The Good Shepherd

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

John 10:11-15

11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns 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. NIV

Jesus continues talking about the shepherd and the sheep, making the point that he is the only good Shepherd who lays his life down for his sheep. What we have here is a reference to the hired hand who does not own the sheep. Who is Jesus making reference to? Who is this hired hand? Who looks after sheep, but does not own them? This is the hired priest, in the time of Jesus, this would be the Pharisees or even the line of Levites who serve in the temple, or the teachers of the law. They are only hired hands, so to speak. Today it could be many of the so-called popular leaders of the church, just hired hands, being paid to care for the flock, but not in ownership if it and in most cases not willing or worthy to lay their life down for any meaningful reason, as Jesus does. He lays his life down for the remission of our sins, no hired hand can so that. In addition, Jesus makes the point the hired hand runs away when he sees a wolf coming and the wolf scatters the flock. Here we have the picture of wolfs in sheep’s clothing. As long as the sheep produce a profit for the hired hand all is good and he stays with the flock, in fact for the fleece and fat of the flock, but when trouble comes he takes off, with the profit and leaves the sheep to flounder on their own. We would have to think the Pharisees fit that bill in those days, but Jesus speaks in eternal matters, and it has applied to hired hands throughout the ages. Today we see many hired hands who work to fleece the flock and enjoy their fat. They will remain with the flock as long as the profit is available, but they do not run when the wolf appears for they are the wolf in sheep’s clothing. They have decimated the sheep, the church. Jesus takes his stand against that type of leadership of the church. He is the only one who will lay down his life for the church and owns his people, we belong to Jesus, not some earthly organization. Yet are there any hired hands who will speak up against the wolves?  Will we all run? How many Pastors of local churches speak out openly against those wolves who would work only for the fleece and fat of the sheep? There are many who have gathered great fame and fortune fleecing the flock, big names known to many. We know their names, but they do not know ours, they have no idea who we are, or anything about our lives, or care about our lives, for that matter. Jesus, however, knows everything about us, our name, our very being, our innermost thoughts, even the number of hairs on our head. When we lose one hair he knows. There is no a single aspect of our lives he does not know about, and still, he lays down his life so we can have eternal life. What a great good shepherd we have in Jesus. We know his voice, we follow his voice, not the voice of a hired hand. Let us follow only the Good Shepherd.