Jesus the Good Shepherd
In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” In this statement we can see that Jesus is again taking for Himself a title for God, going back to the well-known Psalm 23 where David said, referring to God, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” But Jesus doesn’t just call Himself the Shepherd. He says He is the ‘good’ Shepherd. The Greek word for ‘good’ means, “that which is noble, wholesome, good, beautiful.” As one commentator put it, “in using the phrase “the good shepherd,” Jesus is referencing His inherent goodness, His righteousness, and His beauty. As shepherd of the sheep, He is the one who protects, guides, and nurtures His flock.”
One writer says this, “…to better understand the purpose of a shepherd during the times of Jesus, it is helpful to realize that sheep are utterly defenseless and totally dependent upon the shepherd. Sheep are always subject to danger and must always be under the watchful eye of the shepherd as they graze. Rushing walls of water down the valleys from sudden, heavy rainfalls may sweep them away, robbers may steal them, and wolves may attack the flock. David tells how he killed a lion and a bear while defending his father’s flock as a shepherd boy (I Samuel 17:36). Driving snow in winter, blinding dust and burning sands in summer, long, lonely hours each day—all these the shepherd patiently endures for the welfare of the flock. In fact, shepherds were frequently subjected to grave danger, sometimes even giving their lives to protect their sheep.”
Jesus is the only One who can be the Good Shepherd. He alone is good, being God, for only God is good. And He alone can be the one who gives His life for the sheep, referring to you and I. We are like sheep. We need a Saviour. We need a protector. We need a guide, a leader. All of these are found in Jesus.
In this world where there are so many voices; so much noise and hoopla, we must know the voice of our Good Shepherd. And we can know His voice through His Word; through the help of the Holy Spirit. We must follow our Good Shepherd!