And so we finish our week with the iconic image of Jesus as The Good Shepherd. There’s so much we can say; but before we explore the image further, today let’s remind ourselves to link verse 11 to verse 10. Paragraph breaks are not there in the original text – we impose them in our translations. These translations are wonderful, not least because we can read God’s word in our own language; but sometimes we can miss obvious clues – and here, let’s just pause to reflect on the simple point that the abundant zoe life that Jesus talks about in verse 10 is directly linked to our relationship to the Good Shepherd in verse 11.
Indeed, relationships lie at the heart of what Jesus means by abundant life – in laying down his life for the sheep, the Good Shepherd comes to restore us to right relationships, in every dimension:
First and foremost, with God. Jesus doesn’t explain how laying down his life will do that for us in this passage, but there’s plenty of other texts in scripture that do. His sacrificial death on our behalf makes forgiveness possible, wiping the slate clean and restoring our souls. We are set free to live lives of praise to God, at peace with ourselves.
But it doesn’t stop there – having set us in right relationship with God, it also restores and renews our relationships with each other. The Good Shepherd longs for us to start relating in love, just like he does; and he gives us his presence, by the Holy Spirit, to do just that. Most of the references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament are addressed to people plural – i.e. to the community of God. We are being built into a place of worship where God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).
Finally, the abundant life of the Good Shepherd brings purpose to our wider relationships. We carry the good news of the kingdom everywhere. We have a message of justice, of care for creation, of the value of all people – we have a vision that gets us up in the morning, and is with us when we go to bed at night. In short, we become people of purpose. When we pray ‘your kingdom come,’ we also pray: ‘your will be done, on earth as in heaven.’ That’s Jesus’ manifesto for the world, that earth would increasingly resemble heaven, as the abundant life of God is done here, too.
This is the abundant life which the Good Shepherd longs to bring us. It what he lays his life down for. As we’ve reflected over the last few days, our calling is to know his voice, and follow, trusting that his is voice is the way to salvation and fullness of life. This is your Good Shepherd. Take a few moments to praise him, to receive his peace and presence, and be filled with purpose for all that the Lord calls you to, today. Amen.