The Good Shepherd

John 10:11-13 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (12) He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. (13) He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.

With the analogy of the good shepherd, Jesus has declared here that if need be He was willing to lay down His Life for the preservation of His Word among mankind so that we might continue to have It for our spiritual progress. He was willing to do what it took. This is not to say that He was destined to die and that His death will carry away anyone’s sins but that if it came to it He was ready to defend His Word and Its preservation on earth so that those who believe might continue to have It. He was ready to face the darkness head on even if it meant the destruction of His physical body.

Spiritual highway men and false teachers do not care about the preservation for their word or the human spirits they preach to. They only want the temporary earthly gain. They will never risk their lives as they have no one else’s interest at heart.

John 10:14-18 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, (15) as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (16) And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd. (17) For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. (18) No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father.”

Again Jesus emphasized that He was prepared out of His Own volition to lay down His Life for the preservation of His Word. He was not going to allow those who can only kill the physical body to stand in the way of redemption for mankind. That is the sacrifice that He was prepared to make. His Love for mankind allowed Him to make this greatest of Sacrifices.