The Good Shepherd (John 10)

Welcome to Garden City! Eric, one of the pastors.^[1] Over the past several months, we’ve heard Jesus make some pretty amazing claims about himself.  

• To those who are dying of thirst, he says, “Come to me and I’ll give you living water.”  
• To those who are hungry and desperate for food, he says, “I am the bread of life.”  
• To those walking in darkness, he says, “I am the light of the world.”  

And in John 10 [our text this morning], he says, I’m the Door that protects the sheep, and I’m the Good Shepherd who leads them to eternal life.  

It’s hard to think of anything more freeing than Jesus saying, “I am the good shepherd.” Because if he’s the shepherd, that means I’m a sheep. And yeah, that video’s meant to make you laugh—but I hope it also gives you perspective. 

The truth is, in our sinful condition, we often assume we’re just a little bit lower than God. So we try to keep our hands on the steering wheel of our lives, only looking to God when things get out of control. But once the crisis passes, we want to take back the wheel. 

But the Shepherd-sheep paradigm changes all of that. Sheep aren’t exactly flattering animals to be compared to. Hopefully, the video helped you see why. But let me ask you this: If you had to pick one word to describe that sheep, what would it be? I want you to hold on to that thought. 

See, we watch a video like that and laugh because the sheep barely made it anywhere before jumping right back into the crevice. And if we’re honest, we not only know what it’s like to feel stuck, but we also need to remember the comfort and care of the Shepherd who’s committed his life to watch over us when we do.  

This morning, we’re going to spend our time looking at Jesus as our Shepherd. So, if you have a Bible, go ahead and meet me in John 10. 

[v. 1] – “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

John 10 is a continuation of the conversation Wade ended on on last week. And Jesus doesn’t miss a beat. He goes from talking about spiritual blindness to sheep and shepherds, which is relevant on so many levels. 

God has always had a special place in his heart for shepherds. Moses was shepherding when God met him at the burning bush. David was a shepherd before he was anointed king. 

Their stories remind us that God wants good leaders who care for his flock, and shepherding provides some of the best training for leading God’s people. But the flock has always belonged to the Lord, not the leaders. 

The problem is, sinful leaders often forget that. Now, earlier I asked you to think of one word to describe the sheep in the video. Let me list off several:  

• Hopeless 
• Helpless 
• Dumb 
• Defenseless 
• Stuck 
• Needy 
• Overconfident

Now, the video shows a boy rescuing the sheep, but imagine if the sheep were under the care of someone who was deceitful and selfish. Because that’s the exact problem that keeps facing God’s flock every step of the way. 

The Lord actually addresses this problem through the prophet, Ezekiel. In 

Ezekiel 34, God condemns the worthless shepherds of Israel. [v. 2] –  Shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered…  

And that kind of injustice makes God angry. He looks at the leaders of his people and says, “You didn’t care for my sheep.” And that’s exactly what we’ve seen so far in John’s gospel—Israel’s leaders failing to take care of the Lord’s people. Consider:  

• How did people respond to the woman at the well? One look at her, and they’re like, Jesus, you can’t be talking to people like that. Not even the Samaritans want anything to do with her. But Jesus had to see her. 

• Or what about the woman caught in adultery? They say, “She should be stoned.” But Jesus protects her. And when her accusers leave he says, “Neither do I condemn you.” Others leave…but she stays because sheep know the voice of their Shepherd. 

• Or what about the man born blind? We just talked about him last week. Does he wear the sin of his parents or his own? And Jesus says neither. But once he’s been healed and set free, the Pharisees cast him out.  

Wicked men were never fit to lead God’s flock on their own. Even the best leaders were only meant to point people back to the true Shepherd because they need Jesus, too. 

So, whether you admit it or not, you’re a sheep, and sheep need a shepherd. They won’t survive without one.  

That’s why the LORD says, “I’ll come myself.” He says in [Ezekiel 34:12] – As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered…”

But then he says in [v. 23] I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and…he shall feed them and be their shepherd. The LORD has sent his servant David, and his name is Jesus. And the good news is that he’s the best of Shepherds and he’s got more room in his fold for you. 

Jesus is the kind of shepherd who leaves the 99 for the 1 because all his sheep are of great value to him. That’s why we see Jesus spending so much time tending to those who’ve been hurt and gathering up those who’ve been scattered. Jesus came to lay down his life to rescue his sheep. Which begs the question: How precious then are his sheep?   

