Day 41-Monday, March 25th
John 10:11-21
The Good Shepherd

Continuing His response to the criticism of the Pharisees over the healing of the man born blind, Jesus elaborates further on His metaphor concerning the sheep and the shepherd. Not only is Jesus the only gate through which the sheep shall enter the sheep pen, He is also the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for the sheep and is willing to lay down His life to protect them. This contrasts with these Pharisees who are “hired hands” who are only watching over the sheep for their own benefit.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.    The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.   The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:11-13 NIV
Not only is Jesus the Good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, He is also the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep-not only the sheep from the nation of Israel-but also sheep from “other sheepfolds” which represent all the nations in the world. Together, this is one flock which is cared for by one shepherd, that is, Jesus. These sheep who know their shepherd, know His voice and will follow no other.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know Me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:14-16 NIV

Today, on Monday of Holy Week, let’s reflect on this Good Shepherd who will, in just a few short days, lay His life down for us His sheep.

If we have walked with Jesus for any amount of time, we have grown accustomed to the manner in which Jesus speaks into our hearts through His word and through the Holy Spirit. My mother and father have passed away, but I can still hear both of their voices clearly in my mind. In the same way, we grow to know the voice of God and are able to discern the difference between the leading of the Holy Spirit and the distractions of our world and our enemy the devil. The Good Shepherd watches over us, protects us, and desires to lead us day by day in a way that will nurture our soul. The Good Shepherd laid His life down for us so that we don’t have to be held captive by the “hired hands” of this world that don’t care about us at all. The Good Shepherd gives His life willingly so that we can be made fully alive in Him, free from all of the burdens and pain of the world.

Questions to consider:

Have you surrendered your life to the Good Shepherd? Are you one of the sheep in His sheepfold?
In what ways are you able to hear His voice speaking to you day by day? If you can’t hear Him very well, what distractions can you eliminate so you can hear Him more clearly?

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