John 10 -- I Am the Good Shepherd (1)

“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 gives us another great comparison: “I am the good shepherd.” 

A comparison is supposed to help us understand something, but I don’t know any shepherds and I’ve only held a baby lamb once.  How am I supposed to get it?

I don’t personally know any shepherds, but I do know a lot of people with pets.  I myself have a cat.  We run up our grocery bill feeding them, we really go into debt on vet bills when they get sick, we inoculate them against diseases they might get in the future, we even buy them toys!  Pet owners work hard to make sure their animals are healthy, safe, and full-of-life.  We delight in their delight.

On the other hand, you may have seen the ads on TV that beseech us to help the animal victims of cruelty and neglect.  Picture after picture of emaciated, bedraggled, sad-faced pets call out to us from the screen.

It is very obvious to us who are the bad pet owners and who are the good pet owners.  It’s the same with sheep and shepherds.  Jesus chose a shepherd comparison because these were familiar to his audience at the time.

But unless you live on a ranch, this analogy may need some explanation.  A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 was a book published by a shepherd, Phillip Keller, in 1970.  It is a rich-textured description of Jesus as a good, versus a bad, shepherd:

He is the owner who delights in His flock. For Him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing His sheep contented, well fed, safe and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very 'life.' He gives all He has to it. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His.

He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed, and clean water. He will spare Himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from ruthless enemies and the diseases and parasites to which sheep are so susceptible.*

So it is with our Good Shepherd.

Would you like that kind of care?

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