The Good Shepherd

Today’s Through the Bible Reading: Luke 14:25 – 16:17

Jesus is the very essence of the scriptures. The Old Testament pointed to Him and the New Testament reveals Him. God promised to send a Redeemer who would save us from our sin. Jesus came, died, and rose again. Jesus was the living example of God's love for us (Rm 5:8; 1 Jn 4:9). He is full of compassion and pursues us with His great love.

Today’s Bible reading is full of examples of Jesus’ compassion and God’s consuming love. He pursues the sinner and prunes the righteous all out of His love and for our good.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke of the coming Redeemer and described Him as a shepherd who seeks his lost sheep. Jesus fulfills that picture and describes Himself as that shepherd.

"As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.” Ezekiel 34:12

God’s relentless care and faithfulness to Israel was a precious picture of Jesus’s love for us!

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11). Jesus did give His life for us so that we could have eternal life (1 Jn 3:16). We were lost, and He pursued each of us.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Luke 15: 4, 5

Today we see Jesus as not only our good shepherd, but also our teacher and counselor (Lk 14:28-35); the perfect man, the Son of God who wants fellowship with sinners (Lk 15:1-2); the one who seeks us (Lk 15: 8-10); our forgiving Father (Lk 15:22-24); the one who fulfills the law (Lk 16:16, 17); the one who answers our cries for help (Lk 17: 12, 13); and our healer (Lk 17:14).

Amazing love! Truly we can follow and trust the Good Shepherd.