Jesus Our Shepherd

Jesus Our Shepherd

Author: Cynthia Greene

The Bible refers to Jesus as the Shepherd of God’s people. 

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.-John 10:11

Know that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of His pasture –Psalms 100:3

Let’s examine some of the roles Jesus, Our Shepherd plays in our lives today.

He is the Door

Shepherds of ancient times would place the sheep fold inside a “pen” (usually made of rocks) for the night. The shepherd would then sleep in front of the open space (i.e.”the door”) to keep them safe during the night. The book of John tells us that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Gate, the Truth, and that He would give His life for the sheep:

“I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. – John 10:7-9

Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me. – John 14:6

He Guides

Today we often see sheep dogs used to guide and keep the sheep herd together.  Sheep apparently don’t walk in a straight line and are prone to wandering around and can easily become scattered.  They will even blindly follow one another off a cliff. So the guiding role of Shepherd is critical to their survival.  The Shepherd often uses tools such as a Rod and Staff (sometimes called a “Crook”) to guide and direct them.  Shepherd’s also talk to the sheep or make noises that the sheep respond to.  Once a sheep develops trust, they will follow their Shepherd anywhere, but if a stranger calls them they will not respond.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. – John 10:27-28

He Provides Water and Food

Sheep do not have the ability to find their own food and water, they have to rely solely on the Shepherd to guide and lead them to the food and water that they need. In Psalm 23:2 we read that The Shepherd leads us to green pastures, that is, the place that we as His sheep will find the food and water we need to survive and grow. 

In the book of Exodus we read how God provided the Israelites manna, quail and water (Exodus 16:11-12) to sustain them during their 40 years of wandering in the desert.  This is symbolic of how Jesus spiritually provides us our daily food and water.

He is called the Bread of Life

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst. – John 6:25

 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.-Matthew 4:3-4

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.-John 6:51

But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. – John 4:14

When you take in the nourishment of “God’s water and food” you will have all you need to sustain your Spiritual life.

He Cares & Knows Our Name

There are still Shepherds around the world taking care of their flock of sheep in the old traditional ways. They pay attention to the sheep and learn their individual habits and markings. Some shepherds even name their sheep and call them by name. The sheep know their voice and scent of their shepherd and if a stranger comes into the flock they will run away and not obey the strangers voice.

God knows us from the womb (Jeremiah 1:5).  We can take great comfort in knowing that our God knows our name (Isaiah 49:16), knows our needs, cares for us individually and will not forsake or leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8).  What peace and comfort that can give us. 

He Protects

In the Old Testament we read about the shepherd David. To protect his flock of sheep he killed both a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37) .  Just like David, Jesus is our protector and defender:

The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection,
 and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield;
 he defends me and keeps me safe.– Psalm 18:2 (GNT)

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.-John 10:11

He Seeks the Lost

Modern day Shepherds still keep a keen watch night and day on the sheep in their flocks. They know their sheep so well that they can quickly scan the flock and know that one is missing.  It is not uncommon that they will go and search for the lost sheep and when they find it will place it on their shoulders and carry it back to the sheep-fold. 

In our lives today this principle applies with Jesus keeping a close eye on us.

 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. – Luke 2:8

 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goes into the mountains, and seeks that which is gone astray? – Matthew 18:12

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 5:;6

Importance of Shepherds

An interesting point to consider is that God the Father holds Shepherds in such high regard that the first announcement of the birth of Jesus was to the Shepherds out in the field at night, guarding their flocks (Luke 2:8-10).

How Do We Follow Our Shepherd? 

Reading the bible is how we learn to hear the voice of the True Shepherd. Scriptures expound on the God’s Word about and give us instruction on what is required of us. Following God requires efforts on our part. The Holy Spirit guides us “into all things” (John 14:25) . Our goal should be to become more Christ-like (Isaiah 30:21). God wants our thoughts, actions, words to align with Him. We are blessed as we seek and pursue the Godly path in our life. As sheep, following the guidance of Jesus will give us protection, direction, and align our life with His ways.

In the Old Testament we read that God provided the Cloud-by-day and Fire-by-night in order to show the Israelite’s the path to take through the wildness (Exodus 13:2). He didn’t leave them to wander around with no guidance. We too are not left to wander through life aimlessly. We can seek the Truth, listen to the voice of the True Shepherd and choose to follow Him.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. – John 10:27-28

Video: Jesus, the Soul Shepherd

This amazing video shows you what the old-tradition of shepherding looks looks like and answers the questions: What does the Bible mean when it calls Jesus “the Shepherd of our Souls”?

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