So for the rest of our time, let’s look at who the Good Shepherd is and what kind of relationship we can have with him. 

1. Protector: He’ll surround you on every side.

To have Jesus as your shepherd means you’re surrounded by his protection. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re immune to sin and suffering. Just as we saw last week, sin and suffering are unavoidable. But it does mean even the hardest moments don’t end in despair because the Good Shepherd never wastes our trials. 

I mean, just think about the story of Joseph: Joseph’s life was one long road of suffering. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, thrown into prison, and forgotten. Yet, through it all, God was with him, raising him up to save many lives. Joseph knew what it was like to be protected by the Lord. And that’s also why, when he saw his brothers again, he forgave them. He could look at them and say, “What you meant for evil, God used for good.” 

And isn’t that true for us, too? You know, suffering tends to be the occasion when people are most open to prayer. And, 9 times out of 10, the request people make is, “God, take this pain away.” And of course, we can pray that. But even when the pain remains, the Shepherd is protecting us—working for his glory and our good. 

We just read and sang this. The Lord is my Shepherd, and [Psalm 23:4] says, Even 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.

That sounds like someone who has suffered deeply, yet still found stability—because even at rock bottom, he was never alone. David mentions the shepherd’s rod and staff comfort him. The rod was used to fight off wild animals—reminding the sheep that with their Shepherd beside them, they never face battles alone. 

The staff was used to guide and pull sheep back when they strayed—reminding us that when we’re stuck, another sheep can’t save us, but our Shepherd can, and he will never fail us. 

See, the Good Shepherd protects those under his care. And his protection is proactive and all-encompassing. 

2. Caretaker: He’ll call you by name because you belong to him.

Jesus is so passionate about protecting his sheep because they’re his. If you look back at verses 1-5, Jesus tells a parable of a communal sheep pen.  

Back then, shepherds stayed with their sheep all the time. Sometimes at night, several flocks might be kept together in one pen, and sometimes the shepherds would hire a watchman to guard the gate so they could go eat or get a good night’s rest.  

But there’s a distinction between the care of the Shepherd and the hired hand. See, Jesus says in [v. 12] – He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  

IOW – the hired hand will watch over the sheep for the right price, but no price is worth his life. So with any threat of danger, he’s gone. And I would guess most of us would agree that a life is worth more than a sheep. But Jesus says that’s just not how shepherds think.  

The shepherd will put himself in harm’s way if he has to—because his sheep are his treasure. Did you notice in verse 12 how the shepherd takes ownership of them? They belong to him.  

So when tragedy strikes—whether it’s from our own mistakes or just the brokenness of our world—we can still be sure of this: the Shepherd is never far from us.  

You may be sitting there thinking, “My life feels like it’s about to come apart.” My career isn’t taking off. Or my marriage is falling apart. Or I feel like God just dropped me off in KL without a clue what to do. Or I feel stuck in the same problems.  

I wish I could give you all the answers—but I’m not the Shepherd. What I can say with absolute certainty is that he hasn’t forgotten you. You’re precious to him. He knows what you’re experiencing, and he’ll sustain you through it. In fact, he might be calling out to you right now, and you just need to listen to him.  

[v. 3] says, The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

I was actually curious to know if that’s a real thing. So I found a video on YouTube this week of sheep grazing in a field. Different people would walk up and call out to the sheep. And they wouldn’t move a muscle. They gave the same amount of attention as my kids do when I call for them to start getting ready for bed.  

But then, moments later, the shepherd comes, and when he calls, it’s like when Sarah asks our kids if they want ice cream. Their heads perk up, and they run to her. But in this case, the sheep don’t come to the shepherd for dessert. They come because they heard his voice and he was calling them. 

Jesus says he knows each one of his sheep by name. You think he’s overlooked you? No way! He’s the good shepherd.  

Do you ever look back at moments in life where things could’ve gone very different for you? My freshman year of college was one of those pivot points for me. I was in a season where it felt like nothing was going my way. And I remember, at different moments, asking God, “Where are you?” I know your Word says that you’re near, but everything around me says that you’re not.  

At one point, I shared my struggles with my Bible study leader, and I remember him saying, “Man, that sounds hard. I’ll pray for you,” which didn’t comfort me at all because people say they’ll pray for you, and then they don’t.  

