The Shepherd King
Introduction
When God called Moses from the burning bush, He revealed Himself with those thunderous words: "I AM WHO I AM." This was not merely a name. This was the declaration of eternal, self-existent being. God was telling Moses, "I am the source of all life, all power, all provision." For centuries, the people of Israel clung to this revelation, knowing their God as the great I AM who delivered them from bondage, fed them in the wilderness, and led them into the promised land.
But there was always something more coming. The prophets spoke of it. Ezekiel saw visions of it. The psalmists sang about it. They looked forward to a day when this eternal I AM would not just speak from heaven or dwell in temples made with hands. No, they prophesied that the I AM would come down and walk among His people as their Shepherd King.
Tonight, we stand at the fulfillment of that ancient promise. When Jesus stood in Jerusalem and declared, "I am the Good Shepherd," He was not introducing a new idea. He was claiming to be the very fulfillment of every shepherd promise God had ever made. He was saying, "I am the I AM who has come to tend my flock." From Psalm 23 to John 10, we see one continuous thread: God Himself promised to shepherd His people, and in Jesus Christ, that promise became flesh and dwelt among us.
The question before us now is this: Will we recognize our Shepherd King? Will we hear His voice and follow Him? Let us trace this golden thread from the ancient prophecies to the living presence of Jesus, and discover what it means to be under the care of the Good Shepherd.
I. The Shepherd Promise
Before we encounter Jesus declaring Himself as the Good Shepherd, we must understand the foundation He was building upon. The shepherd imagery was not random. It was rooted deep in the soil of God's promises to His people through the prophets. When Jesus spoke these words, every Jewish ear would have immediately recalled the ancient promises that God Himself would come to shepherd His flock.
Ezekiel 34 stands as one of the most powerful shepherd prophecies in all of Scripture. The context is devastating. Israel's leaders had become corrupt shepherds who fed themselves instead of the flock. They wore the finest clothes, ate the fattest portions, but left the sheep scattered, wounded, and dying. God looked down on this betrayal and His heart burned with righteous anger.
A. God's Promise to Shepherd Personally
Listen to what God declares in Ezekiel 34:11-12: "For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."
Notice the emphatic repetition: "I, I myself." This is not a promise to send another prophet. This is not a commitment to raise up better human leaders. This is God saying, "I am coming personally. I am rolling up my sleeves and entering the sheep pen myself." The great I AM was making a covenant promise that He would not remain distant, but would become intimately involved in the care of His flock.
This was revolutionary theology. Yes, God had always been the ultimate shepherd of Israel. Psalm 80:1 calls Him "the Shepherd of Israel." But here in Ezekiel, God promises direct, personal, hands-on shepherding. He promises to search, to seek, to rescue, to gather, to bring back, to bind up the injured, and to strengthen the weak. This is not delegation. This is divine intervention.
B. When Human Shepherds Fail
The backdrop of this promise makes it even more powerful. Ezekiel 34:2-6 paints a devastating picture of failed leadership. The shepherds of Israel had become mercenaries and hirelings. They took the wool for clothing but provided no protection. They drank the milk but gave no nourishment. They ate the meat but offered no guidance. The result? The sheep were scattered across the mountains, prey for every wild beast, with no one to search or seek for them.
This failure was not just administrative incompetence. This was spiritual betrayal. The religious leaders of Israel were supposed to represent God to the people and the people to God. Instead, they became barriers between God and His children. They loaded people with burdens they would not lift a finger to move. They shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. They devoured widows' houses while making long prayers for appearance.
When Jesus encountered the Pharisees in John 9, we see this same pattern. A man born blind received his sight, and instead of rejoicing, the religious leaders interrogated him, browbeat him, and finally threw him out of the synagogue. They were more concerned with protecting their system than caring for wounded sheep. This is why Jesus launches immediately into the shepherd discourse in John 10. He is contrasting Himself with these failed shepherds who have abandoned the flock.
C. The Coming Shepherd-King
But God's promise in Ezekiel did not stop with judgment on the false shepherds. He looked forward to a coming king who would shepherd in His name. Ezekiel 34:23-24 declares: "And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken."
This Davidic shepherd would not be merely human. Notice how God says, "I will set up one shepherd" and then later, "I, the Lord, will be their God." The promise blends divine action with human agency. This shepherd would be both "my servant David" and yet would shepherd with the very authority of God Himself.
