The good shepherd

Read John 10:7-18

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So Jesus is the gateway to salvation (7,9) but that’s only the beginning of the story, for salvation is a relationship with Jesus, the good shepherd (11,14). In that relationship the shepherd cares for and feeds the sheep so that they have security and all that they need (9). Indeed, they will have “life, and have it to the full” (10) i.e. eternal life, which is the life of the highest possible quality.

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He is a good shepherd who cares for his flock with deep compassion (Mt.9:36; 18:12-14). Yet even more than that, he is “the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep” (11,15,17,18). The four-fold repetition of laying down his life makes clear that this was the characteristic feature of his shepherding, for it’s through his death that his sheep know eternal life (10,28).

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And eternal life is about knowing Jesus (Jn.17:3). The aspect of relationship between the shepherd and his sheep (3-5) is what Jesus wants for his followers: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (14). The closeness of this relationship is akin to that between him and his Father (15; 15:9-10). Therefore, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (27).