Tuesday, April 28, 2015
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd."
HE IS A SPECIAL SHEPHERD
The time was about six months before His passion. The Savior was in the middle of a teaching session at Jerusalem when He spoke those famous words: "I am the good shepherd." In the original Greek, Jesus places emphasis on the adjective of this sentence, thereby saying: "I am the shepherd ... the GOOD One."
Remember how in the beginning when God made the heavens and earth He looked at everything He had created and called it "good." Everything was perfect. Here Jesus uses the word "good" to describe the kind of shepherd He is. This means, not only that He is holy and sinless, but that the work He does for us is very special!
What special things does He do as our shepherd? Well, picture a shepherd of ancient Palestine and the things he would do for his sheep. At the start of the day he would lead them out of the fold to a pasture where they could graze on lush green grass. He would guide his sheep to nearby streams of water where they could refresh themselves. His eyes would continually scan the surrounding countryside for lurking predators. If a wolf attacked he would fend it off with his staff. When he noticed a sheep had gone missing, having wandered off into the barren wilds, he went on a search-and-rescue mission to locate it and bring it back to safety. When a sheep got hurt, suffering cuts or scrapes from thornbushes into which it had stumbled, he cleaned the wounds and applied olive oil to promote healing, giving it special attention until any threat of infection was past.
See why the shepherd title fits Jesus so well? He does all these things for us, His sheep, in the spiritual realm. He nourishes our souls by the gracious promises of His Word. He refreshes our spirits through the Sacrament of His body and blood -- given and shed for our forgiveness. He uses Bible verses we have learned and memorized as a staff to fend off the lurking predator, Satan, and his temptations. When our consciences get bruised or cut by our sins, He applies the soothing ointment of His Gospel to heal us. If we should stray from the safety of His fold, the Church, He uses "under-shepherds" such as parents, Christian friends, and pastors to search for us and lead us back to Himself.
Where streams of living water flow, My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me
And on His shoulder gently laid And home, rejoicing, brought me.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 431:2-3)
