Gospel of John

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”

John 10:11,14

There is a very intimate relationship that is revealed here by the connection between a Shepherd and his sheep. The more we understand about a shepherd, the more we understand about God.

One of the great attributes of God is his personal love for each of us like a shepherd does for his flock. The Bible paints a picture of what it means to be a “good shepherd.” Young David explains to the king below his responsibilities as a shepherd over his father’s sheep.

In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, a new picture is painted of what being a shepherd is really all about.

“But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’
Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you.’"

Jesus is our good shepherd. He knows each of us. He loves each of us. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for each of us.

Matt

Gospel of John

“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’”

John 8:7

The message that Jesus teaches in chapter 8 is that we are all flawed and sinful. It is easy to pick out the sin and shortcomings of others. Jesus identifies that we must first search our own hearts for the areas in which we too come up short.

I recently moved into a home together with my wife. Just like living with anyone, we learn so much more about our spouse or roommate when living in close quarters to each other. It’s so easy to pick out flaws in one another while never self examining the issues that we each have in our own lives.

Jesus concludes his story in John 8:11 by saying “Go now and leave you life of sin.” When we realize the sin that has entangled us, Jesus commands us to change. Our challenge this week is to take some time for self examination. Once we have identified our sin, it is time to leave it. When we leave our sin behind, then we are able to run faster towards the truth and life.

- Matt