CHRIST, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
JOHN 10:11-18
Remember some of our maxims or principle beliefs:
1. God is sovereign,
2. the Bible is true, and
3. Jesus Christ is the only Savior of mankind; only way to Heaven. Add to that this statement: The most important question to ask of any Old Testament passage is “what does this teach me about Jesus Christ?”.
In the Old Testament there are many prophecies which foretell the coming of Messiah and portray Him as a Shepherd. Isa. 40:3,10-11; Ezek. 34:11-12, 15-17; Ps. 23. As we can see, the Lord Himself will come as the Shepherd, He is the fulfillment of the shepherd prophecies. When Jesus spoke these words in John 10, the disciples must have been astonished because they would have understood Him to say that He was indeed the Messiah.
We might understand all this better if we know:
1. The needs of the sheep, and
2. The duties of the shepherd.
The Needs of the Sheep:
- have no sense of direction; no natural homing instinct
- cannot clean themselves as other animals do
- is weak and defenseless
- cannot find food and water on their own
- are easily frightened and will panic and run.
In other words, they have to be led, cleansed, protected and defended, fed, watered, and comforted.
The Duties of the Shepherd:
- lead the sheep to green pastures and still waters, (The shepherd will go ahead and clear the pastures of poisonous weeds and thorns and thistles, and find or make still waters for the sheep to drink from.)
- protects the sheep from predators,
- searches for lost sheep
- cares for injured sheep
- delivers the lambs when they are born
- keeps the flock together
- comforts the sheep with songs in the night, Job 35:9,10
- and, when it is necessary, he shears the sheep!
When Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd” the disciples would have understood Him to be making His claim as Messiah, and very God. The shepherd is the sovereign Lord, very God Himself. The key word is “good”,...Matt. 19:16,17
The Bible says that there is none good, no not one, Rom. 3:10-12. Only God is good in the sense that He is the only sinless one. The rest of us are sinners in need of a Savior.
God would come as the Good Shepherd, and Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophecies. As the Good Shepherd, Christ has come into the world to take good care of His sheep.
I. THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVES HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP, v. 11
That is, The Good Shepherd gives His life for the redemption of the sheep. ...because there was no other way to effect redemption This passage will answer those who say there are other ways to Heaven besides through faith in Christ.
Matt 26:39...In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. His human nature is seen here. If there is any other way to provide redemption for lost mankind besides my suffering and death, let’s go that route. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. ...and Jesus went to the cross, because there was no other way to redeem us from our sins.
Let’s be clear here, Jesus was not a martyr dying for a cause like William Wallace,
Nor was He just a great example of self-sacrifice like Mahatma Ghandi,
Nor was Jesus merely a good teacher with high ideals like Buddha or Confucius. They were merely men,...men who could not provide redemption for sin.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
But Jesus Christ is the Son of God who voluntarily left Heaven to come to earth to give His life; divine life, eternal life, as our substitute. The innocent Messiah dying for guilty sinners. So that, through faith in Him alone we could be forgiven of all our sins and enjoy the blessings of the abundant life and Heaven to come.
