Jesus is the Good Shepherd

~ josiahrnichols

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” 19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”  (John 10:11-21, ESV).

Introduction

Last time we were in the gospel of John Jesus said he is the good shepherd and the door of the sheep. There was just too much material to cover to do it all in one sermon. When Jesus healed the man born blind from birth, Jesus showed only he can give spiritual sight. The religious leaders of the Jews, even though they were the teachers of the Law, who had memorized the Bible, were blind to Jesus being the Messiah because they were killing and stealing from Israel. To illustrate this, Jesus compared himself to the good shepherd and them as thieves and robbers. In doing this he was claiming to be the Messiah and the Lord these false shepherds were professing to believe. While they were killing and stealing from the flock, Jesus the good shepherd, if they came through him, would lay his life down so that they might have life and have it abundantly. He would raise up his life and draw all the flock the Father gave him to himself. Then we see this played out in the crowd’s discussion of Him.

Context

John is trying to prove, “31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31, ESV). John starts his introduction with declaring that Jesus is God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:1-5, 14, ESV).

John proves this by the testimony of the last Old Covenant prophet, John the Baptist. He does seven sign miracles which show Jesus is God the Son: turning water into wine, healing an official’s son, healing a 38-year crippled man, feeding of the 25,000, walking on water, healing a man born blind, and raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus uses the name of God for himself several times and seven times with predicate statements, “I Am the Bread of Life,” “I Am the Light of the World,” “I Am the Door of the Sheep,” “I Am the Good Shepherd,” “I Am the Resurrection and the Life,” and “I Am the True Vine.” The “I Am the Good Shepherd” statement shows Jesus is the one who calls, saves, and keeps his sheep.

Thesis

Jesus as God saves his people by laying down his life for them and taking it up again.

Outline

We will see this in three movements: I. The True vs. False Shepherds, II. How the True Shepherd Saves, III. The Response to the True Shepherd.

I.                The True Vs. False Shepherds

  1. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
  2. Jesus gives his fourth “I Am,” use of the name of God, statement here. He is claiming to be God the Son who existed eternally with the Father before the world began and who will exist eternally after.
  3. Like the rest of the predicate “I Am” statements, the statement here is used to teach a truth about the relationship between God and his people. In the Old Testament God is called “The God who hears,” “The LORD is my Banner,” “the Rock,” and “the Shepherd of his people.”
  4. Jesus previously taught he is the bread of life who gives his people eternal life who take him in. He is the Light of the World who will guide his people out of darkness into eternal life. He is the Door of the Sheep. All who come through him for salvation will have eternal life. 
  5. Previously, Jesus called the religious rulers of the Jews thieves and robbers. Now he compares them to hired hands. The purpose of this was to show they are in it for the money, not for the care of the people. They will not risk their own skin for their people, let alone their lives.
  6. The Tyndale Commentary says,

There was a big difference between a shepherd from one of the families who owned the sheep and someone outside the family who was just paid to do a job. This is the background to Jesus’ next statement: The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. The primary motivation of the hired hand is depicted as self-preservation. He flees in the face of danger and deserts his duty to the sheep, with dire results: Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The sheep are left defenceless before the attack and are scattered. Jesus saw the common people of his day as ‘sheep without a shepherd’ (Matt. 9:36/Mark 6:34).The reason why the hired hand flees in the face of danger is further explained, The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. Because the sheep do not belong to the hired hand or his family, he does not care for them in the same way as a family member would, and that is why he will desert the sheep and flee. Jesus was referring to the Jewish leaders who were not carrying out their responsibility of care for the people.[1]

  • We have seen the difference between The true Good Shepherd, who lays his life down for the sheep, and the false shepherds who are in it for their own welfare. Now we look to How the True Shepherd saves.

II.              How the True Shepherd Saves

  1. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
  2. The Good Shepherd saves his sheep by laying down his life for his sheep. This is much more than defending the sheep from wolves and thieves. This is giving up his life that they may be saved.
  3. The reason he lays his life down for the sheep is that he know the sheep. Christ knew everyone who would repent and trust in Him as a love gift from the Father.
  4. Matthew Henry’s Commentary says,

