This is one of my favorite I AM statements from Jesus. I love the analogy He uses in comparing us to sheep and letting us know that His care of us models that of a shepherd. There are so many lessons to be learned in this statement about God, about ourselves, about responding to the world around us. I can't do it justice in a blog, but want to make a few observations.
"I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep...My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand." John 10: 11-15, 27,28
What does this passage say to us about God? The first word that comes to mind is sacrifice. God's care of us led Him to the point of sending His only Son to lay down His life so that we might experience true life. Jesus willingly stood between us and God, bearing the brunt of His wrath against sin, experiencing separation from the Father, enduring sin's penalty. That's what shepherds do. They stand between their flock and danger, they are protectors. They sacrifice their own comfort and security for the well being of those under their care. Why doesn't a hired hand take the same care that a shepherd does? According to verse 13, the shepherd has a higher level of concern. My heart overflows with gratitude for God's demonstration of concern in my life. Another aspect of God that I see in this passage is His knowledge. He knows us, and likewise Jesus says as His sheep, we know Him. There is not a detail of our lives that escapes God's notice. Ps. 139 speaks of this: He knows when I sit down, when I stand up, my thoughts, my path, my words before I speak them. He is "intimately acquainted with all my ways." He even knows how many hairs are on my head! Matt. 10:30 And has a record of every tear I've shed. Ps. 56:8 As the psalmist says, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it." We also see that God gives generously. We receive eternal life from Him. What a Giver; what a gift!
What do we learn about ourselves here? What do you know about sheep? They are helpless by themselves. That describes you and I pretty well. Without God's intervention in our lives, we have no hope. Jesus doesn't use lions, or mice, or zebras to describe us, He chooses sheep. They need to be led, and as verse 4 says, sheep are followers. They recognize the voice of their shepherd and go wherever he leads them. I wonder how well I follow. Do I understand my need to be led? Am I willing to submit to God's leadership? Jesus also says that His sheep know Him. Do I? Know Him, that is. Am I pursuing a deeper knowledge of God?
If I want to imitate God, what does that look like in relationship to this I AM statement? I believe I will demonstrate a deeper concern for those around me. Am I willing to sacrifice my comforts for the good of others? Jesus did, and He calls us to follow His example.
