[RE]FOCUS Day 29
Week 5: Revealing
Day 1: I am the Good Shepherd
By Pastor Chad Wright
READ:
John 10:14–16 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
As a child, did your dad or mom ever entrust you with something important? I am not talking about the daily chores of cleaning your room, doing the dishes, or emptying the trash. I mean something important like watching your sibling(s) while they went out. Think about it: they trusted you with the life of your brother or sister. How did that make you feel? I can remember watching my little sister when she was a toddler and feeling bad when she broke a glass tray from the end table. I was not watching her closely enough. She sliced her hand and it seemed like the bleeding would never stop as I tended to the wound. I almost called an ambulance. I felt bad when mom asked me what had happened.
Jesus was entrusted with you and me and all believers. He reveals Himself through the many “I am” statements of John’s Gospel. But this one, “I am the good shepherd,” tells us a lot about Jesus as our Savior who watches over those entrusted to Him by our Heavenly Father. He watched over us so well that He bled for us and even died for us. In fact, He knows all of us by name and knows exactly what is going on in our lives. He calls us with His Word and Sacraments to be His own. He makes us one flock. He comes after us when we wander and guards us from the enemy who would steal, kill, and destroy us. He is in contrast to all false teachers. We recognize the false shepherds because they are not the true shepherd, the good shepherd. He knows us and by His grace we know Him.
Dr. Lenski in his commentary on the Gospel of John wrote, “In six brief months the actual death and the actual resurrection of the Good Shepherd, now foretold so clearly, will re-enforce every word they have heard. No; none of these words are mere rhetorical embellishment; all of them reveal vital facts.” Just as Jesus revealed Himself then to be the Good Shepherd, so He still reveals Himself today. Let us listen to His voice and follow Him!
PRAY:
Dear Jesus, thank You for being my Good Shepherd. Forgive me for all the times I have wandered. Keep me close to You and help me to know You better. Be with Your flock and keep us all safe. Help us to care for each other as members of one flock, until we are all safe in heaven. Amen.
LIVE:
Jesus’ care is sometimes different than how we would choose it. Does that challenge your faith, reinforce it, or both?