Circuit Devotions

The Good Shepherd

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, you have sought us out, and found us;

You know us by name and we are yours.

Help us to follow you more firmly, more hopefully,

And to rejoice in the abundance of life you offer us.

We pray this for your love’s sake

And to your glory. Amen

Reading

Read through John chapter 10, verses 7 to 18. I suggest you read the passage quietly but aloud, and slowly.

The Good Shepherd – Reflections on John 10.7- 18

   Just the other day I was trundling along the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway near Woody Bay station   when a friend of mine pointed out a hill overlooking the sea. Holdstone Down, he said, had been a key location where one George King had had an encounter with an extraterrestrial being from Venus by the name of Aetherius, a member of the Interplanetary Confederation. As I understood it, this had happened in the late 1950s.

   Apparently King was given the role of Ambassador for Interplanetary Peace, and my friend was saying how well he had done in that role until his death in the 1990s. Let’s be honest, there have been no interplanetary wars to speak of since he took the role on, and that could be interpreted as success. Certainly King now has quite a number of dedicated followers, and I imagine that many of them are human.

   What is it, I wonder, that persuades someone to accept such an extraordinary claim, and devote their time and energy to such a system of belief? Why would you believe him?

As I pondered this, I found myself considering Jesus’ claim that he is the Good Shepherd, and asking myself if there is any comparison at all to be made.  Why, indeed, would you believe him?

   The description of sheep and shepherds will have been very familiar to Jesus’ audience, not least because of references in the Old Testament in relation to the leaders of Israel. Ezekiel 34 provides a damning indictment of the shepherds or rulers who have plundered the flock and allowed the sheep to become lost, and this seems to have been the background for Jesus’ portrayal of his role as the Good Shepherd, in contrast to the Pharisees who are presented as thieves who rob the sheep, and hirelings who allow them to be scattered.

   There are two ways in which Jesus is presented as the Good Shepherd in this passage from John 10. First in v.11 Jesus declares that the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The extent of Jesus’ commitment to his followers is absolute; he will go even to the point of death to care for them and protect them. Second, in v.14, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he knows his own and his own know him. There is a relationship between Jesus and his followers which is fuller, deeper and more personal than simply an interest or an acquaintance.

   Interestingly, the Greek word translated as “Good” in John 10.11 and 14 might better be interpreted as “noble” or “model”. Although Jesus is the one who lays down his life for his sheep, he implies that his followers, for whom he is “modelling” shepherding, should be doing likewise. We are also to devote ourselves to those who follow us in our own devotion to the Lord. (That sentence might be worth reading again!)

   It is in our personal experience of getting to know Jesus and following him that we discover the truth in his teachings. In verse 10 Jesus declares that he has come to give life to his sheep, his followers, and to give it in all its abundance. His is the authentic voice of hope, and it is in his life and teaching, his death and resurrection that we find profound meaning and depth in our own lives.

   Whatever the origin of George King’s claims, they are unconvincing at a number of levels, not least the scientific, and for most people he would be a hard man to follow, if you see what I mean.

   In the case of Jesus, an historical figure who brought healing and hope in the midst of oppression and confusion, we are faced with a different set of questions. Above all, what is it about the Christian faith that is so enduring two thousand years after his time that people continue to turn to him in prayer?

   The accounts of Jesus’ resurrection tell us something vital about God’s love for us; love cannot be destroyed on a cross, cannot be overcome by violence and oppression, and cannot be extinguished for ever. Ours is an earthly faith grounded in love, in life and in hope. We know the Shepherd and he calls us by name.

Tailpiece

Read Psalm 23 and think through how it touches you.

Close by saying the Lord’s Prayer