I Am the Good Shepherd
March 4, 2018

Scripture: John 10:11-21

I. Jesus is a good shepherd because He loves His sheep.

A. Jesus declares His identity in vs. 11: I am the good shepherd. The shepherd’s job is exhausting. Just like firefighters who battle wildfires out west for days at a time the shepherd cares for the sheep all day long and then sleeps with the sheep at night. And just like the firefighter’s job is dangerous, frequently the shepherd’s job is dangerous. In vs. 12 Jesus talks about wolves who would like to eat the sheep. And earlier in vs. 8 Jesus talks about thieves who would like to steal the sheep.

B. If you’re going to do an exhausting, dangerous job, you could have a few different motivations to do such a hard job. We see Jesus talk about one motivation for being a shepherd in vs. 12-13. The hired hand becomes a shepherd only for the money. He doesn’t care about the sheep. All he cares about is the money and his own well-being. what was Jesus motivated by as a shepherd? We see in vs. 14 and 15 that Jesus was motivated by love. It is because they know each other so well that the sheep are willing to follow the shepherd. The sheep know that the shepherd cares for them. So, the sheep are willing to go wherever the shepherd leads.

C. The sheep know that the shepherd loves and cares for them. Jesus shows how much he loves and cares for the sheep by laying down his life for the sheep (vs. 15). Jesus is not a shepherd because of the money. He’s a shepherd because of love. Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Jesus the good shepherd takes care of everything we need. One need that Jesus has provided for is our need to belong. When we listen to Jesus, we become part of the one flock (vs. 16) of His church.

II. Jesus is a good shepherd because He sacrifices Himself for His sheep.

A. At the end of vs. 15 where Jesus says, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus the good shepherd died FOR you. He died in the place of you. He died so that your soul might be saved. By using this word for Jesus is saying that you are saved not by what you do for yourself. Rather, you are saved by what Jesus did for you. He died for you and by placing your faith in His death on your behalf, you can be saved. This is what Christians call the doctrine of atonement. Christ’s sacrificial death atones, or makes amends, for our sins.

B. Jesus is a good shepherd because of the voluntary nature of His sacrificial death. Yes, Jesus was killed by a conspiracy of Romans and Jewish leaders. But the remarkable thing is Jesus did not have to die. He was not a victim of circumstances. We see this truth in vs. 17-18. Jesus was and is God. He did not have to die. His resurrection is the proof of His authority as God over all of life. But Jesus volunteered to die for you. Why would Jesus volunteer to die for you? The answer has to be love. Jesus is a good shepherd who loves His sheep. He loved you so much that He died for you. Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Application:
Believe in Christ as your Good Shepherd. Pray for other sheep to join the flock.

Sources:
The Gospel of John
Commentaries on John by D.A. Carson and Richard Phillips
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels