The Good Shepherd
In multiple passages of the Old Testament, God criticizes and pronounces judgment on the shepherds of Israel. See for example Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 6, and Zechariah 10. The problem was that the shepherds, in other words, the priests and prophets, were taking advantage of their position, and instead of feeding their flock, they were letting them go to the wolves while enriching themselves. In Ezekiel 34:11, the prophet writes, “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day’” (NKJV).
Jesus fulfills that promise as He gives us a picture of the good shepherd in Matthew 18:10 -14 as He describes the shepherd leaving the 99 and going after the one lost one. And then in John 10, He tells the people very clearly that He is the good shepherd. Let’s turn to John 10 to see what we learn from Jesus’ explanation of Himself as The Good Shepherd.
He explains in this passage that the one who enters the sheepfold another way than through the door, is a thief and a robber. Such a “shepherd” does not really care for the sheep, but does what he does for his own gain. And when danger comes, he runs away, because he has no concern whatsoever for the sheep.
In John 10:7, 11, and 14, Jesus tells us that He himself is both the door for the sheep and also the Good Shepherd. What I want to do now is look at the characteristics Jesus gives of Himself as the Good Shepherd, and those of His sheep.
First, in verse 3, we learn that the real shepherd calls his sheep by name. He knows each of His sheep individually. In Isaiah 43:1 we read: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.’”
In Jeremiah 31:3, Jeremiah writes, “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’” In this passage, it doesn’t mention that God used Jeremiah’s name, but it does say that God had an everlasting love for Jeremiah as a person. That love is what motivated God to draw him to Himself with lovingkindness.
There are many other examples. When Samuel was lying in bed, he heard a voice saying, “Samuel, Samuel.” When Elijah was pouting by the cave entrance, God came and said, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” When Moses went to check on the bush that was burning but wasn’t consumed, the voice came from the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And one last example: When Saul was on the road to Damascus and the light shown down from heaven, the voice of God came to him saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” God knows His sheep and calls them by name.
Next, the Good Shepherd leads the sheep, and they follow (John 10:3, 4). Notice that there are two parts to this. The shepherd leads, and the sheep follow. Sheep naturally need to be led, just as we human beings need to be led, especially when it comes to spiritual things. We need the shepherd. Alone, we wander and get lost. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and His sheep follow Him. Why? Because they know the voice of the shepherd (10:5). The Bible says explicitly that they will by no means follow a stranger (10:5). Why? Because they don’t recognize the voice of a stranger. Notice that the sheep don’t merely know who the shepherd is and observe him leading. They follow. This should cause some self-examination in each of us. Are we following the Good Shepherd, or merely observing what He is doing? If we claim to be one of the sheep, and yet are not following, this is an indication that we are not among His sheep. How can I say that? Because Jesus says that the sheep follow Him. They recognize His voice and the fact that He is their leader in the pastures of life, and they follow. They know Him (10:14). And get this: They don’t follow the stranger, the false shepherd. They don’t recognize his voice. So if you see others following someone other than Christ, or if you yourself are doing that, you must not be one of the sheep. The sheep don’t follow the stranger.
Next, we see that the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep, and gives abundant life (10:10,11, 15). Unlike the false teachers and the worldly system all around us, the Good Shepherd has laid down His life for us so that, as a result, He is able to give us abundant life. And, as the Bible says it, not just life, but life more abundantly! Unlike all of the human shepherds in Israel and many in the world today, the Good Shepherd actually cares for the sheep and their most essential needs. That need is eternal and abundant life. In order to satisfy the righteousness of a Holy God, the Good Shepherd sacrificed Himself to take upon Himself the sins of the world.
Another thing we learn from this passage is that there are other sheep which also must be brought into the fold. Jesus said, “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.”
Jesus said there were other sheep. It was His intention to go get them. Would He be successful? Jesus says He will be. He says, “Them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock” In other words, He is saying the same thing He said earlier, “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” In this particular context, I think He is talking about the fact that He is going to go out and call a people for Himself from among the Gentiles and they, together with Jewish believers, will be one body. (See also Acts 15:14-17.) According to the book of Revelation there will be people from “every tribe and language and people and nation” in His flock (Revelation 5:9).
As Jesus was teaching these things, there was a division among the Jews as to Jesus’ authority and the statements He was making. Some said He had a demon and others said that someone with a demon could not teach this way. They asked for a plain explanation. He told them that He had already explained it to them, but they didn’t believe Him. He then made an astounding statement: “You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep.” Jesus didn’t say that they were not His sheep because they didn’t believe. He said the reason they didn’t believe is because they weren’t His sheep!
To explain this more clearly, He repeated what He had said earlier. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” It can’t be any clearer than that. Think about your own life. Do you claim to be a Christian? The question is, do you hear the voice of God through His Word, and does He know you, and do you follow Him? Jesus said that if we don’t take up our cross and follow Him, we can’t be His disciple (Matthew 16:24). You can’t really be a Christian unless you are a follower, a disciple, a learner. That’s what a Christian is.
But for those who truly are His sheep, what does He provide? He tells us in verse 28: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
There you have the bottom line. The sheep are in the best hands possible. The Shepherd has them in His hands and God the Father has them in His hands as well. No one is able to get them out. No wolf, no false teacher, no incompetent shepherd. The sheep are safe eternally. Why? Because there is a Good Shepherd, and His name is Jesus.