Hello everyone! We’re carrying on in our series titled “I AM …” Carl opened the series with an introduction from Exodus 3 where God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Moses asked God what is His Name. God answers, “I AM.” And in fact, the Hebrew is written in a way that the meaning is I am and I will be, connecting us to the eternal nature of God, the one who is and was and ever will be. (Revelation 1:8) Jesus too used the same expression when talking about Himself in John (6, 8, 18). Jesus is the I AM. He is God.
In addition to the absolute I AM statement, there are many other pictures of Jesus that explore His character, His works (what He has done for us), and His purpose now and in eternity.
In case you missed one of the messages, and you want to keep up. These are the I AM statements of Jesus that have looked at as well as the ones we will look at in the coming weeks.
Feb. 25th I AM (Ex. 3, John 6:20, 8:24,28,58, 18:5)
March 3th … the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48)
March 10th … the Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5)
March 17th … the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7)
March 24th … the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
March 31th … the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
April 7th … the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)
April 14th … the True Vine (John 15:1)
April 21th … the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36)
April 28th … the Word (John 1:1, 14; Rev. 19:13)
May 5th … the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13)
May 12th … the Bridegroom (John 3:29)
May 19th … the Root/Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
That brings us to today’s message. We will look at Jesus’ statement, “I am the good Shepherd,” from John 10. Interestingly, this is the third message in a row that continues from the same passage from John with the light of the world coming from chapter 9 and the door of the sheep coming from the beginning of chapter 10.
Let’s pray together, and then we will dig into this beautiful picture of our Savior and what He is like.
Lord Jesus, we pray that You would help us to understand You more. Teach us from Your Word, strengthen each of these Your saints. We pray that You would be glorified more and more. It is in Your Name, we pray. Amen.
In John 10, Jesus is addressing a group of people in Jerusalem. We don’t know how many exactly, but it is a mixed group. It’s the Feast of Tabernacles, so mid-October, a busy time in Jerusalem. It’s the fall before Jesus will go to the cross. The location is not specified, but it could have been in the outer courts of the temple. Some and likely all of the twelve were there. The man who had been born blind and who Jesus had healed is there, perhaps with some of his friends and family. Some of the Pharisees are there. There are enough people there that after the verses we are going to read from John 10 that many were on either side of the debate about Jesus. I say all that to say that this message was for all of them to hear. Jesus was testifying to them who He is. In John 10:11-18, Jesus said …
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” – John 10:11-18
There is a lot we can look at in this passage. Before we start looking at ways this passage connects with other parts of the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, let’s not skip over what is right in front of us here.
What does Jesus say it means for Him to be the good shepherd?
The Good Shepherd
1. Lays down His life for the sheep
2. Is the owner of the sheep.
3. Will not abandon the sheep when they are attacked.
4. Will not run away.
5. Cares for the sheep.
6. Knows and is known by the sheep.
7. Has other sheep (not from this pen).
8. Will bring all His sheep into one flock.
9. Will lay down His life and will take it up again.
Let’s unpack each of those quickly.
As He lays down His life for the sheep, we can think about the crucifixion. Jesus stands in the gap for us. He provides for us eternally by His sacrifice.
Jesus is the owner of the sheep. We are purchased by His sacrifice, His blood. Revelation 5:9 says it plainly, “With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
He does not abandon. He will not run away. He will never leave us, nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) He protects us from the evil one. (John 17:11, 15)
Jesus cares for the sheep. (I Peter 1:5) In Mark 4 (v.38-40), Jesus was sleeping as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. A storm came up, and the disciples were afraid that the ship could capsize. They woke Jesus crying out, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, and then he asked them why they were so afraid. We shouldn’t be afraid. We have Jesus as our shepherd and he cares for us.
Jesus knows His sheep and is known by His sheep. It is hard for a shepherd to care for his sheep when he doesn’t know them and their condition. I watched several short videos about sheep with a certain focus on shepherding in Israel, and one was very 21st century. It was about a smart phone app and software that helps the shepherd. The developer talked about how the software is designed to work on three levels. It allows them to know the status of each individual sheep, the status of the flocks, and the overall status of the operation, the farm. Now, Jesus doesn’t need software to do this, but He does see the individuals and the communities of believers and the entire body of Christ. He knows His sheep.
He has sheep not from this pen. Jesus is talking to Jews. The sheep not from this pen are obviously Gentiles. We can also think about these other sheep as coming from every tribe and language and people and nation. Literally, phyle (family, phileo, Philadelphia, phylum) and glossa (word, glossary) and laos (group, laity) and ethnos (ethnicity).
