The Good Shepherd
Excerpt from John 10 Bible Study
Chris Mabe, Evangelist
Bella Vista, Arkansas 7/6/18
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15)
Read: John 10:1-21
Why did Jesus use shepherds
in His parables & stories?
The word “shepherd” appears more than 500 times in the Bible. This is a classic passage that people in Jesus’ day would easily relate to. We read in the Book of Job that he owned over 14 thousand sheep (Job 42:12). During this time a man’s wealth was always spoken of in terms of the amount of sheep he owned. King Solomon on the day he the finished Temple dedicated & sacrificed over 120 thousand (1Kings 8:63) sheep to God. Back then the family depended upon sheep for survival. A large part of their diet was milk and cheese. Occasionally, they ate the meat. Their clothing and tents were made of wool and skins. Their social position often depended upon the well-being of the flock, just as we depend upon jobs and businesses, cars and houses.
We’ll see that there was a Very large difference between a Sheep Owner and a Shepherd. According to Jewish religious law, Shepherds were considered unclean because they had daily contact with carcasses of unclean animals. Common unclean animals included: spiders, flies, bugs, rats, and mice. Also they were not permitted to give testimony in a legal proceeding, because their word wasn’t considered trustworthy. Their line of work prevented them from participating in the feasts and holy days that made up the Jewish religious calendar. Someone had to watch the sheep!
It was very difficult to be a Shepherd during this time because shepherding included: Feeding the sheep, bringing them to good pasture lands and water, grooming & clipping them, delivering new lambs, leading them and teaching them to stay together, going off after the wandering lost ones, and protecting the sheep in the field and in the fold. Shepherd’s were easily identifiable by the clothes & tools they wore. They wore a cotton tunic held together by a leather cord belt. And on that belt would be attached a small “Scrip” or leather purse in which was kept dried fruit/meat and sometimes rocks, the rocks would be used with their “Sling.” The Sling was not only used to keep away predators but also to draw back the sheep that were wandering away – drop a stone in front of them. Another item that was attached to this belt was a horn of oil. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The shepherd used this oil to anoint the heads of the sheep to keep the insects off (fleas, ticks, lice).
At times, sheep would begin acting like goats – butting heads together – this oil would reduce the friction and stop the fighting. The Shepherd would also have a small two-foot club called a “Rod” it was first an instrument of protection to beat away predators, but it also functioned as a tool of correction. If a sheep continually wandered away from the flock the shepherd would have to deal severely with that sheep and break its leg. He would then carry that stinky, wayward sheep on his shoulers until the legs healed together.
This formed a close bond and the sheep never wandered away again. Of course Jesus is our loving shepherd and in (Luke 15:3-7), it says that he will leave the ninety-nine sheep in the open country and go in search of the lost one. Sometimes God lets us wander away and get all lost, confused dirty and wooly and unshorn like in this picture.
Imagine: God wanting to announce the most amazing, incredible, joyous news ever; an event which will literally change the course of history – the birth of your only Son, Jesus Christ. Who would you announce it to? When a child is born to a member of the British royal family like Charles’ and Princess Diana’s sons, they didn’t send a messenger down to the docks to break the news first to the longshoremen or the fishmongers. They would only announce it to the elite. But not God; He chose to announce it to a bunch of uneducated, low-class, social and religious outcasts, a bunch of shepherds. They were the last people you’d expect God to take notice of.
Only these few, poor, shepherds, these social and religious outcasts, received the announcement. Through Angels no less! (Luke 2:8-11). These shepherds, who knew sheep as few other men did, left their “sheep that night and found the Lamb.” They were men who could recognize the Lamb of God as others could not.
Why do you think God did this? God wanted to show that His love doesn’t discriminate on the basis of class, or wealth, or social standing. He doesn’t respect kings and princes more than hourly laborers, he doesn’t value priests and pastors above the people in the pews. God doesn’t show favoritism; His love is available to all on the same basis – faith in Jesus Christ, and faith alone (Rom 10:13). God especially likes to use people who are humble (Matt 23:12) and lowly and ordinary, because that makes His power and wisdom all the more evident. When He uses people who are obviously very gifted and powerful, then the results can be attributed to human effort and human talent. But if He uses people of obviously low to average abilities, then all the credit for the results go to Him (Jam 4:10).
Used by permission
As the sheep knew the shepherd’s voice two thousand years ago, we that belong to the Lord know His voice today (John 10:27-28). And we are to follow. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (1 Peter 5:6). But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James 4:6). Jesus is waiting. Confess your sins and call upon Him (Rom 10:9-13) today no matter who you are or what situation or condition you are in, He is waiting on you (Rev 3:20).
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