Jesus is the BETTER shepherd.
All people, leaders and heroes will disappoint us and fail to fulfill all their promises. But Jesus is the only shepherd who stays with his sheep faithfully eternally and gives His life for us so that we may have eternal life.
Jesus is the GOOD shepherd.
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. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
(John 10:11-18)
Jesus is THE gate for the sheep.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:7-10)
May we accept and live out the truth that Jesus is the only way to full and eternal life.
May we stop trusting in other "ways", "methods", "gates" and "attempts" to live apart from Jesus
May we always find refuge and security in resting in Jesus and his presence in us and around us
May we stop being stubborn sheep and seek to be obedient sheep.
May we learn to come back to the fold even after we have made multiple mistakes in our disobedience.
May we learn to trust and obey Jesus as our shepherd who will always be with us through all the challenges of looking for pasture and avoiding predators who seek to harm and kill us.
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