But then, out of nowhere, the next week, a guy outside the dining hall on campus stopped me and asked, “Can I pray for you?” And this was NOT a Christian school. But then, a couple of days later, a different guy from another ministry did the same thing. He says, Can I pray for you? I thought, Did somebody put a sign on my back that says, ‘Pray for this fool’? That’s so weird. Yes, please pray for me.”  

But it gets even weirder. Around the same time, it had snowed on campus, which meant I couldn’t find a ride to church that weekend. And I just remember feeling so isolated because I was living alone, feeling disconnected. And then I get a Facebook message from a girl I barely knew. We were the kind of Facebook friends who had talked one time for like 1 minute ever. We didn’t know each other.  

Well, she sends me this message saying, “Hey, I know this is going to sound weird, but I had this dream last night and you were in it and you weren’t doing well and I just felt compelled by the Spirit to tell you that God loves you and I love you.”  

All from this cry of “God, where are you?” It’s like he was saying to me, “Eric, you keep calling out to me, but you’re not listening. I never left you. I’m right here. You’re gonna be okay.”  

Now, most of the time that’s not how God talks to us. And when Jesus says, “My sheep know my voice,” I think a lot of us wonder: How do I know what his voice sounds like? 

And maybe you hear a story like that and say, I want God to speak to me like that. And maybe he will. But honestly, that’s not what prompted me to follow him. 

See, even before experiencing a season like that, the way I’d learned to follow Jesus’s voice in my life is through studying God’s Word in community and bringing my requests to the Lord as openly and honestly as I can in prayer.  

So many times, I’ve heard people pray to God with lofty words and empty phrases. And that might impress other people, but we can’t fool God because he knows our hearts. I’ve learned that when I come to God with my honest requests and listen to his voice through his word, over time, he starts to align my heart with the things he wants for me.  

The point is that God moves us toward us like this because the Bible says his love for us is deeply personal. And I don’t say that to make you feel good about yourself. I say that because it’s the truth, and sheep need to know the heart of their Shepherd.  

3. Guide: He’ll bring you down paths that lead to life.

[v. 9] – I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. [Not, he might. He will be saved.] [10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  

Having Jesus as our Shepherd doesn’t mean a problem-free life or a life full of fame, wealth, and comfort. Chasing after those things may seem like the path to abundance—but it’s not. Health fails, beauty fades, fame can be lonely, and you can’t take money with you when you die. 

But the life Jesus offers is different. It’s a life that never fades. Not even death can take it from you, because the Shepherd who guides you has authority over life and death.  

Listen, some people seem to have it all in this life. And yet they’re the one’s who keep telling us, “It’s not what you think.” Madonna’s been called the Queen of Pop, and yet, she once said in an interview: “My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre…even though I’ve become somebody, I still have to prove [myself]. My struggle has never ended, and I guess it never will.” 

Tom Brady is considered the greatest American football player of all time. After winning three championships, he once said, “Why do I…still think there’s something greater out there for me?… I reached my goal, my dream, my life and I think, it’s gotta be more than this.” They have the life we think we want, and yet it didn’t lead to the abundant life we’re all looking for. So they’re still searching and wandering.  

But Jesus says, “I’ll lead you into a life that money can’t buy, fame can’t ruin, and death can’t destroy.” And sometimes that might mean leaving the comforts of the hillside to walk through the dangers of the valley. And we say, Jesus, why would we do that? 

But every step of the way, he’s with us—guiding us, bringing us to places worth going. We want the hillside of comfort, but Jesus says [Luke 12:32]: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” And Jesus says, that’s way better than the hillside. 

4. Missionary: He’s been sent to gather up those who wander.  

I alluded to this earlier, but Jesus didn’t come to a neutral situation. His flock was entrusted to leaders who failed to take care of his sheep.  

That’s why Jesus came to find the scattered sheep lost in the field. And he says in [v. 16] – I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Jesus is talking about his mission to the nations. The gospel is for anyone who believes. That’s why, after his resurrection, Jesus sends out his disciples to make more disciples of all the nations. And he makes no distinctions—Jew or Greek, it doesn’t matter. You’re either part of his flock, or you’re not, because there’s one flock and one Shepherd. 

Maybe you’re here this morning, and you know you’re a sheep without a shepherd. You know it because you’ve never followed Jesus.   

But remember, earlier I asked you to think of 1 word to describe the sheep in the video? I listed off things that focused on the condition of the sheep. But what if that was actually describing you: I’m stuck. I’m hopeless. I’m helpless. I’m needy. I’ve wandered away. I’ve disobeyed.  