Even though all these sheep may come from different places and languages and backgrounds and experiences, Jesus is going to make them into one flock. This is totally awesome and amazing. We know it, but it is still wondrous to stop and reflect upon it. Jesus is forming us into one body. That’s so cool. This picture of a shepherd is so powerful. We are individuals in a flock. We are part of a great body of believers. And yet, it’s not like we’re a drop of water in the ocean that has no identity. We are sheep in the One flock.
Finally, we are reminded again that the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Not only that, He takes it up again. He has the power and authority from the Father to do it. This again points to Easter, Jesus’ sacrifice and His glorious resurrection. I know it’s a week early, but He is risen! (He is risen indeed!) I love Hebrews 7:16. It tells of Jesus as our great high priest. It says He, “has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.” Jesus’ life is indestructible. He can lay it down, but He can also take it up again. Wow!
So, that brings us through what stands out when we look at the passage. Jesus lays down His life for the sheep. He is the owner of the sheep. He will not abandon the sheep when they are attacked. He will not run away. Jesus cares for the sheep. He knows and is known by the sheep. Jesus has other sheep (not from this pen). He will bring all His sheep into one flock. And, He will lay down His life and will take it up again.
Of course, there is much more that we can say here. But let’s just take a moment, bow our heads and thank Him for being our Good Shepherd.
Shepherds, sheep, and shepherding are everywhere in the bible. Sheep 206 times in 194 verses (40 times in NT). Shepherd or shepherds 124 times in 116 verses (22 in NT). Interestingly, there’s not much drop off comparing the occurrence rate in the Old Testament to New Testament. It works out to about 80/20. The Old Testament and New Testament are split 77/23 on word count.
Who are the shepherds in the Bible?
Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, Moses, David, Amos. Of course, you could include Adam and Noah and his sons.
Who is the first person named as a shepherd? I mean which verse includes the word shepherd and another person’s name? The verse is Genesis 29:9. Jacob has fled from Esau. He’s also been sent to Paddan Aram to find a wife. He starts talking to some shepherds at a well, and while he was still talking with them, Rachel comes with her father's sheep. And then, it adds the reason she came, “for she was a shepherd.” To this day, it is not uncommon that girls are shepherds in the wilderness.
If we look a Moses and David, what roles did they ultimately have? Moses led the people from Egypt, through the wilderness (or desert), and on to the Promised Land. David was the King of Israel, and the man after God’s own heart.
What was Moses’ backstory? He was born in Egypt, placed into a basket in the Nile as a baby, but rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh and then raised in the palace. When he had become an adult, he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. To rescue the Israelite, he struck and killed the Egyptian. When he realized that this event had become widely known, he flees into the desert where he stays until God calls him to return to Egypt. What is Moses doing for these 40 years that he is away? He is a shepherd. In part, God prepares Moses to lead the Israelites by allowing or leading him to be a shepherd.
David grows up as youngest brother and a shepherd. His experience as a shepherd allows or enables him to shepherd the people of Israel as their king. I’ve thought over the years that conflict in the workplace is not that much different than conflict among children. Apparently, a good way to learn how to lead people is through shepherding. (II Samuel 5:2, the people made David king; Psalm 78:71, God brought David from tending the sheep to shepherd His people Israel)
Going back to Moses, do you remember that God wouldn’t allow Moses to enter the Promised Land? I always get a little hung up on that, and I never really realized how Moses reacts. God tells Moses that he will be gathered to his people as his brother Aaron was. Then God tells Moses why. It’s because Moses did not honor God as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah Kadesh.
It’s like a perfect moment to think about yourself. Have a pity party. Think about what you did wrong. Think about your older brother who had already died. What does Moses do? He doesn’t do any of those things. He talks to God. Does he ask for something for himself?
Moses said to the LORD, “May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. – Num. 27:15-18
I think that’s so cool. Moses was a good shepherd. Once he found out that he wasn’t going to lead the people into the Promised Land, his first thought was that there needed to be a new shepherd for the people. God immediately answers Moses and appoints Joshua. Joshua too was a great leader of the Israelites.
If we reflect on Moses’ prayer, we can see that Joshua is the immediate fulfillment. But, we can also see that Moses’ prayer is pointing to a deeper need, a need for all-time for the people of God. We, the people of God, need someone to go out and come in before us. One who will lead us out and bring us in so that we, “the Lord’s people, will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” God has a much bigger answer for Moses’ prayer than just Joshua.
