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 Three times in the Gospel of John Jesus delivers powerful “I Am”
statements. In John 8 we learn that Jesus is the light of the world.
In John 15 we are taught that Jesus is the true vine and here, in
John 10, we learn that Jesus is the good shepherd. It is worth
noting that the “I am..” phrasing is important. Remember back in
Exodus when Moses is beckoned to the burning bush from which the
glory of God is radiating? In that passage Moses asks God for a
name, to which God replies, “I am who I am.” This had always been
the divine name. But now Jesus is elaborating on “I am who I am.” He
offers us these images and none are more powerful than good
shepherd.
So, what is so special about this? I mean, it casts you and me as
sheep, how great can it be to be compared to sheep? But this is not
the point. This image points to the very nature of God. Jesus says,
“I am the good shepherd.” He then succinctly defines the image thus,
“the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Period. Full
stop. Jesus, the son of God, the Word of God, the Light of the
World, will lay down his life for you and me. It is not something he
does, it is who he is and if it is who he is then it is who God is.
This is incredible news! And it means several things to us. First,
it illustrates God’s love for us. God loves you a lot. Second, it
highlights the selfless nature of God. And perhaps its most
important meaning is this; that it establishes the value of human
life. Human life is pretty cheap these days, but not to God. In
God’s mind the value of a human life is the divine life. Think about
that for a moment. The good shepherd lays down his life for his
sheep. Those are some important sheep Maybe being a sheep is not so
bad after all. [to top of second column] |
Prayer: Holy God, help me to understand how valuable and
loved I am. Fill me with joy, hope and peace, that I may know today
that you love me. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
[Text from file received by Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian
Church]
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