I Am the Good Shepherd / John 10:11-18
If you have your Bibles, turn to John chapter 10. Keep your finger in John 10, but we are also going to spend some time in Psalm 23. Welcome to week four of our summer teaching series dealing with the “I Am” statements of Jesus. I want to contend that from the Gospel of John, we can learn more about the character of Jesus Christ from the statements He makes about Himself than just about any other passage in the Bible.
So far, we have covered Jesus claiming to be the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, and last week, the Door. Today, we look at His statement: “I am the good shepherd.”
Last week, when we examined Jesus as the Door, we saw religious leaders taking major issue with who He was and how He was teaching. Jesus was not just having a casual conversation with these leaders—He was picking a fight. He was pointing out that who they claimed to be was a fraud. They claimed to be religious leaders, yet they were leading people astray. They claimed their teaching was healthy, redeeming, and liberating, but Jesus said it was not. In fact, like thieves and robbers, they were climbing over the sheepfold to steal people away from a simple, pure devotion to God.
Now, in John 10, Jesus transitions from the Door to the Shepherd. To an ancient audience, the word “shepherd” immediately created vivid mental pictures. We often lose that agrarian, livestock context because chances are none of you are shepherds. But to them, saying “I am the shepherd” brought immediate recognition.
The Shepherd in the Old Testament
When reading the New Testament, remember that religious leaders had not only read the Hebrew Scriptures—they had mastered them. They knew every nuance and allusion. As soon as Jesus said, “I am the shepherd,” an internal concordance lit up in their minds: Psalm 23, Isaiah 40, Ezekiel 34.
Let’s start with Psalm 23, a classic passage that establishes what shepherds do.
Psalms 23:1-3 (NASB)
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
First, shepherds provided completely for their flock. Sheep are not the sharpest tools in the shed; they need everything provided for them. In scripture, believers are often compared to sheep, and it is really not a compliment. We tend to imagine cute, fluffy white sheep, but in reality, they are dirty, muddy, and covered in thorns.
The shepherd provides food, water, and peace. Verse 3 says, “He restores my soul.” When sheep are out in the field, they will eat, look up to locate the shepherd, and keep eating peacefully. The shepherd commands them verbally, and they respond immediately to his voice. His presence guarantees their safety.
Psalm 23 also says He leads them in “paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” For years, I imagined some lush redwood forest trail. But that is not the Palestinian landscape. In Israel, crops were grown in the low hills known as the Shephelah. After the harvest, shepherds brought their flocks into the fields to eat the leftover crop and weeds, leaving fertilizer behind. When it was time to sow seeds for the next harvest, the shepherds led their sheep south into the desert. In the desert, rare rains produced small sprigs of green grass in the barrenness. Over generations of traversing from the hills to the desert, the sheep carved visible trails into the hillsides. To this day, driving through the Negev toward the Dead Sea, you can see those hillside trails—the ancient “paths of righteousness.”
Psalms 23:4 (NASB)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Traversing south meant traveling through a wadi—a steep riverbed carved between cliffs. This was dangerous terrain where predators like wolves hid in the rocks, making sheep easy prey. It is the same dangerous road between Jerusalem and Jericho mentioned in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Yet the sheep fear no evil. Why? Not because evil is absent or because the sheep are strong, but because the shepherd is with them.
The second passage they would have remembered is Isaiah 40.
Isaiah 40:11 (NASB)
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry [them] in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing [ewes].
This speaks of the coming Messiah tending His flock, gathering the lambs, and carrying them close. When a sheep wandered away, the shepherd would search for it and bring it back. If a sheep persistently wandered into danger, a faithful shepherd would sometimes break its leg, set it, and carry the sheep on his shoulders until it healed. That process bound the sheep intimately to the shepherd, keeping it safe from destruction.
The third passage that immediately came to mind was Ezekiel 34, which is not about a good shepherd, but an indictment of unfaithful leaders.
Ezekiel 34:1-4 (NASB)
Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ’Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ’Thus says the Lord GOD, ’Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? ’You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat [sheep] without feeding the flock. ’Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
Ezekiel 34:8-10 (NASB)
‘As I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ’surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but [rather] the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: ’Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.’‘’
God declared He was against the unfaithful shepherds who fed themselves instead of the flock, and promised that He Himself would rescue His sheep.
The Good Shepherd vs. The Hired Hand
When Jesus speaks in John 10, He makes both a declaration and a direct indictment.
