A Word about the Master Shepherd

Today I want to share a word about the Master Shepherd as I comment on John 10:1-18. This passage reads:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Sheep and shepherds play prominent roles in the story of God’s relationship with people, for example:

• Abraham, Isaac, and the ram that God provided as a sacrifice.
• Jacob was a shepherd for Laban for 14 years so he could marry Leah and Rachel.
• Moses was a shepherd for his father-in-law after he had to flee Egypt.
• David was the little shepherd boy who later wrote the Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalm 23).
• The shepherds at Christmas were the first to hear of the birth of Jesus.

Here we see that Jesus was the Good Shepherd, or as I am calling Him in this devotional, the Master Shepherd.

While we romanticize shepherds, in reality, their task was a dirty, smelly, and lonely one. As Luke tells us, they would “abide in the field” with their charges, almost living like animals themselves.

I once met a former paniolo, a Hawaiian cowboy, who told me that people had the wrong idea about such work. He told me, “People don’t realize that cowboys work hard from before sunup to after sundown, and they come home wet, cold, tired, and covered in muck.”

Not only was being a shepherd difficult, but it also involved a great deal of responsibility. They were responsible for feeding, watering, healing, and protecting the sheep, which were valuable commodities. Some shepherds failed at their task, neglecting the sheep, or failing to protect them. The consequences were severe for all concerned.

Jesus, however, was the Good Shepherd as we saw in our focal passage from John 10 today. He would lay down His life for the His sheep. But, what about the sheep? What are our responsibilities? Let’s look at them together.

GOOD SHEEP KNOW THEIR SHEPHERD:

They know his personality. They learn how he thinks and how he works, and they learn his heart. They also learn from him his purpose:

• To nurture the sheep and protect them.
• To lead them into places where the can prosper.
• To present them spotless to their master.

They also let him know them. Sheep tend to look alike, but they are not. All creatures have their own wants, needs, and limitations and the sheep must be open to their shepherd. The shepherd can do a better job of caring for his sheep if they let him know who they are.

GOOD SHEEP FOLLOW THEIR SHEPHERD: 

Leaders can't lead without followers. Often God’s people resemble a line from an old song from Dean Martin which complained that there are, “too many chiefs and not enough Indians around this place.” 

Sheep look meek and mild, but some were prone to wander. Also, while sheep are mostly defenseless, they can butt with their heads, and more than one shepherd has been knocked down that way.

Being a good follower is a blessing: to the follower, to the leader, and to God. If the sheep didn’t need to be led, they would not need shepherds. Also, being a good follower is a prerequisite to becoming a leader.

GOOD SHEEP TRUST THEIR SHEPHERD: 

Sheep need protection because they are prey animals, and the world presents many threats to them. In the same way, the world presents many threats to the sheep of God’s pasture (us) today. Some are temporal threats, but many are spiritual. Temporal threats are bad, but spiritual threats are worse because they involve issues of eternal importance.

The shepherd provides protection. Sheep are largely defenseless as individuals, and they are safer in a flock. The shepherd maintains the integrity of the flock, but he will also intervene between a threat and the flock. That is why Jesus called Himself the Door of the Sheep. The spiritual threats to our abundant life must come through Jesus to get to us. And Jesus can handle those threats!

The sheep, however, can thwart the protection provided by the shepherd:

• By wandering off by accident (sin).
• By wandering off on purpose (transgression).
• By wandering off to spite the shepherd (iniquity).

Yes, sheep can cause themselves and the shepherd much trouble by their wandering ways, but the good news is that the Good Shepherd is willing to seek the lost sheep. As Romans 5:8 puts it, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

GOOD SHEEP RESPECT THEIR SHEPHERD: 

The shepherd's job was a humble one. It was a dirty job, with a low status in society even though shepherds were charged with caring for a very valuable commodity. Also, for a shepherd to do their job properly, they must make sacrifices for the sheep. They put the sheep first before themselves, and they put the sheep before their families, too.

Good shepherds love their sheep, which is a reminder to us that love is not an emotion, but an action. Love is doing what is best for another, without regard to cost or inconvenience. When I was a teenager, our church youth group had a saying, “You don’t always have to like me, but you have to love me.”

The love of a shepherd to his charges reminds me of the saying I learned from the US Coast Guard about search and rescue in a storm: “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back!”

GOOD SHEEP SHARE THEIR SHEPHERD: 

There is only one Good Shepherd, but there are many sheep. Some need more attention than others, and they must get that attention. All sheep need to be concerned about the whole flock, however. If one sheep takes up all the shepherd’s time, then the flock suffers, and eventually so will that sheep. What happens to the flock affects all within the flock, so the sheep need to share the shepherd with each other.

The sheep also need to realize that the shepherd is not indestructible. Even Jesus, the Good Shepherd, got tired and hungry. Jesus also had to maintain a close relationship with His Father. He often, as the King James Bible put it, would go “apart to pray.” This caused the old revival preacher, Vance Havner, to quip, “We must come apart, or we will come apart!” Shepherds cannot live in the field forever. They, too, are a part of a larger flock, and they need a shepherd as well. Good sheep share their shepherd so they can be blessed by times of refreshing and renewal.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus was the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His flock. Jesus is unchallenged as the Master Shepherd; there has never been any one better than Him at that vital role.

The question is not, “Is Jesus the Good Shepherd,” but it is, “Are we good, sheep?” Do we follow the Master Shepherd? Do we follow the under shepherds sent to us by Him? If we want to experience the abundant live Christ promised us, we should!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt