I am the good shepherd

Grace for All

Hope, No Matter What

(our theme for September)

John 10:11-18

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.

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. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

As the good shepherd, Jesus is not just any good shepherd, but the righteous one with inherent goodness. Again the contrast is with the Pharisees as the hired hand quick to flight at the sight of danger. The same Pharisees that had no interest in recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and relinquishing their very comfortable, vaunted position in society. The shepherd of Christ’s time was the sole defense for the sheep from the raging elements from floods, to blasing snow, to blistering heat and sand storms. The shepherd stood alone to guarantee the survival of his flock, just as Jesus is our savior today!

Jesus makes it clear that it wasn’t just for the Jews that he laid down HIs life, but for the “other sheep” too, the Gentiles. Jesus is the Good Shepherd over all, both Jew and Gentile, who come to believe upon Him (John 3:16)

As Doris Akers writes it the refrain of one of her songs:

Lead me, guide me along the way;

For if You lead me, I cannot stray;

Lord, let me walk each day with Thee.

Lead me, O Lord, lead me.

Let us pray:

Thank you Jesus for being the Good Shepherd! We, the sheep, need your guidance and protection in this hostile world now more than ever. You made it clear that your Kingdom is not of this world. You laid down your life for us and our salvation. Give us the strength and determination to do your work. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Sam Barto.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [e-mail].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.