I Am The Good Shepherd

Jesus said, “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.” John 10:1-18 

I have spent enough time with sheep to know they are not among the brightest animals in the kingdom. They can wander off and shepherds have to have many methods to keep them together and in good pasture. Herding dogs, especially border collies, are prized for their ability to keep the herd together and safe.We did have a border collie with boundless energy as I was growing up and she treated us as sheep. Two of us could not walk together without being herded from the road. We were probably not acting very smart and the dog knew it!

We hear Jesus talk about being the good shepherd. To the people who surrounded him, they viscerally knew what he meant and understood him completely. A good shepherd is not a sweet, nursery image, but a strong, indefatigable person who is tough and firm with his responsibilities. Keeping sheep together and safe is an exhausting job. Jesus wants us to understand that he never gives up on us and his love and care is inexhaustible. We may be big challenges but love, strong and firms, abides.

Today, I ask God to help me lean on the Good Shepherd and find safety among the herd in the arms of the shepherd. May we, on our worst days, remember we have a reliable and constant shepherd, who watches and protects us, despite our restless ways.