[Jesus said] “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 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. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
(John 10:11-15 ESV)
The name “Good Shepherd” reminds us of what shepherds do—leading the sheep to good pasture, watching over them and protecting them from danger. But Jesus lays His finger on the one thing that distinguishes a good shepherd from any hired man. He says, “The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” What is the life of a sheep—or several sheep—compared to the life of a man? And yet, to a Good Shepherd, the sheep are worth dying for, if necessary. They are His, and He is theirs. He will put Himself between them and danger without a second’s thought.
So what of Jesus? We are His sheep, and surely He provides for us, leads us, and watches over us. But we call Him Good Shepherd because, when we were lost and in danger of spiritual death, Jesus put Himself between us and the devil. He gave up His own life rather than lose even one of us. What is this but love? And now that He has risen from the dead, we are happy, because we know that we will live forever in His care.
We Pray: Dear Jesus, thank You that we are Yours and You are ours. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Name someone (other than God) who has cared for you.
* How much have they given to protect you?
* How does that person’s sacrifice for you remind you of the love that Jesus has for you?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on February 27, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights