Our Lord stated twice, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11,14) adding “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” on the first occasion and  “I know my own and my own know me,” on the second.

Each of these additions is wonderful to consider.  The first one (the focus of this snippet) leads us to the greatest act of love EVER (Eph 3:19)!  No one loves us (you!) more than our Lord Jesus Christ (Joh 15:13).   He proved this when he chose to die for us so that we may have the opportunity of spending eternity with him (Eph 2:4, Joh 3:16, Rom 10:9).  It was an act that cannot be described by words (2 Cor 9:15) or even fully comprehended (Eph 3:11).  But, it is good (necessary!) for us to meditate on it (Heb 12:3).

The scriptures provide us with many wonderful opportunities to meditate on it.  One of them is the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7). These four verses provide rich insight into what our Lord meant when he said “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”

Specifically, they show us that our Lord

• knows and values each person! The fact that 1 sheep out of 100 was noticed missing demonstrates the love he has for each of us.  (Joh 15:13)
• will search for us even when it means going into the ‘wilderness’. The shepherd’s wilderness can be seen as a reference to what the Lord Jesus Christ experienced on Calvary. He gave his back to those that struck him and his cheeks to those who pulled out his beard, he did not hide his face from the disgraceful treatment – he endured all so that we might be safe for eternity (Is 50:6, Joh 10:27-31)
• will not give up on anyone. The shepherd did not stop searching until he found his lost sheep. It also reminds us that none of us is beyond the reach of the Lord’s love.  (Isa 59:1)
• will protect us from ourselves and the threats around us. The shepherd lifted the sheep and placed it on his shoulders which meant the sheep could not run off (again) and no predator could snatch it.  This is despite it likely being noisy, smelly, heavy and dirty – that did not matter to the shepherd, the sheep was precious to him and so are we to our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Pe 2:9)
• wants to have a close relationship with us. Upon the shoulders pictures that we are as near to our Lord as possible – not just now, but for eternity (Joh 14:3).
• rejoices when one of us chooses him to be our shepherd. The last few verses associated with this parable (as well as the parable that follows) clearly show the joy he experiences when we decide to accept him as our saviour. (Luk 15:7,10; Heb 12:1-2)