The Shepherd Work of Christ - Part Two

THE SHEPHERD WORK OF CHRIST - Part Two

 

Point to the Lord Jesus Christ as the risen Saviour Who cares for and keeps His sheep.

The Good and the Great Shepherd.

---

The Good Shepherd died for His sheep. The Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Is He dead now? The answer is in another name of the Lord Jesus. He is not only the Good Shepherd, but the "Great Shepherd," for death could not hold Him. After three days He rose from the dead, and today He is alive, and will be for evermore. There is a verse that tells about this. In Hebrews 13:20-21, we read, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight.” So you see that though He died, He could not be held by death, but God raised Him for another great work which He was to do for His sheep.

 

A shepherd might die for his sheep, to save them from a lion, but it would not do to leave them unprotected after that. Another lion might come, or some other danger might threaten. Sheep need to have a shepherd all the time. The Lord knew that people were just like the sheep. We need, not only a Saviour, but a Keeper. So He rose from the dead to do that work.

 

First of all, the shepherd needs to know every one of his sheep. The Lord Jesus knows each one of His own people. John 10:3 says "He calleth His own sheep by name.” He knows your name, and all about you. There is not a thing you do or a thought you think or a wish you have that He does not know all about.

 

Then He leads His sheep. We do not know what is going to happen tomorrow. It may be a happy day, or it may be a sad day. We may have easy things to do or hard things to do. We need someone to lead us and take care of us, whatever happens. Just as the shepherd leads his sheep to green pastures, and beside still waters, so the Lord Jesus leads us. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” “When He putteth forth His sheep He goeth before them" (John 10:4). He does not want us to go ahead of Him, but He leads, and all we have to do is to follow Him. In His way there is fulness of joy.

 

A shepherd might lose some of his sheep. Perhaps a robber chief might come and steal some of them. But there is no robber chief that can steal from the Lord Jesus Christ. He is stronger than anyone. Even the Devil cannot steal us from Him. He said, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of My hand(John 10: 27-28). Satan may try to take us from Jesus, but he never can, for Jesus is the Great Shepherd, Who rose from the dead, and so showed that He was stronger than Satan. Sin may come, but it cannot take us from Him. He has given His promise that He will keep us, and He will never fail.

---

STUDY QUESTIONS