Daily Bread

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep."

I have a friend who is a shepherd, and he told me that sheep are always looking for new ways to get into trouble! Kinda sums up the human condition, right? Humans always seem to look for new ways to get into trouble, well at least, I do!

Jesus likens us to sheep and reminds us that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He sees the wolf coming and puts himself between the wolf and the sheep, even if the wolf devours him.

I am reminded of when someone called Jesus 'good teacher' and Jesus responded (and I paraphrase), "Who are you calling good? Only God is good!" Well, of course, the point was and is that Jesus was and is God. I think this is why Jesus called himself the 'good' shepherd. He's saying that he is divine or godly, and as God is love, there is no greater expression of love than to give oneself — one's own life — for the sake of others. How could God do anything less?

Jesus didn't say that the sheep would be anything other than sheep. Yes, we will keep getting ourselves into trouble. If we didn't we wouldn't need a saviour would we? We need shepherding, and we need the sacrificial protection of Jesus. Thanks to him, we no longer need fear the wolf that tries to snatch us or scatter us, and in the same way that a shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep know their shepherd, God knows us and we know God. It's a good place to be.

Holy God
Thank you that I am known by you,
and called by name.
Thank you that you have stood between me
and that which would harm me.
Thank you for laying down your life for me,
and for giving yourself that I might be saved.
Thank you that you are the good shepherd,
and I am forever in your care.