OUR FATHER WHOSE SON IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

In the book of John chapter 10 verses 1 - 16, the Lord Jesus used the analogy of a shepherd and His sheep to explain what His relationship with the people who believed in Him would be like.

Those who are His would know His voice the way sheep know the voice of their shepherd and when He called them, they would heed His voice and follow Him. 

Jesus asserted in this analogy that the only way to join the flock would be through belief in Him because He was the doorway to the sheepfold and the only legitimate way into the sheepfold was through the doorway. This implies that there is a potential for sheep to be among the flock who are not legitimate members of the flock because they enter by means other than belief in Jesus. Jesus also touched on those who had come claiming to be sheperds before Him had tried to lead the sheep unto destruction but the legitimate sheep did not hear their voices. Those false sheperds came to steal kill and destroy but Jesus came that the sheep would have life abundantly.

1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 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.

The Lord told His listeners that He is the good shepherd who takes ownership over His flock and sacrifices His life on their behalf.  Whereas a hired shepherd would not risk his life for the sheep and would abandon the sheep at the first sign of trouble, Jesus faces the enemies of the sheep even to the point of laying down His life to save them.

Jesus explained further that even as His Father in heaven knew Him, He (Jesus), knew His Father and out of that knowledge of each other, Jesus, the good shepeherd, would be able to lay down His life for those that were given to Him by His Father.

It was then that Jesus alluded to the fact that there was a global component to ministry where the sheep of His flock would not be restricted to the children of Israel but would be from elsewhere and they would hear His voice and He would bring them into the fold and He would create one flock under one shepherd.

Praise the name of the Lord.

Amen.

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