The Shepherd

The Shepherd

John 10:11-18, NLT

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd. 17The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.

Setting the Scene

Jesus is not just the shepherd; he’s the “good shepherd.” In Jesus’ conversation with a young man often described as the “rich young ruler,” Jesus asked the man, “Why do you call me good? . . . Only God is truly good” (Luke 18:19, NLT). Thus, when Jesus added “good” to shepherd, he was making a significant point. Jesus wasn’t just another shepherd—a well-meaning and competent one. He was “the good shepherd.” In being truly good, Jesus could be trusted to want only the best for his sheep, never to lead them astray. Then Jesus pointed out that the most important trait of the Good Shepherd is that he “sacrifices his life for the sheep.” What a difference between the Good Shepherd and the others mentioned in the story. The thief steals, kills, and destroys; the hired hand watches the sheep only for money and abandons the flock at the first hint of trouble or danger. The Good Shepherd, however, is committed to the sheep. Then Jesus compared his relationship with his followers to the relationship he enjoyed with the Father.

Concerning his willingness to give his life for the sheep, when Jesus said, “I have the authority to lay [my life] down when I want to and also to take it up again,” he was claiming authority to control his life and beyond, hinting at the Resurrection. Jesus obeyed his Father and voluntarily laid down his life. It was not taken from him.

Getting Personal

When have you doubted God’s goodness? When has other advice made you doubt Jesus’ words?

What makes following Jesus all the time so difficult at times?

What evidence might others see in you to show that Jesus is your Good Shepherd?

Many people who call themselves Christians profess to believe that God is good, but they hedge their bets. They follow the Shepherd but question whether they are headed in the right direction. They may trust God and something (money, mental ability, advice of friends, and so forth). But trusting in the Savior means following him wholeheartedly—no additions or corrections. And this begins by believing that he is truly good all the time.

Talking to God

Forgive me, dear Shepherd, for my doubts and fears and for wandering off on my own way, thinking that I know better. I do believe you and trust you. I know you are good and that you love me. Help me trust you more.