Micah 5:4 adds another layer to this promise: "And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God." This coming shepherd would operate in divine strength and majesty. He would carry the very name of the Lord. His shepherding would not be limited by human weakness or mortality.
For centuries, this promise hung in the air over Israel like a golden thread waiting to be woven into reality. Every faithful Israelite looked for this Shepherd-King. They sang about Him in the Psalms. They longed for Him through the prophets. And then one day, standing in the temple courts, a carpenter from Nazareth declared, "I am the Good Shepherd." The promise was walking among them in flesh and blood.
II. I Am the Good Shepherd
When Jesus declared, "I am the Good Shepherd" in John 10:11, He was not making a casual comparison or telling a nice story. He was claiming to be the fulfillment of every shepherd promise God had ever made. This was the fourth of seven great "I AM" declarations in John's Gospel, and each one reveals another facet of Jesus as the eternal God walking among humanity.
The Greek word translated "good" here is kalos, which carries the meaning of beautiful, noble, ideal. Jesus is not merely saying He is morally good as opposed to evil. He is declaring that He is the model shepherd, the perfect standard by which all other shepherds must be measured. He is the shepherd to end all shepherds, the one who fulfills and transcends every expectation.
A. Fulfilling Prophecy
Every Jewish listener would have immediately connected Jesus's words to the Ezekiel 34 prophecy. When Jesus said "I am the Good Shepherd," they heard echoes of God's promise: "I, I myself will search for my sheep." When Jesus described knowing His sheep and calling them by name, they remembered Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd." When Jesus spoke of laying down His life, they recalled Isaiah 53, where the suffering servant would be led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Jesus was systematically identifying Himself as the promised Shepherd-King. He was claiming divine authority. He was saying, "I am the one Ezekiel prophesied about. I am the Davidic king Micah foretold. I am the Lord who leads beside still waters. I am the I AM who has come to shepherd my flock."
This was not lost on His audience. Some believed and worshiped. Others picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy. But no one walked away thinking Jesus was just a nice teacher using shepherd metaphors. They understood perfectly that He was claiming to be God incarnate, the fulfillment of ancient promises.
Hebrews 13:20 later confirms this when it calls Jesus "the great shepherd of the sheep." The writer connects Jesus's shepherding directly to the resurrection and the eternal covenant. Jesus is not a temporary shepherd or a regional shepherd. He is the Great Shepherd whose shepherding extends from eternity past to eternity future, from earth to heaven, from Jew to Gentile. Every promise God made about shepherding His people finds its yes and amen in Jesus Christ.
B. Laying Down His Life
But here is where Jesus does something no other shepherd could do. Four times in John 10, Jesus emphasizes that the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Verses 11, 15, 17, and 18 all hammer home this central truth. This is not about a shepherd bravely fighting off wolves at personal risk. David did that with lions and bears. Human shepherds throughout history have risked their lives protecting flocks.
Jesus is speaking of something infinitely greater. He says in verse 18, "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again." This is voluntary, sacrificial, substitutionary death. Jesus is not dying as a victim of circumstances or a martyr for a cause. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and simultaneously, He is the Shepherd who willingly goes to slaughter to save His sheep.
The cross stands at the center of Jesus's identity as the Good Shepherd. When wolves scatter sheep, the sheep die. When Jesus faces the wolf of sin, death, and Satan, He dies instead of the sheep. The preposition "for" in verse 11 carries the weight of substitution. He dies in place of us, bearing the wrath we deserved, satisfying the justice we violated.
This is why hirelings flee when danger comes. They have no ownership, no real love for the sheep. They are in it for wages, not sacrifice. But Jesus owns these sheep. They were given to Him by the Father before the foundation of the world. He knows them intimately. He loves them eternally. And He will not lose even one. So He steps between them and destruction, takes the blow meant for them, and through His death secures their eternal life.
The resurrection proves His victory. A dead shepherd leaves orphaned sheep. But Jesus laid down His life with full authority to take it up again. He rose from the dead, demonstrating that He conquered sin, death, and the grave. Now He ever lives to make intercession for His sheep. The Good Shepherd became the Great Shepherd through death and resurrection.
C. Knowing His Sheep
Verses 14-15 reveal the intimate relationship between shepherd and sheep: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father." This knowing is not mere intellectual awareness. This is the deep, covenant knowledge of intimate relationship.
In Scripture, "knowing" often refers to the most intimate relationships. Genesis uses this word for the marriage union between husband and wife. Amos 3:2 has God saying to Israel, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." God knew about all nations, but He knew Israel in covenant love.
