I am currently preaching through the book of John, currently preaching in John 10 about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. If you are at all familiar with the Bible then you know that shepherding and sheep are often referred to because that was a common theme throughout the Bible. It also made for some excellent illustrations regarding the church and discipleship.

As someone who grew up in the city, I am quite unfamiliar with farm animals, but even more so with sheep. However, I have seen enough Facebook reels and other videos to know that sheep are not the brightest animals in the animal kingdom. See here for an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Wc8vluyp0

What’s interesting about the Bible describing Jesus as the Good Shepherd is the reality that in order for there to be a good shepherd, there must also be some understanding of bad (or false) shepherds. The Bible is clear that there are many false shepherds who seek to devour followers of Christ and turn them away from faithfulness. This is clear in John 10:10, which states, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” While many false shepherds exist that seek to lead Christians away from Christ, the Good Shepherd has come so that you might have life and have it in abundance. 

But, what’s so good about the Good Shepherd? 

There are at least three reasons why Jesus is truly the Good Shepherd. 

First, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he leads the sheep (that’s you and I) to himself. John 10:3 says that the Good Shepherd “calls his sheep by name.” The truth is that Jesus knows you intimately, and he calls you to himself. That’s pretty incredible. Despite our own shortcomings, Jesus is always shepherding us and calling us to himself. 

Psalm 23:1 is helpful here: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” We ought to read and understand this as, “The Lord is the only shepherd, and I shall want no others.” Jesus has not only come to give life and give it abundantly, but he has come as the shepherd of your soul, to lead you to himself so that you might experience the hope that can only be found in a relationship with him. 

Why is that so good? Because the very next verse in Psalm 23 says, “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” That’s the kind of shepherd I want to follow, and that’s what makes Jesus as the Good Shepherd so good. 

But, that’s not it. 

Secondly, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he also leads us through dark valleys.

Jesus references the wolves several times. In the book of Mark, we are even told that there are wolves who are dressed up in sheep’s clothing who seek to devour the sheep.

So you see the reality for us as Christians is not that we will be free of trouble, free of trials, and free of any difficulty, but we are promised that the Good Shepherd has come to give us life in the midst of our dark valleys. And, when the trials of life do come, he goes with us.

What does Psalm 23 say? “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” You are often going to walk through some very dark valleys in your life. We deal with things like cancer, death, loss of a job, life changes, and all sorts of pain that comes into this life because that’s just what life is in a fallen world.

However, this is what’s so special about the Good Shepherd. He doesn’t just point his staff and tell us to go here and go there and do this and do that. He goes with us. That same Psalm 23 wonderfully says that we don’t have to fear  the dark valleys because the Lord goes with us, for his rod and his staff comfort us because the Good Shepherd leads the sheep through the valley to the other side. 

What an incredible comfort it is to know that the Good Shepherd never leaves us. 

Lastly, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he seeks out other lost sheep.

Finally, the Good Shepherd leads us to other sheep that are not yet part of the family. Verse 16 says that he has other sheep that are not yet a part of this fold, and he says, “I have to bring them too.”

How is Jesus going to bring other sheep into the fold now that he’s no longer here? He’s going to do it through the church walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, doing evangelism, and seeking out those who are far from God. 

The Good Shepherd leads us to himself. He leads us through trials. And, he leads us to other sheep who must come into the fold through the Good Shepherd. In a nutshell, that is the mission of God, and it is to be carried out through his church. 

False shepherds seek to steal, kill, and destroy. The number of ways this happens is endless.

But, the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and by his own death, he enables them to be adopted into the family of God. That is the good news of the gospel. That’s what’s so good about the Good Shepherd!