At church, our series is about the roles of Jesus. One of which is the Good Shepherd. The theme verse for the series is 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.
“You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.” -MSG
In two verses, the entire depth and purpose of Jesus is simplified. Why did He come, how did He make a difference, and what did He do? He came to Earth with a purpose. Everything that happened in between His birth and crucifixion (and later resurrection) ended up serving as the multiple roles He shows us. The Shepherd is one of them.
There’s an entire chapter in the Bible about Jesus being our Shepherd.
Psalms 23
“The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LordForever and ever. Amen.” -NKJV
As our shepherd, Jesus does a series of actions for us and helps develop our wellbeing.
- He leads us to safety amongst the crazy thing we live in called life. Whether that be entirely changing the situation or leading you to a center of peace in Him.
- He restores us to brand new. As soon as we ask for forgiveness, Jesus does not keep a tally of our wrongs. He sees our sin yet calls us by name. This is an unconditional love bought at the price of the cross. In turn, we can have eternal life with Him. However, it’s hard to restore a soul that takes in the news more than the Word. Imagine, if a sponge is soaked with red dye and gets bleached once a month, it’ll still look discolored.
- He comforts us. This can be in a sense of peace, hope, joy, and many other emotions. Having and feeling His presence changes our feelings towards the circumstance we’re in.
- He prepares our future. We think we know what we will do but in reality, we have no idea. Only Jesus knows what we’re going to do in an hour, day, and ten years from now.
- He defends us. As a shepherd with sheep, Jesus protects us from evil as He calls us by name. Jesus died for us thousands of years ago.
- He blesses us every day. Maybe you’re having a horrible, no-good, very terrible day but, there are still things to be thankful for. The place you are in and the ability to reach the destination, a loved one, and just the very gift of life. This is a matter of perspective. You can either see life as a glass half full or half empty.
Another verse my Pastor shared came from Hebrews 13:20-21.
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” -NIV