Review
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Title: The Shepherd and the Lamb: Our Covenant Hope in Christ
Author: Gerrit W. Gong
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: LDS, Religion, Spirituality
Year Published: 2024
Number of Pages: 165
Binding: Hardcover, e-book
ISBN: 978-1-63993-268-9
Price: Hardback $18.99, e-book $9.99
Reviewed by Derek Denney for the Association of Mormon Letters
In the April 2019 General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Gerrit W. Gong gave a talk entitled “Good Shepherd, Lamb of God.” In the address, Elder Gong expounded on the titles Christ used and the ways in which Christ exemplified both a shepherd and a lamb. In Gong’s newest book, “The Shepherd and the Lamb: Our Covenant Hope in Christ,” Elder Gong continues his sermon on the titles of Jesus Christ. In fact, several of the passages in the book are similar and follow the same format as the General Conference address. As Gong describes in the preface, this book is “a meditation on Jesus Christ as the Shepherd and the Lamb.” Throughout the book, Gong highlights scriptural passages about Christ, His roles, and why the Savior would want to be known by these titles. The book is largely centered around scriptural passages with a few stories and anecdotes as examples between scriptural citations.
The book is divided into two parts – the first discusses Jesus Christ’s role as the Shepherd and the second His part as the Lamb. Each portion of the book consists of four chapters expounding on the roles of shepherd and lamb. At the beginning of each section, Elder Gong writes briefly of what the section includes. In part one, Elder Gong states, “Our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ calls us in His voice and His name. He seeks and gathers. He ministers in perfect love. He strengthens us in His love and invites us to strengthen each other in Him.” Indeed, these summaries serve as outlines, as Gong highlights how Jesus calls us (chapter 1), the ways in which He gathers (chapter 2), how Christ ministers (chapter 3), and how He strengthens (chapter 4).
In part two, the focus on Jesus Christ shifts from His role as a guide to His role as the lamb of God. Here, Elder Gong describes the Savior’s part in the Atonement and our covenants with Heavenly Father as he reflects on the ways Jesus restores (chapter 5), how Christ forgives (chapter 6), how He delivers and redeems (chapter 7), and finally, how Jesus covenants (chapter 8).
In the conclusion – ‘Hosanna and Hallelujah’ – Elder Gong shifts from the titles of Jesus Christ to glorifying Him. Here, we see Gong discuss the meaning of hosanna and hallelujah and how it can be used to exclaim hope in Christ. He provides examples of temple dedications and hosanna shouts in modern days and how we, too, can have hope in Christ.
The final two portions of the book are notes and a scripture guide. I wish the notes had been included as footnotes in the book, especially when Elder Gong offered commentary about the scriptures or the citations. Footnotes would have made finding these a little easier. The scripture guide was organized in two portions – Jesus Christ as Shepherd and Christ as the Lamb. Here, Elder Gong provides a list of scriptures across the standard works to use for further study. The last page of this section included a QR code and a link to an online reference. There, Elder Gong left a message to readers, as well as the full scripture he cited in the scripture guide, ensuring readers have access to these scriptures to read for themselves. I thought this was a nice touch and a bit of an “Easter egg” to get a little more insight into Elder Gong’s perspectives.
Ultimately, “The Shepherd and the Lamb: Our Covenant Hope in Christ” serves as an excellent resource to find scriptural passages on Jesus Christ. However, as a meditation, I wish we could have learned more about Gerrit W. Gong. The focus of the book was on the Savior, but very seldom did we understand why these scriptures were important to Elder Gong or how he had come to feel the Savior’s love as he described. If the reader is looking for insight or biographical information about Elder Gong, there is little to glean here in this book. But the book will serve as an excellent resource for someone who wants to read about Jesus Christ and meditate on how to draw closer to Him. In that way, Elder Gong serves as a mediator by compiling scriptures and providing brief commentary to testify of Jesus Christ.