The GOOD Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” – John 10:11 

When you read God’s Word, the Bible talks a lot about Jesus being our Shepherd. In fact, the Bible gives Him three different titles related to this term. The first term the Bible says, referring to this title, is that Jesus is the GOOD Shepherd. 

Specifically in John 10, we find Jesus talking about being the good shepherd. John 10:3-5 says, “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” 

This is the middle portion of a passage in John 10-1:10 that tells of the thief that “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” But Jesus, came so that we “may have life and have it in abundance.” And it is in the next verse Jesus continues, “I am the good shepherd. The Good speared sacrifices his life for the sheep.”  

That word “good” is a word we throw around a lot. That was a “good” movie. That was a “good” steak. That service was “good.” Most of the time when we use the word “good,” we use it to say something was acceptable, but it wasn’t excellent. 

But in the original language of the Bible, the word “good” is the Greek word, “kalos,” which translates to mean, “noble… wholesome… beautiful.” It is a word that means something far greater than excellent. It is a word that is used to describe the character of God and the Bible reminds us that only God is good.  

As we mentioned yesterday, the Lord is our shepherd. But He isn’t just a shepherd, He is the GOOD Shepherd. He comes not to steal, kill, and destroy, but to give us a life of more abundance. So many believers think that when they give their life to Christ, they are choosing to give up so much, but God wants you to have a life even more abundant than you have ever experienced because He loves you and because He is the Good Shepherd.  

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bible verse

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

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