##DailyDevotion Jesus Is The Good Shepherd, YHWH

John 10:11-16 ¹¹I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹²When a hired man, who isn’t a shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away — and the wolf carries them off and scatters them — ¹³because he works for money and doesn’t care about the sheep. ¹⁴I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, ¹⁵as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I give My life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep, too, that are not in this fold. I must lead those, too, and they will listen to My voice, and so they will become one flock with one Shepherd.

Jesus is invoking Ezekiel 34 when he claims to be the Good Shepherd. He is also invoking Psalm 23. As he invokes these passages of Scripture he is telling us he is the LORD of the Old Testament. All those places in your Old Testament where you LORD with all capital letters, it is hiding the divine name given to the Israelites to call their God, namely Yahweh (YHWH).

This makes Jesus’ claim to be the Good Shepherd even more amazing because he tells us the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep. What does this mean? It mean the LORD (YHWH) dies in the person of Jesus. Not his divine nature but the divine person of the Son of God, the Word of God, who is the Good Shepherd, dies. As the scriptures writes tell us, “You killed the Author of Life,” and “They crucified the LORD of Glory.” It is in his dying our sins are atoned for and through our faith in him we are declared righteous.

Jesus death is spoken of in Psalm 23 as David writes, “³He restores my life. He leads me on paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” By Jesus’ death and by his resurrection he restores us back to life, giving us the life he poured out on the cross. Jesus is our righteousness. He invites us to follow him on his path which is righteousness. Trusting Jesus and following him is our righteousness. He does this for his name’s sake, to give glory to his name, that in his name salvation is found for all people.

Now Jesus tells us something here that should comfort us and strengthen us when we evangelize, speaking the word of the Good Shepherd. Those who belong to him will hear and listen. When they hear the voice of their Shepherd in our mouths, they will come to life and follow Jesus. We need not beat ourselves up when people are not converted to Jesus when we speak Jesus. If they do not hear, will not listen or join us on the path of righteousness which is Jesus, they don’t belong to Jesus. They have not been given to Jesus by the Father. Those who belong to Jesus will know Jesus when you speak Jesus’ word. They know Jesus even as Jesus knows the Father and the Father knows Jesus.

Jesus’ flock consists of people of every nation, people, race and tongue. He calls to them through us, the Church and makes them all one people with one Shepherd. It is as Paul says in Ephesians 4, “⁴one body and one Spirit – even as you have been called to share one hope – ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, Who rules over us all, works through us all, and lives in us all.”

Dear Jesus, when you speak may we listen and follow you into your everlasting flock unto life everlasting. In your precious name we pray. Amen.