For one of my classes here this week, I had to write a paper on something I learned from the book of John. One of our classes has been on the book, so we went through it together and were studying it. This was what really stuck out to me and I figured since I already had it written, I would share it on here as well!
The passage that has been sticking out to me has been that of John 10. I have always loved this passage and
recently have been reading Psalm 23 a lot. Both refer to our Shepherd and
together form a beautiful picture of who the Good Shepherd is. By looking at the
two together, we see a fuller picture of Jesus' character and what he means
when he says that he is the Good Shepherd.
One of the biggest
things that sticks out to me as I look at these passages is that we have a
personal relationship as sheep do with their shepherd. In the first line of
Psalm 23 it says, "The Lord is my shepherd…" It doesn’t just say that
he is a shepherd, but that he is MY shepherd, showing a personal relationship.
In the passage in John 10, we see that Jesus says that his sheep listen to his
voice and know his voice, because he is their shepherd and so they follow him,
knowing he is their shepherd. F.F. Bruce says, “More flocks than one might be
accommodated in the same enclosure; but all that was necessary was for the
shepherd to stand at the entrance and call; his own sheep would recognize his
voice and come to him…” In our personal
relationship with Jesus we must know his voice and listen for his voice. We
cannot follow the voices we hear around us in the world. We must come to know
our Shepherd's voice and listen to it. We must be like the sheep in verse 5,
"they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him
because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." We must listen to the voice of the true
Shepherd and let all others become as a stranger's voice. We each have an
individual bond with Jesus, just as sheep with their shepherd. They know their
shepherd and he knows them each uniquely, as Jesus points out in verse 14.
Psalm 23 also
says, “I shall not be in want…” We find our full satisfaction in Him. We trust
that as our Good Shepherd, he will give us all that we need. Verse 2 says, “He
makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.” This is
saying that he knows our needs and when we are hungry or thirsty, we can trust
him to provide those things. In John 4 Jesus also talks about the living water
and in chapter 6, the bread of life. Not only will Jesus provide the things we
need physically, but even greater than this, he will provide our eternal needs
and satisfy our souls.
In verse 3, we see
that our Shepherd will guide us in the way we need to go. John 10:4 talks about
Jesus going out before us so we have a path to follow. An interesting thing
that I learned is that, while cattle can be pushed, sheep prefer to be led.
They will not react to someone yelling and pushing them in the direction they
are to go. Instead, they need to be led. They will follow where their shepherd
takes them, trusting he knows what is best for them. They have nothing to fear,
knowing their shepherd is with them, guiding and protecting them with his rod
and staff(Psalm 23:4), and knowing he would lay his own life down on their
behalf(John 10:11).
In John 10:10, we
see that Jesus says he has come, “that they may have life, and have it to the
full.” He gives what we need to have abundant life. F.F. Bruce says, “The
‘good’ shepherd shows himself to be a good shepherd because the welfare of the
sheep, not his own, is his primary care.” In Psalm 23:5, David says, “…you
anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” showing the provision of the
Shepherd. He does not come to steal anything from us or destroy our lives, but
to give us life to the full. I think the
final verse of the Psalm sums up what this life to the full can look like when
he says, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” True life won’t mean earthly
blessings in our lives, but rather a life focused on the things of God. Not a
life distracted by earthly pleasures, but a life filled with love, both for the
Lord and those around us.
