Jesus the Shepherd (John 10:1-21)

We are all familiar with Psalm 23 and what it says about God as the Shepherd. In that psalm, David describes his personal relationship with the Lord in a variety of experiences. No one knows how old David was when he composed the psalm. Perhaps others wondered if they too could have such a close contact with God as David enjoyed. Whether they did or not, the matter is settled by Jesus when he says that his sheep hear his voice and follow him. The relationship of sheep and Shepherd is the common experience of all believers.

Psalm 23 is not the only passage in the Bible which refers to God as the Shepherd of his people. Jacob, when he looked back on his life, said that God had shepherded him all his life. The Lord is described as the Shepherd of Israel in the psalms and in the prophets. Shepherding is a metaphor that came to be used of kings because they were regarded as those who cared for their subjects. It was not difficult to see that God is a Shepherd Ruler as well as a Shepherd Carer and Guide.

What can we say about the way that Jesus used the illustration of a shepherd to describe himself and his people. Here are some suggestions.

Planned

It is a relationship that was planned long before any of the sheep existed. In eternity past, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit agreed that the Son would become the good Shepherd and they also agreed who would be members of his flock, and what they would do for the members of the flock. We could say that the Father agreed to adopt them and the Spirit agreed to indwell them. Of course, election is a subject no one can understand, but that is not a reason for ignoring it. Each of his sheep, as he looks at the Shepherd, can say, ‘My Shepherd thought about me long before anything of his creation existed.’

Why did God engage in this plan? One answer is for his own glory. A second answer is to reveal the extent of his love, that it extended beyond the Trinity to a number that no one can count. A third answer is to reveal his wisdom, to show that he is the God who possesses infinite understanding. A fourth answer is to reveal his power, to show that he is the Creator of all things at the beginning and the re-creator of all things eventually. A fifth answer is to reveal that he is a God of mercy, that he delights to show compassion to sinners. We could mention all his attributes, because each of them was involved in the devising and the outworking of the plan of salvation.

Purchased

It was also a relationship that was purchased by the Shepherd. The sheep that were chosen were not selected for their good qualities. Each of them was sinful and lost and facing divine judgement. In order for them to become his sheep, Jesus became a man and went to the cross where he paid the penalty for their sins. This redemption was how he purchased them, and having done so they are his. They love to listen to him saying, ‘My sheep…’

The offering of Jesus on the cross was voluntary. He was not compelled to do so by an external power. Rather he gave himself because he was full of love for his Father and for his sheep. Although various persons and institutions were involved in putting Jesus to death – the betrayal, the trials, the soldiers – yet it was all part of the divine plan. This is a reminder that God is greater than we can possibly imagine. We have to remember that his providence is the working out of his purpose.

Pursued

We can also mention the fact that in order to commence the relationship Jesus pursued the sheep that were lost individually. He did this physically when he was here on earth. We can read about some of his sheep in John 1 where we are told about how he drew Andrew, John, Peter, Philip and Nathaniel to him. Sometimes he used relations (Andrew and Peter) or friendship (Philip and Nathaniel) as paths on which he could walk; at other times, he did it without using anyone else, as he did with Philip and later on with the Samaritan woman.

Jesus described the pursuit in his parables of the lost sheep. Each of them had wandered far from the fold and were roaming in place of danger spiritually. The more they wandered, the further away they went. Others longed for their recovery, but they were not able to bring it about. But Jesus could go where they could not. How far was he prepared to go? As far as was necessary, so great was his determination and so strong was his love. Sometimes the pursuit takes years as Jesus follows after the wandering sheep. And when he finds the lost sheep, he rejoiced greatly.

Pardon

What is the first benefit that comes to the found sheep? It is pardon for all his or her sins. Their sins were innumerable as far as they were concerned, but not as far as the divine Pardoner was. The Father knew exactly how many sins they had committed, and he also knew the degree of offence that was connected to each one. While all the sins were against God, some of those sins had been against the gospel. Very few people are converted the first time they hear about Jesus. Yet those sins of refusing mercy and forgiveness through Jesus are all forgiven when they trust in him.

What is it like to be a new sheep in the flock of Christ, having been pardoned all one’s sins? The experience can be described by three words – peace, prayer and praise. These experiences take place because the pardoned sheep has an identifying mark that is very different from the daub of paint that we see on sheep. Instead, the identifying mark of the pardoned sheep is the permanent presence of the Holy Spirit, and he reveals his presence through the peace, prayers and praise that the sheep enjoy.

Peace is the environment often for new believers. The other sheep in the flock are glad that he or she has been found by the Shepherd. It is possible that before their conversions they did not like Christians, maybe even despised them. But now they have been reconciled to them. When someone is converted, they experience reconciliation vertically with God and horizontally with one another. In contrast with many other situations in life, the new sheep now lives in a state of peace. It is one of the greatest sadnesses in the realm of grace that this situation of peace does not always last.

At the same time, the new member of the flock discovers the sweetness of prayer. What is prayer? Prayer basically is talking to God, normally to the Father, but sometimes to the Son. While there is a sense of reverence, there is also a sense of nearness' while there is a sense of wonder, there is also a sense of straightforwardness. The sheep speaks to the Shepherd and discovers that the Shepherd delights to listen. A believer begins talking to God at conversion. We can say that faith is the speech of the soul, articulating itself to God.

And there is praise coming from the sheep in the form of gratitude. At conversion, there will be a range of attitudes including wonder and expectancy. Influencing them will be gratitude to Jesus for coming into the world to save sinners. They give all the glory to Jesus and do so thankfully.

Progression

Those three experiences of peace, prayer and praise continue throughout their Christian lives. It is a relationship that involves progression as the sheep get to know the Shepherd. Each of the them comes to know him at a stage in their experience. Some do so when they are young, others discover the way of salvation when they are older. At that time, they become his sheep and discover that what they assumed was the end of their search was actually the commencement of a developing experience that will never end. The progression lasts throughout life and in it they find out the riches of the resources that their Shepherd permanently possesses. He gives to them out of his fullness, which is a reminder that sanctification is inevitable, although it will never be perfect in this life.

The dominant feature of this progression is that each of them becomes like the Shepherd in character. There are different ways of saying what this is like. We could use list of items in the fruit of the Spirit or the details of the Beatitudes or the comments Paul makes about love in 1 Corinthians 13. The worst sinner, whoever he or she is, becomes like Jesus. If a person is not becoming like Jesus, he or she is not one of his sheep.

Paradise

The Shepherd takes them safely through life and eventually he brings them to the heavenly pasturelands. At the moment, that incredible future is unknown to his sheep on earth, but they can remind themselves that they know personally some of the sheep who are experiencing the world of glory. And they know also that it will not be that long before they themselves are there. What they do know about the future state is that they will have a closer walk with the Shepherd than they had here. Moreover, they know that the contact then will not be interrupted by the sin they now have.

Jesus in Revelation 7 gives to his servant John a magnificent vision of the eternal state when he describes himself as the Shepherd who will lead his people to the fountains of the water of life. In that vision, Jesus is seated on the throne – he is the royal Shepherd – as well as leading his flock – the caring Shepherd. He will be their Ruler and their Guide for ever.

What are the fountains of the waters of life? Obviously, they are refreshing, designed to deal with the matters that made life dry in this life. Moreover, they are satisfying, designed to provide what we were made to experience. And they are endless, because the living waters will continue to flow – they will not evaporate as waters here do. What will refresh us, satisfy us, for ever? The answer is God. He is the eternal fountain and the sheep will enjoy his provision as their possession into eternity.

Preached on 2/4/2017