grateful to be in Your keep;
You
are my shepherd
And
I am Your sheep.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Journey to Bethlehem by Joseph Brickey)
