I am the good shepherd
Festival2001
We are here as Christians who want to be of some use to God. We are here as individuals who understand that we have responsibility in the work of God- the family business- of helping people into personal relationships with God. We know that part of being evangelical, which our church is, is that we accept our scriptural responsibility for helping people to hear the gospel. Beyond that, we have responsibility to help people who respond to understand how to begin to live as Christians. We are to be supporters and cheerleaders of those who are living for Christ, as we have been seeking to live for some years, in most cases.
Throughout the Bible, there’s a picture of Jesus that speaks loudly to us as we think about being involved in the family business- the work of helping people into relationships with God, from whom they’ve been estranged. In fact, it’s important for us to remember that the whole Bible is concerned with the fact that humanity has been exiled from God (Gen. 3) and that is concerned with bringing humanity back to Himself (Rev. 21, 22).
John 10.11- Jesus declares Himself to be the good shepherd. We find this idea throughout scripture and this is one of the most encouraging images we could be given. This image can give us a lot of confidence and hope when it comes to being able to ‘do evangelism’ and to have confidence that we’ll be the right place at the right time.
Let’s explore this image today and draw from it what can be of inestimable help to us in the task ahead.
This is one of the two places where the image of the shepherd is most discussed. Let’s turn to the OT and see what God says about being a shepherd.
Ezek. 34. 1ff- God begins by condemning the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves, rather than their sheep, and moves on to his own compassionate assuming of the role of shepherd over Israel. In this, we learn, as in so many cases, what to really expect of a shepherd. God sets the example.
v. 11-12- he searches for His sheep, and seeks them out! He tells us, clearly, that this is a shepherd’s job! This is what should be done.
v. 13-16- he declares that he will feed them and give them water in abundance. In Moses’ life, this was one of the benefits of his shepherd years; he had learned the skill of finding- and expecting to find- food and water in unusual location. A good shepherd is uncanny in this ability. God will continue to seek them, and bring back those who have wandered. He will perform healing to those who have the need. He will watch over the sheep.
All that we might be concerned with reaching through evangelism are meant to be God’s sheep even as you and I are. He knows them and wants them. We understand this, and that He is passionate about wanting to bring them back to Himself. This is part of the picture of reality before we even begin! This is important to understand! God wants ALL brought into relationship with Himself; He does not want any to perish.
When we think of those out there that we know we have desire to reach, and feel responsible to reach, we have to remember that before we even began to think about this, God has been involved. You and I want to be successful in doing whatever God wants done in reaching people for him and helping them into relationships with Him. Well, long before you had any desire for that success, God’s desire was already in the picture! We have a picture of God who is active in seeking people. You want to be successful as a channel of His grace to people? God wants you to be successful, too! Before you wanted success, God wanted the success.
One of our greatest desires is to know where we’re supposed to be. Do you think God knows where you and I are supposed to be? Do you think He has already thought through what should be done? What are the best methods? What are the right people? What is the right area to work in? Based on what we read in Ezekiel 34, I believe we can go forward with confidence, knowing that IF we’re near God’s heart, He will be leading us forward.
Let’s look at a second OT passage that speaks to us of God as the shepherd, and which leads us to confidence in being able to enter the work of God’s family.
We’re all familiar with the Shepherd’s Psalm- Psalm 23.
Read it first.
This psalm is incredibly beautiful and there are so many reasons why it is the most familiar of the psalms. All the major aspects of human life are covered here. We see outdoors and indoors, peace and peril, the possibility of evil and the prospect of good, times of invigoration and times of gloom, the experience of following and the life of being stable. All focuses on the Lord whose tender care, vigilance and presence impart all the colour and satisfaction to life. We see God- the shepherd- in perfect activity. This is represented by seven activities of the Lord described in verses 2-5- He makes, he leads, He restores, he guides, You are with me, You prepare a table, You anoint my head. All this is framed within the name of the Lord, who is the first and last reference of the psalm.
