“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
—John 10:1-6
This is a profound piece of scripture, where Jesus illustrates the difference between a good and bad shepherd. In Biblical times, people were familiar with shepherding, sheep, the sheep pen etc. Different flocks were normally kept in one sheep pen, and when the particular shepherd comes, he would call them by name (verse 3) and they would follow him as they know his voice.
According to the requirements of a good shepherd in Ezekiel 34 a shepherd needs to:
- care for the sheep
- strengthen the weak ones
- heal the sick sheep
- bind up the injured ones
- bring back the stray sheep and
- search for the lost ones.
None of these requirements can be met if the shepherd, spiritual leader or pastor does not have compassion. The word means to have mercy or pity or to have a feeling of suffering with another from your inward parts. In Matthew 9:36 Jesus felt compassion towards the crowds as they appeared helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He consistently throughout his life displayed that compassion.
Jesus cares for his sheep
Sheep do not know where to go and where the green pastures they need are, so they need a shepherd, a caring leader. The well-known Psalm 23 says “He guides and leads his sheep to green pastures and to quiet waters of abundance and peace”, not the muddied water described in Ezekiel 34:18-19. The prophet Micah desired an opportunity to feed “Bashan and Gilead” (Micah 4:14) This was a picturesque area of rich, fertile pasture land and oak trees east of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus wants his children to be!
Because our Shepherd, Jesus, is Emmanuel, ‘God with us’, we as his children we are never alone. His presence and staff offer such comfort! With his staff He protects us, his sheep, from danger and can nudge a wandering sheep back to the flock.
As a sheep in His flock, we can follow Him, our Shepherd blindly, because we KNOW that He will only lead us to the best place! He cares for ALL his sheep from different nations!
To be continued: The Good Shepherd Strengthens the Weak Sheep