The Extraordinary Goodness

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the 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; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:11-16, ESV).

There are things that we all agree on what is good. It is good thing that there is no typhoon, no earthquake, no flood. It’s good that electric rate or the price of commodities will go down. It’s good if our meeting hall will be on the ground floor.

But there are things that we differ on what is good. Other would say it’s good to live in a city where there are many shopping malls, while others prefer to be in a place where trees and birds abound.

One would insist that it’s good to eat lechon, but one would say it’s good to be a vegetarian. It’s good for others to sleep in an airconditioned room, while others prefer the windows are just open.

A job seeker would say it’s good to be employed in a government office, but for another would say, it’s good to be in private company or just be self-employed or be in business.

Just what is good?

“In general the term ‘good’ refers to something of value, or anything that fills a need or desire and thus affords satisfaction.”

And as human beings we have a human standard of value, so our understanding of what is good is also on that level.

But, when Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd, His Goodness is far beyond that level.

So, this time, let’s discuss the topic…THE EXTRAORDINARY GOODNESS…, as we focus on our text (John 10:11-16).

So, we should not equate the Goodness of Jesus Christ, who is fully and truly God, with our ordinary understanding of what is good. As the Divine Shepherd, then, what made His Goodness extraordinary?

In chapter 8 of the book of John, we learned that if we are true believers of Christ, we will abide in His word. Also, as true believers, not only God becomes our Father; we are able also to have an affection for Jesus. And further in chapter 8, we found out that Jesus did not just claim that He was before Abraham; He was the “I AM” of the Old Testament -- the Self-Existent One, God Himself.

In chapter 9, Jesus said that He was the “light of the world.” He healed the man born blind. And the man was able to see not only the physical light, but also the “spiritual light.” Jesus made Himself known to the man. And he believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

And now in the opening part of chapter 10, Jesus claimed that He was “the door of the sheep” (verse 7).

Now, in our text, we would focus our attention on the claim of Jesus that He was the Good Shepherd. And as we proceed, we’ll realize that as the Divine Shepherd, His Goodness is beyond the ordinary kind of human goodness that we commonly entertain in our mind.

So, what made His Goodness different, or even extraordinary?

I – HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP (verses 11-13).

We read verses 11-13, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

The word “good” is an inadequate translation in English. In Greek, it carries the idea of “beautiful, noble, good.” “It sums up the chief attributes of ideal perfection. Christ is the Perfect Shepherd, as opposed to His own imperfect ministers; He is the true Shepherd, as opposed to the false shepherds…” or false preachers, false teachers.

As the Good Shepherd, He did not just take the risk or expose Himself to danger to protect His sheep. He really died for them. Notice also why He was ready to die for them. They belonged to Him. He was their Owner. So when their safety was threatened, He would never leave them. He was committed to take good care of them. He would not allow anyone of them to be snatched away.

While we know that the “Good Shepherd” refers to Jesus Christ, who are the sheep? We will become more familiar with them as we go on; at this moment, realize they are the people for whom Jesus died. He did not die for the people, who are figuratively goats, dogs, pigs, or snakes. He did not die even for those who are “in sheep clothing” (Matt. 7:15).