Fear not, little flock

Having addressed the crowds in general with His parable of the rich fool, our Lord now turns his attention to His beloved disciples, giving them an indication of the care their Father would show them. They were not to spend time and effort on the things of this life - food, clothing, wealth - as the rich man had. Their Father would care for their interests, if they cared for His. Neither were they to waste energy on anxiety about the needs of this life, for their Father, who was able to care for the least of His creation could, and would, care for them. The treasure they, and we, should seek is treasure in heaven.

These disciples of His were much loved and very dear to Him. Tenderly, He addresses them as a ‘little flock’. What a lovely picture this is of His disciples! They were inclined to be fearful, so He tells them not to be afraid of anything. In the grand scheme of things, they were few, just a little flock. Those that love the Lord and His word, who seek to be faithful to Him and to follow Him, may very well be always in the minority. They were favoured, too, by His great grace. To them was the kingdom of God ‘given’. Spiritual blessings are never inherited, nor are they earned. They are always gifts from God, given to whom-so-ever He will, when-so-ever He will.

They were also a flock to Him, and He, their shepherd. God’s people have often been called sheep. Individuals have called themselves God’s sheep. David could say, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. Jacob could speak of the God ‘that shepherded me all my life long’. As a nation, Israel of old was God’s flock, ‘the sheep of his pasture’. And the church, today, is referred to as a flock. Elders are reminded to ‘feed the flock of God’ 1Pet. 5. 2,over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers, and they were told not to ‘lord it over the flock’, but to be examples to them. The Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep and will also care for them. ‘He will tend His flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young’, Isa. 40. 11 ESV.

With such a Shepherd, and such shepherd care, why should that little flock, and we too, fear, little though we be?