The Good Shepherd

Introduction

            The metaphor of the LORD as a shepherd can be soothing and comforting to the soul. On stressful days, I will often open up my music app and hit play on Jon Foreman’s song “The House of God, Forever.” As he melodiously sings the words of Psalm 23 to the rhythmic strum of the guitar, stress seems to dissipate. In the Fourth Gospel, John describes Jesus as declaring, “I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11 ESV). This declaration is part of a series of “I am” statements made within this Gospel which help to reveal the Christology of the book.^[1] What is John communicating about Jesus when he describes him as a good shepherd?

Endeavouring to answer this question, this paper will evaluate the shepherd metaphor within the Old Testament (OT) with an analysis of Psalm 23 and Ezekiel 34. It will then elucidate how John develops/draws upon the use of the shepherd metaphor from the OT to develop his Christology. It concludes with a corollory discussion on some practical applications for Christian leaders.

The Shepherd Metaphor in the OT

            Within the OT there are descriptions of both good and bad shepherds. Psalm 23 conveys a robust image of what constitutes a good shepherd. Ezekiel 34 describes what constitutes a bad shepherd and adds context to Jesus’ words in John 10:1-5 against the "thieves and robbers.".^[2] This section will investigate these two passages to understand the metaphor of shepherding in the OT and what distinguishes between a good and bad shepherd.

Psalm 23

            In v.1 of this Psalm, King David exclaims, “the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” In the verses that follow, David describes the characteristics of his good shepherd. As a seasoned shepherd himself, David was fully aware of the behaviours of sheep, and what shepherding entailed. Shepherds in ancient times were responsible “for leading the flock to pasture and water, providing shelter, protection, care and healing in the case of sickness or injury.”^[3] The context behind leading sheep to pasture and water, and what would have been required of the shepherd in protecting the sheep provides a glimpse into the behaviours of a good shepherd.

When David writes, “you make me lie down in green pastures” (v.2) he would have been aware of how sheep only lay down in specific environments.

A dog can be trained to sit and lie down. Not so a sheep. A well-known proverb affirms, “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.” In like manner, no one can make a sheep lie down. Sheep will only lie down when they have had plenty to eat, have quenched their thirst and are not threatened by any wild animal or disturbed by biting insects.[4]

With this context in mind, David’s description of how the LORD makes him lie down in green pastures conveys David's understanding that the LORD knows how to create a safe space for him to rest; a space where there is food, shelter, and safety. In a similar vein, when David writes “He leads me beside still waters” (v.2) he is also aware of how sheep “are not willing to drink from running, rippling water.”^[5] A good shepherd, therefore, knows how to lead his sheep to places of stillness and safety, where they are comfortable lying down and drinking deep.

            When out in the wilderness, sheep are helpless against predators. Understanding the vulnerability of sheep adds emphasis to the protecting power of a good shepherd.

When sheep go through the “valley of the shadow of death” they are unique to other animals. Cats have teeth, claws and speed, dogs have teeth and speed, bears have claws, teeth, and strength, but sheep have no defense against a serious predator. Therefore, the sheep’s only security is in the shepherd.[6]

In light of how sheep’s only security is in their shepherd, David’s statement that he will not fear because “you are with me” (v.4) is an incredible declaration of dependence on God as his only source of protection when going through dangerous situations. A commentator on this passage writes that “when walking through darkness the friend of God has nothing to fear… for his great shepherd will accompany him there and lead him safely through.”^[7] It can be observed, therefore, that another key characteristic of a good shepherd is the ability to protect his sheep from danger.

Overall, Psalm 23 reveals how good shepherds understand the needs of their flock and gently lead them to places where they can find rest and refreshment. In times of danger, a good shepherd always protects his flock, so that the sheep can “fear no evil” knowing that the good shepherd is by their side.

Ezekiel 34

While Psalm 23 revealed characteristics of a good shepherd. Ezekiel 34 exposes the hallmarks of a bad shepherd. These hallmarks include a lack of concern for the flock, disregard for the weak and sickly and brutalization of the sheep.^[8] A poignant description of these poor shepherds in Israel can be cited straight from Scripture.

Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.[9]

A helpful way of viewing these poor shepherding qualities is through a paradigm of justice vs. injustice. In the OT, the Lord often critiques Israel’s leaders in light of how they administered social justice.^[10] Here in Ezekiel, the shepherd metaphor is used to provide a visual depiction of how the leaders in Israel were failing to administer justice to the poor and oppressed. These bad shepherds act as a foil to a good shepherd. Later in this passage, it is prophesied that Jesus will come to oppose the bad shepherds, correcting their failures as he seeks out the lost, binds up the strayed, and strengthens the week by feeding them in justice (Ez. 34:16). These "bad shepherds" are likely the "thieves and robbers" described in John 10. Ezekiel 34 exposes the failures of Israel’s “shepherds,” while also revealing how Jesus, “like any good king would promote justice in his realm.”^[11]

The Shepherd Metaphor in John’s Gospel

With the OT portrayal of what constitutes a good and bad shepherd established, the Christology of John 10 can now be brought into view. This section will show how John’s use of the shepherd metaphor borrows from and builds on what was just discussed in Psalm 23 and Ezekiel 24 and how this illuminates his Christology.

The Good Shepherd Knows His Sheep

            It was established how a good shepherd understands the needs of the sheep and leads them to places where they can both lie down and drink. This idea is built upon in John when he describes how Jesus “calls his own sheep by name” (Jn. 10:3 ESV) There is a close and personal relationship between the shepherd and the sheep here. Baily adds some interesting insight into this type of dynamic between shepherd and sheep.

The shepherd would often develop a special attachment to a few sheep in the flock who follow him closely and become pets. To those few the shepherd gives names, sometimes related to their color. One could be “big red” and another “blackie” and so forth. Some sheep always keep near the shepherd and are his special favorites. Each of them has a name, to which it answers joyfully.[12]

Traditionally, not all sheep in a flock always had a name, but only those who were the closest to the shepherd and had a “special attachment” with him. It is significant, therefore, that Jesus would call all of his sheep “by name,” signifying his close, intimate relationship with each of his sheep. Jesus, the good shepherd, knows his people intimately.

            This intimacy is taken to another level when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (Jn. 10:14 ESV). It is deeply profound that John describes the close personal relationship between the Father and Jesus as a model for the potential relationship between the good shepherd and his sheep. By knowing and sharing a deep level of intimacy with his sheep, the good shepherd is accomplishing what the bad shepherds in Ezekiel 34 failed to do. The weak and sickly are cared for and not forgotten, because the good shepherd notices and knows all of his sheep.

The Good Shepherd Protects His Sheep

            The second characteristic of a good shepherd derived from Psalm 23 was his ability to protect his sheep from various dangers and threats. In John 10, Jesus is revealed as doing this in three ways. His polemic against the religious leaders, his being the door of the sheep, and his willingness to lay down his life for his sheep.

            When Jesus describes how those who came before him were “thieves and robbers”, he is likely mounting a polemic against the religious leader who were more interested in “fleecing the sheep than guiding, nurturing and guarding them.”^[13] It is possible that these “thieves and robbers” were also political voices, or those who came before Jesus claiming to be the Messiah.^[14] Jesus is therefore doing more than simply guarding his sheep from physical attacks, he is protecting his sheep from various voices that are competing for their attention, offering other “paths” and “pastures” that ultimately do not lead to life, but to death. It is crucial that the sheep do not follow other voices, because Jesus is the only way to eternal life. When Jesus says, “I am the door, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture,” (v.9) this is a proverbial declaration that he is the only way to eternal life.^[15] Jesus way of protecting his sheep can be therefore witnessed in his sacrificial act of “laying down his life for the sheep” (v. 15), which then allows him to become the door for the sheep to enter eternal life through his atoning sacrifice. This incredible sacrifice is also the only means by which intimacy between shepherd and sheep can be experienced.^[16]

How Does this Influence John’s Christology?

            With its roots in Psalm 23, the metaphor of the good shepherd is a rhetorical tool that John uses to describe the nature of the relationship between sheep (believer) and shepherd (Jesus). Psalm 23:1-2 describe how the good shepherd understands the needs of the sheep and is able to provide a safe environment where the sheep are comfortable resting and drinking deep. The providence of the shepherd for the sheep is similar to Jesus words during the sermon on the mount, where he tells his people to not be anxious about food, drink, or clothing because the Father knows their needs and is capable of providing (Mt. 7:25-34). While it is the Father who is presented as providing in Matthew, John’s description of Jesus as the good shepherd may bring into view how both the Father and Jesus are more than capable of divine providence.

