John 10:11-21 New International Version
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.
20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
The Shepherd Who Knows, Loves and Leads
John 10:11-21
Sheep are not very bright and have poor vision. Because sheep have such poor eyesight, they will follow whatever is in front of them.
Sheep can recognize the voice of their shepherd and will follow their shepherd's voice. Their hearing is good, so this is why they will follow their shepherd's voice.
Sheep will blindly follow whatever is in front of them. They are not very rational either. If one sheep goes over a cliff, others will follow it with any regard of the danger or consequences of going over the cliff.
The shepherd takes care of his sheep because they belong to him. This is unlike the hire hand, who earns a wage.
John 10:11-12 ESV
[11] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12] He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
Many leaders make decisions which will benefit them and not the people lead. In fact, these leaders will not sacrifice themselves for their people and care little about their welfare.
John 10:13 ESV
[13] He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Jesus lays down his life for His people and know his people.
John 10:14 ESV
[14] I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
Jesus knows us and knows us intimately. Not many leaders can honestly say this.
Jesus is not limited to a certain group of people. Jesus' Love knows no boundaries. Jesus does not discriminate against any groups of people.
John 10:16 ESV
[16] 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.
We are all sinners and Jesus loves us all.
James 2:10 ESV
[10] For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
We must remember that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows us profoundly and despite are faults, he loves us. He laid down his life because he loves us and cares for his sheep. We must share his love to others. We must follow his voice and go confidently where he leads us.
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