Jesus knows His sheep with perfect, comprehensive knowledge. He knows your name, your history, your wounds, your fears, your secret hopes, your hidden sins, your genuine faith. Nothing about you is unknown to Him. And yet He loves you. He does not know you in order to condemn, but to save. He does not expose you in order to shame, but to heal.
The sheep also know the Shepherd. They recognize His voice. They distinguish it from the voices of strangers and thieves. John 10:4-5 says the sheep follow because they know His voice, and they will not follow a stranger's voice because they do not recognize it. This knowing is experiential and relational. You learn the Shepherd's voice by spending time with Him, by hearing His word, by experiencing His faithfulness.
What makes this even more profound is Jesus comparing this relationship to His own relationship with the Father: "just as the Father knows me and I know the Father." The intimacy between believer and Savior is modeled on the eternal intimacy within the Trinity. You are caught up in the love relationship between Father and Son. You are brought into the inner life of God Himself. This is staggering grace.
III. In the Shepherd's Care
Knowing Jesus is the Good Shepherd who fulfilled prophecy and laid down His life is one thing. Living daily under His care is another. Psalm 23 paints the most beloved picture in all Scripture of what life looks like when the Lord is your shepherd. This is not just ancient poetry. This is present reality for everyone who follows the Good Shepherd.
David wrote Psalm 23 from personal experience as both a shepherd and a king. He knew the wilderness. He knew danger. He knew provision. And he knew the faithfulness of God through it all. When David says, "The Lord is my shepherd," he is making a present-tense, personal declaration. Not "was" my shepherd in the past. Not "will be" my shepherd someday. He "is" my shepherd right now, today, in this moment.
A. Green Pastures Today
Psalm 23:2-3 describes the Shepherd's daily provision: "He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul." This is not describing heaven someday. This is describing life with the Shepherd right now, in the midst of your circumstances.
Green pastures speak of abundance and nourishment. Sheep are not particularly smart animals. Left to themselves, they will overgraze an area until it becomes barren. They will eat poisonous plants. They will follow each other over cliffs. They need a shepherd to lead them to good grazing.
Jesus leads His sheep to green pastures by feeding them with His word. John 6:35 records another "I AM" statement: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." The Shepherd provides spiritual nourishment that satisfies the deepest hungers of the human soul.
Still waters speak of peace and refreshment. Sheep fear fast-moving water because their wool gets waterlogged and can drown them. The shepherd finds calm pools where they feel safe to drink. Jesus brings peace to anxious souls. He calms the storms of fear, worry, and regret. He speaks to troubled hearts: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27).
Restoring the soul speaks of healing and renewal. The Hebrew word for "restores" means to turn back, to bring back, to revive. When you stray from the path, the Shepherd comes after you. When you fall into sin, He picks you up. When you grow weary, He renews your strength. First Peter 2:25 says, "For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." The Good Shepherd specializes in restoring wandering sheep.
B. Through Dark Valleys
But life under the Shepherd's care is not all green pastures and still waters. Verse 4 shifts to darker terrain: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
Notice David does not say "if" I walk through the valley. He says "even though." Dark valleys are part of the journey. The shepherd does not promise to keep sheep on the mountaintop forever. He promises to walk with them through the valleys. And the darkest valley is the valley of the shadow of death.
Jesus Himself walked through this valley. He faced betrayal, abandonment, false accusation, torture, and crucifixion. He experienced the full horror of bearing human sin and divine wrath. He knows what it is to walk through the darkest valley. And because He walked through death and came out the other side alive, He leads His sheep through their valleys with confident authority.
The promise is not absence of valleys, but presence in the valleys. "You are with me." This is the comfort. Not that trouble will be removed, but that the Shepherd will be present. His rod and staff represent His authority to protect and His power to guide. The rod fights off predators. The staff pulls back sheep who wander toward danger. Both are instruments of love wielded by the Shepherd who refuses to lose even one sheep.
Hebrews 13:5-6 echoes this promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'" The Good Shepherd does not abandon His sheep when the valley gets dark. He moves closer, walks slower, speaks louder, holds tighter.
C. Goodness and Mercy Following
Verses 5-6 bring the psalm to a triumphant conclusion: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
This is audacious confidence. David declares that even while enemies surround him, the Shepherd prepares a feast. While danger threatens, blessing overflows. This is not denial of reality. This is faith in the Shepherd's power to provide protection and abundance even in hostile territory.
