I Am the Good Shepherd (2)

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd.”  John 10:11

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010,%20Psalm%2023&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.10 and http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Ps.23

 

Jesus told his followers “I am the Good Shepherd,” and they immediately understood he was referring them to a description of GOD.

The LORD is my Shepherd.

The Hebrews understood that the LORD, the God of the Universe, is a loving Creator; not a thunderbolt-throwing, maniacal Zeus.

          I shall not lack anything.

By making this connection between himself as shepherd and God as shepherd, Jesus is telling people that HE IS GOD, and he is highlighting the wonderfully appealing aspect of God’s nature as caregiver, nurturer and protector.

Has Jesus made good on this claim?

Centuries later Phillip Keller*, a shepherd himself, gives this testimony of Jesus:

I am completely satisfied with His management of my life. Why? Because He is the sheepman to whom no trouble is too great as He cares for His flock. He … loves them for their own sake as well as His personal pleasure in them. He will … be on the job twenty-four hours a day to see that they are properly provided for…

Personally, I am still not convinced!  How can Keller, or anyone else, say all their needs are taken care of.  I HAVE A LOT OF NEEDS!

Keller says we can learn a lot about God’s provision for our needs by looking at sheep and shepherds.  

It is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met:

·        They refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear.

·        Sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.

·        Only when free of … pests can they relax.

·        They must be free from hunger.

And since sheep are basically helpless creatures, “only the sheepman himself can provide release from these anxieties.”

I hate to be compared to a helpless sheep, but can I really argue with God’s opinion?

I am a sheep.

And Jesus really has made good on his claim to be my Good Shepherd:

·        Whenever I pray to Jesus, he calms my fears. 

·        When I ask for help in difficult relationships with others, he gives me great wisdom. 

·        When I seek him for protection because illnesses and other circumstances are attacking me, he gives it. 

·        When I’ve prayed for clothes, a job, food, or a car, I’ve gotten it.

My story is the same as Phillip Keller’s:

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Is he yours?

*Keller, W. Phillip, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1970.