Rhythms of FaithNäide

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus immediately follows his call to abundant life with the words, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, ESV).

This verse might offend our desire to be self-made, self-sufficient, and self-directed. But the quicker we recognize ourselves as sheep who need a shepherd, the sooner we move toward the abundant life with God that Jesus offers.

Sheep are extremely dependent creatures. They are prey, not predators—vulnerable to wolves with an appetite. Sheep are also in danger because they are animals that can be remarkably dull. Apart from external guidance, provision, and protection, sheep don’t thrive. They flounder. They wander. They die.

Sheep often need saving from themselves. I’ve seen a sheep charge its own bucket of water as though it were a mortal enemy. The sheep flipped over the bucket and spilled all the water, which then caused it to launch its woolly body into the air and land with a crash, only to get up and prepare to charge the bucket again. It would be humorous if this weren’t a slightly exaggerated image of ourselves. “For what am I to myself without Thee,” Augustine once prayed, “but a guide to mine own downfall?” Sheep are dependent and vulnerable, and they need a shepherd.

Protection and flourishing do not come through the en­lightenment of the wayward sheep but by the arrival of the Good Shepherd. When Jesus lays claim to this title, he explic­itly evokes a major Old Testament motif, the promise that God would come and be the shepherd of his people as he promised in Ezekiel 34:11-12: “I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness” (ESV).

Do you feel lost or stuck in a pit of your own making? There’s a shepherd who is strong enough to lift you, compassionate enough to heal you, gracious enough to guide you, and powerful enough to save you.

What stands out most when you consider humanity—and yourself—through the image of sheep?