[a.] Christ knows his sheep. He knows with a distinguishing eye who are his sheep, and who are not; he knows the sheep under their many infirmities, and the goats under their most plausible disguises. He knows with a favourable eye those that in truth are his own sheep; he takes cognizance of their state, concerns himself for them, has a tender and affectionate regard to them, and is continually mindful of them in the intercession he ever lives to make within the veil; he visits them graciously by his Spirit, and has communion with them; he knows them, that is, he approves and accepts of them, as Ps. 1:6; 37:18; Ex. 33:17.[b.] He is known of them. He observes them with an eye of favour, and they observe him with an eye of faith. Christ’s knowing his sheep is put before their knowing him, for he knew and loved us first (1 Jn. 4:19), and it is not so much our knowing him as our being known of him that is our happiness, Gal. 4:9. Yet it is the character of Christ’s sheep that they know him; know him from all pretenders and intruders; they know his mind, know his voice, know by experience the power of his death. Christ speaks here as if he gloried in being known by his sheep, and thought their respect an honour to him. Upon this occasion Christ mentions (v. 15) the mutual acquaintance between his Father and himself: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. Now this may be considered, either, First, As the ground of that intimate acquaintance and relation which subsist between Christ and believers. The covenant of grace, which is the bond of this relation, is founded in the covenant of redemption between the Father and the Son, which, we may be sure, stands firm; for the Father and the Son understood one another perfectly well in that matter, and there could be no mistake, which might leave the matter at any uncertainty, or bring it into any hazard. The Lord Jesus knows whom he hath chosen, and is sure of them (ch. 13:18), and they also know whom they have trusted, and are sure of him (2 Tim. 1:12), and the ground of both is the perfect knowledge which the Father and the Son had of one another’s mind, when the counsel of peace was between them both. Or, Secondly, As an apt similitude, illustrating the intimacy that is between Christ and believers. It may be connected with the foregoing words, thus: I know my sheep, and am known of mine, even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father; compare ch. 17:21. 1. As the Father knew the Son, and loved him, and owned him in his sufferings, when he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, so Christ knows his sheep, and has a watchful tender eye upon them, will be with them when they are left alone, as his Father was with him. 2. As the Son knew the Father, loved and obeyed him, and always did those things that pleased him, confiding in him as his God even when he seemed to forsake him, so believers know Christ with an obediential fiducial regard.[2]

  • As MacArthur says,

The simple truth here is that Jesus in love knows his own, they in love know Him, the Father in love knows Jesus, and He in love knows the Father. Believers are caught up in the deep and intimate affection that is shared between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 14:21, 23; 15:10; 17:25-26).[3]

  • Not only does Jesus lay down his life for the sheep, but he also takes up his life again.
  • One thing that can be determined from this is that while the Jewish religious leaders betrayed Jesus and the Romans crucified Him, is they did not kill Him. He laid down his own life bearing the sins of his people. Then he took it up again, defeating death for his people so they could have new life in Him.
  • Also, Jesus knew who he died for. He took all of their sin and paid the penalty for it. Believer, he had you in mind when he died and paid for all your sin.
  • As Isaiah 53 points out over 700 years before Jesus walked the earth,

 53 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors (vv. 1-12).

  1. Those who are not of the current fold are the Gentiles who will come to faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore God will make one people out of all the people of the earth.
  2. We have seen the True Shepherd vs. the false shepherds and how the true shepherd saves. Now we look at the response to The Good Shepherd.

III.            The Response to the True Shepherd

  1. 19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
  2. Here the Jews demonstrated Jesus’s point. Those who were not called by Him refused His teaching. They were too into themselves, their own way, and their own power. Those who opposed Jesus viewed him as a monster. The Psalmist said, “with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous (Psalm 18:26, ESV).
  3. Yet, there were those who knew him as from God for only God can open the eyes of the blind.
  4. As John said in the beginning of the book, “12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, ESV).

Conclusion

So, we have seen Jesus as God saves his people by laying down his life for them and taking it up again. Those who reject Jesus are not His people. Yet, He calls the lost sheep from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

Are you worried about your salvation? Jesus paid for your sin with his own life. As Paul said in Romans 5:6-11,

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (ESV).

Your salvation is so secure it is held in the very character of Christ. “He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:22, ESV).

Romans 8:27-30 says,

 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (ESV).

For those who do not believe. If you do not come to Jesus Christ and refuse, you are not among God’s sheep and will be taken in by anything. You will de consumed and destroyed by what you love. Let me call out to you to follow the only lover of your soul. Let us see if you will follow the voice of the shepherd. I hope that God will open your blind eyes. Bad News: Anyone who has ever lied, stolen anything, used God’s name in vain, and looked with lust is a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. That is just four of the Ten Commandments. It is even worse. Anyone who does not put God first in life and think of others before oneself is a lawbreaker. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23a). No one is good (Rom. 3:10-20). God is a good judge who must punish lawbreakers and send them to Hell. 

Good News: God is rich in mercy. He sent Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, to live a sinless life, and die on a cross to pay the penalty for sin. God can dismiss your case. Jesus rose from the dead three days later, defeating death. God calls you to repent (turn from sin) and have faith in Jesus (trust in His sacrifice). When you do God will unite you in Jesus’ death, forgive you of all your sins, and seal you with the Holy Spirit so you cannot lose your salvation. I hope you will come to Him and become on of his flock. Let us pray,

Dear God, thank you for sending the true shepherd of our souls. Yes, he was struck down and his sheep scattered. Yet, you raised him from the dead and brought back your flock to Him. You have redeemed a people for yourself from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Let us go out and call people to repent and trust the savior, as we are following our shepherd. It is in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. 

[1] Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 233.

[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1984.

[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: John 1-11, (Chicago: IL, Moody Publishers, 2006), 433

Unknown's avatar

Published by josiahrnichols

I am a pastor, teacher, and author of the Using Hermeneutics Series. I love the subjects of interpreting the Bible, apologetics, and evangelism. I love to use these subjects to help people know and love Jesus more.

Leave a comment