ADVENT - “Good Shepherd”
What makes Jesus our hope, not only in the holiday season but every day and in every moment, rests in His heart, character, and nature. We don’t want to run past this profound truth, so this week we’re spending our time together reflecting on the different ways Jesus describes Himself in the Gospels. Yesterday, we considered how our spiritual hunger, those deep longings for meaning, purpose, and value, find their ultimate satisfaction in Christ Jesus - the Bread of Life. Today, we want to remind ourselves that we all need the intentional and compassionate care of a Savior, and we need look no further than Jesus, the One known as the Good Shepherd. Before we begin, I want to provide space for you to pause and pray for those places where you feel unsettled, vulnerable, or perhaps even lost . Bring those concerns to Him, confident that He has your concerns within view.
A shepherd watching over his flock was a common practice in ancient culture, making it a familiar image to the crowds following Jesus. Yet, its repeated use throughout Scripture holds a deeper meaning with profound implications. If God is our Shepherd, what does that make us? SHEEP. And, we display more “sheepish” qualities than we care to admit. At times, we can mindlessly follow the flock or carelessly venture down wrong paths on our own. We startle in the face of adversity - timid, needy, and unsure of where to turn. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a moment and read John 10:11-15:
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
No matter how much we push to control our circumstances, just like sheep, we’re defenseless, unable to protect ourselves from what life throws our way. It’s not IF the wolves will come, but WHEN. Sadly, troubles, hardship, and adversity are part of calling a broken world home. These wolves come in all shapes and sizes, but have the same intent: to isolate us, breed fear, and make us question if God cares about our plight.
Yet, no matter how lost we might feel, we’re never truly alone. Jesus knows us, cares for us, and watches over us. He protects and pursues. He rescues and restores. Our Good Shepherd offered His life so our lives could flourish, knowing that because God is for us, nothing can stand against us.
In Matthew 9, Jesus heals a paralyzed man and a sick woman, brings sight to the blind and a voice to the voiceless. Having spent the entire day teaching and healing, Jesus pauses and takes in the weight of all the needs before Him. Matthew writes that when Jesus saw the crowds “He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Encountering this helpless hoard of humanity moved Jesus. He felt compassion, not at a surface or superficial level, but resounding inside His core - an intuitive reaction of love, compassion, and empathy - and that’s what makes Jesus not just a shepherd, but a good one.
REFLECT
Before we wrap our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and maybe to what God is trying to say to you. First, take a moment to process this question…What are the implications of God being “your” shepherd? Now take it a step further, what makes Jesus a good shepherd to you?
Another question to consider is this…How can you posture yourself this week to be receptive to God’s shepherding care and guidance?
PRAYER
Father God, thank you for being a loving shepherd who guides and protects me. I'm helpless and vulnerable without You. Help me to hear and trust Your voice so I can follow Your lead. Amen.