Growing up in the suburbs, I’ve never been an outdoorsy girl. I’ve always appreciated sitting in the air conditioning reading a good book or perusing the stores of a shopping center rather than going on a camping trip in the dead of summer or hiking for miles and miles on end. Now, don’t get me wrong. I very much enjoy nature and love to take pictures of stunning sunsets, majestic mountains, and other gorgeous scenery. But if I were given a choice between spending time indoors or outdoors, I’d likely choose the former.
This is probably true for many of us living in the western world. Since the Industrial Revolution, our society is seeing fewer and fewer people working in the outdoors—farming and agriculture—and more and more working nine to five in some office building crunching numbers and running reports under the harsh, florescent glow of artificial light.
However, the culture of ancient Israel was quite different from ours. They had a far more agricultural society, and many Israelites had to work the land and raise livestock just to survive and put food on the table. Because agriculture played such a huge role in their lives, many of Jesus’ parables and teachings in first century Israel were centered around farming. The Jews living in the time of Christ would have had no issues understanding his agrarian examples, but because we are so far removed from farming life, we often struggle to understand what Jesus means.
In His fourth I Am statement, which is found in John 10, Jesus describes Himself as “the Good Shepherd.” If you’re anything like me, you may have no clue what it looks like to be a shepherd in today’s day and age, let alone two thousand years ago. So, what is Jesus saying when He claims, “I Am the Good Shepherd”?
Let’s take a look at the text. Jesus proclaims in John 10,
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11, ESV
After a couple verses of explaining the difference between a shepherd and a hired hand and how someone who is simply a hired hand would rather leave the sheep to die than protect them, Jesus again says,
“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.” John 10:14-15
It’s important to note that Jesus is not claiming to be an actual shepherd watching over physical sheep. After all, He was a carpenter by trade before beginning His ministry as a traveling Rabbi. In ancient times, people often referred to kings and gods as “shepherds.” They were called shepherds because they were humble and righteous, providing for the needs of their people as a shepherd provides for the needs of his sheep.
Jesus, as a shepherd in this sense, is humble and righteous, having compassion for His people and tending to their needs. But you’ll notice He doesn’t just describe Himself as a shepherd; He describes Himself as the good shepherd. The Greek word for “good,” kalos, can refer to someone or something that is genuine, noble, wholesome, honorable, and even beautiful. Jesus is essentially saying that He is a far better leader, better protector, better shepherd than any other god or king who has ever existed.
What does Jesus’ role as our shepherd look like? He lists two main things in the verses above: knowing His sheep and laying down His life for His sheep. Shepherds knew their sheep, so much so that they might be willing to leave their entire flock to find the one that is missing (Luke 15:4). And sheep knew their shepherd and would follow their shepherd’s voice to safety. In a similar way, Jesus knows His people. Being omniscient, He knows more about us than we do. He fully knows us yet also fully loves us, so we can trust Him to lead us to safety.
Additionally, being a shepherd was not necessarily as simple and peaceful as it may seem. Part of a shepherd’s job was to protect their helpless sheep from predators, like lions, wolves, and bears (oh my!). Shepherding could be very dangerous, and perhaps even in some tragic cases, deadly, but shepherds were willing to risk their own safety to protect their flock. Similarly, Jesus came down to our sin-saturated earth, willing to risk His own life to save ours, defeating the enemy in the process.
During this Good Shepherd discourse, Jesus’ audience was a Jewish one, and there are a few more things they would’ve noticed that we may not immediately recognize. Jesus is not the only biblical figure described as a shepherd. The Old Testament repeatedly refers to God the Father as a shepherd (Psalm 23:1, 78:52, 80:1). The prophet Isaiah wrote,
“Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:10-11
By claiming to be the Good Shepherd, Jesus is essentially claiming divinity, claiming to be one with the Father, claiming to be God. After all, who is good but God alone (Mark 10:18)?
In the Old Testament, the prophesied Messiah was also described as a shepherd (Micah 5:1-4). The prophet Ezekiel was speaking for God when he wrote,
“And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:23-24
By declaring Himself the Good Shepherd, Jesus is also claiming to be this shepherd, this Messiah, whose coming was prophesied by the prophets of old. He is basically saying, “I’m here! I’m your Savior! I’ve come to rescue you and lead you to better pasture!”
Near the end of His message, Jesus mentions something that would’ve thrown His Jewish audience for a loop. He says,
“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.” John 10:16
You see, the Jews at this time had a certain expectation when it came to the Messiah. They believed the Messiah would come as a king and a conqueror who would defeat the oppressive Roman Empire and reinstate the Kingdom of Israel. They thought the Messiah would be savior of the Jews only. But this was not the case. Jesus came not as a king or a conqueror. He came as a humble man, a lowly shepherd to save not only the Jews, but also the Gentiles—the other sheep whom He would bring into the fold.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, our humble and righteous ruler who makes us lie down in green pastures, leads us beside still waters, and restores our souls (Psalm 23:1). He loves us, lavishing compassion and mercy on us and caring for our needs. He protects us from our greatest foes—sin and death—and shields us from their snares. He is our God. He is our Messiah. And He is our Savior—both Jew and Gentile. Jesus came down to earth for us—for you and for me—and He willingly laid down His own life so that we, His beloved sheep, may live with Him for eternity.
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” John 10:17-18
