The 5 Ways of JESUS: 5 Days to Knowing Jesus BetterSample

THE WAY OF THE SHEPHERD

In John 10:11 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd." Most of us don’t know a shepherd or much about shepherds. And we don’t know much about sheep. The first visitors to see Jesus were shepherds. There are 157 references to sheep in the Bible. Shepherds and sheep were known in ancient times but not as much in modern times.

Sheep require more care and attention than other livestock. God calls us sheep for a reason. Sheep are very fearful. They are easily stressed. Sheep will quickly panic and flee. They need a shepherd to help them be at peace and rest.

Sheep have virtually no way to defend themselves. They have no claws, they have no fangs, and they have no speed. Sheep simply cannot survive without a shepherd protecting them. Sheep have no sense of direction. They get lost easily. To make matters worse, they have horrible eyesight. They can only see about 10 to 15 yards in front of them.

Sheep are ruminating animals. They can fall over and can't get up. Their short little legs and their rather large body don't allow them to be able to get up. When they can't get up gases build up inside the rumen and eventually cut off circulation. If a sheep stays down and does not get rescued, ultimately circulation will be cut off and the sheep will die.

Now there are a few good things about sheep. They have excellent hearing. What they lack in eyesight they make up for in hearing. They can hear the shepherd’s voice from far away and they know his voice. Sheep have an amazing ability to remember a face for years. They can see a face; time passes and when they see the face again, they recognize the person. And of course, sheep produce wool.

Jesus is the good shepherd. The word for “good” here means literally attractive or beautiful. Used in this context it, has the sense of an ideal or model. Jesus is the model shepherd. He is the ideal shepherd.

The shepherd is intimately involved with and aware of the needs of each of the sheep. He protects them against all predators by using a rod, more like a club. He also uses a staff. The staff is a long pole with a crook on the end. The purpose of this is to get it around the neck of the sheep and to gently guide them back onto the path.

We are sheep and Jesus is our shepherd. The closer we stay to Him and hear his voice, the better our lives will be. The more we allow Him to guide us, we'll have provision, protection, and prosperity. Stay close to the good shepherd Jesus.