(Audio)
My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.
The heart of the shepherd does not want to send the sheep away hungry. He sympathizes with their weakness and desire. Even though they could perhaps find food elsewhere he is unwilling to relinquish his ability to care for them so that they can leave him to seek it. He knows that they might collapse on the way. Instead he himself provides the feast.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
With the LORD as our shepherd there is nothing for which we will ultimately want, nothing we will truly lack. If we follow him he brings us to places of safety, of rest, and of refreshment. This does not mean we will not pass through the dark valley. Assuredly, we will. But even there he leads us. Even there he keeps us safe.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The veil of tears which shades so much of our experience in life will be destroyed. When Jesus died and the veil of the temple was torn it began. The more we choose to enter into the Paschal mystery the more we begin to see glimpses of the other side. We see the truth of the goodness of God, no longer divided from him by sin. We see the truth of his life for all of us, and in seeing it we are no longer divided from one another.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
We look forward to the day when hope gives way to sight, the veil is gone, and the light shines forth in fullness.
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