By presenting Jesus as the good shepherd who knows every sheep by name, John reveals that Jesus desires a deep and intimate relationship with all of his followers. As the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (Jn. 13:23), perhaps none of the disciples understood the depth of this relationship between sheep and shepherd better than John.

Lastly, John reveals how Jesus is the only door to eternal life. Through his sacrificial death, the good shepherd has created a way for his sheep to be saved. Jesus as the only door to eternal life aligns with Jesus’ statement in John 14:6, where he says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Both of these verses ultimately align with the overarching purpose of this Gospel, which was written so that the reader, “may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:30 ESV). For John, Jesus finished work on the cross is the only way to eternal life.

Application For Christian Leaders

            There are a few useful principles from this study to help guide Christian leaders who are shepherding a flock of God. The first can be observed in Ezekiel 34, where the leaders of the people were reprimanded harshly for neglecting to administer social justice to the poor and needy.^[17] It is therefore imperative, as shepherds of the flock of God, that every sheep is both seen and cared for; the Christian leader should be ready to sacrifice greatly on behalf of their sheep, as that is the example that the good shepherd has set to be followed. In order to accomplish this end, it is essential that leaders take full advantage of the reality that Jesus “knows their name.” All of Jesus’ sheep have access to a level of intimacy that parallels the intimacy Jesus’ experiences with his Father (Jn. 10:14). Christian leaders ought to take full advantage of this access to the shepherd’s presence if they are to shepherd their flock appropriately. What better way to become better shepherds than learning from the good shepherd himself?

Another principle that can be observed within this study is the importance of leading one’s flock to the right “gate”, to reach the right “pasture.” Jesus is the only way to eternal life, and so Christian leaders would do well to imitate John, in using various rhetorical strategies to ultimately point their flock to the only means of eternal life, which is through Jesus Christ and his finished work at the cross.

Conclusion

            The study of the shepherd metaphor in John provides great comfort for Christians. As the good shepherd, Jesus knows and cares deeply about each one of his sheep. Unlike the bad shepherds of Ezekiel 34, Jesus recognizes and knows each of his sheep by name, and cares for the needs of the marginalized and oppressed. The good shepherd protects and provides for his sheep, and Jesus ultimately lays his life down his life for his sheep, an example which contemporary Christian leaders can strive to imitate. Through his sacrificial death, the good shepherd has become the only door to eternal life. Sheep who hear his voice and come running can enter through their good shepherd into the pastures of eternal life. 

Notes

^[1] Porter, Stanley E. John, His Gospel, and Jesus: In Pursuit of the Johannine Voice. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015), 120-148.

^[2]  Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 381.

^[3]  Carpenter, Eugene and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained. (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 170.

^[4] Bailey, Kenneth E. The Good Shepherd: A Thousand Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 25.

^[5] Ibid., 27.

^[6] Ibid., 30.

^[7] Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament Psalms. (London: Blackie & Son, 1870–1872), 212.

^[8] Victor P. Hamilton, Ezekiel: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 581.

^[9] Ezekiel 34:2-4, ESV.

^[10] Wright, Christopher J.H. Old Testament Ethics for the People of God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, Kindle Edition), 272.

^[11] Chisholm Jr, Robert B. Handbook on the Prophets. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 277.

^[12] Bailey, The Good Shepherd, 149.

^[13] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 382.

^[14] Bailey, The Good Shepherd, 152.

^[15] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 385.

^[16] Baily, The Good Shepherd, 160.

^[17]  Chisholm, Handbook on the Prophets, 277.

References

Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament Psalms. (London: Blackie & Son, 1870–1872).

Bailey, Kenneth E. The Good Shepherd: A Thousand Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014).

Carpenter, Eugene and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained. (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000).

Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991).

Chisholm Jr, Robert B. Handbook on the Prophets. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002).

Porter, Stanley E. John, His Gospel, and Jesus: In Pursuit of the Johannine Voice. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015).

Victor P. Hamilton, Ezekiel: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995).

Wright, Christopher J.H. Old Testament Ethics for the People of God. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, Kindle Edition).