John 10:11-13 (NASB)
’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 is not the owner of 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 is not concerned about the sheep.
Jesus does not merely say He is a good shepherd; He declares He is the Good Shepherd. It is like an athlete announcing their alma mater during an NFL broadcast: “The Ohio State University.” Jesus is saying, “Everything you read about in Psalm 23, Isaiah 40, and Ezekiel 34 points directly to Me.”
Standing before Jesus were religious leaders with their entourages—their disciples egging them on. Jesus looks right at these leaders and exposes them. He tells the people that these leaders are merely hired hands who do not care for the sheep. They are in it for selfish gain, and the moment danger arrives, they flee. In contrast, the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15 (NASB)
’I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Notice the intimacy here. Jesus knows His sheep just as the Father knows Him.
When I was a kid, my grandfather had cows. He was like a cow whisperer. He would walk out into the pasture, call out a few sounds, and they would all follow him. He knew their names, their temperaments, and which calf belonged to which mother. To me, they all looked like tri-tip, but to my grandpa, there was distinct knowledge and relationship.
In the ancient world, most families only owned two or three sheep and pooled them together under the care of a village shepherd. A hired hand watching thirty sheep while owning only three would naturally prioritize his own. But Jesus is not a hired hand. He owns the flock, knows each sheep intimately, and protects them with His very life.
One Flock and One Shepherd
Jesus then reveals that His mission extends far beyond the immediate group standing before Him.
John 10:16 (NASB)
’I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock [with] one shepherd.
Speaking to Jewish leaders, Jesus announces that He has sheep outside this fold. He is going to gather them from Hanford, Selma, Turlock, Madera, Kingsburg, and Carruthers. He is going to gather Gentile believers and make them one flock under one Shepherd.
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, all earthly divisions are reset. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female—we are all one in Christ. Skin color, socioeconomic status, and personal past no longer define our standing. We are equal sheep under one Shepherd.
No human institution can produce that kind of peace. Politics, legal systems, social movements, and talk radio cannot accomplish it. True oneness and peace only happen when we submit to the Good Shepherd.
Ever since Genesis 3, humanity has fallen for the lie that fulfillment is found outside of God’s design. Satan told Eve that rejecting God’s boundary would bring freedom and happiness. We believe that same lie whenever we seek significance apart from Christ. But false shepherds only bring division and chaos. The Good Shepherd alone brings life and peace.
The Authority to Lay Down and Take Up
What qualifies Jesus to be the Good Shepherd?
John 10:17-18 (NASB)
’For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ‘No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.’
Jesus shows that genuine love is demonstrated through obedience. He willingly obeys the Father by laying down His life.
Jesus was not trapped by a mob in Gethsemane. He was not a victim caught off guard wishing He could escape. No one took His life from Him. He laid it down voluntarily as a ransom for many.
He had the authority to lay His life down, and He had the authority to take it up again. On the cross, He bore our sins, cried “It is finished,” and gave up His spirit. Three days later, He conquered the grave, rolled away the stone, and rose from the dead. That resurrection is what qualifies Him as the one true Shepherd worthy of our complete devotion.
Whom Are You Following?
Look at how the crowd responded:
John 10:19-21 (NASB)
A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, ‘He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?’ Others were saying, ‘These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?’
Even after seeing Him give sight to a man born blind, many still doubted, debated, and hardened their hearts.
So the question for us is simple: Who are you following?
Back when I played football at Fresno State, college coaches were far more aggressive than high school coaches. If a coach needed your attention, he would grab your face mask, rattle your helmet, look you in the eye, and make sure you heard every word.
In John 10, Jesus is rattling the cage of the religious leaders and the crowd. He is cutting through the noise to ask: “Are you listening?”
You can follow the things of this world—careers, approval, wealth, influence—all of which promise everything and deliver nothing. Or you can follow the Good Shepherd who loved you enough to lay His life down and take it up again.
If you claim to follow Him, your life will show it through obedience. Let us stop looking for life in secondary things, submit our hearts to Christ, and follow the voice of our Good Shepherd.
Closing Prayer
Father, as we look at Your Word, we are reminded of how easily our hearts wander. We claim to love You, yet we find ourselves distracted, chasing other shepherds and seeking fulfillment in things that cannot satisfy.
Help us to pause and truly declare: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” We thank You that Jesus willingly laid down His life for our sins and took it up again in victory. Give us the grace to hear His voice, follow His lead, and rest under His faithful care. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. Amen.