Read
11 I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. 12Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don't own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. 13Hired workers run away because they don't care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must also bring them together, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.
17The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so I may receive it back again. 18No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.
19The people took sides because of what Jesus had told them. 20Many of them said, “He has a demon in him! He is crazy! Why listen to him?”
21But others said, “How could anyone with a demon in him say these things? No one like this could give sight to a blind person!”
Reflect
Have you ever felt disappointed by another Christian? Let down? Sometimes it can shake a person’s faith. After all, Christians are supposed to do what’s right all the time, because they have Christ in them. So what does it say about our faith if someone does something really wrong?
Not so fast.
In John 10, Jesus says: “Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.” He is specifically referring to the Pharisees, whom he describes as thieves wanting “only to rob, kill, and destroy” (v 10a).
But there is a wider truth: no one cares for the sheep like the shepherd does. It’s not possible. Jesus describes his relationship with us as special. He is the only owner of the sheep (vv 12-13, 16). He knows us and we know him, “Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father” (v 15a). He wants us to understand no relationship with another human being can compare.
Finally, and especially, he says: “I give up my life for my sheep” (v 15b). He has made the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we will have eternal life … a full life now with him as our guiding shepherd and a fuller life in heaven.
We are not to place our faith in hired hands, whether they are fellow Christians or pastors or anyone else. We need to love widely and fully and we ought to be trustworthy, but our faith can only be placed with the one who will never leave us, nor forsake us … the Good Shepherd!
Respond
Dear Heavenly Father, God of the universe who sent your Son to guide us, you alone are worthy of our faith. Your relationship with us is so special, it’s beyond our comprehension. Please help us not to place our faith in anyone or anything else. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Jo Lynne Duck (Sheane)
Once found on the national airwaves as a reporter, Jo Lynn Duck (Sheane) now lives in Windsor, Ontario joyfully living as a wife and mom of two school-aged children. She also completed a Master of Theological Studies at Tyndale Seminary. She taught journalism at St. Clair College and worked as a local producer until she switched gears completely. She is now the Admissions and Marketing Coordinator for Maranatha Christian Academy in Windsor.