Jesus, the Messiah

The center panel is devoted to a beautiful painting of Christ holding the Shepherd's staff. This reminds us of the Savior's words in John 10,11: "I am THE GOOD SHEPHERD; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep".

The familiar Alpha and Omega are used to either side of Him for purposes of identification. The nimbus radiating from His head proclaims Him a person of the Triune God. The ornamented circle says that He is the eternal God. The flowering rod or shrub worked into the blue background with darker lines has developed from Numbers 17,1-8. It is a symbol for the Virgin Birth of Christ and reflects the beginning of His priesthood.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:11-18, NKJV).

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout… On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. (Numbers 17:1-8, ESV).