A Manner Observed
I never thought of my great uncle as a shepherd. He was a dairy farmer with a few sheep. As a small child I remember walking with my grandmother down the road to his barn to see the new lambs that had been born. In the back of his barn were a few fenced-in pens full of hay for the new spring arrivals.
I remember the sound of my galoshes on the wet cement approaching the pens. The sound must have scared the lambs because they hid behind their mothers for cover. In the first pen a sweet little black face peeked out from behind its wooly hiding place.
The second pen boasted of TWINS! My great uncle must have anticipated the squeal about to erupt from my lips because he silenced me before I made a peep. “You must be calm, or they will hide,” he instructed.
The sheep trusted him. He moved slowly and gently as he attended to them. I vowed in my five-year-old little heart to gain their trust as well by mimicking his behavior.
Someone’s manner can tell you a lot about the kind of person they are, and sheep have a remarkable way of knowing someone’s character.
I have been studying the manner of Jesus revealed through the gospels: His words, interactions, and confrontations. In John 10, Jesus states some of His famous “I AM” statements. Among them, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14–15).
In this chapter, Jesus describes the good shepherd: he is their protector, he is trusted by the sheep, and they are so familiar with his voice they follow only him.
This Good Shepherd passage comes on the heels of an important narrative. In the previous chapter, we learn that Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath who had been born blind. The Pharisees and teachers on the law grill this man and His parents of the validity of their story. The man does not know who healed him but responds, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
The Pharisees respond: “‘We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?’ And they cast him out” (John 9:25b, 29–34 emphasis mine).
Right after this encounter with the religious leaders, Jesus finds the man born blind and reveals to him that He is the Son of Man prophesied in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures). The man responds with wholehearted belief and worship.
It’s from this context that the discourse of the Good Shepherd in John 10 begins. I believe he references the well-known passage of Ezekiel 34:1-10: Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel. Ezekiel calls out the leaders of God’s people and accuses them of being vicious and heartless.
He charges, “The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them” (Ezekiel 34:4).
The LORD responds to this grievous situation in verses 11–16.
“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, 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. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”
The LORD declares how He will come down to shepherd His flock. The Shepherd of Israel will make His presence known by doing these things: seeking out the lost, rescuing, feeding, providing, protecting, binding up the injured, giving strength to the weak, and providing justice to the abused.
In reading through the gospels we see Jesus to be THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL. His words, works, and manner show that He is that Shepherd in Ezekiel 34. Jesus sought after the lost, healed the injured, gave strength to those who were weak, defended the lowly and provided food for the hungry. One day He will return to complete the regathering of His flock, establishing justice and instituting that promised kingdom of righteousness and peace. This study brought tears to my eyes at the tender care God has for those who would recognize Him.
Recently, as I attended a Passover Seder, the Scriptures of Jesus sharing the Passover with His disciples caught my attention. The Shepherd of Israel made a new covenant in His blood. He was going to lay His life down for His sheep, the greatest sacrifice, securing our redemption.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
We can know someone’s character by observing how they act and what they do. The actions of Jesus prove He is who He says he is. He truly is the Good Shepherd of whom the prophets[1] spoke.
“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:7–15 emphasis mine)
Written by Kori, Life in Messiah staff
When have you felt Jesus’ shepherding care?
What Scriptures especially remind you of His tender care for you? (Do you have one posted as a visual reminder?)
Who in your world would be encouraged to be reminded of His tender care for them today? How could you best demonstrate His love?
Endnotes:
[1] E.g., see Isaiah 40:10-11; Jeremiah 31:10; and Micah 5:4.