The Good Shepherd

This morning I was reading in John 10 when a phrase caught my attention. It is the passage when Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, who calls his sheep by name and "leads them out" of the sheep pen through the gate. My mind went immediately to Israel in Egypt, and how Moses, as a shepherd of his people, led them out of bondage and slavery toward the land of promise. For Moses, the enemy was a Pharaoh of Egypt. In Jesus' word picture, it is a thief, who enters the pen to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus is no thief. He enters the pen to set his sheep free—free from the bondage of fear, sin and death. But Jesus knew that setting me free would require him to take my place in the pen. On the cross, he laid down his life and satisfied justice for my sheepishness (for we know that sheep are dumb, disobedient, and smell!). And now the resurrected Jesus, through his Spirit, he calls to his sheep to hear his voice, come out of the pen and follow him. He calls me to believe the gospel— to "have life and have it to the full," because "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," because he was condemned in their place. "Father, give me ears to hear."

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