Are You A Good Person?
Be honest, are you really a good person!
What is good? What is bad? What is evil?
The Two Contradictions
The people of the world love being called good when they do something good.
Most Christians shy away from being called good. But who knows, maybe it is all a ruse, showing false humility, but deep inside they’re saying; yeah, I’m actually a good person. I’m not like them (non-believers). I don’t murder, I don’t steal, I have not had sex outside marriage, I pray every day, I pay my tithes, I believe in Jesus. Yeah! I’m pretty, a good person!
Is it bad to be called good?
Jesus one day, in Mark 10:18, says to a young rich man: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered: “No one is good — except God alone.”
But
in John 10:11 — He calls himself a good shepherd.
Is Jesus contradicting himself?
The Good Shepherd: Who is a shepherd?
A shepherd or sheep herder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards a herd of sheep.
Psalm 23 opens us with these famous words — The LORD is my Shepherd! And Jesus calls himself a good shepherd.
A huge question is,
How can a mere shepherd be LORD of the people?
To our understanding of cultural and societal hierarchy, this concept of a shepherd being Lord may seem contradictory.
- Shepherds deal with sheep, smell like sheep, probably not the cleanest of people. Always hands-on the ground, not a fancy job you would sign up for, let alone the Lord signing up for. It’s a job for the least of society.
- Unlike a lowlife gutter job like a shepherd, a Lord is of high honour and stature. A lord rules over people, he’s at the top of the food chain.
In Ancient Near East
Various cultures of the ancient Near East viewed God as both shepherd and LORD, including worshippers of Yahweh, as we see in Psalm 23 with the phrase, “The Lord is my Shepherd…”
A suzerain (LORD) is described as a feudal overlord; a sovereign of a state exercising political control over a dependent state.
The crook (shepherd’s staff) represented the pharaoh’s role as a shepherd in caring for the people of Egypt.
In Egypt, Pharaoh was not only a ruler, but also the Son of Ra, the sun god. During the Fourth Dynasty, Egyptian rulers were often called “Son of Ra.” Pharaoh was also known as a shepherd of the people.
The LORD who is High is also low, close, and a friend to the people. — A shepherd.
At the birth of Jesus, the first people the angel appeared to were shepherds. Not Herold, not the ruling council, not the religious leaders, but the shepherds.
They were still in the fields in the night, watching over the sheep while the rest were sleeping.
Jesus — I’m a good shepherd
John 10:11 CSB
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The good shepherd is watchful and attentive to all people, whom the maker has placed under his authority.
This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me, but should raise them up on the last day. — John 6:39 CSB
Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say goodbye to those at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” — Luke 9:61–62 CSB
God is seen coming as a shepherd
See, the Lord God comes with strength, and his power establishes his rule. His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him. He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing. — Isaiah 40:10–11
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. Reminds me of the Father in the story of the prodigal son. Welcoming his son, giving him a hug,
- Jesus wants to gather us
- In his arms
- Because you’re the apple of His eye. You’re close to his heart.
Duty of a good shepherd
A good Shepherd goes before you (the sheep) — protects.
God going before Israel in the desert, pillar of cloud and fire
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. — Exodus 13:21
The desert is extremely hot during the day, a pillar of cloud provides covering (canopy). It is cold and dark during the night; the pillar of fire could warm their bodies and light their path at the same time.
Shepherd protects — doesn’t hide from the enemy or elements. Like a good father protecting his family when attacked at home, he doesn’t hide under the bed while his wife and kids get slaughtered.
A good Shepherd plans for the sheep. New feeding grounds/pastures.
How and when do the sheep rest, drink, when to shear, the heat, and the cold. God knows the plans He has for us.
For I know the plans I have for you”-this is the Lord’s declaration- “plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. — Jeremiah 29:11
Honestly, sometimes we’re a little scared of God’s plans.
- When His plans crush with our plans and desires.
‘This is what I want and God says no, dear child, this is what you need. You’ll be better off with this than that.’ Unfortunately, we don’t see it like He sees it.
Be honest, would you have been eager to leave Egypt for “the promised land”?
Let’s compare and contrast how life Egypt was and the promised land.
Egypt
- Most developed, advanced country on earth by then.
- High standards of living
- Though they (Israelites) were slaves, they still owned homes and property in Goshen
- Under Pharaoh’s protection
Promised Land
- Empty, primitive, undeveloped.
- Note: Imagine being told to move from a First World country with top-notch state-of-the-art everything and being sent into the middle of nowhere in a Third World country.
- Low standards of living
- Nothing at all, no houses, everything had to be built from scratch.
- Had to fight real wars, some died during the conquest, etc.
Would you struggle with such an arrangement too? Some Israelites cried, wanted to go back to Egypt. To them, they would rather remain slaves in Egypt than embarking on an unknown journey into the unknown.
But God is not just a shepherd, He is a Good Shepherd. Trust Him.
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