Daily Devotions - Entries tagged "I AM the Good Shepherd"

This week we are reading John 10:1–15, focusing today on verse 14. The text below is taken from the NIV, but feel free to read from the translation of your choice.

¹“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ²The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. ³The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns 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. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me —  ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Picture an inexperienced airline passenger. Take-off was delayed by a mechanical problem. The flight was long, and with maybe a little turbulence along the way. There may have been a degree of nervous tension by the time the plane landed. The airport is crowded and, never visited before, is a strange place.

Suddenly, our passenger locks eyes with the loved one who is there to meet the plane. Just a glimpse of that familiar face and everything changes. One look, at a single face in the crowd, makes all the difference.

That rush of warmth and confidence — knowing and being known — is just a small taste of what it means for each of us as believers, sheep of His pasture, to be known by the all-loving, all-powerful God of the universe. He knows us down to our innermost feelings and thoughts and dreams and fears.

The Good Shepherd can perfectly provide for our every need because He knows us intimately — better even than we know ourselves.

Jesus,

Thank You for knowing me and loving me. Thank You for providing the very best for me. Thank You for being MY Good Shepherd. Help me to put knowing and loving and serving You at the center of my life today.

Amen

This week we are reading John 10:1–15, focusing today on verses 10 and 11. The text below is taken from the New Living Translation, but feel free to read from the version of your choice.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! ²But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

⁶Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, ⁷so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. ⁹Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.

¹⁰The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. ¹²A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. ¹³The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, ¹⁵just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.

Verses 10 and 11 make a sharp contrast between the thief — the one who would steal and kill and destroy — and the Good Shepherd, who came to offer us a “rich and satisfying life.”

If you’ve been around the Church for very long, you may have heard about the “abundant life” Jesus came to bring. You may even have memorized part of this verse in the past. But what’s often overlooked is the fact that Jesus began this powerful statement about why He came with a warning:  A thief is coming with the intent of stealing, killing, and destroying.

He warns us about an ongoing battle between Good and evil, life and death. There’s no doubt about Who will win — our eternal future in Christ is assured — but still the battle rages. The thief tries every way he can to wreak havoc in our lives, stealing our joy, diminishing our experience of the “rich and satisfying life” Jesus came to bring us — destroying hope and instilling fear.

But to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Jesus has warned us about the thief, and promised us life — abundant and full — that’s ours for the taking.

Reading on in verse 11, we learn something significant about our Good Shepherd and what He has done to make this rich and satisfying life possible. That life, it tells us, comes through death.

It wouldn’t be uncommon for a shepherd, out in the hills watching over a flock, to encounter a wild animal that would be a threat to his sheep. And for a man to fight off that wild beast — armed only with his hands and maybe a few rough weapons — could be a dangerous undertaking. No doubt some listening to Jesus that day knew of a shepherd who had risked his life in that manner.

The Good Shepherd is like that protective shepherd, Jesus says here — but with an important difference. While a responsible shepherd might risk his life protecting his flock, Jesus the Good Shepherd laid down His life, knowing what was ahead and the death He would suffer.

In that voluntary death, we see and experience the incomparable love of God.

Jesus,

Thank You for the life I can find only in You. I praise You for Your loving sacrifice — for laying down Your life so that I can have life that is rich and full. Help me to live today with an awareness of Your amazing love for me.

Amen