Jesus the Shepherd

John 10:11-12New International Version (NIV)11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

Isaiah 40:11New King James Version (NKJV)11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;He will gather the lambs with His arm,And carry them in His bosom,And gently lead those who are with young

.Hebrews 13:20New King James Version (NKJV)Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,


To maintain a large flock, however, the sheep must be able to move from pasture to pasture; this required the development of an occupation separate from that of the farmer. The duty of shepherds was to keep their flock intact and protect it from wolves and other predators. The shepherd was also to supervise the migration of the flock and ensured they made it to market areas in time for shearing.
From Wikipedia

As i read the explanation from Wiki and compare it to the verses. i realise that the the sheep and the shepherd are constantly on a journey from one place to another.

first the shepherd ensures that the sheep reach the destination he has in mind for them. He knows where they are going and he lead them there.

he knows the END point

he leads

how does he leads?

Is 40:11 tells us many things about how he leads.

first he feeds the lambs.

this means he provides for our needs.

second

'he gathers the lambs with his arms"

lambs are often weak. likely as they travel from pasture to pasture, they feel tired.

when we feel tired on the journey, jesus does not hurry or force us. Instead he let us rest, and he calls us to leave the walking to him.

during the journey, when we are weak, let us rest in jesus' mighty arms.

third he carries them in the bosom

the heart is often the most vital part of a human being.

once the heart stops, the life ends.

the bosom is where the heart is.

to carry the lamb , not on the shoulder, but in the bosom, shows the great importance the shepherd places on the sheep

'in' the bosom and 'not' at the bosom shows the shepherd's intimate relationship with the sheep.

second during the journedy the shepherd protects them from danger.

he protects

how does he protect?

he is willing to give up his life and jesus has shown it by shedding his blood on the cross.

his action earns him the name ' the great shepherd of the sheep'

this shepherd has an eternal covenant with us through his blood.




thirdly he ensures that the sheep travels together during the journey

this reinforces jesus' teaching on unity in church so that god's name can be glorified.

church is any group of believers.

he unites