“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
Dear Ones:
How could anyone doubt the love of God who considers that Christ gave that which was most precious…His life, not to mention the suffering endured prior and during the crucifixion? Fanny Crosby wrote the following: “All the way my Savior leads me. What have I to ask beside? CAN I DOUBT HIS TENDER MERCY, who through life has been my Guide?” The key thought here concerns what the response of the heart is to be toward the One who has proven Himself to be absolutely faithful to lead and provide. If there is doubt, then there is the questioning of absolute, incomprehensible, and incomparable love.
The Lord Jesus is called by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, the “Great Shepherd of the sheep.” (13:20) Peter declares that He is the Shepherd “…of our souls.” (1 Peter 2:25) In the context of the responsibilities of elders in the body of Christ, Peter calls upon them to “feed the flock.” He says this, as he considers “the chief Shepherd,” who will appear, and come again. Why is the matter of seeing Christ as the great and good Shepherd, so very important? It is in understanding His heart, and grasping something of His commitment to His sheep, His role in caring for them, that we learn how to follow Him, trust Him.
In David’s great psalm, Psalm 23, he reveals to us his understanding of just WHO this Shepherd is, and what our response is to be to him on a daily basis. First is the declaration that this shepherd is THE LORD. This is no common shepherd, though He has abased Himself to give life to, and care for His sheep. He is Almighty God, sovereign Lord, and possessor of all wisdom and knowledge. And yet, He is gracious and tender in all of His dealings with us. David says of this Shepherd, that “He is MY Shepherd.” This implies that David is HIS sheep. David, on the basis of knowing who the Shepherd IS and what His role IS, can now believe Him to be that one who leads, gives peace, restores the soul, keeps, provides, and anoints with the oil of His joy. All the revelation of the blessings that He bestows upon His sheep who truly trust Him, is wrapped up in the concluding declaration: “SURELY, goodness and mercy shall follow me ALL the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This great shepherd is the giver of Life, eternal Life. He is the assurance for time and eternity as the great guarantor of the meaning, purpose, and design for our existence. He IS the great Shepherd, and we ARE His Sheep. Do we live by faith in this blessed relationship and reality?
Father, grant us to see Christ as our Shepherd, great and glorious, and yet, tender and caring. Give us to understand WHO He truly is as the Great Shepherd, and the Guarantor and Caregiver of our souls. Since we belong to Him, enable us to follow this Shepherd who has given His life for us, believing Him fully to lead, guide, and provide, accomplishing His perfect will and purpose in and through us. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad