The Good Shepherd

It is probably a fair assessment to suggest that for many, God is (if he exists) distant, irrelevant to ones daily life, and unreachable by human means. For others, God is malicious, cruel, and hateful. (Those with this belief, at least acknowledge there is a God) And then there are the few that refuse to accept there is any type of divinity in the universe. Do you fit into one of these categories? If God is real, what is he like? Can I know him? Is God irrelevant to ordinary life, cruel or even exist? The writer of the Gospel of John answers those questions. Jesus, wanting to express the heart of God, uses the illustration of a relationship between sheep and shepherd. Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11) a direct reference to an Old Testament promise of a Messiah that would be a Good Shepherd. (Ezekiel 34)  There are three powerful concepts in these five words; I am a good shepherd:

1. Jesus identifies himself as the great I AM. He is the self-existent one, Jehovah, the Saviour of the world. Which means he is able to care for you, even as a shepherd would care for his flock.

2. I am GOOD. Jesus draws a comparison between a hired hand and the shepherd. The former is in it for self-interest, the latter is offering self-sacrifice. The first is fickle; the other is constant. The hired hand evaluates what is good by how it will affect him, while the good shepherd only has the best interest of the sheep in mind. The GOOD shepherd lays down his life while the hired hand flees at the first sign of trouble. Sheep do not have the capacity to understand the ways of the shepherd, but the sheep know his voice and follow him. As they follow him, they experience health, life, and peace.

3. I am the good SHEPHERD. The hearers understood the concept of complete dependence the sheep have on a shepherd. In that day, the sheep could not survive without the shepherd. The shepherd would lead them out and bring them in. There was an intimate relationship between the sheep and shepherd. So much so, they would recognize his voice and follow him.

May we know Jesus that way; as the self-existent one, is good, and has our best interests in mind. Jesus, as the good shepherd, is so intimate with us that we can actually hear him speaking to us and we recognize his voice. This is so profound; it baffled the people of his day. Jesus was proposing a relationship with God, not a new religion about God. Jesus was emphasising intimacy, rather than rule keeping. Notice the words, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep 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)

The word “know” is to understand, perceive, to feel, everything about me, yet he loves me enough to lay down his life for me. This is too profound for words. That one who knows all my sins: inner ugliness, pride, selfishness, but still loves me enough to lay down his life for me. Wow. This is the good shepherd.

This Sunday I will explore deeper the “know” relationship between God and us. How we can hear his voice and experience the Good Shepherd in our lives.

Join with me and experience a relationship with God at a level never known before.

Sunday Celebration

We are meeting in person on Sundays at 10:30am at KCF, 520 Falls Street or on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship FB page, for those not feeling comfortable attending a public gathering. We will use best practices and accepted protocols to ensure a safe environment for all worshippers gathering with us. Our service will be short and there will be no coffee or food offered at this time.

We are also on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNT9GnRlN0fPZdvqmaUV_LA

Subscribe to our channel while you are there.

Looking forward to seeing you all in person or on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page. https://www.facebook.com/kootenaychristianfellowshipnelsonbc

Jim Reimer, Pastor

October 22, 2020