Day 2 Devotional: Jesus | He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
John 10:2-4
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
John 10:11-18
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to 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 authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Shepherding is no easy task. It seems that shepherding sheep would be easy, though, right? Sheep, we tend to think of as docile and submissive. However, read Ezekiel 34. This is not always the case. The model that Jesus gives us for shepherding in John 10 is impossible without His power and love. What happens when those you shepherd—like your family members—are either resisting your help or outright antagonizing you? It's no easy task to be a good shepherd in such circumstances. But this is where laying down our life comes in. It’s hard to be humble and patient when the “sheep” are being difficult. But this is where our transformation into the likeness of Christ happens.
Romans 8:28–29 teaches us that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. But that includes us being transformed into the likeness of His Son. So shepherding comes down to God leading us to where He wants us to go in our character and in our heart as we help those He puts under our care.
Knowing the Sheep and Being Known by Them
When we face difficulties in our marriages and in our parenting (I’m focusing on these relationships because they are the closest shepherding relationships we have and the most important ones), keep in mind three things that Jesus does in His shepherding. First, He makes sure that His sheep know Him, and He knows the sheep. It is important for our sheep to know us. Jesus gives us 66 books in the Bible to get to know Him, providing us with plenty of “material” to explore. For us, having our sheep know us means being vulnerable about the deep things going on inside of us, as well as sharing the not-so-deep things—the little joys and preferences that make us who we are. Paul captures this sentiment when he says, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
As we share ourselves with them, they share more of themselves with us. This is especially important in the more difficult relationships, such as with teens.
Leading the Sheep
The second thing Jesus does as a shepherd to His sheep is He leads them—He goes to “where they are”—He relates to them. Going to where they are means that we go to where they are emotionally, understanding that even though we can’t fully relate to where they are, we do our best to sit alongside them emotionally, spiritually, and, of course, physically. Just being around our "flock" deepens the trust, intimacy, and joy in the relationship. When we have a closeness to our flock, we are better able to see their needs in real time. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Paul tells us that we meet different people’s needs in different ways based on where they are at the time.
Laying Down Our Lives
Thirdly, He lays down His life for His sheep. Laying down our life for those we love means that we have to put aside some of our own desires—not needs—to meet the greatest needs of our flock. We may get a little less sleep (don’t make a habit of this; it is not loving to destroy your own health to help others (Ephesians 5:29; Matthew 22:39), sacrifice some things on our schedule, and even not accomplish some of our own noncritical goals.
Shepherds are protectors who run to the fight! (1 Sam 17:48)
Toward the Sounds of Chaos
Sometimes, despite our best efforts to love and lay down our lives for our flock, we may be tempted to, or even give in to, being the "hired hand." When we see the wolf attacking, we run the other way. For example, when you see someone struggling spiritually, they’re not like a docile sheep—they attack you. It could be your teen or spouse, giving you a snide remark or showing disrespect just after you’ve given your heart to them by serving or encouraging them in some way.
In those situations, I’m often tempted to pull back and retreat. But that’s not what we are called to do. As imitators of Jesus, we must go into the fight when we see the wolf attacking. And yes, that’s exactly what’s happening—when there’s sin in a relationship, Satan is on the attack. When Goliath shouted his usual defiance and the Israelite army retreated, David ran to the battle line to fight Goliath. This needs to be our attitude too, not to retreat like the hired hand.
1 Samuel 17:48
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.As a former United States Marine, I understand the need to go into the fight—where the fighting is fiercest. The commercial “Towards the Sounds of Chaos” gives us a picture of what going into the fight—the danger of the spiritual battle—looks like. So when the flock is under attack, we can’t run the other way. We must go toward the sounds of chaos, “kill the lion and the bear,” and rescue the sheep from its mouth.
1 Samuel 17:34-35
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
Conclusion
In the end, shepherding is about following Jesus’ example and trusting in His power to guide us. It’s about knowing those under our care, leading them with compassion, and being willing to sacrifice for their well-being. This journey isn’t easy, but it’s in these challenging moments that God shapes our character and draws us closer to the likeness of His Son. So, when you face the difficulties of shepherding in your closest relationships, remember that these struggles are not in vain—they are the very tools God uses to transform you and fulfill His purpose in your life.