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JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD
THURSDAY, JULY 10
John 10:1-21

Psalm 23

 

“…I am the door of the sheep.”

 

JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD
 
Jesus is not only a Lamb (John 1:29), He is also a Shepherd. The two metaphors are related. As the Lamb of God, Jesus was sacrificed for our sins. As the good Shepherd, He laid down His life for us. Both point to His perfect obedience in His redemptive ministry. Jesus obeyed His Father’s commands to the jot and tittle. God the Father had commanded God the Son to give His life for the sheep. The Son had the power and authority to lay down His own life, and He willingly and voluntarily did so. He was in no way forced to die for our sins. He Himself desired to do so, and was in perfect harmony with the will of His Father. The Cross was not only an act of love for His sheep, it was also an act of love for His Father.
 
As the good Shepherd, Jesus serves as the supreme model for all His undershepherds. What makes a good pastor? He is one who is willing to die for God’s sheep. That is the ultimate test of a true pastor. A true shepherd will not desert his flock when danger comes. He will protect them from wolves, thieves, and robbers (false Christs, false prophets, and false teachers). He will feed them with sound doctrine from every part of God’s Word. The Apostle Paul is one example of a good pastor. As pastor of the church in Ephesus, he did not fail to declare to them all the counsel of God. He also charged the elders, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:28-29). How the church needs true and faithful pastors today! But we have too many hirelings. False pastors have filled the pulpits, and are leading God’s sheep back to the wolves’ den. Many Protestant pastors today are leading their flock back to the Roman Catholic fold. If your pastor does this, he could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Be warned! Beware!
 
THOUGHT: Jesus is both the Shepherd and the Lamb.

PRAYER: “Jesus, Saviour, pilot me, Over life’s tempestuous sea.”

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