Author: Rev. Jean Baptiste Kenol Rock, Ph.D
May the word of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be always acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strengthen and my Redeemer.
In the name of the living God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Take a seat.
Good morning, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
This morning, I want to bring a reflection on Jesus, who said, I Am the Good Shepherd John 10:11.
Shepherd in the Old Testament was a familiar profession for the children of Israel. Abraham was a shepherd; Isaac and Jacob were a shepherd; Moses was a shepherd in Median; David was a shepherd who became the king of Israel. Shepherd was already a profession in the nation of Israel.
The life of the Shepherd was not easy. He must be willing to protect and gather the sheep night and day.
God presented himself as the Shepherd for the children of Israel. In the psalm 23:1, David said, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 79:13, “We, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; Psalm 80:1, Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel.
God wants to present himself this morning as our Shepherd through the risen Christ who claimed in today’s gospel, “I am the Good Shepherd, which means Jesus is God.” Jesus said this in front of the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the Sadducees, who did not recognize him as God.
I want you to bring you three ministries where Jesus justifies that he is the Good Shepherd, not a good shepherd but the Good Shepherd.
The first ministry where Jesus justifies that he is the Good Shepherd is that he accepted to die for the sheep so that he may save them. From that perspective, we can understand that Jesus’ death on the cross was not a tragedy but a strategy to redeem all believers as the Good Shepherd who comes to lay down voluntarily his life for the sheep. Listen to what Jesus said in John 10:18, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. On the third day, he rose from the dead to gather all his believers who were afraid and fearful from the tomb to the road of Emmaus and to the upper room of Jerusalem, where they were hiding by fear of the Jews.
Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.”
The second ministry where Jesus justifies that he is the Good Shepherd is that he loves his sheep. The primary purpose for his death on the cross is real love. Listen to what Jesus said in John 10:14, “I am the good Shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,” The word “know my own” in the original Greek means to love intimately, which is agape love, unconditional, sacrificial love.
Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, calls his sheep by name; they respond to his call, and Jesus leads them out to pasture.
Today, if you are here this morning, it is because you respond to Jesus’ call, and I give assurance Jesus, through his love for us, will protect, heal, and deliver us.
I am here to tell you that we must follow Jesus as our unique Shepherd; there is so much love. There is nothing to fear if Jesus is our Shepherd. Before you start your car, say: Jesus, my Good Shepherd, take the wheel, and he will intervene on time, and he will protect you. You’re always under the watchful of Jesus’ eyes because he cares for you and profoundly loves you.
The third ministry where Jesus justifies that he is the Good Shepherd is that he unites the sheep. God categorizes two types of flocks: the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus came on earth as the Good Shepherd to join them. For that reason, he said in John 10: 16, “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.” That means the Jews and Gentiles, all people regardless of their race, identity, and gender, who respond to Jesus’s call, will be united and become one flock under his leadership as the Good Shepherd.
One of the primary purposes of the presence of Jesus in this world is to bring the flock of Jews, the flock of Gentiles, and all people together and build one body, which is the Christian Church. Paul states, “Jesus has made all people one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, violence, and war in his flesh.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the unique bridge that unites all nations. Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
We come together in this house of prayer to give honor, praise, and glory to God for the ministry of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus justifies that He is the Good Shepherd:
First, by accepting to die for the sheep and us so that he may redeem and save us.
Second, by loving each of his sheep, each of us unconditionally and sacrificially.
Third, by gathering all sheep, all people, all of us into one flock under the leadership of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. May it be so. Amen.
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