Guided by the Good, the Great and the Chief Shepherd
The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
The God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20).
And when the Chief Shepherd appears (1 Peter 5:4).
Generally, if you see a shepherd in this country, he will be driving his sheep, very often with dogs. But in the Bible, we have brought before us shepherds who led their flocks, guiding them to green pastures and still waters, carrying the young in their arms and fighting off wolves, bears and lions. The whole relationship is closer and very different. It is these shepherds Jesus uses to describe His relationship with His people. In John 10:4 Jesus talks about the shepherd bringing out His own sheep, leading them, and the sheep willingly following the shepherd because they know His voice.
The Good Shepherd: Paul writes in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). In this remarkable verse the apostle describes how he lived by faith in the Son of God. But he doesn’t stop there; he adds, “who loved me and gave Himself for me”. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus spoke of giving His life for the sheep. The sacrificial love of Christ guides our life of faith in Him. We are guided by His love.
The Great Shepherd: God responded to the death of Christ in His resurrection. The resurrection of Christ demonstrates His power as the Great Shepherd of the sheep, who shed His blood and made one eternal sacrifice for sins, and now lives in the power of an endless life. We are guided by our living Shepherd, who had the power to lay down His life and to take it again (John 10:18), to fulfil God’s will in our lives. The Father who could speak about His Son in whom He was well-pleased has the expectation of our lives being well-pleasing to Him. We are guided by His life.
The Chief Shepherd: A dear old friend of mine who managed a Christian bookshop was asked for a book called “The Blessed Hope” by Edward Dennett. He couldn’t lay his hands on a copy and came into the office exclaiming, “I have lost the blessed hope!” The writers of the New Testament wrote to ensure that we never lose sight of the Blessed Hope. Paul reminds us to have this joyous event always in our sight: “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Peter also refers to the Morning Star in connection with the Lord’s coming; a bright light leading us onwards and upwards (2 Peter 1:19). John calls it a purifying hope: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). We are guided by the light of His coming again.
Our Shepherd guides and shapes us by His love, His life and the light of His return.