The anointing with oil speaks of healing, consecration, and honor. In ancient times, shepherds would anoint the heads of sheep with oil to heal wounds and repel insects. The Shepherd tends to every wound His sheep receive in the wilderness of this world. He heals the bites of disappointment, the bruises of betrayal, the cuts of criticism. He pours the oil of the Holy Spirit over His people, sealing them for the day of redemption.
The overflowing cup speaks of extravagant blessing. The Shepherd does not give measured portions. He gives pressed down, shaken together, running over. He is not stingy. He is not cautious. He is lavish in His love, generous in His grace, abundant in His provision.
And then the final declaration: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." The word "follow" here means to pursue, to chase down, to hunt. Goodness and mercy are not passive blessings you might stumble into if you are lucky. They are active agents of the Shepherd sent to track you down and overwhelm you with divine favor. You cannot outrun the love of God. You cannot escape His kindness. His goodness and mercy will chase you all your days.
The psalm ends with the eternal hope: "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The Shepherd's care does not end at physical death. He leads His sheep through death into eternal life in the Father's house. John 10:28 promises, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." The Good Shepherd keeps His sheep secure forever.
Conclusion
We have traced the golden thread from the ancient promises to the living presence of Jesus. We have seen that when God said through Ezekiel, "I, I myself will search for my sheep," He meant it literally. The eternal I AM, who revealed Himself to Moses from the burning bush, came down and walked among His sheep as Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
We have seen that Jesus fulfilled every shepherd prophecy. He laid down His life for the sheep, dying in their place, bearing their sin, conquering their enemies. And He rose again, proving His victory and securing their eternal salvation.
We have seen that life under the Shepherd's care means green pastures of provision, still waters of peace, restoration of wounded souls, presence in dark valleys, protection from enemies, and the promise that goodness and mercy will pursue us all our days until we dwell in the Father's house forever.
But now comes the crucial question that determines your eternal destiny: Are you following the Good Shepherd?
Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Hearing His voice is not enough. Knowing about Him is not enough. You must follow. You must entrust yourself completely to His care. You must leave the false shepherds who promise safety but deliver death. You must stop trying to be your own shepherd, choosing your own paths, determining your own destiny.
The Good Shepherd is calling your name tonight. He knows everything about you. Every sin, every failure, every broken promise, every secret shame. And He loves you. He has already laid down His life for you. The price has been paid. The door to the sheepfold stands open. He is inviting you to come under His care, to become one of His sheep, to know Him and be known by Him.
Some of you have been running from this Shepherd for years. You have listened to other voices promising fulfillment, purpose, meaning, and satisfaction. But those voices have led you into barren places. You are hungry, thirsty, wounded, and lost. Tonight, the Good Shepherd is calling you back. Psalm 23:3 promises He "restores my soul." No matter how far you have strayed, He will restore you if you will return to Him.
Others of you are in dark valleys right now. You are walking through circumstances that feel like the shadow of death. Fear grips your heart. You wonder if you will make it through. Hear the voice of the Shepherd tonight: "I am with you. My rod and my staff will comfort you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." Trust Him in the valley. He knows the way through. He has walked this path before. He will bring you out into green pastures again.
Still others of you know the Shepherd, but you have stopped following closely. You have drifted toward the edges of the flock. You are not running away completely, but you are not staying near His voice either. Tonight, He is calling you back to intimate fellowship. He wants you to know Him as the Father knows Him. He wants to share with you the deep love of the Trinity. Come close. Listen carefully. Follow obediently.
If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, tonight is the night. The Good Shepherd is standing at the door of your heart. He is knocking. He is calling your name. Will you open to Him? Will you confess your sin, acknowledge your need, and trust in His sacrifice on the cross? Will you surrender your life to His lordship and follow Him as your Shepherd?
Romans 10:9 declares, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." First Peter 2:25 says, "For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."
I am inviting you to come forward tonight. Come and meet the Good Shepherd. Come and receive His forgiveness. Come and enter the sheepfold. Come and begin your journey under His care. Whether you need to be saved for the first time, restored after wandering, or renewed in your commitment to follow closely, the Shepherd is waiting. He knows you. He loves you. He died for you. He rose for you. He is calling you.
Do not let another day pass under false shepherds or your own inadequate leadership. Come home to the Good Shepherd who promises, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28).
The altar is open. The Shepherd is calling. Will you answer His voice tonight?
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Blessings,
Pastor JM Raja Lawrence
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
email: lawrencejmr@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 9933250072
