AP

Jesus: The Good Shepherd

By James Jeffery

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Since the beginning of time, there have always been counterfeit religious leaders. These leaders masquerade themselves as servants of God, but inside are ravenous wolves. They take advantage of vulnerable people, fleece them for money, and seek to control their lives. However, these false teachers are exactly that; false teachers because they are a counterfeit of genuine teachers, the greatest being Jesus Christ.

Unlike false teachers, Jesus does not exploit, manipulate, or take advantage of people. He came to expose the hypocrisy of religious hypocrites, and to show what a true Shepherd looks like. He came to show us that despite the prevalence of false teachers, He is a teacher who genuinely loves and cares for His sheep.

This week, we come to the next ‘I Am’ statement in John’s gospel. In John 10:11, Jesus declares that He is the ‘good shepherd.’ This implies that God’s people are the ‘sheep’ under His care. But the question remains: Why is it that Jesus chose to describe Himself as the ‘good shepherd’?

Understanding the Context

We are told in John 9:40 that Jesus was speaking with the Pharisees, the self-righteous religious leaders of Israel. Ultimately, the Pharisees loved money (Luke 16:14-15) and the praise of man more than the praise of God (John 12:43). The Pharisees took advantage of vulnerable people, extorted widows of their money, and excluded ‘unworthy’ people from God’s kingdom.

Though the Pharisees presented themselves as the shepherds of God’s people, they were actually wolves. Jesus exposed the wicked hearts of the Pharisees by calling them ‘thieves and robbers’ (John 10:8). Like a ‘hired hand,’ they did not have a genuine care for God’s sheep.

In contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus declared that He is the good shepherd (John 10:11). Jesus never abuses His sheep or takes advantage of them. He knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him (John 10:14). Jesus sacrificially and willingly laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:15). This was to save His people from God’s righteous judgment for their sin.

What does this mean for us today?

First, not all religious leaders are true shepherds of God. Many are thieves and wolves who use their position as a foothold for personal gain. We can discern false shepherds by comparing them with the good shepherd, Jesus Christ. Do they lead us to Him, or to themselves? Do they glorify His name, or their own?

Second, Jesus is our refuge from false shepherds. Jesus’ sheep know Him, and they come to Him when they hear His voice. Jesus has a genuine love for His sheep. He demonstrated this love by laying His life down for us. Rather than leaving His sheep to face God’s judgment, He died in their place.

Finally, Jesus did not say, ‘I am a good shepherd’ — He declared, ‘I am the good shepherd.’ There are not many ways to God. There is only one. The only way to have hope in life and death is to trust in Jesus Christ, the good shepherd. After all, no other shepherd can or will forgive your sins, because no other shepherd laid down his life for you.

Final Words

Unlike false teachers, Jesus will never take manipulate, exploit, or advantage of you. Rather, He is the one who leads us beside still waters, restores our soul, leads us in paths of righteousness, and is with us in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:2-3). There is no more secure place than in the arms of our Saviour who laid down His life for us.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,

We thank you for Jesus, our True Shepherd, who knows our every need and guards us from false shepherds. Holy Spirit, give us discernment to know the difference between true and false religious leaders. Build our trust in the Shepherd who demonstrated His love for us by laying His life down for us.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.