Even Joshua’s name preconceives a greater fulfillment. Joshua is the leader who will lead the Israelites after Moses dies. Yeshua, Jesus, will lead the people of God now and forevermore. Moses told the people of Israel about the one who would follow him in Deuteronomy (18:15-19) as the Prophet. Peter and Stephen confirm in Acts (3:19-26 and 7:37) that Jesus is the Prophet that Moses foretold. Jesus is the ultimate Good Shepherd whom Moses asked God to provide for His people.
In the Old Testament, God also is the shepherd of Israel. When Jacob at the end of his life blesses his son Joseph, he tells him, “God ‘has been my shepherd all my life to this day.’” (Genesis 48:15)
David testifies in Psalm 23 that “the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing, I shall not want.” (v.1) You know that Psalm as well as I do. What else does David say of God’s provision?
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside quiet waters
He refreshes my soul
He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil
My cup overflows
He concludes the Psalm saying, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” God is the Good Shepherd. He shepherds his people even where it is difficult to shepherd.
Psalm 78 tells of how God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt, how “He brought his people out like a flock.” (v. 52) It says that “He led them like sheep through the wilderness.” The holy land is 70% wilderness, nearly desert. Although, the Israelis are actively working to reclaim and use more and more land. But shepherding in the wilderness requires a great deal of skill. You must know where to find grass, where to find water.
We just read Psalm 23 where it talks about green pastures. In the wilderness, there aren’t any green pastures. At least, not the verdant carpets that we think about when we think about pasture. I heard one speaker say that in the west, we think about pasture as a sharing sized bag of M&M’s. In desert grazing, it’s like 1 M&M and it’s brown and hard to see.
The wilderness or desert is not the place of abundance. It is the place of “just enough.” When the Israelites were in the wilderness, God gave them manna to eat. It was just enough for one day except on Friday when they would gather enough for two days so they wouldn’t have to gather on the Sabbath. This thinking of “just enough” is reflected in the Lord’s Prayer. We are told to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Isaiah 40:11 says “He [the Sovereign Lord] tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” God is able to lead His people through the wilderness even the lambs and those who have young.
Sadly, the rulers of Israel after King David, they were not good shepherds. You can read about it in Ezekiel 34. The passage in John 10 that we read talks about the hired hand, how he would run away when the sheep were attacked. Jesus explained that this hired hand “cares nothing for the sheep.” That’s what we find as the description of the “shepherds of Israel” described in Ezekiel. Verse 8 says that they “cared for themselves rather than for My flock.”
What will God do about this situation? For one thing, it says He will remove those bad shepherds. After that,
… this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. – Ezek. 34:11-16
After another interlude about what the Lord will do with not only the bad shepherds, but also the bad sheep. He concludes …
I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken. … You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD. – Ezek. 34:22-24, 31
Jesus is that Good Shepherd. He is the Son of David. Today is Palm Sunday. The day where Jesus came into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion. Do you remember what the people cried out as he rode in upon the foal of a donkey?
“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matt. 21:9-11
This is the prophet whom Moses foretold, the good shepherd who Ezekiel foretold, and the Micah too foretold, saying …
He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. – Micah 5:4
That comes just after the familiar passage that is quoted in Matthew that we read at Christmas. “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6 and Micah 5:2) Here in Micah 5:4, we see how He will shepherd. In the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of His Name, and the people of God will live securely and His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
We too are His sheep, and we are caught up in this good news for His people. Zechariah in the Old Testament and Peter in the New say something very similar.
The LORD their God will save His people on that day as a shepherd saves His flock. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. – Zech. 9:16
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. – I Pet. 5:4
We have the promise that the Lord will save His people as a shepherd saves His flock which is awesome. Then, we see that His people will sparkle like jewels in a crown. Peter tells us why. We will sparkle in His land because the Chief Shepherd will give us all crowns of glory that will never fade away. Isn’t that fantastic?
I’ve got a couple more verses here to end on. Jesus is not only the good shepherd. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Revelation 7:17 brings both of them together.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; “He will lead them to springs of living water.” “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Rev. 7:17
The good shepherd takes care of our every need. Physical, mental, spiritual. He is truly the good shepherd. With Him, we have nothing to fear.
I’m going to close with Hebrews 13:20-21 which is a blessing, a benediction. Please bow your heads again.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. – Heb. 13:20-21
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