The Great Shepherd and His Sheep

The book of John is by far the most famous of the four gospels, with descriptive phrases concerning the person and nature of Jesus, such as "the Bread of Life" or "the Vine". But perhaps one of my most favorite descriptions of Jesus would be "the Good Shepherd", found in the tenth chapter of John's gospel. As Jesus does most often, here He speaks figuratively of a shepherd and his sheep. He is speaking directly to the Pharisees and it is obvious that they did not understand Him. He goes on to explain that He is the shepherd and that His sheep know His voice, follow Him and will not follow a stranger, thief or robber.

Yesterday I was reading through some of the Psalms and found some incredible references that fit nicely with Jesus' teaching of Himself in John 10. Psalm 118, pinnacle of the Passover Psalms, which also contains messianic references throughout, is a psalm of declarative praise. It is called a Hallel psalm, which means praise in Hebrew and is where the word hallelujah is derived. I love this psalm because it focuses entirely on the greatness, majesty, glory and power of God, extolling Him above all, exalting His Kingship and giving comfort to God's people-- His sheep. This would be a great meditation psalm- just to dwell on the glory of God in His sovereignty over our distresses. Smack dab in the middle of this psalm we see two verses that cross reference John 10:7-9.

"Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter" (Psalm 118:19, 20)

Jesus IS the gate (John 10:7). He is the One by whom we shall enter-- the Door that opens to us in order that we may go through it and praise the Lord for His saving grace and faithfulness-- the Door opening to His sheepfold. All others are thieves and robbers that only desire to "steal, kill and destroy" the sheep. These thieves and robbers can come in many forms-- a lot of which have an "appearance of godliness, but deny its power" (see 2 Timothy 3:5) and therefore try to deceive the sheep. They do not enter by the door, but come in another way (v. 1).

I have heard John 10:10 spoken a lot over the years growing up in the church. I'd say every time this verse is quoted, it is used as a threat-- so to speak-- and interpreted to only accredit Satan as that thief and robber. Yes there is truth to that, but Satan is not the only thief and robber that this verse is referring and so it is commonly taken out of context and used as a sort of defense mechanism against the Devil in spiritual warfare. Again, that is all true, but instead of blaming everything on the Devil, we have to realize that those thieves and robbers come in all shapes and sizes; beautifully packaged and adorned with deception. We also have to read the surrounding verses and see that "thief" is mentioned first in verse 1 and it is linked to the word "robber", which is important. The next time we see these words linked together is in verse 8 and Jesus says that "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers", which is a direct reference to the Pharisees, whom Jesus is addressing here. I do find it interesting that verse 8 is the only time we see these two words in their plural form. But we have to understand that while Satan is the greatest thief and robber, seeking to destroy and devour the sheep like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8-9), he is not the only thief and robber we must be on guard against. We must be awake, alert and watchful, discerning the circumstances and people around us, and making Jesus our sole trust and dependency.

Consider also that we see a few more different words* to describe people who try to deceive the sheep into listening to their voices instead of the voice of the True Shepherd. In verse 5 we see the word "stranger" which is "not necessarily a thief and a robber. Sheep would not follow a stranger's voice even if he used the shepherd's call and imitated his tone." Also in verse 12 we see the word "hireling" who "is a hired shepherd, a mercenary, who tends the flock for his own interest. When a hired shepherd sees a wolf coming he flees, not caring about the sheep" (Quotations in this paragraph from the NKJV Study Bibles notes on John 10:5, 12). I find it interesting to say the least what these notes said in regards to the ways the sheep are put to the test. Ultimately, if you are one of Jesus' sheep, then this passage will bring comfort like nothing else. When God's sheep are put to the test-- whether by way of circumstance or the need to make an important decision, or anything else, there is comfort in knowing that the Great Shepherd is leading regardless of the details surrounding the time of testing.

So if you are one of Jesus' sheep and find yourself being tested, hearing many other voices around you-- whether they are strangers, thieves, robbers or hirelings, the True Shepherd's voice is heard above all of them and this is the promise we have as His sheep-- "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (v. 27). Another familiar passage concerning the Great Shepherd is Psalm 23. I love that we are compared to sheep. Some people take this offensively, but I take it as pure comfort and peace, knowing that I am divinely protected because I tend to be fearful or distressed at times. My NKJV study notes on verse 2 say, "Any disturbance or intruder scares sheep. They are very fearful animals and cannot lie down unless they feel totally secure. green pastures: David uses eloquent language to express his view of the abundant care God gives to His people. still waters: Sheep are afraid of fast-flowing streams. God's provision of still waters has a soothing effect and calms the sheep." So the true sheep of Jesus will read this and find complete peace in knowing that when we are fearful or disturbed, our Shepherd will give us peace and confidence that He is protecting us and leading us where we are meant to go.

Take heart and find refuge in Jesus because He will lead you. He has already gone ahead of you in order that you will follow Him. Read this today and take every single detail of your life, place them all at the foot of the cross where you can find mercy and grace in your time of need. He invites you to do so. He also invites you to find rest in His green pastures and still waters-- the well of Life that will never run dry.

[* I did not mention the wolf here, but this is also another term used in reference to people who try to deceive God's sheep. I hope to write a post in the near future that speaks more directly to the hirelings and wolves. Stay tuned!]