Jesus, the Good Shepherd

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:11

Continuing our journey to see how Jesus describes Himself in the Book of John, yesterday we saw how He calls Himself God using the title ‘I AM,’ which helped us understand His unchanging and ever-present nature in our lives. Today, we want to explore another description of Jesus, where He calls Himself the Good Shepherd.

The Pharisees had thrown out the man born blind from the synagogue after he was healed by Jesus. When Jesus heard this, He found the man and revealed Himself to him as the ‘Son of Man,’ which was a clear attestation to the fact that He is God. This man believed in Jesus, and Jesus used this opportunity to rebuke the Pharisees for the way they treated the people, the flock of God. He called them thieves and robbers, and some of them hired hands, because of how they handled the flock of God.

Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and He gives us some important insights that distinguish Him as the Good Shepherd, unlike these Pharisees. First, He is the one who enters by the gate. This tells us that Jesus enters our lives only because He has authorized access. Even though He has all power in Heaven and on earth, He will only come in when you open the door and give Him the keys to your heart. This is the Shepherd that we have. Remember that the Devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; all he is looking for is a foothold, not authorized access. Someone once asked me, “Why is it so important that we pray, even though God knows what we want before we ask?” The answer is straightforward: prayer is the way by which we give God access to work in our lives. Without authorized access, the Good Shepherd is unable to function in our lives—not because He doesn’t want to, but because He hasn’t been granted access by you.

Secondly, Jesus says that the sheep listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and they follow Him. One proof that you are a sheep is that you can identify the voice of the Good Shepherd and obey Him. This is a basic requirement for every believer because it is the duty of the Shepherd to lead the sheep. However, it becomes a frustrating task when the sheep cannot identify the voice of the Shepherd. So, the question for you is, “Do you know the voice of the Good Shepherd?”

Thirdly, Jesus says that He is the gate for the sheep. Only the sheep that pass through Him will be saved; they will come in, go out, and find pasture. As you read this, you may remember Psalm 23. This also reiterates the fact that Jesus is the Way. It is only through Him that we can access life. As the Good Shepherd, He always wants us to go out and come in through Him, which means all of our lives, experiences, and activities must be through Jesus. He wants to be involved in everything, and only then can we find pasture, which signifies rest. Therefore, be reminded of your Good Shepherd today and allow Him to have access to everything in you and about you.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd, I know there have been many times I have ignored You in my life, but You want to always be involved. I am making a decision to always involve You in my life at all times. Please lead me to find pasture for my soul, and I give You full access to my life. Intervene in everything about me, leaving nothing out. (Can you present all matters that burden you before Him, that He may come in and intervene?)