Ancient Words— Miracles of Jesus, The Great Shepherd

Shepherds have had great presence in the Bible story. Abraham was a shepherd, Isaac and Jacob were shepherds. Moses, the chosen for Israel, was a shepherd for 40 years; David, the King, was a shepherd boy known for courage and bravery; and Job, who suffered great loss, was a rich shepherd who owned 7,000 sheep. Amos is announced as one of the shepherds of Tekoa in Amos 1.1, and a few hundred years later a host of angels in chorus announced the birth of Messiah to a field of shepherds just south of Bethlehem known as—-Tekoa.

After the miracle at the Pool of Bethesda in John 9, Jesus begins his “Shepherd discourse” in John 10.11-16: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life 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.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Jesus is the Great Shepherd (Heb 13.20), Jesus is the Chief Shepherd (1Pet 5.4). He cares, he protects, he nourishes, he comforts! He loses none and none can be snatched away. The “Miracle of the Shepherd” is that our Shepherd has sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Counselor to live within us: John 14:15-18 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans…

The “world” was not convinced even with the miracles performed in their presence: John 10.25-28 …The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. The Living Bread, the Living Water, the Living Light, The Living Physician—-why should they believe the Living Shepherd when they wanted to stone him: John 10:31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him…

The Shepherd has left his sheep in care of the Shepherd’s Holy Spirit—-this is indeed the miracle of the ages for men on earth: Rom 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over…