Have You Felt His Staff Lately?

We have a week-long book fair twice a year at our school. During the fall fair, the teachers are encouraged to dress up as characters from children’s literature. Last year, on that day, a passage of scripture passed through my mind: “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” Written by a former shepherd, I tried to envision a rod or staff as being “comforting”. If David had written, “Thy rod and thy staff, they direct me,” or “The rod and thy staff, they guide me, “or even, “Thy rod and thy staff, they discipline me,” I could easily picture what he was talking about. But comfort? And why did I think of that verse that day?

I had several ideas for a costume, but chose one that my daughter had made me a number of years earlier when we were planning on attending an annual medieval festival in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. The first time we went, I had mentioned in response to the ribaldry and off-color comments of many of the performers, “What they need around here is a good friar.” So my daughter got out the material, needle and thread, and made me the friar’s costume. Due to rain, we never made it back to the festival, so the hooded robe, belt and money bag went into storage in the depths of my closet. Then five years later came the opportunity, and I went to the book fair as Friar Tuck from Robin Hood.

Not surprisingly, the most frequently asked question was, “Who are you?” Few of the children had ever heard of Robin Hood. Some thought I was one of the Jedi from Star Wars; some thought I was the grim reaper (I really startled one of our teachers when I stood in her doorway without her knowing I was there. When she turned around and first saw me, she thought her time had come!) Some students suggested Moses, a prophet, or a shepherd. A few even thought I was from Harry Potter. Nobody thought of Friar Tuck, much to my dismay.

The second most frequently asked question, one that I still can not comprehend, was “Can I touch your stick?” (I had brought my long walking stick as part of the costume). Why were they so desirous of touching or holding the walking stick? I mean, it is about five and a half feet tall, carved into a mild irregular spiral, stained ebony and polished smooth, but nothing special. That is all it was, a piece of lodgepole pine from Colorado. But I watched amazed as child after child came up to stroke the stick or wrap their fingers about it for a moment. And then they would leave quite happy, even satisfied, perhaps even fulfilled. I was astounded. Is there something about a staff or rod that God’s lambs find comforting?

I’ve tried to think of a way in which a shepherd could use his staff that the sheep would find to be “comforting”. The closest I can come is this: Christ refers to His sheep as knowing Him, and following Him wherever He goes. In other words, they want to be with Him. Is it possible that the shepherd can reach out gently with his staff; touching the sheep to let them know He is there? Is the rod symbolic of His love, perhaps a physical extension of it in David’s usage? That makes sense to me. His love reaching out to me surely is comforting, even as the children found touching and feeling my walking stick brought them happiness that day.

In Robin Hood, the staff was often used as a weapon, for striking an opponent or enemy. In Christ’s hands, it is a thing of peace and comfort. Which use do you like best?

May His staff bring you comfort and cheer this week!

Dr. G