“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.” John 10:14-15
A shepherd is one who herds, guards and tends to their
flock; in the case of these verses, a flock of sheep. The term sheep when applied to humans speaks
of a person who can be timid, weak or submissive, but in this case more than
likely mean someone who is easily led or swayed. Let’s face it; mortal man can be led just
about anywhere whether he intended to go there or not.
The Shepherd knows where the greenest, most plush grass
grows. He leads his flock out to pasture
and then guards them from the periphery where he can keep his eye on them
all. The Shepherd keeps predators from
attacking his flock with his staff, which he can use both as a tool to herd and
a prod to ward off enemies. There is
great comfort in knowing the Shepherd is near by and will lay his life down for
his flock.
That is precisely why this illustration is used to describe
Jesus Christ. He is ever-present in the
form of the Holy Spirit who resides within us.
His ever-watchful eye is on us continuously. He sees all things and is prepared to protect
us from the wiles of our most fierce adversary, Satan. If we, like sheep, go astray, as we are all prone
to do (as stated in Isaiah 53:6), God is there to lead us back into the
fold.
Christ laid down His life in our place. Our sin separated us from our Creator. Christ, through His blood, restored us to a
right relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Sometimes I feel we all, myself included, take that a bit for granted. He didn’t have to do anything to save
us. We got ourselves into the mess we
were in prior to our conversion. He
pulled us out of the miry clay and “put my feet on the rock to stay” (Psalm
40:2). All praise is due the Shepherd of
the flock. Until next time, walk with the
King and be a blessing!
