FEED MY SHEEP

The third time that Jesus showed himself to His disciples following His resurrection was on the shores of the Tiberias sea (John 21:14). After they had dined on fish and bread, Jesus turned to Simon Peter and asked him: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Peter answered that he did. After the question was asked the third time, Jesus said to Peter: "Feed my sheep" (John 21:16). Why was this admonition given to Peter out of all the apostles? Because this simple instruction was directed at the President of His Church and the sheep that Jesus committed into Peter's care were members and not people in general. When pressed by the Jews in Solomon's porch to declare more openly His divinity, Jesus explained that we do not all fall into the category of His sheep : ".......I told you and ye believed not......ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep......my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:23-27). When Peter became the President of the Church, he became the Saviour's under-shepherd and was entrusted with the care of His sheep.

Today, we are great in number and scattered all over the world. We are the sheep and we are the under-shepherds. We have a sacred responsibility to care for one another. We don't have to join clubs, knock on doors in our street or advertise to find those that are in need of care. There are many among us at Church that need to be fed because there are many of us that are weak, and sick, and naked and lonely, and misunderstood, and neglected, and unloved and many that are aching for loving kindness.

It is not always easy or convenient to feed one another and often it requires sacrifice. Before the disciples' encounter with Jesus on the shores of Tiberias' sea, Jesus instructed the weary fishermen to cast their nets one more time. They did so and what resulted was the most spectacular single catch of Galilee. It could have made Peter very rich and enhanced his fishing career. When Jesus posed His question to him, He did not just say; "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" but "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?", meaning the fish. In other words, "Peter do you love me more than the prospect of riches these fish could bring you? Do you love me more than yourself? Do you love me enough to forsake all this for the sake of the ministry?" Peter did, he 'forsook all, and followed him' (Luke 5:11) and he became a great great man. So great that 'the believers' brought out their sick onto the streets and laid them on beds 'that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them' (Acts 5:14, 15). Peter served as the under-shepherd with the price of sacrifice and often great suffering. He was imprisoned, flogged and threatened with loss of life but he did not waver in his responsibility as the under-shepherd.

We are the body of Christ, we are the sheep and we are the under-shepherds. We need to be fed and we need to do the feeding. We need to feed the hungry and clothe the poor and strengthen the weak. We need to liberate the captives and dry their tears and we need to show loving kindness to the unlovable and the unwanted. If we do this we will be worthy of the connection to the source of all compassion and love, even the Saviour of the world, who has promised: "...Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matt 25:40)

THE MERCIFUL MESSIAH

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Psalm 23)


The book of Psalms is the longest book of the Bible and is filled with testimony and doctrine. It is also a collection of 150 songs of  Israelite hymns praising the God of Israel. Seventy three of these psalms are attributed to David with the central theme of mercy. His psalms are a guide for any penitent sinner who repents with sincerity of heart and seeks forgiveness. David's psalms are a clear indications that David knew the nature of the God of Israel and His infinite mercy. He appeals to this mercy which he knows is central to the Saviour's character because of his loving kindness. David repeatedly uses these two attributes hand in hand helping us see the Saviour in a much softer light than as the vengeful God of the Old Testament. In the hymnal sense, his appeals to the Saviour's merciful nature, become a voice of praise, such as: "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindness..." (Psalm 25:6) and "Hear me, O Lord; for thy loving kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies" (Psalm 69:16). If we did not know that the Lord was a possessor of loving kindess, we could never believe that He was merciful and could as such, grant us forgiveness of our sins.

David knew that the only place for his forgiveness was in the Messiah of the world, who had through his righteousness achieved perfection. He knew that his reward for his imperfect mortality, like ours, should be less than perfect, if it is based solely on our earthly performance. David therefore shows us through his bold request, "Deliver me in thy righteousness....." (Psalm 71:2) a doctrinally appropriate and essential way to importune the Saviour of all mankind if we are to inherit "more than we deserve" (Philip Allred, Lesson 25, "Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord, Meridian Magazine).  This is exactly how Elder Dallin H. Oaks defines mercy: "To achieve my eternal goals, I need more than I deserve...If justice is exactly (the punishment) one deserves, then mercy is more benefit than one deserves....The Atonement is the means by which justice is served and mercy is extended" (Sins, Crimes and Atonement, address given to CES, 7 Feb. 1992, Philip Allred, Lesson 25, Meridian Magazine).

Like David, we should all desire the righteousness of the only sinless person who died that we might be saved, weighing in on our side of the scales of justice. He should be the person we would want standing by our side at the judgment bar when we account for our sins. It is only in this way that we will be able to receive all our inheritance as children of God for our merits alone will not guarantee this reward. It is imperative therefore that we are convinced of His loving kindness and His infallible and infinite mercy. Without it we will blindly wander through this mortality without hope for this life is but a drop in a bucket before we face the vastness of eternity. To deserve this miraculous mercy, it is required of us to give the Lord the only thing we can truly give, "a broken spirit: a broke and a contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). In return the Lord will "blot out our transgressions" and "wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).

The scriptures are replete with examples and declarations of Saviour's mercy that he extends to us through his loving kindness. To know Him is to know that He is The Merciful Messiah. He who has numbered all his sheep and has layed down his life for them, extends mercy when mercy is sought, "...for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 10:4). To know the God of Israel is to know that He will one day gather us and because of our willingness to have Him be our God, 'lead us unto living fountains of waters: and He shall wipe away all tears from our eyes' (Rev 7:17). Is this not a God who deserves our utmost devotion? Is this not a God who inspires in us a longing to 'sing redeeming love' in praise of Him who has delivered us from the bands of death? (Alma 5:9, Alma 26:13, D&C 138:12).  What happens when we sing the words of praise to God whom we love, is as real as what happens when we are on bended knee, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads" (D&C 25:12).  The scriptures repeatedly admonish true disciples of Christ to sing praises to Him and other members of the Godhead for one day we will join that heavenly choir to sing eternal praises to Him who has bought us with a price (1 Cor 6:20), 'a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief' (Isa 53:3), yet a God who is 'merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth' (Exodus 34:6). Mormon attests to this truth when he says: "And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end" (Mormon 7:7).

The Saviour desires to 'encircle us in the arms of His love' (D&C 6:20). It is because of His love that He is merciful. Even though He is a God of majesty who 'has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding' (Alma 26:35), 'Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord....the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world' (D&C 19:1), yet 'He is a merciful Being' (Alma 26:35) worthy of praise for his loving kindness and infinite sacrifice for the sins of the world. May we worship Him with the voice of praise and in Him find the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that we might be one day worthy to be in his presence for ever and ever.


Praise ye the Lord. 
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power. 
Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. 
Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 
Praise him upon the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. 
Praise ye the LORD. 
(Psalms 150:1-6)