ShepherdLeader.com

Thanks for this insight.

As a student of the scriptures, I'm constantly re-amazed at the way God's word is both self-referencing and self-fulfilling. Mark, as some are wont to say, was a literary genius. The connections of the story of the feeding of the five thousand with Psalm 23, the story of the manna, and the future giving of the sacrament of communion all combine into a biblical-theological tapestry of theological insight toward Jesus as the good shepherd. Further, connections like those you bring out and the author explains further develop my understanding of what it means to shepherd my own flock... to feed them, guide them, and ultimately lead them to their chief Shepherd.

A shepherd in the wilderness.

Having sojourned with the author through the Old Testament I was better prepared for the references to the motifs of "wilderness and bread" (p174) in the New Testament. I saw more clearly Mark's deliberate use of the "wilderness/desert" (p174) motif. In turn I gained a fresh understanding of the wilderness with all its dangers and difficulties and particularly the remoteness of the wilderness. Therefore Mark's account of the feeding of the five thousand takes on a new depth of meaning beyond the "replication of the miraculous feeding in the wilderness of the exodus account" (175). Rather the author declares that God reveals himself as the one who cares enough for his people to provide for them in a place where they cannot easily provide for themselves (p176).

This observation helped me to engage in pastoral ministry with those who experience journeys into and through a spiritual wilderness. While we often emphasis the presence of God during these times as the one who accompanies us, it is helpful to remind ourselves that he is also the one who provides, rest and grace and spiritual nourishment through his word and at his table in communion.

I was enthralled with the author's ability to convey "pastoral imagery [as] part of a larger redemptive-historical narrative that depicts God's leadership in wilderness settings" (p249).