The Sheep and the Shepherd

 Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He cares for those sheep in His flock. That is every saved person. Even though that includes hundreds of millions of people, He knows each of us by name. He also knows the imposters who try to sneak into the flock. He will separate them at the end of the age. He knows His own and they know His voice. [John 10:14] Not only that, but those sheep who or His also hear His voice. [John 10:27] 

Sheep are defenseless animals. They need a shepherd to protect them from harm. They are also not intelligent animals. They do not have the sense enough to protect themselves from danger. That is why they need a shepherd  to guide and guard them. It is interesting that Jesus compares us to sheep so often. We need a shepherd also. We need Him to protect us from evil and temptation to stray. We need Him to nourish us in our souls. We need Him to care for us and bind up our wounds when we are hurt. We need Him to lead us to the living water of His Spirit when life is hard and our souls get parched. 

There is another thing we need. We need this from our Good Shepherd even though many will reject it after reading it. Before I go into it, I need to tell a story. At a previous church I pastored, one Sunday morning one of our men's father came to visit. He also was a pastor and preacher. At the end of the service, I stood by the back door to visit with people as they exited the building. That preacher dad asked me if I knew what a shepherd would do for a sheep that kept running astray. I did not know. I was surprised when he said, "He breaks the sheep's leg so it can't run off." I was mentally digesting that when he turned and looked at his full grown son in the eye and then back to me. He commented, "Break his leg if he starts to stray." That was two decades ago and I still have not forgotten it. 

We need the Good Shepherd to chastise us when we stray. Sometimes that chastisement might be severe if we stubbornly refuse to stay close to Him and follow His leadership. In fact, [Hebrews 12:4-11] informs us such chastisement is proof of God's love. We have all strayed at some point. The Good Shepherd did not give up on us. He chased us and reclaimed us restoring us to the flock. I for one am grateful for a Shepherd who has brought me back time and time again. I'm thankful He did not give up on me in my stubborn prideful rebellion. I'm thankful He knows Matt and I know Him and His voice. I'm beyond thankful for His love that never lets go. If you are truly one of saved ones He knows you by name too. He loves you too. He faithfully pulls you back from straying also. Getting to be a part of His flock and protection is a blessing we must not take for granted. Jesus our Shepherd is always watching us and always watching out for us. May we find comfort and contentment in those truths.