You would be hard-pressed to find a title, metaphor, or word picture… that describes God in the Old Testament… that Jesus doesn’t apply to himself. Take for example Psalm 23. Is there any better known Psalm? David prays, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.” It’s an incredible Psalm about the sufficiency of God to shepherd us through any circumstance, any trial, any trouble, any hardship, any dark valley, even death itself!
The people of Israel understood God to be their Shepherd, and they were his people, the sheep of his pasture. In Genesis 48:15 Jacob says, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day...” Psalm 79:13 says, “So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise!” In Ezekiel 34:31 the Lord himself declares, “As for you [Israel], My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God”
God longed to shepherd his people Israel. But too often God’s people were led astray by false shepherds. Instead of listening to God’s voice, they listened to godless nations, rulers, and authorities. If you want to see what happens when God’s people are led by godless shepherds, read the prophet Jeremiah. It's kind of a picture of our nation at the present time. We’ve turned from God’s voice and follow every fool who presumes to have true knowledge.
In John 10, wouldn't you know it, Jesus declares Himself to be the God and Shepherd of all Israel! First, he tells them that he came not only to Shepherd Israel, but He came into the “sheep pen” [Israel] legitimately! Jesus didn’t leap the fence. He didn’t trick or lie his way into the pasture. He isn’t some kind of wolf in sheep's clothing, a messianic imposter, a divine fraud. God Himself, the Father, “the Gatekeeper” opened the way for Jesus to come into Israel to lead them. Jesus came by way of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (the Patriarchs). By way of Moses and the Law. By way of the Prophets of Old. By way of great Psalmists, like David. By way of God Himself. By way of Scripture… the Scripture is God’s testimony of Jesus.
John 10:1-6, “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.”
Second, Jesus tells them that not only is he Israel’s Shepherd, but that He Himself is the “gate” through whom one gains entry to God’s pasture. John 10:7-10, Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Here Jesus is making an exclusive claim. The only way to salvation is by way of Jesus our gate. There is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved but the name of Jesus.
Third, Jesus tells them that he is the “Good shepherd.” His goodness is manifest in his willingness to lay down his own life for his sheep. Unlike the hired hands who run at the first sign of danger, Jesus is a self-sacrificing good shepherd. He’d rather die than lose a single sheep in his pasture! John 10:11-18, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.”
“14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Fourth, Jesus tells them that he is a Great Shepherd. Not just good, but Great. Why is Jesus the Great Shepherd? Skipping down to John 10:25b-30, Jesus says, “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” If you entrust yourself to the Great Shepherd, if you listen to His words and follow His voice, nothing can separate you from the love of God. Nothing is greater, nothing more powerful, no-one and no-thing can snatch you from Great Shepherd. Romans 8!
Now in John 10 there are two distinct groups of people. There are those who are inclined to listen to Jesus, and follow his voice. They are connecting the signs, words, works of Jesus to the Father. They are beginning to truly believe! But there are those who are hostile to Jesus, who presume him to be committing blasphemy, to be possessed by a demons, and all sorts of nefarious nonsense. Jesus has an uncanny way of pointing to the character of his life and ministry.
Let me ask, those of you who have never believed in Jesus, “What about Jesus isn’t trustworthy?” You can tell when someone is a stranger, when someone doesn’t know you by name, when someone is trying to mislead you. You can tell when someone is being a robber or thief, making an illegitimate claim upon your life. Jesus really knows what’s in a person—not just physically but spiritually. Jesus speaks to the deepest part, and to the totality of our human nature.
We can tell when a wolf is in the flock, when someone has come to steal, and kill, and destroy. Every word, every action, every inclination of Jesus is to only save us and give life. Can we say such a thing of our own leaders in this world? Nobody cares about you. Nobody cares what you are going through, what struggles you have, what bills you have to pay, what dangers you face, what kind of children you want to raise, what kind of goals you have, or future you seek. There is a lot to be cynical about when it comes to the world. People come to kill, steal, and destroy. But what is there to be cynical about in regard to Jesus? He came to give life, life-everlasting. His every commandment is life. In Him is life, and His life is the light of all men, for all times.
We can tell the difference between a true shepherd and a hired hand. Everyone talks a big talk until it’s a matter of life and death. In Ukraine all these people talked big about wanting to fight Russia. But it's not a matter of whether you want to fight; are you willing come die for the cause? Jesus is true shepherd because he is willing to lay down his life. Sheep can tell the difference between a hired hand and a truly devoted shepherd. They can tell when a person’s motive is good and pure.
We can also tell the difference between a great shepherd and an incompetent one. The acid test for Jesus as a “Great Shepherd” is whether he is competent to do what he says! Is Jesus competent to lead us through death, from death to life? Like us, Jesus could say whatever he may want. But one thing Jesus couldn’t do if he wasn’t in fact the Great Shepherd, was take his life back up again! The fact of Jesus resurrection would prove his Greatness for all time. If Jesus was a fraud he would have lain dead in that tomb to this day. But instead he returned!
I want to come back to Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is David’s testimony of how the good shepherd, the great shepherd, led him at every point in his life, and ultimately from death to life. I’m going to read Psalm 23 in a moment, but right now I want you to sincerely ask, what is your testimony? What has been your experience of God leading and shepherding you?
What darkness has Jesus, the light of the world, led you through in your life? I know it’s easy to list all the good things that have happened to us in life. It’s easy to talk about all the happy endings. But what about the hard stuff in life? How has God walked with you through hard times? This is what Psalm 23 is about. This is what John 10 is about. At some point our relationship with Jesus stops being academic. Are we willing to let Jesus lead? To shepherd? To guide? Are we willing to trust his goodness? Are we willing to stake everything on His greatness His power, His resurrection?
[READ PSALM 23]