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‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.’ John 10:11-12
Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd…’ What does he mean when he describes himself as not just ‘the shepherd’ but the good shepherd? What are the qualities of a good shepherd? Can we trust him to be a good shepherd? To examine if this is true, there are a few other facts we need to look at.
The Scripture says in one place, “Know that the LORD, he is God! He made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.‘ Ps 100:3. There are few places like this in the Scriptures that call on the earth and nations to worship God as the Creator of all flesh (Ps 86.9) because God is our Creator; we did not make ourselves. We are His creatures, and as such several places in the Scriptures describe us as the sheep of His pasture (Ps 74:1; 79:13; 95:7; 23:1)
We know sheep are defenceless and always in danger of going astray without a shepherd. Isaiah said, ‘All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.’ Is.53:6. Here again, Isaiah in the Scripture says that all humanity has gone astray. Sin came and separated us from God, our Creator, and we have all strayed away in our self-will and unrighteousness. He also talked about how Jesus would come as a good shepherd to bear all our sins on himself on the cross. We shall come to about that shortly.
In Biblical times, wolves posed a significant danger to the sheep, and lions, jackals, bears, and other dangerous animals were common in the countryside. They were at constant risk of being stolen by robbers or swept away by heavy rain, etc., and a shepherd’s life is in danger from time to time in protecting the sheep. In those days, not all the shepherds were owners, majority were hired hand (hireling). Jesus compares himself as a good shepherd to a hired hand to help us see the beauty of a good shepherd. Because the hired hand does not own the sheep and only tends to them for financial gain, when danger comes, he runs away and leaves the sheep to the mercy of the wolf. But a good shepherd put his life on the line to protect and defend the sheep when the danger came. The wolf and robbers have one common goal: stealing, killing, and destroying the sheep.
Now, let us get down to the nitty-gritty. The wolf and the robbers here represent Satan, who came and lured the very first man and woman to disobey and sin against God and still do so today. ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ But Jesus, the Son of God, has been sent by God to bring us (the lost sheep) back to God. Jesus gave His life on the cross as a good shepherd for His father’s sheep. He paid the penalty for our sin in total, took its consequences upon himself and defeated Satan, who came to steal and destroy our lives, and now there is forgiveness from God through him. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd, and all he has done bears witness to this. He offers salvation to the lost sheep. Why don’t you repent your sin and give your life to Jesus, the good shepherd? If you want to be saved from the power of sin and Satan, the thief and destroyer, could you please pray the prayer below:
‘O God, I believe Jesus is the good shepherd who You sent to die on the cross so that I could be forgiven; I believe he rose from the death. I’m sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. Therefore, I open my heart to receive him as my Lord and Saviour.’
We rejoice with you for making this life-changing decision to follow Jesus, the good shepherd. Please share your testimony with us using our contact details, and we’d like to send you a copy of a book titled ‘Building on the Foundation’.