Jesus the good shepherd
John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”
Very few of us have probably ever seen a shepherd or dealt with sheep. People in Jesus’ day and in Old Testament times were very familiar with sheep and many of them likely worked as shepherds. So this picture would be very familiar to them and they would find great comfort in it. Today, most of us may need to dig deeper to understand the message.
The whole point of Jesus calling himself a shepherd and specifically “the good shepherd” is to assure us that he loves and cares for us completely.
If you understand the work and life of a shepherd, it was not glamorous or easy. Shepherds spent long hours out in the pastures with their sheep. Much like we today talk about “neither rain not snow, nor sleet nor hail will keep the postman from his appointed rounds”, shepherds spent those long hours outdoors in all sorts of weather and conditions making sure that their sheep were safe and cared for. Shepherds also had to ward off wolves and others who tried to attack, hurt or steal their sheep.
Recall what we saw and celebrated over the last month. We reviewed how Jesus was willingly ridiculed and killed to save us his sheep. He did that without complaining or expecting anything in return. Three weeks ago today we celebrated Easter assuring us that he has defeated any enemy or problem which we might face or have to deal with.
There is a Bible passage which many Christians today would describe as one of their favorites which very clearly puts the care of the Good Shepherd in terms which we would use today. Look at these words of Philippians 4:19 “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”.
Look carefully at what that verse says. It doesn’t say that Jesus is our own personal valet who will give us everything we want. He promises us that he will give us everything we need. He further states that this is done in the context of his riches shown in the glory of Jesus. That means that Jesus will first and foremost take care of our spiritual needs, but will also supply everything we need physically to live.
So often we get to thinking that if my physical needs are taken care of, that will make my life better and then I can worry about my spiritual life as I have time. That is exactly the reason that God constantly reminds us of the primary importance of our spiritual life and the promise that he will take care of our physical needs as we trust in him.
That gives you another look at why the tagline of TLHA is “where the care of the soul is the soul of care”. We carry out our ministry with a primary emphasis on the spiritual and the trust that God will then take care of the physical.
We may not readily relate to the fact that we are sheep of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We can however appreciate, understand and rely on his loving care for us, no matter what.