The Good Shepherd: God’s Endless Love

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Today’s blog post is inspired by my quiet time last night while reading the book of John. In John 10, Jesus uses parables of sheep and shepherds to bring to light that He is the only path to salvation. Let’s take a look at some specific verses:

“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.” - John 10:14-16

This in itself is so beautiful. Jesus, the God of all creation and the Savior of the world, declaring that He knows us, that even if sometimes we feel like we don’t belong, He will make us one together with Him. The God of all majesty declaring that He will lay down His life for us, His children - that is holy.

Let’s dive deeper. Historically speaking, in Jesus’ day, sheep were considered a sign of great wealth. A shepherd’s duty was often to risk his life protecting the sheep under his care from wolves, often having to fight and kill the wolf to save the sheep. When Jesus spoke the words, ”I am the good shepherd,” he was truly reminding us how valuable his children are to him - and He proved that declaration by laying down his life for us.

To lay down your life for someone is no small task. In the world of religion and in Christian society, often times we hear the words ”Jesus died to save our sins” so many times that we have become blind to it. We are numb to the fact that the King of the world was crucified in the most public, shameful way of His time in order to show us the value of endless love. Wake up! Your king died for you. Your shepherd, He who knows you as you know Him - He layed down his life for you. Listen to His voice. Follow Him, for in the end, there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

It’s so easy to become distracted by the things of this world. I myself, am guilty of this too. Distracted by shallow things - beauty, wealth, reputation… This is truly the snare of the devil. Let’s take another look at John 10:

”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.” - John 10:11-13

Worldly possessions are not God. They do not own you. When the waters rise and it feels like the ground beneath you is shattering, who will save you then? Jesus. The good shepherd, who lays down His life for you with His endless love. In John 10, we see that the hired hand runs away as soon as danger is near. This serves as a reminder that the things of this world will fail you - but that’s the good news: they don’t own you.

The man in the parable doesn’t own the sheep - he feels no responsibility and will not risk his life to save the sheep. Yet God owns you, for you are His. Amen and hallelujah!

Let’s pray: God, thank you for all that You have done and will continue to do in my life and the lives of the people I love. You are the good shepherd; you layed down your life for the sheep. This is no small task - in this selfless act, you demonstrated your endless love for your children. Thank you, for the fact that You own me, for I belong only to You. Help me not to be distracted by the things of this world, who will inevitablely fail me, but instead to be enthralled by your endless love and mercy and grace. In Jesus’ name, remind me to know that no matter how badly I mess up, I am a child of God and nothing could ever happen to change that. Amen.