Because that’s what a sheep without a shepherd sounds like. And if that video were a picture of your life, you might feel a little embarrassed. But I don’t think that sheep felt that way because he has a shepherd, and that completely changes the identity of the sheep. 

See, as dumb and susceptible to danger as he is, he’s: 

• Protected 
• Valued 
• Watched over 
• Loved 
• And if he were lost, there’s no question his shepherd would come looking for him. That’s what it means to have Jesus as your shepherd. 

And he came for you. Don’t you hear him calling your name? He’s looking for you.  

5. Savior: He’ll lay down his life for the ones he loves.

Listen, as things stand right now, the reality is there is no other way to know God except through the Son. That’s what Jesus means when he calls himself the door in verse 9. Thieves and robbers try to enter the gate by another way, but the only way to truly get in is through the Door.  

And Jesus tells us exactly how to walk through that door—by repenting and believing he was sent by God to die for our sins and learning to follow him as our Shepherd.  

Jesus tells us in [v. 11] – I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  

[v. 14] – I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Again, in [v. 17] – For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Do you realize how amazing that is? Think about this: I was in college during Barack Obama’s first term as president of the US. He actually visited my campus when he was running for re-election, and when he came, the security for him was insane. I kid you not, they had guys stationed at crosswalks and rooftops for kilometers.  

The security for someone like that is so detailed because he’s so valuable. I’m sure, if the moment called for it, a Secret Service agent would’ve considered it an honor to take a bullet for the President.  

But you know a headline you’d never see? President takes bullet for Serviceman. Now think about what Jesus just said.  

And this isn’t just modern practice. You see this same level of reverence for leaders across time and culture. At one point, in the OT, King David’s hometown of Bethlehem had been overrun by the Phillistines. David and his mighty men were camped out in caves. They’re tired and worn down when some of the men overhear David say, “If only I could have a drink from the well by the gate of Bethlehem.”  

So some of his top men, without hesitation, risk their lives through enemy territory to draw David some of the water he longed for. When they returned, David was so moved that he couldn’t drink it—he poured it out before the Lord, saying the water was as precious as the blood of his men. 

Which, if I were one of David’s men, part of me would be like “Come on, David. I just risked my life for that, and you wasted it.” But David poured it out as a way of saying, “I value the lives of my men more than I value my own needs and ultimately these men belong to the Lord. They owe their lives to him more than me.”  

And that’s exactly what Jesus is saying by laying down his life for his sheep. The sheep aren’t given to him to cater to his personal needs. They’re given to him because he’ll lead them to life with the Father. David’s men were willing to risk their lives to comfort David, but Jesus actually lays down his life out of necessity to save us. Which again – How precious are his sheep?  

Now, someone dying in your place is maybe the noblest of sacrifices, but that alone wouldn’t be enough because if all Jesus did was die for us we’d go back to being sheep without a shepherd. But Jesus has authority to lay down his life and to take it back up. Which is what he does on the third day; Jesus rose from the dead, and he continues to lead and shepherd his sheep. 

See, the basis of our faith is not in how good we are at discerning the voice of the Shepherd. The basis of our faith is on how faithful our Shepherd is at calling, saving, and leading us home.  

6. Security: He won’t lose a single one.

That’s because he’s the kind of Shepherd who leaves the 99 for the 1. And when his sheep are lost and scattered or when they’re fallen and stuck, he’ll do whatever it takes to go find them.  

The ultimate security of Jesus’ sheep rests on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd. 

[v. 22] the story goes on – At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. [meaning, months had passed by again…] It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  

Jesus had been telling them who he is for years and they still won’t listen to him. Just look at his works. Listen to his teaching. So Jesus goes back to talking about sheep.  

[v. 27] – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

What thieves or wolves have the strength or wit to steal from the hand of the Lord? Jesus’s promise to you is that anyone who comes into his fold he will keep. That means the good work he started in you, he will finish.  

And that doesn’t happen by looking within or focusing on the dangers that lie ahead of you. When danger or doubt come, the call of Jesus is to look and abide in him.  

Even when you’re stuck in a ditch down the road, you can be assured your shepherd sees you and he’ll come for you and he’ll keep you.  

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^[1] Works Consulted:  

      –     The Gospel According to John – Carson; “I Am the Shepherd” – Keller; “I Am the Good 

Shepherd” – Greear; “I am the Door” – Greear; “One Door, One Shepherd, One Flock” – Begg