I AM The Good Shepherd

Introduction

Looking at the world today it is easy to see that so many people have lost their way. They are wandering around looking for substance to fill their lives. They are looking for nourishment for their souls. They are looking for purpose in their lives. They are sheep without a shepherd.

You see sheep without a shepherd, or with the caretaker not paying attention will tend to wander away from where they should be. If they are left to their own, they will completely decimate the grazing land because they will eat every las blade of grass, leaving nothing. Because they don’t have the community to rally with they are more likely to be killed or injured by their enemies. They are more likely to die from lack of water because they don’t know where to find it. It is just a matter of time before the sheep that lack a shepherd are not able to live the life they were born to live.

There is a Shepherd though that cares about all sheep, all people. And He is not just a Shepherd, but He is the Good Shepherd.

John 10:11-18

The New King James Version Chapter 10

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Now before we get into these verses, I want to go back and look at the first 6 verses of this chapter that we began talking about last time.

The New King James Version Chapter 10

10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

We talked about this in general terms last time focusing primarily on the Gate references, but it applies even more to this week.

Sheep Pen Image

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

The shepherd would enter by the door. He would not climb over the wall or try to come in a back way without being seen like the robbers.

Now as we begin to talk about our Shepherd, we need to have an understanding of the meaning of the word.

Spirit Filled Life Study Bible John 10:1

10:2 shepherd, poimen (poy-mane); Strong’s #4166: A herdsman, sheepherder; one who tends, leads, guides, cherishes, feeds, and protects a flock. The NT uses the word for a Christian pastor to whose care and

If just hearing the word shepherd didn’t already, this definition should bring to mind another portion of Scripture that gives a very similar definition for a Shepherd, Psalm 23.

The shepherd takes care of his sheep, but it is not simply using a whip, dog, or some other means to drive them from place to place. He personally knows each one.

First, each shepherd had his own way of calling his sheep. It may have been a word, a sound, or even using a flute or similar instrument. The sheep would learn this sound and respond, but only to the shepherd.

This was particularly beneficial when there were sheep from other flocks mixed in because the shepherd could call and only his sheep would respond. They knew his call and they knew his voice.

Not only that, but the shepherd would name each one of his sheep in some way. He knew each everything about them. This allowed him to be able to spot issues easily such as an injury as opposed to a normal walk or behavior.

Having this connection helped to ensure that the sheep would not just follow any person that tried to lure them away. Even if they may be using the same words as the shepherd.

Jesus was not a shepherd by trade. He was a carpenter. He had been performing miracles where fish or water was involved. Yet He chose to use shepherd.

As with many of the parables and teachings of Jesus, this would have been something that the hearers would have understood.

When the Scripture says they didn’t understand what He spoke, it means they didn’t understand He was speaking of Himself.

So the first 6 verses were general. The next 12 verses expound on them.

Last time we discussed “I AM the door”.

Today we are talking about the 4th “I AM” statement, “I AM the Good Shepherd”.

This is the fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy! Now, I’m not going to read through the whole thing, but I would encourage you to read Ezekiel 34. The irresponsible shepherd are a reference to the religious leaders, but God is the true Shepherd, the Good Shepherd.

The New King James Version Chapter 34

23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

Jesus is the true, good, shepherd. He is not a hireling, simply a worker of the sheep.

If a wolf, or a lion, or evil person comes and the hireling has to choose between the life of the sheep or his own life, he will choose his own life every time. He doesn’t own the sheep and he doesn’t have the love and compassion for them that the shepherd would have. Instead he would be about self-preservation.

But Jesus, being the good shepherd, is not like the hirelings. He did not come to this earth in human form so that He could put Himself first above those He came to save. That would defeat the purpose.

If that’s what Jesus was about then there was no reason for Him to leave the right hand of the Father. Why even bother going through life as one of His creation?

Jesus said

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own

He came first to reach out to His sheep, the Jewish people. These were the people chosen by God all the way back to Abraham in the book of Genesis. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all shepherds. David and Moses, shepherds. But none of them were THE shepherd. None of them were the perfect shepherd. They all had their failures and made their mistakes.

Now Jesus was here as the good shepherd, the perfect shepherd, the God who came in the form of His creation, and was willing, just as a shepherd, to give up His life for His flock.

Many of the religious leaders were no longer truly serving God, but instead were serving themselves. This did not apply to all of them as we see many come to Christ in the book of Acts, but it was a large number of them. They were blinded to the truth that was standing in front of them. They couldn’t hear His voice because they didn’t know Him. Yet many did hear and many believed.

A shepherd doesn’t simply buy some sheep and that’s all he ever has. His flock will grow by new generations being born. His flock may grow by purchasing, or inheriting, additional sheep.

Jesus knew that there were some not in the fold with the flock He currently had. He knew there would be more to come from future generations that were yet to born. He also knew that the flock would grow as others believed in Him. Others meaning Gentiles. You and me. We have been brought into the flock of the good shepherd because we heard His voice and followed Him.

Jesus knew what He was talking about when He said

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends

He knew because that is exactly what He was about to do. Here’s the thing though, His life was going to be taken from Him.

If a thief or an animal attacked and the shepherd tried to fight them off and lost, then he gave himself for his flock, but not willingly. His life was taken from him while he tried to protect the flock.

However, Jesus was going lay down His life. It was not going to be taken. He was giving Himself to not only save those who were following Him in that moment, but for all who would ever follow Him.

He was telling everybody who heard Him in this moment what was going to happen whether they listened, believed, or ignored Him.

Not only was He going to lay His life down, but He was going to pick it up again. He was giving His life for the flock, but that wasn’t going to be the end. He would rise, and He would live again. Yet, nobody, including the disciples, understood this.

You may be like the shepherd when it comes to your spouse, your kids, or even other family members where you would be willing to give your life for them. Even in that you would probably base it on how good of a relationship you had with them at tat moment.

Yet here was Jesus who was willing to leave the right hand of the Father, come to earth in the temporary body of His creation, experience everything that we experience, and then die for all of His creation.

ALL OF CREATION

He was dying for the Jewish people. He was dying for the Gentiles. He was dying for the religious leaders who would call for his crucification. He was dying for everyone since who has chosen to disregard Him.

That’s love. That’s the good shepherd.

Conclusion

Where would you be today if you had not heeded the Shepherd’s call?

It doesn’t matter if you have been in church your whole life or if you have come to Christ recently. Where would you be without Him? What would your life look like?

Some of us have a pretty good idea what that would look like and others may have to use their imagination a little more.

Regardless of what you may come up with, I can guarantee your life would not be better. You might have more material things or be considered more of a success according to the world, but your life would not be better.

I want to ask you to do 2 things this morning. First, thank Jesus. Thank Him for leading, guiding, and saving you. Thank Him for protecting you. Thank Him for rescuing you when you wandered before you got too far.

Second, I want to ask you to pray for somebody that needs the good shepherd. To take it a step farther, come down and put their name on a piece of paper. We’re going to add that name to a list that our church will continue to pray for until the day they respond to the call of the shepherd.

If you are here today and you hear the voice of the shepherd calling you today, don’t wait to respond. Right now where you are, respond to Him. Proclaim Jesus as Lord, acknowledge Him as the Son of God, recognize that He laid His life down for you on the cross and then rose from the dead. Turn and follow the shepherd and he will give you life abundantly, and life for eternity in His presence.