THE GREATEST SHEPHERD OF ALL TIME!!!
Are you ready to have your eyes opened once more on this very fine week? Our readings today exclaim and explore the GREATEST SHEPHERD OF ALL TIME — JESUS!
I know what some of you may be thinking…. Who, what, when, where and most certainly WhY!?!?! Fear not though, for all those questions swimming hastily in your mind, will soon be answered with great clarity in the end. Allow me to explain…
Jesus is constantly being listed and described as the good shepherd in John chapter 10; particularly through verses 1–21 in the Holy Bible. The most captivating thing about this whole ordeal however, is God’s utilization of sheep and their surroundings to subsequently mirror Jesus’s actions, who he is and what he really does for us in the clearest way possible. Let me clarify…
In the very first verse, the Bible shows Jesus telling the Pharisees that those who do not enter the sheepfold by the gate are thieves and robbers. Upon research of the sheepfold itself, the web states that sheepfolds were caves, sheds or open areas surrounded by walls made of stones and branches; designed to protect a herd of sheep from thieves, weather or wild animals at night especially — when they are most vulnerable. This enables me to infer that just as a shepherd cares for his sheep, Jesus, the good shepherd cares for his flock — full of those who follow him. This brings me to my first point and that is this — Jesus is our good shepherd who will protect us from danger throughout the day and during night.
Now if we take a look at verse 7 in John chapter 10, the Bible describes how Jesus boldly stated “I am the gate for the sheep”. Turning our attention back to the sheepfold, it becomes evident as we read onwards that the shepherd himself functioned as a gate by constantly letting in the sheep and protecting them — leading me to my next point. We should be able to understand that Jesus is our protector and JESUS is the gate to God’s salvation for us, offering access to safety and security. Therefore, we should always walk through Jesus’ gate because it is the only way we can access God’s gate.
Lastly, I want us all to finally turn to verses 14 and 15 in john chapter 10 which tells us this. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay my life down for the sheep”. These two verses highlight that Jesus knows what God wants and at the same time he knows what we need, emphasising that Jesus knows what he must do and what will happen — he knows he had to give his life up for us, his sheep. As we remember this today on Good Friday, this brings me to my final point. Jesus cared for us so much in the same way a shepherd cares for his sheep but he is the greatest shepherd of all because he gave up his life for his sheep out of unconditional compassion. And so as his sheep, we should have compassion for Jesus who is our shepherd because of everything he has done for us for we also know him like he knows us.
Thank you so much for allowing your eyes to be opened once more through another post! I sincerely hope and pray that this message has touched you for the better.
Remember, TEO will have a new message up for you all every week so grab some friends and join us or journey with us solo on our eye-opening adventure! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
VERSE OF THE DAY
