GOOD NEWS FROM ST. JOHN
Meditations in the Gospel of St. John
St. John 10:11-15
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JESUS is the good shepherd. It is our business in this meditation to explore verses 11 to 15 to seek to see what we are told about Jesus in this respect. You will notice that Jesus says he is the good shepherd twice.

Also Jesus speaks of himself as the good shepherd in contrast to the hired hand, and this negative, or contrast, will help us to understand the goodness of Jesus. I have no doubt that Jesus has in mind the Jewish church of the time, and is contrasting himself with the leaders of the Jews, the High Priest and the Pharisees. When we come across them in the Gospels, which we do quite frequently, they seem to be very concerned to maintain their own privilege and status. Further the Pharisees seemed to be only interested in those who maintained their religion precisely on the lines laid down for them by the Pharisees, and were quite ready to throw out any who opposed them, or transgressed how they saw religion. We have an example in the man born blind in the last chapter, which is still in the minds of those listening to Jesus as we see from verse 21.

Remembering this contrast, when we see Jesus he loves in such a way that he is willing to sacrifice himself for his sheep, and he does not give up on his sheep, but loves them even when they are difficult and wayward. The great sacrifice of love which makes Jesus the good shepherd is that he gave his life for his sheep. We know this to be his great work of atonement on the cross.

The Pharisees loved those who conformed to their will and ways. The good shepherd loved us when we were rebels, and was willing to give his life for us when we did not love him, but rather hated him and opposed him. Nor was there any limit to his love for us while we were still sinners. His giving his life was not just the dying of the body, but the suffering of hell, where God his Father forsook him. Jesus did this because he loved so much that he wanted to save us from such an hell so that we could be in his care forever.

Because of this amazing sacrificial love, we are assured that, becoming his sheep, he will never stop loving us, and will never let us be lost to him. We have this amazing truth that Jesus’ love wants us to be with him and dwell with him. If Jesus is our shepherd he will never let us be lost, or allow harm to destroy us. Taking the analogy again of the hired hand, Jesus will not leave us to be destroyed or torn apart by the devil. When the devil attacks us, Jesus will defend us and keep us from being lost to the evil one. There is no doubt Jesus will cause us to persevere to the end of this life in his love, so that we finally are brought to his heavenly glory. How could anything else be the case. Having loved us so much as to give his life for us, how could he let such love be wasted by us finally being eternal lost. Also having loved us so much when we rebelled against him, how could he love us less when we were in is fold and seeking to live for him and follow him.

This goodness of Jesus as our shepherd is brought out further in verses 14 and 15. We are not just numbers to Jesus. We are not just items in the flock. Rather we are personally known to Jesus and personally loved by him in a unique way. Jesus says “I know my sheep and my sheep know me”. Here is Jesus saying that his love for us is personal and close, and there is a relationship of love between us. When we pray it is not like going to the doctor, or to our member of parliament, which is going to someone who has the business of caring for us, but who does not know us personally as a friend, and when we are not before them, then we are forgotten. No! prayer is coming to the lover of our souls. We are coming to one we love and who we know loves us, and knows us in an intimate way. We are his beloved sheep. This relationship is so wonderful and loving that the bible speaks of us through another analogy of a wife or the bride of Christ. Or again the bible speaks of the sheep as the children of God.

Nor is this intimate loving relationship of a small order. Jesus says the love that exists between him and his sheep, is comparable to the love that exists between himself and God the Father. How this can be it is impossible to imagine. All we know is that Jesus said he loved us like this, and so it is true.

If Jesus lays down his life for his sheep, then we know there is nothing he would not do for us in love. How wonderful this is! Could there be anything greater or more wonderful. The best that earthly life can offer us just cannot be compared with this. What a future it holds out to us! We are the sheep of Jesus, beloved and cared for. The shepherd has one great goal, and that is to bring his sheep safely to the fold. What is this fold? It is none other than Christ’s heavenly glory, where we will be safe forever from all that harms us - from sin, Satan, death and hell.

Jesus also says that his sheep know him. Jesus is the good shepherd who draws near to us and wants us to know him. He is not a beneficent God who still stays remote, though making sure his people are all right. Jesus comes near us and is beside us. He is the shepherd who lives