SCRIPTURE FOCUS
So, Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I AM the door of the sheep. … If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. … I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”
John 10:7, 9
PRAYER FOCUS - I AM the Door of the Sheep. I AM the Good Shepherd
Sheep really do need a shepherd. They are vulnerable to predators and get easily lost. Left to themselves in the wild, domesticated sheep have a low survival rate. They naturally prefer to be in and follow the flock. In fact, there is more than one story of an entire flock of sheep following each other right over the edge of a cliff when their shepherd was away!
Jesus used two different word pictures here to describe Himself in John 10. I AM the Door of the sheep, and I AM the Good Shepherd. These two pictures speak to the same idea of Jesus’s role as a shepherd for His people. Jesus takes really, really good care of His sheep.
Shepherds in biblical times would bring their sheep into a cave or an enclosure with an opening for the sheep to enter. At night the shepherd would lie down and sleep across the opening, preventing the sheep from escaping at night and protecting them from predators coming in. The shepherd’s body would provide the door for the enclosure. As the Door of the sheep, Jesus protects us from predators that would harm us.
In Luke 15, Jesus told a parable about a lost sheep. The shepherd left the 99 sheep to search for the one, lost sheep. When he finds that lost sheep, he doesn’t scold or beat it. Not at all! He lays the sheep on his shoulders and carries it back to the sheepfold, calling out to everyone to rejoice with him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who searches for and rescues lost sheep!
RESPONSE
Read the 23rd Psalm and reflect on it today. Picture Jesus leading sheep to lush, green grass and to a perfectly clear pool of water. Imagine Him picking up the smallest lamb who is struggling to keep up with the flock and carrying him over his shoulder. Picture Jesus lying across the opening of the sheepfold, protecting His sheep with His own presence. Jesus is our Good Shepherd; Jesus is the Door for the sheep. Let’s thank Him for His goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our life!