June, 2002

“I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:11

This is the fourth of seven of the Lord s I AM statements in John s Gospel. I Am the Good Shepherd. The word good is used to describe that which is ideal and without fault. One time a rich young man approached Jesus, fell on his knees and asked, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17-18). Before giving him the answer, Jesus said, No one is good except God alone. Here, Jesus was using the same word to describe Himself as Good. Jesus is good because He is intrinsically good. It is His nature and there is no evil, not even a shadow of, found in Him.

There were two kinds of shepherds: owner-tender and hireling. It seemed they did the same job, but their attitude were quite different. Most hirelings did it for money and would not sacrifice for the sheep. The owner-tender truly cared for the sheep and would do whatever it takes to provide safety for his sheep. The most important trademark of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is that He would laid down His life for the sheep. Five times in this passage, Jesus clearly affirmed the sacrificial nature of His death. We cannot say that Jesus died as a martyr, killed by men. He died as a substitute! Willingly He laid down His life on our behalf. That was His choice. It was He who put Himself on the cross. One important biblical doctrine we must realize is that Jesus’ blood on the cross is sufficient for the salvation of the world in all times (past, present, and future), but it is efficient only for those who put their trust in Him. Jesus further explained that the sheep (those who put their trust in Him) and the Good Shepherd have a unique relationship—He owns them. The concept of ownership is important because as believers, we need to know that we belong to our Savior. And it wasn’t without giving His life that we could have eternal life. An Eternal God gave up His life. No matter how temporary it was (three days), it is still an unfathomable mystery and high price to pay.

Are you convinced that you have eternal life based on the substituting death of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are, do you know that you belonged to Him? What does it mean to you to know that you belonged to Christ?