Each of us may have different pictures of shepherds, I imagine. Verse 2 points out one that is quite different from what we might imagine seeing in those who work with sheep in North America or in Australia. We’re used to sheep being herded, much like we might see horses or cattle herded, to move them from one place to another. However, in this verse, we see the shepherd ‘leading’. This is the biblical concept. Remember that Jesus says that the sheep would know His voice and would follow or come to Him. We’re looking here at a shepherd who didn’t have to take care of 1000 sheep, but a smaller number. We find the idea, in one of Jesus’ discussions, of a shepherd having 100, losing one and going to find it. Maybe that gives us some idea of a maximum sized herd for a shepherd. I can’t declare that dogmatically, but it’s a possibility, at least.
What does the idea of a shepherd’s leading to green pastures and beside still waters tell you? It tells me, among other things, that the shepherd has been there before. He has scouted the terrain ahead-of-time. Maybe the sheep haven’t been in a particular place before, but the shepherd, at some previous time, has scouted the land, walked it, considered its appropriateness for his sheep, and has decided that this is the place for them. The Hebrew actually conveys gentle guidance as distinct from forceful driving. This is such a beautiful picture for us.
From it, we have to remember, then, that wherever we are to go, Jesus has been there ahead of us. He knows where we’re to go, what is the best way to go there, and how best to be while there. He knows how long to stay in a particular place, too, and understands the conditions that determine that it’s time to move on.
Let’s look at an example of this in Acts.
Acts 13- 14- Paul and Barnabas were sent by the church at Antioch. So, they went out and they moved along. We know that the story doesn’t record everything, but we know that they were led from place to place and that somehow they knew when to move on. In some cases, the moving on was gentle. In others, it was rather forceful and could appear to have been a negative experience. However, Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, was in it all. It wasn’t necessarily easy, and I’m sure that Paul had to pray diligently to be sure that he understood what was required. But he did, and great things were accomplished.
Paul, like us, felt inadequate for the task ahead of him. But he depended on the guidance of the great shepherd in order to be able to do the work he was given to do.
Do you think Jesus was already in the different locales when Paul got there? Of course he was! There is no question that he was. He had gone ahead to prepare. Sometimes, there were green pastures and quiet streams. Sometimes there was the valley of the shadow of death. However, through all, Paul received the guidance and the assurances he needed to be able to successfully advance in the work of the kingdom.
This is true for us, too. We are to go forward with the assurance of Jesus’ presence in the task. He is more concerned for success than we are, and wants to reach people more than any of us wants to reach people! We get to go to the great ‘shepherd of the sheep’ (Heb. 13.20) and yield to Him and get to follow Him- we don’t have to initiate anything, but get to enter into what He has already begun. The key is to find what that is!
Let’s now, finally, go back to the great statement in John 10, where Jesus declared Himself to be the ‘good shepherd’. Let’s look at the context and simply enjoy the confidence that Jesus’ words give us.
John 10. 1- 5- the sheep are not to ‘follow’ a stranger- but they will follow the shepherd. (John 6.44- a passage that tells us that no one can come to Jesus unless the spirit of the Father draws; consider this and we’ll actually examine this tomorrow.)
v. 7- Jesus draws proper attention to Himself.
v. 9, 10, 11, 14, 15
v. 16- is filled with promise. We don’t have to complicate the entire endeavour of ‘evangelism’. The shepherd is at work and he wants us to be involved with Him. He’ll draw us to Himself and to where He is at work so we can join Him in the work he is doing.
We understand that God has been at work in the world from the time of the bad decision in the garden, in his effort to restore people to Himself. He has initiated activities, at various times, and has invited individuals to enter into His work at the time. This is where we want to be- entering into what God is about at this time wherever we might be. How can we?
We must appreciate that he is doing. We must appreciate that He is active as the great shepherd. We must seek Him and then respond as He leads us into His work. We can go forward with confidence, recognizing that He will bring us to Himself and into His work- because He is the great shepherd!
Understanding that Jesus is the great shepherd can be of incredible help to us at several levels:
1. We can appreciate that He is shepherding us.
2. We can appreciate that He is shepherding those who are to become part of His family.
3. We can appreciate that, as the good shepherd, He will bring together these two groups, since He is the one who has chosen to do His work through us.
This enables us to go forward encouraged and positively about the task ahead. We can go forward knowing that as we live our lives, in love, others, whom God leads us to and whom He has chosen, will be drawn. All because we do all under the banner of the Good Shepherd!
