The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

The Lord is my Shepherd.

For generations, Christians have found comfort in the words of the 23rd Psalm because they speak of a God who leads, protects, provides for, and stays with his people.

But shepherding itself is not glamorous work. A shepherd's work is humble, demanding, and often dangerous.

Sheep are dependent animals. They need someone to lead them to food and water, protect them from predators, rescue them when they wander, and even protect them from themselves.

The Shepherd had to be willing to spend long days and lonely nights with his flock, watching over sheep that could not care for themselves.

And yet Scripture takes this humble occupation and uses it to describe the relationship between God and his people.

In Ezekiel 34, God condemns the shepherds of Israel because they have failed to care for the flock. They have fed themselves instead of the sheep. They have ruled harshly rather than tending them. And then God makes an astonishing promise: “Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” God promises that he himself will shepherd his people.

The Old Testament leaves us waiting for that Shepherd, and now, when we come to John 10, Jesus stands before us and says, “I am the good shepherd.”

Jesus is telling us something about who he is and what he has come to do. He is the Shepherd God promised to send. He is the Shepherd who knows his sheep, keeps his sheep, and ultimately gives his life for his sheep.

And that is what I want us to see this morning, not simply what we do as sheep, but who Christ is as our Shepherd. Because the more clearly we see the Good Shepherd, the more deeply we will love him.

Christ the Good Shepherd

He is the Shepherd Who Knows Us:

Jesus said “the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

In order to really understand what Jesus is saying, it is helpful to have a picture of the sheepfold in Palestine.

It was often a communal sheepfold, with tall stone walls having one entrance. Several shepherds would bring their flocks in for the evening, and in the morning they would walk through the sheepfold, calling them by name, and leading their sheep out by name.

This was only possible because the shepherd daily attended to the sheep, walking before the sheep, speaking to them so that when it came time to sort them, he knew his own, and they knew his voice.

Jesus goes on to say, “I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”

Jesus isn't merely saying, “I know my sheep really well.” There is an intimacy within the Godhead, an eternal relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And Jesus says, in some mysterious way, the relationship between the Shepherd and his sheep reflects that intimate knowledge.

He knows you by name, He knows your past, your present, and your future. He is fully aware of your failings, your successes, your dreams and fears, your hopes and anxieties. He knows the sin that causes you shame, and the wounds that you carry.

Jesus knows everything about you, but his knowledge of you is more than information. It is the knowledge of relationship, love, and compassion: “I know my own.”

There is nothing about you that Jesus needs to discover, nothing that will shock or surprise Him, and still He loves you and calls you by name. His knowledge of you does not diminish his love for you.

This is an obvious reminder that we need to hear and know the voice of Christ.

Stay in the word, daily feeding upon it. Hear him speaking to you in the scriptures.

If you want to hear the word of God, read the Bible. If you want to hear it out loud, read it out loud…

Those who teach, how they teach, and where they lead you should reflect the character of your shepherd

“Thieves and robbers come to steal, kill, and destroy.” Jesus is confronting the false shepherds, the religious leaders who had abused their position and led God's people away from the truth.

The Reed boys, Dan and Dale, they sound like their father Wayne, not just in tone, but in what they say.

Those who teach you, do they sound like Jesus? Does it sound like His humility? His holiness? His mercy? His concern for the weak? His hatred of sin? His love for sinners? His desire to glorify the Father?

He is the Shepherd Who Keeps Us

Jesus said, “I am the door,” but what does this mean? There was no door on the corral, but the gatekeeper would lay down in entryway. In order to get in or get out, you would have to go through him. The shepherd becomes the entrance.

Christ is the Door:

To Salvation: If anyone enters by me he will be saved…

Pilgrim’s progress, those who enter another way (an allegory for those claim to be Christian but do not trust in him) quickly find they cannot make the journey.

Those who come in faith in Christ are saved from their sin and judgment,

To Safety: The gatekeeper protects, defends, and guards the sheep, keeping out the predators and the thieves.

To Satisfaction: I came that they may have life abundantly

What does Jesus mean by abundant life, certainly not worldly wealth and health and prosperity. Abundant life isn't a life in which we have everything we want. It is a life in which we have Christ.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… green pastures, still waters, restored soul, paths of righteousness… my cup overflows.

We have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. Christ is heaven’s best gift, what more could we ask?

He is the Shepherd Who Rescues Us

In 1 Samuel 17 David explains to Saul why he can go and fight Goliath: Your servant used to keep sheep for his father… A lion or a bear would come and take a lamb, and I went after it. I would strike it and save the lamb.

David risked his life for the sheep. He loved his father, who owned the sheep, so he risked his life for their safety.

David risked his life for the sheep. Jesus gave his life for the sheep. David went out to face the lion. Jesus willingly walked toward the cross.

“I lay down my life for the sheep.” He doesn't merely rescue us from some temporary danger. He rescues us from sin, death, and the judgment we deserve by standing for us and giving his own perfect life in our place. His rescue is our redemption. He paid the debt that we could never pay.

Jesus loves the sheep who belong to God, and gave his life to redeem them. The Shepherd is not the victim, but willingly lays down his life, and has authority to take it up again.

This is why he is the Good Shepherd.

Not simply because he is better than the other shepherds, but because he is the Shepherd whose goodness is demonstrated in his love for his sheep.

The Greek word is kalos, which carries the idea of something being, good, noble, excellent, admirable, even beautiful. So Jesus isn't merely saying: “I am a competent shepherd.” He's saying something closer to: “I am the beautiful Shepherd.”

He is beautiful because he knows his sheep. He is beautiful because he keeps his sheep. He is beautiful because he gives himself for his sheep.

John wants us not merely to understand what Jesus does, but to see how good and beautiful he is.

Knowing and Loving the Good Shepherd

Do not overlook the last three verses: Jesus caused division.

Some said he was out of his mind, he had a demon.

Others said that couldn’t be the case, he restored sight to the blind. That’s not what a demon would do.

The real question is, What do you see when you look at Jesus?

John would have you see the goodness of your shepherd.

Some sermons leave us with a “to do” list: based on what we’ve seen, the Word of God calls us to live like this…

Not that there is no call to obedience in this passage. There absolutely is. We are to hear the voice of Christ calling us and then follow as his sheep.

But Christian obedience is the fruit of seeing Christ clearly. The sheep hear his voice, they recognize his voice, and they follow him. They follow him because they trust him. They remain with him because he is their Shepherd. They love him because he first loved them.

He knows you. He keeps you. He rescues you.

How could you not love such a Shepherd?