Names of Jesus: Part Eight

Jesus—Our Shepherd

John 10:1-18 (NASB) — “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”  Jesus told them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them meant. So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Psalm 23:1-6 (NASB) — The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 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 have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Devotional — In John 10, Jesus uses a parable that was all too familiar to people of that day—the shepherd and his sheep. In preparing this devotion, I wanted to know more about the character and nature of sheep so as to understand why Jesus might use them in particular. Sheep are not predators and are basically defenseless. They huddle in tight masses, feeling safe in numbers. When sleeping, they are oblivious to danger. Sneaky predators can pick off one sheep while the others never notice. They can be led into danger by what appears to be something good, completely unaware of the consequences to follow. The good news, however, is that sheep respond to a strong leader.  Are we not so much like sheep? We can become comfortable in our walk with Christ, letting our guard down. We surround ourselves with like-minded people, go to church regularly, read our Bible, all the things we believe we are supposed to do. This is when the enemy can sneak in and catch us off guard. And before we know it, we have been drawn away from the flock by what seems good. This is where our vigilant and mighty shepherd, Jesus, calls our name, steps in to steer us back to the fold, or save us from the grasp of the enemy. He is constantly watching over His own, providing for us, protecting us, returning us to Himself when we have strayed, and pouring out His lovingkindness upon us who are obedient to His voice.   Let us be joyful and grateful for such a Shepherd. When we give our lives to Christ, we are no longer left defenseless and uncared for. Look at Psalms 23:1-6 to see just how Jesus cares for and protects us.

Prayer — Give thanks that we are known by the Good Shepherd. Be thankful for His provision and protection for His own to the point of death. Never forget to whom you belong!