I am the good shepherd (John 10:11-16)

Why does Jesus call himself ‘the good shepherd’? In that claim, there is a definite article, an adjective and a noun. The definite article points to uniqueness, one of a kind. It also points to superiority. By using the article, Jesus separates himself from all other spiritual shepherds. There had not been nor will there ever be a shepherd like Jesus.

The adjective ‘good’ points to character. We know that the word ‘good’ has degrees in its meaning. Often, when someone asks how we are, we reply, ‘I am good.’ What we mean is that we are good as far as we know. If someone was to be pernickety and say to us, ‘Are you perfectly good?’, we would have to adjust our self-description. But if a pernickety person asked Jesus if he meant that he was totally good, he would reply yes.

Jesus once questioned a ruler as to why he called Jesus ‘good’, saying that only God is good. Does Jesus mean here that he is the divine shepherd as well as being the divinely-provided shepherd. I suspect he is. That is why he can use the definite article and the adjective about himself.

What about the term ‘shepherd’? Jesus was not a literal shepherd. He was a carpenter before he commenced his public ministry. I suppose he called himself a shepherd because he had a flock. How long has he had it, we may wonder? What will he do with it, we may wonder.

Fortunately for us, Jesus tells us why he is the good shepherd, the unique shepherd, the superior shepherd, the divine shepherd and the shepherd with a flock.

The devotion of the shepherd

Jesus gives everything for the sheep. He does not say here that he will down his life for them in the future, although it is true that that day would yet come. The laying down of his life here is his response to the presence of danger for the sheep in contrast to that of a hireling. In the literal word, the danger for sheep would be wild animals. As far as the sheep were concerned, the danger was marked by surprise and size and death for one of them when the wolf caught it. The true shepherd would never be taken by surprise, would not be put off by the size of the enemy, and would ensure that the enemy did not succeed in destroying one of the sheep. Why does he do this? Because he constantly cares for the sheep.

Who or what are the enemies of Christ’s sheep? A brief list is the world, the flesh (our own sinfulness) and the devil. How often can they take us by surprise? What can be said about their size? What about the kind of danger that each one of them is for all of Christ’s flock? When we think about our spiritual enemies, we realise that we need a divine Saviour, one who has constant knowledge, spatial presence and greater power than the combined power of our enemies.

Is it easy for Jesus to be our shepherd? From one point of view, it is because of his greatness. Still, we have to remember that his commitment is constant and communal. It is a flock that he looks after and protects them from those powerful enemies.

The knowledge of the shepherd (vv. 14-15)

Someone may ask us, ‘Do you know so and so?’ If we say yes, then we might be asked, ‘How long have you known him?’ or ‘How well do you know him?’ There are several similar questions that we could be asked.

If we were to ask Jesus about each of his flock, ‘How long have you known him or her?’, what would be his reply? He would say, ‘I have known them from eternity.’ We might say, ‘Do you mean that you have known about them from eternity?’ He would reply, ‘I have known about them, that is true. But I have known them always.’ We can also ask, ‘How well does he know them?’ The answer is perfectly. But there are people that Jesus knows everything about, but of whom he will say at the Day of Judgement, ‘Depart from me. I never knew you.’

Jesus then says that his sheep know him. He does not mean that this sheep know everything about him. Yet while he does not mean that they know him fully he does mean that they know him truly. They know him by faith. They trust in him. When Jesus speaks of knowing him he may have in mind the promise of the new covenant which stated that all would know God from the greatest to the least, which obviously is not a description of intellectual knowledge, but of saving knowledge, the knowledge that he is the Saviour.

A statement by Paul in Philippians 3:8-11gives further insight into this knowledge of Jesus: ‘Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.’  Paul says that knowing Jesus is of surpassing value (v. 8), and he wants to experience more of it (v. 10). This is an aspiration that has no ending because we will increase in the knowledge of Jesus forever.

What is the key for getting to know Jesus? The key is considering his death, that he gave his life for the sheep. He became their substitute, their replacement on the cross. He gave his life for them willingly, and he gave his life purposively, with a particular end in view that he goes on to describe in verse 16.

The searching of the shepherd (vv. 16-17)

We can see that as Jesus described his future he had two details in mind. First he would his life as a substitute of his people and second he would engage in a search for other sheep that currently were not part of his flock in the sense that they had not yet been converted. We should observe the way that he expresses this purpose.

First, they are his although they have not yet been found. They are outside the fold of Israel, so he is speaking of Gentile sinners. We should not be surprised by this aim because it was revealed in the covenant the Lord had made centuries previously when he promised Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed.

Second, Jesus says that he must find them, which reveals the sense of inner compulsion that he has. Here he is describing the period between his two comings. Throughout it he will be searching for those sheep. That is one of his activities today throughout the world. In another parable, he spoke of the joy of the shepherd when finding lost sheep, how he would carry them on his shoulders joyfully throughout life. Notice that he is involved in the search for each one of them.

Third, each one of them will listen to his voice. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing may happen haphazardly and may only be fleeting and not focussed. Listening indicates attention to and interest in what is being said. Where do the listeners find the voice of Jesus? They find it in his Word as they read it or as they hear it preached. What do they find in the voice of Jesus? Many wonderful promises of salvation, of forgiveness of their sins, of the prospect of heaven

Fourth, all of them become members of the one flock of Jesus. It is impossible for believers to be in anything else but this one flock. They enter it by conversion and they never leave it. All of them are being led along the same route to heaven, a route that Jesus chooses for all his people.

Some applications

No doubt many applications can be made. But here are six.

First, the Christian church had small beginnings, but Jesus knew that it would grow exponentially. When Jesus speaks about him having a fold at the time he was speaking, he was referring to the small group of disciples that were with him.

Second, the reason why the world exists is because Jesus has sheep in it that have not yet been found. This is a reason for praying for people because we don’t know if they are Christ’s sheep or not. But he may have lost sheep in our streets, so we should pray. Or lost sheep in our place of work, so we should pray.

Third, it does not matter how lost a sheep is, the good Shepherd will find him or her. He can be as unlikely a convert as Saul of Tarsus, but if he is a lost sheep Jesus will find him. Because Jesus is the seeking Shepherd we need not imagine that anyone cannot be found by him.

Fourth, the safety of the sheep depends on the skills of the good Shepherd. Can a hundred sheep fight off one wolf? One hundred believers together are not safe from the devil and his attacks. He can attack them individually when they are together. But Jesus the Shepherd will defeat the devil time and time again.

Fifth, while the sheep follow the shepherd as a flock, each one can only follow on its own legs. I have never seen a sheep carry another sheep along the road. The best way to help other sheep is to be a good example to them.

Sixth, believers should only follow other sheep when they are following the Shepherd. Some sheep are bad for leading other sheep astray to what looks like a nice bit of grass, which turns out not to be the case.