The concept of abundant life and its cost is prevalent throughout John 10. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Through this verse, we see the divine nature of Jesus and the ultimate sacrifice He made for us, His sheep. In contrast to a hired hand who flees when danger approaches, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows His own and lays down His life for them. This act of love should cause us to desire to know and follow Him more closely. This article will explore this topic and seek to understand the implications for our own lives.
The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life for His Sheep
John 10 explains what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and why He is considered good. The first reason that stands out is that Jesus is relentless in his pursuit of and commitment to us. This is highlighted in the passage where Jesus lays down His life for His sheep, displaying His unwavering loyalty. Love, as demonstrated by Jesus, is doing whatever it takes for the protection and benefit of His sheep. He is committed and unrelenting in his love, which is what the word “agape” truly means. Romans 5:6–8 shows this love in action, describing how Christ offered Himself to us while we were still helpless and ungodly sinners.
Jesus loves His hardheaded sheep, including those of us who may not always make the best decisions. Sheep are not necessarily stupid, but are rather helpless and need constant guidance. In the same way, we need a committed Shepherd to guide us and keep us out of trouble. Sometimes we may find ourselves caught in sin, but Jesus is always there to pull us out and help us. He goes to great lengths to help us, even though we may repeatedly fall into the same mistakes. Jesus’s love for us is demonstrated by His willingness to lay down His life for us, even knowing we would continue to make mistakes. Throughout this passage, Jesus refers four times to laying down His life for His sheep, a powerful reminder of His love for us.
The Good Shepherd Makes Costly Sacrifices for His Sheep
Jesus’ character trait of willingly facing danger and sacrificing Himself should be praised and honored by us. We should also honor this trait in others in our society, such as military personnel and first responders, who run towards danger while others flee. These individuals do this for our freedom, just as Jesus did on the cross for us. He faced the wrath of God and willingly took the punishment for our sins, demonstrating true love. Jesus knew the cost of saving us helpless sheep and chose to pay that price with His own blood. This act of sacrifice and love makes Him truly good.
Jesus Christ showed His love for you and to you by sacrificing His life, even though you didn’t deserve it. The term “good shepherd” may not fully convey the depth of this act. The Greek language offers a better understanding of this concept. In Greek, there are two words for “good,” with “agathos” being used for moral or intrinsic goodness, but “kalos,” which is the word used in John 10, is more related to attractiveness or beauty. A scholar suggests that “kalos” is best translated as “beautiful.”
The Good Shepherd Puts the Beauty of Christ on Display
Jesus Christ is not just a Good Shepherd, but a beautiful one because of His relentless commitment to pursuing and saving us. We are naturally attracted to beauty, and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us makes Him attractive to us. Pursuing Jesus because of guilt or fear won’t last, but seeking Him because of His beauty will keep us committed to Him for a lifetime. Likewise, in relationships, sacrificing for your partner and serving them makes you more attractive, just as Jesus’ sacrifice for us makes Him more attractive to us. So if you’re feeling unattractive in your relationship, it’s not about hitting the gym, but about serving your partner and sacrificing for them.
The depth of Jesus’ sacrifice makes Him attractive, so we should be drawn to the gospel and Jesus Himself. This takes us further in our spiritual walk than guilt or fear ever could. Jesus is not only a Good Shepherd because He is committed to and relentless in His pursuit of us, but also because He guides His sheep. A previous sermon based on John 10:1–10 goes into great detail about Jesus being the gate and the Shepherd who protects and provides for His followers, guiding them to an abundant life. Furthermore, Jesus’ love is diverse, as He says in verse 16; He has other sheep who are not part of the fold yet. His offer is not just for Jews, but for everyone who hears His voice and becomes one flock with one Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd’s Love Is for Everyone
Jesus and His love are diverse and available to all of humanity, regardless of ethnicity, color, or socioeconomic status. This message was revolutionary for the Jews, who thought that the Messiah came only for them. But Jesus corrected and expanded their understanding to include everyone, including you and me. Even those of Jewish descent who can trace their lineage back to Israel must be imputed with the righteousness of Christ. This is why racism is a corruption of the gospel. The gospel is for everyone whom the Spirit convicts unto repentance and faith. Heaven will include people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, regardless of skin color, wealth, or social status.
Revelation 5:9 speaks of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation singing a new song, acknowledging Jesus’ worthiness to take the book and break the seals. He is worthy because He was slain and purchased us with His blood. As John Piper notes in his book, Bloodlines, “The bloodline of Jesus Christ is deeper than the bloodlines of race, and His death and resurrection are the only sufficient power to bring the bloodlines of race into the single bloodline of the cross. Churches should be leading the way in racial reconciliation, knowing that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone.” If God needs to correct or challenge some thinking on this matter, we should let Him because the truth is that Jesus’ love and sacrifice are available to all. The body of Christ should be the least racist and judgmental group because our unity in the gospel and the blood of the cross is stronger than any manufactured unity in society, including governmental and legislative unity.
Jesus died in our place, guides us to an abundant life, and does so for everyone willingly. In verse 18, He states that no one took His life from Him, but He laid it down on His own initiative because He had the authority to do so. Nobody on earth was strong enough to take Jesus’ life if He didn’t want to give it. His willingness to give His life brings authenticity to His motivation, and our willingness to serve Him brings authenticity to our faith. Our faith must come from within us, not from external sources such as guilt or manipulation from others. The basis of our faith must be our willingness and our overwhelming experience of the reality of the gospel, which should cause us to spend time with God, serve him, and ultimately, if necessary, give our lives for Him.
The Good Shepherd Should Spur Us to Action
Jesus showed His willingness to give up everything for you. So here’s a thought-provoking question: are you willing to sacrifice everything to follow Him? It may be a challenging question to answer. For instance, if your faith causes you to lose your job, that would put you in a difficult situation. But it’s worth considering that other careers can bring glory to God. Of course, providing for your family is crucial, but we must remember that God is our ultimate provider, and honoring Him is more important than making money.
Similarly, if following Jesus causes you to lose some friends or even some family members, remember that you have a friend in Jesus who will never leave you, and you are a part of the family of God. Allow this truth to satisfy your soul until God brings reconciliation to your earthly relationships, which I believe He desires to do through the gospel.
Next Steps
If being a Christian and following Christ results in losing your life, the Bible says that the riches of eternity in heaven are far greater than any earthly riches. So, what are you willing to sacrifice to follow Him? There are four possible responses to this question:
First, if you are already a faithful follower of Christ, this passage may cause you to desire to stay close to Him daily. Second, if you have strayed from the path and dabbled in sin, you must see the Savior as beautiful again and be drawn back to your first love. Third, if you have never trusted in Jesus as your Savior, the beauty of the text may draw you to salvation. Fourth, you may ignore the magnitude of what the Shepherd has done for you, but it is essential not to make that choice.
If you have strayed from the path and left your first love, there is hope. You can pray for a renewed desire for Jesus and ask God to help you see Jesus as beautiful again. You can also pray like David did in Psalm 51, asking God to restore the joy of your salvation. Jesus is your good and beautiful Shepherd who showed His love for you by relentlessly pursuing you, being committed to you, and giving His life for you. The Gospel is powerful, so what will you do with it?
