The good shepherd

In the Old Testament, God through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel announced severe judgements on the Jewish leaders, whom He accused of being false shepherds. They had misled the people of God and caused them to worship idols. But amidst those dark days He gave them the promise of the coming of a faithful Shepherd who would minister to the flock, Ezek. 34. 11-16. But how would they recognize Him and be sure that He wasn’t an imposter and that His intentions were honourable?

In this section the Lord Jesus is still addressing the crowd that had witnessed the miracle of the healing of the blind man in chapter 9, including the Pharisees whom He had implied were themselves spiritually blind. These men had usurped the role of being the spiritual leaders of the nation but were in fact false shepherds demanding that people follow them. They were also deliberately trying to lead the people away from Christ.

The Lord now invites the people to consider the evidence that He really was the true Shepherd. He had come to the fold of Israel in the way that God had revealed in the Old Testament. His birth, ministry, miracles, and the way He would be presented to the nation via a forerunner were all foretold. In this way, He had come through the door in an open presentation of Himself, and not via some obscure, mischievous route, v. 2.

He then called His own sheep by name and led them out, v. 3. By this parable the Lord showed that He would not operate within the confines of Judaism and under the authority of Pharisees and Sadducees, but would be leading them out into something new. In doing so, He would not take them by force or drive them out. They would willingly follow Him wherever He went.

In leaving Judaism, the people that followed Him were not abandoning safety for danger, or fullness for barrenness. In fact the opposite was true. The Good Shepherd would bring them into pastures of abundant life, v. 10. And He would do it by giving His life for them. This gift of life would extend beyond Israel to ‘other sheep . . . not of this fold’. How grateful we are that the door was opened to Gentiles as well! This was the true and good Shepherd that God had promised.