The Good Shepherd

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The Good Shepherd

John 10:11-18.  

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”  

                  One of the common depictions of Jesus is a pastoral scene where a shepherd watches over the sheep. The image portrays a caring shepherd who provides green pastures and calm waters for his flock. When Jesus declares Himself the good shepherd, He is not merely using a common analogy from an agrarian society. This statement is rooted in the Old Testament and carries significant theological implications regarding the identity of Christ and His role in God’s prophetic history.     

In the Old Testament, we find the repeated theme that was used to identify the king with the role of a shepherd. This was grounded in the reign of David, who was given the promise that his dynasty would be eternal (1 Sam. 7) and would culminate in the reign of the final Messianic King, who would establish His everlasting kingdom. With David’s roots in being a shepherd, the imagery of a shepherd soon became a picture of the nature of the role of the king. The king was more than a political leader; he was to be a shepherd to the people, caring for them and protecting them from potential threats. This was a fitting analogy. In Psalm 23, David used the analogy to describe God’s role as the ultimate king of the universe. When David confesses that God is his Shepherd, he affirms God’s sovereign authority over his life. However, after David, the kings of Israel failed in their shepherding role of protecting and leading the people in spiritual obedience to God. As a result, Ezekiel and Jeremiah brought a strong indictment against the shepherds (spiritual and political leaders) of Israel. In a scathing rebuke of the leaders of Israel, God condemns the self-driven leaders of Israel and announces judgment upon them (Ezek. 34:1-10). God Himself will assume the role of a Shepherd of Israel and feed and care for His flock (vs. 11-16). Jeremiah echoes these words but then takes it a step further. God will appoint new shepherds over Israel and one person to be the final shepherd to reign over Israel (Jeremiah 23:1-4). This points forward to the Messianic King, who will be a descendant of David and who will establish justice and righteousness in the land (5-6). However, this final king will not just be a descendant of David; He will also be God himself (Zech. 14:9).

When Jesus announces that He is the Good Shepherd, He is doing more than just stating that He cares for the people; He affirms that He is the Messianic Shepherd that was prophesied to come. He confirms that He is the final Davidic king who will reign over Israel. Unlike the previous shepherds of Israel who cared only for themselves and thus neglected and abused the sheep (Jer. 23:2 and John 10:12-13), Jesus states that He will care for His people even to the point of dying on their behalf. As the Messianic King, He will fully protect and care for His people. But He will do more than provide for them; He will also provide for our ultimate need by being the substitutionary sacrifice for us. He will lay down His life so that we might be delivered from our bondage to sin. But His kingdom will be more than just a kingdom of the Jews; it will encompass all humanity. The other sheep (vs. 16) refers to the Gentiles who would also embrace Him as their Messiah. To affirm that Jesus is our Shepherd is to establish that He is also our King who reigns over us. It is to acknowledge that He has authority over us and that we are to submit to Him.  Accepting Jesus as our Shepherd is paramount to submitting to Him as our King, recognizing that He cares for us and will protect us from harm.  The question we must ask is this:  Are we not only trusting him to care for us as a loving Shepherd but are we submitting to him as our loving King?  To affirm the one requires that we also affirm the other. 

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