Lesson 29

The Characteristics Of A Good Shepherd

John 10:11-21

Let us return to the imagery of the shepherd and his sheep as revealed by Jesus in John 10.

Palestine was a pastoral place. The people of Israel knew about sheep and shepherds like we know about automobiles and highways. To the average Jew, sheep were a part of everyday life and a very special part of their religious life. To those Jews who knew their holy scriptures, there was an understanding that they, the nation of Israel, were God's flock and the Lord was their shepherd.

The relationship of a shepherd and his sheep symbolized the relationship between Jehovah and the Jews. What kind of relationship did a shepherd have with his sheep? The relationship of a shepherd with his sheep was more as a pet, than merely as property. Shepherds gave each little lamb a name and carried that lamb at times. If one were lost, he would search for it until he found it. Sheep were kept not particularly to slaughter but primarily to shear. They were not for food but for wool. There was a very personal relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. The sheep recognized the voice of their shepherd and followed him and only him.

Now it is in these terms that Jesus is speaking in John 10. Beginning in verse 11, Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd and then indicates the characteristics of a good shepherd. Earlier in the gospel account, Jesus has been identified as a Lamb, John 1:29, 36. Here, he is identified as the shepherd. "I am the good shepherd" (v. 11, 14).

The word "good" is significant here. There are two words for "good" in the Greek. This word means "noble, intrinsically good." It describes that which is ideal, the model that others may safely follow. Our Lord's goodness was inherent in His nature. To call Him "good" is the same as calling Him "God", see Mark 10:17-18. Indirectly, Jesus is making claims to deity when He says, "I am th good shepherd."

In these verses, Jesus draws a clear contrast between a good shepherd and a hireling shepherd. As the thieves and robbers were used to illustrate the dead religion of the Pharisees in verses 7-10, the hireling is used in these verses to illustrate the same. I want you to notice three characteristics of the good shepherd.

A Good Shepherd Knows His Sheep, 10:14.

In the Gospel of John, the word "know" means much more than intellectual awareness. It speaks of an intimate relationship. The shepherd knows his sheep personally and therefore knows best how to minister to them.

Jesus is a good shepherd. He knows us. He knows us by name. In John 1:42, he knew Simon by name and gave him a new name. In Luke 19:5, he knew Zaccheus by name. In our world where everyone is reduced to a number on a computer screen, it's good to know that Jesus knows my name.

He knows our nature. While all sheep are alike in their essential nature, each sheep has its own distinctive characteristics; and the loving shepherd recognizes these traits. One might be afraid of high places and anther afraid of dark shadows. One might be more prone to wander than another. A good shepherd will know all the idiosyncrasies of his sheep and will deal with them accordingly. Think about the 12 apostles. They were all different - Peter was impulsive and outspoken, Thomas was hesitant and doubting - yet Jesus knew each of the men personally and knew exactly how to deal with them.

He knows our needs. Often, we don't even know our own needs. But the Lord Jesus, the good shepherd does. No wonder, that David said, "I shall not want ... all the days of my life." David knew that the Lord supplied all his needs.

In verse 14, Jesus said, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me." In verse 27, Jesus repeated the message, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me." The sheep get to know the shepherd by following him and hearing his voice and experiencing his daily leadership and provision. And. in the course of time, the sheep learn to love the shepherd more and to trust him more.

A good shepherd knows his sheep. The good shepherd knows us. A Good Shepherd Cares For His Sheep, 10:12-13.

The hireling doesn't care for the sheep. The hireling cares only for himself, not the sheep. The hireling is in it for what he gets out of it. The hireling is in the sheep business for the money. The sheep don't belong to him and so why should he risk his life when a wolf comes. H runs away from the wolf. And the wolf scatters the sheep and eats them.

The good shepherd cares for the sheep. He loves the sheep. He has a personal relationship with them. The sheep belong to him. And so he will risk life and limb to protect the flock from ravenous beasts of the field.

And that is the kind of shepherd that Jesus is to His sheep. He cares for them. He is not like the Pharisees who had no loving concern for the blind beggar, so they put him out of the synagogue. Jesus found him and cared for him. He is not like those scribes and Pharisees who drug the woman taken in adultery into the street and publicly humiliated her. Jesus took all eyes off her and then forgave her. He cared about her. Jesus is not like the selfish disciples who say of the crowd, "Send them away." Instead, he feeds them all. He cares for the people. He leads His sheep to green pastures and still waters and even through valleys. He treats their injuries with oil. The sheep need not fear because the shepherd is caring form them and meeting their needs.

A good shepherd cares for his sheep. He is not in it for what he can get out of it. He loves the sheep and cares for them. That's a good shepherd and Jesus is a good shepherd.

A Good Shepherd Gives His Life For The Sheep, 10:11, 15-18.

Under the old covenant, under the Old Testament, the sheep died for the shepherd. The passover lamb was killed as a sacrifice for the sins of the shepherd. But under the new covenant, in the New Testament, the Good Shepherd dies for the sheep! Five times in these verses Jesus says that He gives or lays down His life for the sheep.

Jesus' words affirm the sacrificial nature of His death. He did not die as a martyr, killed by men; He died as a substitute willingly laying down His life. He gave His life; He laid down His life. He has power to lay it down and to take it again. Jesus speaks prophetically, here, both of His death and His resurrection.

Who are the sheep that Jesus would die for? Is Messiah only for Israel, only for the Jews? Indeed, Jesus did die for the nation of Israel, see 11:50-52. And what about Matthew 15:24 where Jesus claims to being sent for the lost sheep of the house of Israel? Did Christ come only for the sake of the Jews? There are those today who claim that Jesus died only for some certain "elect." They call that limited atonement meaning that the atonement, the death of Christ, was limited to those whom God had already elected and chosen to salvation.

But please notice that in the midst of this section on the laying down of his life for the sheep that Jesus makes it plain that there are "other sheep" (v. 16) that are not of this fold. He is referring to the Gentiles. It is clear from the teaching of the whole scriptures that Jesus died for the whole world, for every man. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." "He is the propitiation not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world." "He tasted death for every man." "God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." "He will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Jesus himself said, "And the bread that I give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world" (John 6:51). There is no limited atonement.

A good shepherd knows his sheep and cares for his sheep and dies for his sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

But the crowd, the verdict of public opinion was still out one Jesus, vs. 19-21. Some said, "Jesus is a demon possessed insane man. Why are you listening to him?" His words don't sound like the words of the demon-possessed. And can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Do you know Jesus as your Good Shepherd? Perhaps you are the lost sheep that Christ is searching for today.