The pasture or the manger?
Fresh blades of grass or dry hay: a world of difference
As I write this, the sun is shining outside. Spring is in the air. After a long period during which winter kept us indoors, we feel a strong longing to go outside again. That feeling brings me to the story of Psalm 23, the most famous psalm in the Bible.
In Psalm 23, the shepherd takes his sheep out into the open. The psalmist proclaims that the Lord is his shepherd. He experiences how that shepherd guides his life and helps him find his way. The beauty of this psalm lies in the image of the sheep finding its way in the open pasture and seeking out lush meadows.
The question
This raises a question you may ask yourself. What do you choose when the choice is yours? Do you choose the open, free field, or do you choose the safety of the feeding trough within the walls of the stable?
The Good Shepherd does not organize a controlled life for us with a trough he provides. He would rather take us on an adventure to lush pastures. That is the key question for us: do you eat from the trough or do you graze in the meadow?
The Lush Meadow
In the meadow, you chew the grass yourself. The meadow symbolizes spiritual growth where you take in the Word of God on your own. You read a Bible passage and ask yourself what the text is saying to you today. The grass you find there is fresh and nutritious. It tastes fresh, juicy, and personal.
The beauty of the pasture is the absence of walls. You find yourself in open space. This represents a faith in which you need not fear questions or the world outside the church walls. You follow the shepherd’s voice, even when he leads you to places you’ve never been before.
Being outside is also a challenge. Grazing on your own takes time and effort. You stay alert to danger and learn to distinguish between good and bitter herbs. It is the path to maturity. You don’t wait for someone to feed you, but go out yourself in search of the living Word of God.
The pasture beckons, even when it’s windy or raining. It reflects the relationship we have with our Lord. He asks if you want to graze on your own. Do you want to take active steps and seek nourishment in His Word to find the life hidden within it? In the pasture, you are more vulnerable, but the food is richer. You truly get to know the shepherd’s voice because you need him there for guidance and protection.
The safety of the stable
The other option is to stay in the stable. There, everything is taken care of for you. The manger represents the cherished traditions you’ve long been accustomed to. You don’t have to search for yourself, because it’s handed to you. That’s sometimes welcome when you’re too tired to graze on your own.
You enjoy a beautiful song, ancient psalms, a magnificent liturgy, or the wisdom of a pastor. You take your seat and receive what others have prepared with care. That forms the foundation of every Christian community, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, it has limitations, because you eat what someone else has prepared.
In the storm, the stable offers shelter. When the headwind picks up in the pasture or when illness and doubt overwhelm you, the warmth of the stable provides a refuge. The walls are not meant to lock you in, but to protect you.
Those walls, however, have a downside: you miss the view. At the manger, you don’t have to perform or search. You are simply allowed to be there. Yet there lies a danger. You become passive. You leave it to someone else and eat what is handed to you, while so much more is possible if you go out to graze yourself. You accept a secondhand offering and believe what someone else has already processed for you.
The Call to Go Out
It is nice to sometimes experience the protection of the stable and eat from the trough. However, it is much nicer to go outside, to the pasture with fresh grass where, with God’s help, you find your own way.
We tend to choose the safety of the stable, the familiar feeding trough, and the organized order. In Psalm 23, however, there is a call to go outside, to the pasture where God’s abundance awaits. The shepherd does not force us; he entices us with the promise of fresh grass and living water.
The stable is safe, but a sheep is not meant to stay there forever. Do you dare to let go of the manger and follow the shepherd to the open pasture? That is what I was thinking of when I placed those two images side by side. In the spring, I love to go outside to enjoy nature and God’s Word, which offers me fresh grass anew every day.
@wimvanputten