Jesus came as the good shepherd to bring us into abundant life, to return us to the experience of Adam and Eve in the Garden before the fall. How is this accomplished?

  1. First, He sacrificed His life for the sheep. (John 10:11) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (ESV) Jesus is very clear on His purpose: He is to die as the paschal lamb for sinful men so as to satisfy the justice of God and reunite men and women to Him. It would be sacrificial for He need not die. He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). It would be voluntary and on His terms (John 10:18, Galatians 1:4). Its timing would be perfect, happening on the very day that lambs would be slaughtered on the altar of the Temple as part of the Passover celebration, a celebration of God’s love, mercy and grace when the angel of death passed over His chosen. How fitting that God display his ultimate love and grace and mercy on that day! It would be substitutionary. We deserved to die, but instead Jesus paid the price (Ephesians 1:7). The Pharisees could not even make a lesser, more temporal sacrifice, for they neither loved the sheep nor understood such a love. (John 10:12-13).
  2. Second, He cares for the sheep. Again he contrasts His care with that of the religious leaders. (John 10:13) “He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” (ESV). The hireling has the most regard for his own comfort and well-being. Because of this, Amos 3:12 tells us that the owner of the sheep expected the hired shepherd to produce evidence that he made an effort to save the lost sheep. But the shepherd-owner has a vested interest. He fights for his sheep rather than flee. The shepherd boy David demonstrates this in battling a lion and a bear to save his family’s sheep (I Samuel 17:34-35). How else does the good shepherd care for the sheep? Take a look back at Psalm 23. The shepherd provides for all the needs of the sheep. The good shepherd provides fully and in abundance. Most of us don’t understand a lot about sheep and shepherding. A great read here for further insight is A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.
  3. Third, he unites the sheep. “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16, ESV) Gentiles and Jews united together in one family. Peace. We do not experience the Christian life alone. We share the pasture with other sheep and each cares for one another. (John 13:14, Romans 15:5, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:24-25)

SO WHAT?
Who is your shepherd? Are you being led by Christ or by the world and its false shepherds?

The problem of the false shepherds is still with us today (Matthew 24:24; 2 Corinthians 11:13), therefore we must train our senses of discernment. Hebrews 5:14
exhorts us, “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (ESV) How’s your spiritual nourishment/diet? Are you feasting on solid food?