Peaceful at Jesus' Feet

“They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.”    —Luke 8:35

The dog trainer called him, “The Shepherd.” My son’s big, black, and beautiful German shepherd’s official name was Prince Hoss Bain. As a pup, he was fun and playful, but as he grew, Hoss began to show signs of aggression, more like nervous defensiveness. We took him to obedience classes. The nine or ten other dogs all had cute names and practiced together. We were instructed to keep Hoss at a distance and he was known only as “The Shepherd.”

The goal of the obedience school seemed to be two-fold: one, to teach the owners, my son, my wife, and me, to correctly train and discipline our dog. A secondary resulting goal was for Hoss to learn to walk obediently on a leash keeping his eyes trained on his master. If we stopped, he should stop. If we turned, he should turn. The distractions of squirrels, cats, dogs, butterflies, and strangers should not drive him crazy as he keeps himself at peace by looking to his masters and resting at their feet.

Recently, I heard a new description for pastors. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and pastors are like sheepdogs. As a sheepdog herds the sheep, he must keep his eyes on the Shepherd for directions. Go out further to bring the sheep back. Turn left or right. Start here and drive the sheep forward. Constant eye contact with the shepherd is required to herd the sheep according to the will of the Shepherd. In all the craziness of herding the sheep, the one constant is the direction and protection of the Shepherd.

Jesus led the disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and met a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombstones. The demoniac actually behaved very much like my son’s German shepherd. He ran around naked and would break the chains and shackles used to control him (Luke 8:29). Hoss would often break his leash in order to attack a vicious butterfly. Several times Hoss tore a steel door apart to get at a dangerous beetle.

Jesus cast many demons out of this man and sent them into a herd of pigs that immediately drowned themselves in the lake. The herdsman ran off to town to report what had happened. When the townspeople returned, they saw the crazy man sitting at peace at the feet of Jesus. I can picture him sitting completely calm with his eyes trained on his Master, Jesus.

 

Our world appears to be growing crazier with each passing year. I know I am growing older and am less able to cope with change, but I really do think our world is losing its mind. Jesus came that we might have life, abundant life. Because of God’s great love for us and His offer of salvation, each of us can choose to follow the Lord and live at peace. As we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we can be delivered from being controlled by the craziness of our culture. Stress, persecution, and crazy behavior will still surround us, but Jesus has overcome the world.

As we enter this holy Christmas season, let us take our directions from Jesus, our Master, and not from this world. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and sit at His feet, this Christmas can really be a time of peace on earth, at least peace in our hearts and lives. Let us sit peacefully at Jesus’ feet.