[Jesus says] "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away-and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."
Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” The “Good Shepherd” imagery has always been interesting to me. Primarily, because I know very little about keeping sheep (other than what I have learned). I have no “first-hand” experience like those in Jesus’ audience would have. However, the passage also says that they didn’t know what Jesus was saying to them.
That makes me ask the question, why does Jesus refer to himself as a good shepherd? We know that shepherds are pretty special people, especially if you are a sheep. They are not just a hardened group of typical farmers. Shepherds protect, feed, and care for the sheep. The sheep know and respond to the shepherd voice and they are led from the front and not driven or herded as cattle would be. Good shepherds are willing to sacrifice themselves to save the sheep. Jesus says that as the “Good Shepherd,” he also desires to bring the “other” sheep into his fold. To me, these traits alone makes the good shepherd imagery a good fit for Jesus.
In this passage, Jesus also calls himself the gate for the sheep, offering “sheep” the way in to the sheepfold and the way out to find good pasture. He refers to the ones that came before him as thieves and bandits, insinuating the they wanted to mislead the sheep to ways of destruction.
I feel, in the context of all the shepherd imagery, our call today is “follow.” We are all called (as sheep) to where the Good Shepherd, Jesus may lead us. We are called to tune our hear to the Good Shepherd’s voice, and go out and have good pasture and the abundant life that only the Good Shepherd offers.
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