Intro:
We have heard many teachings/exhortations about our Lord Jesus as our shepherd. From last year’s monthly theme “Jesus our Shepherd” we have heard preaching on Psalms 23 and all of us know the characters of our Shepherd in one of the famous chapter in the Bible. But how many of us really understand and grasp or even internalize how good our Shepherd is? It can only be understood once the message of our Shepherd goes down to our own very heart when He speaks to us about His character to us. This exhortation tries to simplify the meaning or the message of our Shepherd to all of His sheep.
Before we go down into details, it is good to know some of the known Shepherds in the Bible. Their characters are so important in order to understand how God used these shepherds and how their lives were used by God so we can follow and be inspired by them. We knew about Moses, David, Jacob very well but there were 4 characters we need to study and how they touch the hearts of their sheep and their own Shepherd.
Rachel – the Caring Shepherdess – Gen. 29
- She was the youngest of the daughter of Laban, the uncle of Jacob
- She was her sister Leah’s rival in Jacob’s love
- She is the real love interest of Jacob and not Leah – v.17 “she has a lovely figure and beautiful”
- She bore Joseph and Benjamin, the 2 favourite sons of Jacob
- She is the shepherd of her father Laban
Abel – the Faithful Shepherd – Hebrews 11:4, Gen 4:3-4
- He offered a better sacrifice than his brother Cain
- He is faithful to offer his best sacrifice to God
Abraham – the Sacrificing shepherd
- He sacrificed his own right to choose first before Lot – Gen. 13:5-18
- He sacrificed his son – Gen. 22:1-18, Heb. 11:17
Hesus (Jesus) – the Good Shepherd – John 10:1-18
- He enters the gate to the sheepfolds properly – v.1-2
- He knows His sheep well as He called them by its name and the sheep listen and follow Him. – v.3-4
- He is their Saviour and the Satisfier of their own lives – v.9-10
- He is willing to sacrifice His own life for them – v.11 (Abraham)
- He is faithful to His calling as a Shepherd – v. 12 (Abel)
- He is caring to all His sheep. V.13 (Rachel)
But why is it that Jesus is called the Good Shepherd? We know that this is the 4th “I Am” in the book of John. I am the way the truth and life, I am the Resurrection and Life, I am the Gate or Door, then this. In Greek, the correct order when Jesus mentioned this declaration should be I am the Shepherd, the Good One. As if saying that there is also the bad shepherd which here in the metaphor is the hired hands.
Now the word “good” comes from a Greek word called “agathos” which means “morally good.”
But the other word is “kalos”, the opposite of “kakos”, which is “to be bad.” Kalos is to be good not only in the sense of moral quality, but it’s a more encompassing word. It means to be beautiful, to be magnificent, to be winsome, to be attractive, to be lovely, to be excellent on all levels, not just in that which is unseen in terms of character, but in all aspects. I am the shepherd, the excellent one. I am the shepherd, be it the lovely one, the beautiful one.
So the word “good” here is not just the same meaning we knew but its more than that. As if Jesus is saying that He is the excellent Shepherd of all, better than Abraham, greater than Moses and David themselves! This is why in vv. 19-20 many are divided in saying He’s insane or demon-possessed or He’s the true Messiah. But that is the truth! He is better than Rachel, Abel, Abraham and all of them mentioned in the Bible since He is God. He is telling His people, and even the Pharisees that He is God who knew Psalms 23 (The Lord is My Shepherd), Psalms 80 (The Shepherd of Israel) even Isaiah and Ezekiel.
He is really the Shepherd, the excellent one for 2 major reasons:
In verse 11. The shepherd, the good one, “lays down His life for the sheep.” Shepherds were absolutely responsible for sheep. It was serious business. It was a man’s job, and it was really kind of a lowly and humble job as well, because it was unskilled and it was risky, and it was messy and dirty. But a shepherd was absolutely responsible for the sheep. If anything happened to the shepherd, he had to produce proof that it was not his fault due to dereliction of duty or rustling the sheep away for his own keeping, or letting a friend take one, or whatever.
In v. 12 He goes on saying that the hire hand is not the Shepherd since he does not own the sheep! This is the major reason why shepherds that time would easily forsake the sheep because they disown them.
Illustration: a hands-on business, hands-on mother or father.
In vv.14-15a “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father” Jesus is emphasizing his close relationship with His sheep. How important is the relationship of a shepherd to his sheep? It’s very important as if it’s the shepherd’s life is at stake when the sheep is in absolute danger. That is why He goes again in saying in v.15b “and I lay down my life for the sheep.” It is not just a simple “Bio” or Zoe” which we extracted the word Biology (study of life) or Zoology, but it’s “psuche” which means soul.
In Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Who gave His own soul, He gave His own personality to us! That is actual atonement of the Shepherd to the sheep. This is a complete substitution of a Person whom with no sin yet sinned for the sheep. (2 Cor. 5:21)
So the 1st reason why he is the Good Shepherd is that because he laid His life to the sheep. The 2nd is in vv. 14-15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father”. On this verse Jesus is saying that he loves the sheep as the Father loves Me. I think we misquote the word know for love? Yes, because the true meaning of “ginosko” or “to know” is the motivation of knowing is because you loved him! This goes back to the original version of Gen. 4:1KJV “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain” but the translation in NIV it used the word “love”. You see it’s not about information but a relationship.
When Jesus says in sermon of the mount, depart from me, I never __ you. Jesus know them but do they loved Him? That is why Jesus says I know my sheep and my sheep know me it’s by saying I love my sheep and my sheep loved Me.
Conclusion
John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
For God so loved (caring, loving Shepherd) that He gave his one and only Son (faithful Shepherd) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (sacrificing Shepherd) but have everlasting life.
God loves us so much that He is our Good Shepherd, the Shepherd’s heart is to lay His life and to know His sheep. That is why David mentioned in Psalms 23
He is our Restorer, refuge
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
He is our Absolute Protector
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
He is our Anointer
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
He is our Home
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Shepherd of my Heart – Sandy Patti
I
Maker of this heart of mine
You know me very well
You understand my deepest part
More than I know myself
So when I face the darkness
When I need to find my way
I'll trust in You
Shepherd of my heart
II
Keeper of this heart of mine
Your patience has no end
You've loved me back into Your arms
Time and time again
So if I start to wander
Like a lamb that's gone astray
I'll trust in You
Shepherd of my heart
Chorus:
You're the beacon of my nights
You're the sunlight of my days
I can rest within Your arms
I can know Your loving ways
So let the cold winds blow
Let the storms rage all around
I'll trust in You
Shepherd of my heart
III
Giver of this life in me
You're what I'm living for
For all my deepest gratitude
You love me even more
So as I walk through valleys
Listening for the Master's call
I'll trust in you
Shepherd of my heart
You're the beacon of my nights
You're the sunlight of my days
I can rest within Your arms
I can know Your loving ways
So as I walk through valleys
Listening for my Master's call
I'll trust in You
Shepherd of my heart
I'll trust in You
Shepherd of my heart
