THE GOOD SHEPHERD

 John 10:11

“I AM the good shepherd..." 

The term "I AM" describes or defines God (Exodus 3:14). It is exclusive to God. No one else can go on to claim its original meaning to himself. But if Jesus used it more than once to describe and define who He is, it pretty much says a lot about who Jesus exactly is. In this particular scenario, Jesus uses it to describe Himself as the good shepherd. Meaning there can never be a shepherd like Jesus.

Who is a shepherd?

A shepherd is a person who tends and rears sheep.

A shepherd is also a person who guides or directs in a particular way.

So then, if Jesus says; I AM the good shepherd, who is a good shepherd? Or, what message is Jesus putting forward?

A good shepherd is one in particular, with certain defined attributes. Rather a good shepherd entails certain specifics which should make him exceptional. Serious considerations then must be taken care of. 

What are these specifics? Does Jesus qualify?

So then, if there is a good shepherd, that directly implies that there is a bad one. How then do we tell a good shepherd from a bad one? Scripture can be the very first resort. But also literal observations can be very instrumental. Yet above all the rest, the Holy Spirit stands out of all. For what may literally appear good, may not necessarily be so. Thus then, God considers the heart and not the appearance (1Samuel 16:7), (1Kings 8:39), (1Chronicles 28:9), (Proverbs 16:2), (Jeremiah 17:10), (John 8:15-16). Rather, the heart is the determinant.

And that requires that we examine if Jesus qualifies for what He describes Himself to be. Is Jesus the good shepherd? Specifics of a good shepherd:

• A good shepherd does not act suspiciously; he does everything in the open and allows to be understood.

• He is always readily available, whenever he is required.

• He is not self-centered.

• He looks all over the sheep, he will never grade any of them so that one is less or more important than the other.

• He will do whatever it takes to protect the sheep; he always goes ahead of the sheep, whether in danger or not.

• He matches his talk with more action

 Does Jesus fulfill all the above specifics?

Acting suspiciously. 

Did Jesus act suspiciously?

Well, how do we examine this in scripture? Personally, I am yet to come across scripture or one person who says Jesus  acted in a suspicious way in whichever way or at whatever stage of His mission.

Jesus was always transparent and spoke of everything that would happen to Him in a plain manner. He openly spoke of His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:20-21). Part of the engineering factors for Jesus' trial was His openness to issues that were. The Pharisees and the Seduces hated it that He would mention their faults.

He spoke at nobody’s back. He spoke right in a person’s face. He only looked to getting a person better, than to give them false feelings, hope and excitement which would end them nowhere. This is how He got the best out of Peter (Matthew 16:22-23), (Matthew 26:34). 

Jesus spoke in the face of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the tax collectors, He told them if they didn’t change by accepting Him, their destiny would be doomed (Matthew 23:15-39). He was friend to those who accepted and submitted to do the will of God. Yet He also loved the sinners so to help them be changed and transformed. He taught and showed that the word of God is standard and can’t be maneuvered for any reason or anybody to suit anybody’s interests (Matthew 12:46-50), (Luke 8:19-21), (Mark 3:31). For Jesus matched His word perfectly well.

Availability. 

Jesus was not only available in good times; He was also readily available in bad testing times. This is evident in His willingness not only to tell us what to do to be saved, but to go on and offer Himself by humiliating, painful death on the cross for the salvation of you and I (Philippians 2:5-8).

Yet having had the likeness of God, He never sought to be at level with God. Rather He was committed to the mission until when it was accomplished. Never mind that He was forsaken so many times. Recall that He was betrayed by Judas Ischariot and He was also denied by Peter (John 18:15-27), (Luke 22:54-62). Yet when Peter repented of his sinful action, he was surely forgiven.

Even that Jesus went back to heaven, scripture tells us that He is available by interceding for us before the Father (Hebrews 7:25), (Romans 8:34). And He also pretty assured us that when we pray in His name, our prayers will be answered (John 14:13-14). He promised never to leave us alone (Matthew 28:20), (John 14:18-24). We can surely testify that He is with us, even now. Thus He said where two or three are gathered in my name, there my presence shall be (Matthew 18:19-20), (Luke 12:32), (John 17:21). Jesus is surely that one particular shepherd.

When He (Jesus) gave us the hope that there is life after death, He did so by being the first to die and live again. For Jesus resurrected from the dead. Jesus' tomb is pretty empty.

Many people claim greatness by simply talking. Jesus acted as a great (albeit His goal was not to be branded great), but to give us a new holistic lease of life (Matthew 23:1-3), (Matthew 23:4-8). Jesus was indeed a benevolent Savior. For He always considered the sheep rather than giving himself comfort.

Jesus is not self-centered

Jesus is God. He is the ancient of the ancient (Daniel 7:9), (John 17:4-5), . When He (Jesus) came to offer His life for us, it was never about Him, for it was entirely for each one of us. For if He hadn't offered Himself in our place, it would not have cost Him anything. His status is never in balance. 

Jesus came but to save our souls. He came to set us free (Luke 19:8-10). A good shepherd does not look for what to gain from the sheep whether materially or spiritually. He looks to improving and ensuring the lives of the sheep. That is exactly what Jesus executed. When He died for us, He was fulfilling what He had promised. Jesus is not human that He should have ever lied or regretted any of His commitments.

He looks all over the sheep, he will never grade any of them so that one is less or more important than the other. 

We (humans), tend to look for and appreciate the good side of a person while castigating for every fault. We look for how we can materially benefit from others and only work for that. We go out to “help” with opportunistic intentions of being paid back in one way or the other. Rather we are pretty malevolent. Whatever we do, we tend to look for how we can personally gain from it. 

Upon this, we begin to grade how we relate with every one person that comes into our lives. But Jesus can be amazing! He (Jesus) does exactly the opposite (Matthew 9:10-13, 21:28-32). For the Pharisees and the religious leaders wanted to own Him. But it was never to be. He had come even for the seemingly least important of society. Every one sheep is equally and squarely important to Him. He will do all it takes to search and save every single one no matter what that sheep is or what status it is. Jesus paid the price for everyone regardless of who or what they are.

Jesus forgave His mockers. They spat at Him and finally crucified Him. Yet He was not overtaken or swayed by whatever they exited on Him. He knew that all that had happened to Him because He wanted to save a soul of which they were part, and He forgave them (Luke 23:34). They were equally important to Him as anybody else, despite what they had subjected Him to (Luke 15:4-10), (Matthew 18:12). He had all the power to punish and destroy, but He had a mission to save rather than to condemn, ruin or destroy. This can be so definitive of who Jesus is.

He will do whatever it takes to protect the sheep; he always goes ahead of the sheep, whether in danger or in no danger. 

Jesus died a humiliating and shameful death on the cross (Matthew 27:35). Yet there is no reason why He should have personally died. For Jesus is the one man to ever live in flesh with no sin. Sin is consequential with sin death. So then, if Jesus did die, it was not for Himself. Rather He died for someone else of which you and I are.

Yet by His death and resurrection, we are assured that there is eternal life after death. He demonstrated this when He died and rose again on the third day (Matthew 28), (Mark 16). For Jesus talked and acted.

And because He went on to act ahead of us, we do have all the confidence in Him. And we believe on and in Him. Jesus indeed matched His word. Jesus passed the test and He is indeed the good shepherd.