The Good Shepherd

Notes

1. "Few images could better express the relationship between our Lord and His people than that of Shepherd and sheep, so often applied to God in the Old Testament, and appropriated by Christ Himself in the New. . . . The Eastern sheepfold is a mere enclosure surrounded by a palisade. The sheep are brought into it in the evening, several flocks being committed to the care of the common keeper, or porter, for the night. In the morning the shepherds return, and knock at the closely barred door of the enclosure, which the porter opens from within. Each separates his own sheep by calling to them; and the sheep respond, disentangling themselves from the rest; and when thus collected, they follow their own shepherd, wherever he may lead."

2. "The entire disputation with the Jews turned on the rights of our Lord to do as He was doing. What claims had He to assume such a position among the people? He was setting Himself forth as the one object of the people's faith and following; but was not this a self-constituted leadership? He proceeds now to answer them by an allegory, and under the figure of the true shepherd He presents His claims as the claims of authority, of ownership, and of love. . . . He was a divinely appointed shepherd of the sheep. . . . Christ, the Chief Shepherd, has claims which no other can have—the sheep are His very own, . . . that ownership being involved in His relation to the creation, and intensified by His relation to the redemption, of men (1 Cor. 6:20; Titus 2:14, R. V.) . . . The claims of ownership are at once heightened and transfigured by the claims of love."

3. "He goeth before them." "This is the place ever assigned to Him in the Old Testament. 'He leadeth me by the still waters.' 'Thou leadest Thy people like a flock.' He permits none of His own to go along a path which He has not trodden, and in which He has not had previous experience. . . . Take heart, O trembling believer! However strange and hard your path seems to you, if you look closely at it you will detect in its dust the footprints of the Shepherd; and where He has preceded you, you need not fear to follow."

4. "The sheep follow him." "The utter dependence of the sheep on the master shepherd is a beautiful emblem of our attitude toward our Lord. . . . Let Jesus Christ stand between you and everything—between you and circumstances; between you and dreaded trials; between you and temptation; between you and your attainments in the blessed life; between you and your projects of Christian usefulness. Follow Him; that is, let Him go first. If He does not go forward, wait for Him. Every step taken apart from Him, or in front of Him, will have to be retraced with bitter tears."

5. "The shepherd's life of diligence and caretaking, and his tender compassion for the helpless creatures intrusted to his charge, have been employed by the inspired writers to illustrate some of the most precious truths of the gospel. Christ, in His relation to His people, is compared to a shepherd. After the fall, He saw His sheep doomed to perish in the dark ways of sin. To save these wandering ones, He left the honors and glories of His Father's house. He says, 'I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.' 'I will save My flock, and they shall be no more a prey,' 'neither shall the beast of the land devour them.' His voice is heard calling them to His fold, 'a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.' His care for the flock is unwearied. He strengthens the weak, relieves the suffering, gathers the lambs in His arms, and carries them in His bosom."

6. There are numerous instances recorded in the Scriptures where the heavenly voice has been heard (Ex. 19:19; 1 Kings 19:12; Luke 9:35; Acts 9:4, etc.); but the voice of the Shepherd is recognized in other ways than by the hearing of the ear. "God speaks to us through His providential workings, and through the influence of His Spirit upon the heart. . . . God speaks to us in His word." Compare Ps. 19:1-4, R. V.; Heb. 12:19. "The Holy Ghost saith, To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."

7. The reading of verses 14 and 15 as given in the Revised Version seems preferable: "I am the Good Shepherd; and I know Mine own, and Mine own know Me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." "The mutual understanding between the Eternal Father and the Son is the only parallel to the mutual understanding of Christ and His people."

Suggestions for Further Study.

1. Who was the first shepherd mentioned in the Bible? What other leading characters in Bible history were shepherds?

2. Christ is the Door, the Good Shepherd, the True Vine, etc. Why is it made so definite? Compare Acts 4:12.

3. Who are the "other sheep . . . not of this fold"?

4. How many distinct references does Christ make in this lesson to His approaching death?

5. How is life only in Christ taught in this lesson?

6. What cause is here assigned for insanity?